Come out to enjoy bidding on lots of great merchandise, delicious food and fun kids' activities while supporting Christian education," said Jen Kosydar, events coordinator for Manheim Christian Day School. She invites people to the school's 49th annual Benefit Auction and Family Fun Days, which will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26, at the school, 686 Lebanon Road, Manheim.

The festivities will begin on Friday with a pork barbecue dinner available for dine-in or drive-through pickup from 3:15 to 6:30 p.m. The meal will include Peters' BBQ pulled pork, a baked potato, applesauce, a pickle, a homemade roll, a dessert and a drink. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling the school at 717-665-4300. Limited meals will be available on the day of the event.

At 4 p.m. on April 25, a silent auction will begin, and it will run through noon on April 26.

Along with the barbecue, the event will feature a variety of food for purchase.

"New this year are various food trucks," Kosydar shared. "We'll continue to serve milkshakes and soft-serve ice cream."

Participating vendors will include Country Gal Catering, which will serve hamburgers, hot dogs, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, fried pickle spears and fresh-squeezed lemonade; Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe, serving coffee, specialty drinks, baked goods and soup; The Fry Shack, serving egg sandwiches on Saturday morning, chicken tenders and french fries; and Old Road Pretzels, serving soft pretzels and stuffed pretzels on Saturday only.

Friday's activities will include a welcome ceremony at 6:30 p.m., followed by class projects and special experiences that will be auctioned off beginning at 7 p.m.

Class projects from each grade, including the "Seed to Sow" project completed by fourth-graders, will be featured. For the fourth-grade project, students use a set amount of money to create and sell a product in the month leading up to the auction. Each product is then auctioned off at the event, Kosydar explained. Personalized class projects up for auction will include a fire pit, a raised garden bed, a tile birdbath, class photo books, outdoor yard games and charcuterie boards. Special experiences with Manheim Christian Day School staff will also be part of the auction on Friday.

Saturday's event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast available for purchase.

Live auctions will start at 9 a.m. and will include categories such as tools and outdoor products at 10 a.m., general merchandise and gift certificates at 11 a.m. and special features at noon.

Children's activities, available by donation, will include inflatables, a petting zoo, barrel train rides, face painting and games. Most activities will run from 9 to 11 a.m., but the inflatables will operate until 3 p.m.

At 11:15 a.m., a candy launch will be featured, and at 12:30 p.m., singer-songwriter Steven Courtney will perform in concert. Sports games will also be held on the soccer field at 12:30 p.m.

Kosydar noted that the festivities include fun for people of all ages, and she encouraged support of the event, which in turn supports the school.

"(Proceeds will) make Christian education affordable to more families," she said, "as well as purchase new technology and fund essential building projects."

For more information, visit https://manheimchristian.org.