And the winning bidder is...

Planning is well underway for the 14th annual Corndog Kickoff Benefit Auction and Fair Food Grazing Party, slated for Saturday, July 10. Though it might seem we start working on the Kickoff in February, I actually don’t think there is a time during the year when we don’t give the event some thought. For me, I am always looking for ideas for the auction – in newspapers, magazines, festivals, art shows, etc. – if something catches my eye I always try and get a card or contact information.

This is my eleventh year of working on the auction and boy has it grown. My first Kickoff was in 2000, the last year the event was held in Pioneer Hall, with an attendance around 600. From there we moved to the Agriculture Building and then to the VI Building and now we take up almost 3/4 of it! Last year’s attendance was right at 1500! Just like the Fair, we try to keep some of the traditional aspects yet always provide something new. And, I have to admit that trying to come up with new auction package ideas is sometimes a struggle, especially as we seem to keep raising the bar. Thankfully we have a group of great volunteers who help provide a spark and come up with some excellent packages through their hard work and contacts.

In coming up with auction ideas, the sky is the limit. We throw out ideas like tickets to the Kentucky Derby, vacation homes in Arizona, free airfare anywhere in the US, suites at professional sporting events….whatever we can dream up. And then the challenge is to see who’s network might be able to come up with something plus a bit of chutzpah to see who might try the cold call approach. Our version of the “7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game only it’s “7 Degrees of Connection to the Fair.” This year my goal is to crack the cruise industry and it’s proving to be a tough nut. (And I have to be honest, I’ve been trying for the Kentucky Derby tickets now for three years and have struck out.)

So, if you have any ideas, we would love to hear them. Or, even better, if you would like to donate something to the auction, feel free to contact me! I’ve always said, you don’t have be on the auction committee to help with the auction.