St. James parishioners to go country for annual fundraiser
This Saturday, St. James Episcopal Church, a lovely edifice that looks as if it could be a setting for a Jane Austen novel, will be transformed for an old-fashioned hoedown when it hosts its third annual country auction.
This is a chance to step back to the bucolic days of yesteryear for only $15 per adult. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.
The Boynton Parish Hall at the church, Washington and North Sixth streets in West Dundee, will be transformed into a farmlike setting complete with bales of hay, pumpkins and scarecrows.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends around 10 p.m. Attendees also will get a 4- by 6-inch photo of themselves to take home as a souvenir.
It is not a "dress-up" affair -- no need for suits and ties.
As Natalie Armstrong, auction committee member, puts it, "They should wear their clean barn clothes."
Those "barn clothes" should allow room for expansion as the choice of food is vast. The offerings include chili, brats, macaroni and cheese, peppers and sausage, corn bread and collard greens.
There will be both live and silent auctions and raffles throughout the evening. Col. Gene Warrington will call the live auction and you can bid on anything from a weekend stay at the Abbey in Lake Geneva to a large pagoda-shaped cedar birdhouse/feeder with copper roof valued at $250.
More than 80 items are included in the silent auction. The church's Vintage Room is filled with some great things including some choice antiques ranging from ladder-back chairs and collectible Christmas ornaments to a beautiful old window.
Musical entertainment featuring Sherri Farley on hammered dulcimer and Bubba's Country Band will entertain those attending throughout the evening. Some of the instruments include stump fiddle, slide flute and washboard. Bubba (Bruce Armstrong) and Cousin Clem (Jim Connelly) will keep everyone laughing with their comedy.
The Country Auction is the church's major fundraiser and funds its outreach program. Approximately half of the money goes to help others locally like SHARE, a low-cost food pantry for low-income people operated at the church on the third Saturday of every month; FISH Food Pantry in Carpentersville; and other charities it distributes to with grants. Money is also sent abroad to help its sister diocese in the Sudan in Africa.
There will be a raffle to augment the auction fundraiser, and the tickets will cost $10 apiece. The first prize winner will get $1,000, second prize is $250 and third is $100. The raffle drawing will be held during the auction festivities and the winner need not be present.
As Armstrong puts it, "Everyone is expected to come empty-handed with a full wallet and leave with a full stomach, a picture and some great item that they were lucky enough to buy or win."
Other members of the Auction Committee are Christine Dalphy, Bruce Armstrong, Diane Julian, Shawn McDonald, Sevim Ablay, Joanne Koch, Virginia Sheldon, Tom and Sue Hirsch, and Jim and Phyllis Connelly. For details, call the church at (847) 426-5612.