Fast talking, hands quickly shooting up into the air, friendly competition and of course plenty of food and drinks is the atmosphere in which many members of the Hamburg community spent Sunday, Oct. 19 at Fish Pond West in Leesport. Our Town Foundation hosted a benefit auction and gala event as the latest fundraiser in the Save Our Strand campaign.
The auction featured 96 items ranging from getaway weekends and vacation packages, autographed movie and sports memorabilia, local gift card baskets, baskets of cheer, one-of-a-kind art pieces from local artists and much more. Items were donated by local businesses and community members.
“It went very well considering it was our first auction,” said Deena Kershner, Our Town Foundation Executive Director. “We’ve had very positive responses and people asking when we are doing it again. Everyone really participated.”
The event raised a total of approximately $13,500 for the roof repair on the theater. There is still a need for $10,000 to $11,000 to completely cover the necessary repair. Because the damage to the roof which included leaking was so bad, the foundation borrowed money to repair the roof before more damage could be caused. The money being raised is to pay back the amount borrowed. Totals from the event include the auction itself as well as the ticket sales and donations.
Prior to the auction, attendees were able to take a close look at the items up for auction as well as mingle with fellow bidders. The laid back beginning quickly changed as the auctioneer took control of the microphone and quickly got to the bidding. Throughout the afternoon he joked with the audience over their bidding habits and made sure they knew just how enticing the items were.
“We have them out already, we just have to empty them,” he said after a comment was made about the audience getting their wallets ready.
Friends bid against friends and even family members tried to outbid each other on various items.
When asked what her favorite part of the afternoon was, Kershner responded, “The actual auction and bidding on the items.”
Many of those items were combinations of donations from the various local businesses and individual community members.
“It was an event in which we were really pleased with the business support,” said Kershner. “It took the whole community to pull [this] off and we are really thankful. We had people reaching out and residents bringing things in. People were very supportive.”
Though there are no upcoming specific events planned for the Save Our Strand campaign at this time, OTF is accepting donations to help save the theater. Next up in saving the Strand is improvements to the facade. The foundation is currently receiving estimates and hopes to have that part completed this spring.
For more on the Save Our Strand campaign visit hamburgstrand.org.