Auction generates over $15K for cancer

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.)

Mac Britton looks at a tickety tock Blues Clues clock Friday morning during the final minutes of the week-long Astro Auction. Pictured in the background, from left, are Bobbie Powell, Marie Padgett and Lori Del Padgett.

They came, they saw, and most importantly, they brought pockets and purses full of money.

The 10th annual Astro Auction raised more money for the American Cancer Society than ever before – a five-day total of $15,344. The total easily betters last year’s mark of $13,265, which had been the auction’s most successful year.

“We do better each year, but each year we get more and more tired,” said Bettye Haston, one of the auction’s main organizers. “I’ve got to thank everyone who donated their time and everyone who donated so many nice items. And most of all, I’ve got to thank Caney Fork. They put up with us all week long.”

The five-day auction was held at Caney Fork’s auditorium where daily radio broadcasts took place. There was also a steady stream of people coming and going to look over items available at the silent auction which lasted throughout the week.

Keeping the auction going was no easy task. It required the work of about 30 volunteers at a time to answer phones, serve as auctioneers, place bids on the board and perform a variety of other duties.

In addition to Haston, Carol Locke contributes a fair amount of volunteer labor as the auction treasurer. Locke knows a thing or two about handling money thanks to her job at First National Bank.

“We exceeded our totals for last year every single day,”said Locke, who is proud of the fact the auction’s 10-year total is approaching $100,000 or $98,200 to be exact.

So where does all the money go? Tennessee’s American Cancer Society is the recipient and the money benefits work related to finding a cure for all types of cancer.

In addition to volunteer hours, close to 150 local merchants donated items for the auction. Those items ranged from a candle to a weedeater, from NASCAR items to a walnut rocking chair, just to name a few.