33rd Annual Auction And Barbecue Scheduled

According to Peter Passage, stewardship director at Fairmount, the organization's annual auction and chicken barbecue, which benefits the community's Sharing Fund, is a collaborative effort. Asked about the many theme baskets that will be auctioned at the event, Passage noted that they are contributed by staff and a variety of sources from the surrounding community. In fact, contributions to be auctioned have come from as far away as Ireland.

The 2022 annual benefit auction and chicken barbecue will be held at New Covenant Mennonite Church, 529 E. Farmersville Road, New Holland, on Saturday, Sept. 10. Auction items may be viewed online through a link at http://www.FairmountHomes.org, where bidding began on Sept. 3. The live fun will kick off at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 10 with a country breakfast and flea market. Registration for the auction, which will be held live and webcast so that bids may be made in real time, will begin at 8 a.m. Items that will go over the block will include a Burkholder trailer, indoor and outdoor furniture, and plants. The silent auction, featuring Dining for Dollars meals donated by Fairmount staff and other donors will begin at 9 a.m. Chicken barbecue meals will go on sale at 10 a.m. A helicopter candy drop is planned for 10 a.m. if weather permits, and helicopter rides will be available for a set fee.

A variety of handmade items are traditionally sold at the auction. Carol Swailes, Fairmount public relations coordinator, said approximately 30 quilts, plus wall hangings, pillows, and quillows, will go up for bids. "Typically, they sell about 100 (quilted) things," said Swailes. Probably the smallest quilted item to be sold will be a miniature Log Cabin sampler, consisting of 472 pieces, made in Ireland by Rebecca Gregory-Smith, great-granddaughter of Fairmount resident Laura Zimmerman. The tiny hand-stitched quilt, which was shipped to Fairmount and donated by Zimmerman, is the most recent in a line of samplers from Gregory-Smith dating back more than 15 years. A braided rug handmade and donated by a Fairmount resident will also be sold. The 26-by-54-inch rug is made of all-new wool and features a mixture of colors and patterns, including purple, teal, aqua, red, black, and brown in both plaids and solids.

Attendees who are outbid or not in need of any auction items can also help the Sharing Fund with a Make a Difference bid, which will cover a half day or full day of patient care.

Both Passage and Swailes enjoyed discussing the many food items that will be available for purchase. In addition to breakfast, Passage noted homemade doughnuts will be made on-site. Swailes added that french fries made on-site and fry pies, which are similar to turnovers, will be sold. Passage pointed out that fresh squeezed lemonade is a perennial favorite and that soft ice cream will be sold. Passage noted organizers expect to sell ground cherry pies at the event.

The Sharing Fund covers about $2.8 million yearly in uncompensated resident care. The 2021 auction and barbecue raised $109,950, but this year this year, organizers hope the event will bring in $125,000 for the cause.