Everything from a sparkling winter wreath to a dinner cruise on the Allegheny Reservoir were auctioned Thursday during the 26th annual Oktoberfest and Annual Auction to benefit the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce.
The event, held at the Bradford Club, kept a lively pace with attendees through the humor and professionalism of auctioneers Tim Asinger and Lloyd Burkhouse, respectively.
“Ticket sales have gone very well,” said Kara Kennedy, executive director of the Chamber. “We have a lot of different sponsors of the event and the sponsorships come with individual tickets.”
Kennedy said the annual event is very important to the Chamber and, in turn, the business community, as it is a major fundraiser for the organization.
“The Chamber’s funds come from a combination of membership dues and our fundraising events. Our members are fantastic about donating items to help us make the live auction and silent auction possible,” she said, adding the items, in turn, are a good way to promote Chamber members. “At the same time, (the auction) raises funds for the Chamber and our programs and services.”
Kennedy said the Chamber’s mission is to promote and support the business community, which is done through the monthly newsletter and its printing costs, as well as maintaining a website directory comprising all its members.
“We also have the office (on Main Street) that is available to (facilitate) Bradford gift certificates sales, which is another one of our programs,” she added. “That’s one of the programs that benefits our members directly.”
Kennedy said another benefit of the auction is that it is a lot of fun and entertainment for all involved.
“We have such a great time with this event because seeing the variety of things our members donate to us and some of the creative items that they bring in” makes it enjoyable, Kennedy continued.
For example, last year the auction received a gift of a dinner cruise on the Allegheny Reservoir from Chamber board member Devon Kloss and her husband, Jeff.
“They have a beautiful boat and they love to cook … she and her husband decided to offer that,” Kennedy said of the Klosses. “They’re doing that again this year because it was such a hit last year — it’s creative and different.”
She said another innovative gift was provided by local artist Joyce Kille, who donated a couple of small paintings for this year’s auction.
Kennedy said the day before the auction, Kille stayed up all night to paint a third art piece for the auction, as well.
“That, to me, is the spirit of the event,” Kennedy conjectured. “We had people from all over the community — individuals, businesses and organizations — that come through for us and support the event. This helps us promote and support the business community all year long.”
During the first part of the auction, the audience was kept entertained during the bidding process by Asinger who considers himself the amateur alongside Burkhouse, who is a professional auctioneer.
“It’s a lot of fun because you know everybody in the room,” Asinger remarked. “We do this every year, it’s a great cause.”
Asinger admits he is “not a professional by any stretch” but enjoys contributing to the event in this manner.
“Lloyd’s here to be the professional and I’m here to have fun with it,” Asinger commented. “They keep calling me back, so I think it’s going OK.”
One of the audience members at the event, Terri Orris, said she has attended the auction in the past and has made bargain purchases.
“Sometimes you luck out and get some really good stuff” for a great price, Orris said with a smile.
