The first item to be auctioned off delivered very well bringing
$200. It was a fall wreath with a pink pumpkin theme that can be
utilized through the end of fall. The wreath was donated by Lincoln
Daily News and designed by Jan Youngquist. LDN had two other items
also designed by Youngquist that sold equally well.
The first item to bring $1,000 was this beautiful pink pumpkin
donated by Collision Concepts and designed by Alice Engle. The
pumpkin was purchased by Becky Logan. Collision and Engle also had
two additional glass pumpkins decorated with florals in the auction
and Logan ended up buying all three.
This pink and black quilt donated and made by Georgia Green of Sew
Personal Embroidery sold well and sold often. The quilt sold the
first time and then the buyer donated it back telling auctioneer
Maske the “sell it again!” Maske was happy to oblige and between the
two winning bidders the piece brought in $575 for the American
Cancer Society.
While the paddle bore the name of his better half Rebecca, it was
Brian Jasmon who got a kick out of bidding high throughout the
evening. His efforts paid off when he won a Pink Pumpkin Mummy
filled with candy. Jasmon paid a whopping $1,500 for the piece
donated and created by Grieme Arnold Insurance.
Another fun “sell again” opportunity came with this cute little
unicorn pumpkin. The pumpkin itself was made by two-year-old
Alexandria Altmix with a little help from her mom Amber. Amber had
designed a larger unicorn pumpkin filled with candy, and little
Alexandria wanted to pitch in as well. The small pumpkin was a real
one Alexandria painted in pink swirls then glued on ears and pieces
of the face to make the cut little pumpkin. The pumpkin sold the
first time for $125, the second time for $100, and the third time
for $250, bringing in a total of $475.
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Alexandria watched excitedly as her donation to the
Pink Pumpkin Auction sold again and again and AGAIN.
Little Miss Logan County Sofia Farmer also fared well on Thursday
evening, the pink pumpkin filled with decorated cookies sold well,
then the buyer generously gave the pumpkin to Sofia. She was more
than happy to accept it!
The final item of the auction Thursday evening was this witch with
her broomsticks standing on a bale of straw. The piece donated by
Graue Chevrolet and designed by office ladies featured the witch
holding one broom with a couple of “spares” on the side. All the
brooms were adorned with orange twinkle lights. Also on the straw
bales were miniature pumpkins and a larger pink pumpkin filled with
breast cancer awareness bracelets.
The crowd had a very entertaining experience as the two good
friends, both “car guys” in Lincoln, Erv Guyett and Chris Graue,
battled it out over the display. The crowd got excited when the
display hit the $1,000. As it kept climbing, guests were cheering
and clapping. At the $2,000 mark, neither bidder was willing to
concede. When the bid hit $2,500 Graue bowed out and Guyett was the
winner.
Throughout the evening, between 45 and 50 pink pumpkins sold in the
auction and all sold well. There were battles between friends such
as Nila Smith and Karen Hargis who were both determined to take home
the basket donated by Sir Renna Tea and made by store owner Eileen
Mullins. In the end, Hargis won with no hard feelings from Smith,
but not without paying the big bucks for the pumpkin.
To say that this year’s fundraiser event was a success would be a
serious understatement. Between the silent and live auctions, the
raffle and luminaria sales and the mystery bag sales, the event
brought in more than $20,000 for the American Cancer Society.
There are no words big enough or special enough to say just how
grateful the pink pumpkin committee is for the generosity of those
that donated items and the generosity of those who purchased them.
[Nila Smith] |