ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Black Swamp Saturday Auction Tops Last Year





The Black Swamp Benefit, held Friday and Saturday, June 15-16, raised money for the Mennonite Central Committee and Sunshine, Inc. Left: Kevin Frey auctions a quilt, crafted from fabric made by women in the Congo. Top right: fouryear old Olivia Beck, Pettisville, places a bid in the children’s auction. Holding her is her mother, Carissa. Bottom right: Jacob Nafziger helps Steve Nafziger, Archbold, get up during the oozeball (mud volleyball) tournament.– photos by David Pugh

The Black Swamp Benefit, held Friday and Saturday, June 15-16, raised money for the Mennonite Central Committee and Sunshine, Inc. Left: Kevin Frey auctions a quilt, crafted from fabric made by women in the Congo. Top right: fouryear old Olivia Beck, Pettisville, places a bid in the children’s auction. Holding her is her mother, Carissa. Bottom right: Jacob Nafziger helps Steve Nafziger, Archbold, get up during the oozeball (mud volleyball) tournament.– photos by David Pugh

Preliminary figures indicate that the 2012 Black Swamp Benefit will raise about the same amount of money as last year.

That’s what Verle Short, benefit treasurer, said Monday, June 18.

The event was Friday and Saturday, June 15-16.

Tallies from most of the activities were not complete. But there was good news from the Saturday auction.

The auction, including quilts and handcrafted woodwork, raised $59,335. That figure is $3,770, or about 6.8%, more than the 2011 figure, which was $55,565.

Sales

Joyce Frey, of Frey & Sons Auctioneers, said the feature quilt at the auction, “Tracking Through The Swamp,” sold for $1,350.

A quilt by sisters Marge and Alta Grieser, Fairlawn Haven, sold for $3,600, while a quilt made by members of Zion Mennonite Church, Archbold, brought $3,000.

The Centurions Motorcycle Club, which has had a long relationship with the benefit, purchased a quilt for $2,100; then, donated it back. It sold a second time for $1,500.

 

 

Two other quilts sold for $1,000.

Two small garden houses sold for $1,500 and $1,300.

A set of four extra-long stainless-steel forks, made for cooking over a campfire by a local welding shop, sold for $180.

A hand-turned wooden vase, crafted by Lauren Bowman in the Fairlawn Haven woodshop, sold for $300.

Pleased

Lisa Short, a member of the benefit auction board, said overall, board members were pleased with the event.

“The crowd was down Saturday. There were two or three weddings in area churches,” she said.

“Turnout for the 5K run was larger than last year. Oozeball (volleyball played in mud) was about the same.

“Friday night we had a really good crowd; it had more of a family festival feel.”

The benefit supports the Mennonite Central Committee and Sunshine, Inc. MCC provides disaster relief, medical relief, teaching, and training around the globe.

 

 

Sunshine provides care to those with disabilities in Fulton and Lucas counties. The organization operates group homes in both counties, and provides support services to those living on their own.–David Pugh


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