Silent Auction Raises Money for United Methodist Church

Deciding which basket was your favorite was the biggest challenge at the Silent Auction held by the . The fundraising event, which featured more than 300 different baskets up for grabs, was held on Dec. 4 at the .

Every participant received their own bidding number and what ensued was a silent price war. There was a minimum bid for the items to maximize their net worth. Each bidder then penciled it their bid amount. Someone could come along and outbid them, but bidders can go back as often as they like and bid again. The auctioneers gave a last call when items closed out and bidders had a last-ditch effort to win their prize. "The best way to describe this event is like e-bay live," said Tracy Seeba, auction chairperson.

The baskets were all donated by church members and surrounding businesses. "This is the fourth year we are doing this event," Seeba said. "We usually do it every other year just because of the amount of work involved." All the baskets were wrapped and decorated by the auction committee so the winners could simply purchase them as a Christmas gift if desired.

"We started collecting donations for the auction back in August and closed up in November," Seeba said. "We have received so many wonderful items that there is definitely something for everyone here. Many people come with their Christmas shopping lists. You can get a real bargain if you are paying attention."

Seeba added that this is the biggest fundraising event for the church. There were also refreshments, including chili and seafood sandwiches (the same ones from the ) as well as coffee donated by . Bidders need not be present to win; the committee collected phone numbers for high bidders who were unable to stay for the whole event.