We're still looking for a few good items
By Steve Hamous
PMSA President
Mark your calendar for the Main Street auction on Feb. 19 at the American Legion. Festivities will include the usual steak feed and delectable desserts, followed by the craziest auction around.
If you haven't attended one of our auctions before, you have missed quite a treat. Our fabulous auctioneer, Bob Marshall, will encourage you to empty your wallet in such a nice way that you won't even mind it. Then Susan Marshall will pester you to bid against your spouse or even up your own bid.
It's just our unique way to make a benefit auction fun and raise a lot of money at the same time. If you love your town and want to support it financially, you might as well have a good time doing it.
Heck, where else can you buy a jar of Peabody Mustard for four times as much as you would pay at the Sausage House?
But none of this can happen without all the good folks out there who donate great things for us to sell. Along with the donations mentioned in previous newsletters, we have received quite a number of cool items during the past couple months. Some of these items include a Peabody pillow and paintings donated by Stephanie Ax, a painting, a horseback ride donated by Tina Partridge, Peabody postcards from Beth Eldridge, a plane ride for two to the Beaumont Hotel for dinner donated by the Teafords, collectible Peabody mugs from Steve and Donna Glover, and ceramics donated by Marisa Phillips, a beautiful framed stained glass window donated by the late Muriel Wolfersberger and family and a handmade wooden cabin bird feeder made by Larry Rose.
I even was told that Superintendent Tom Alstrom was donating some of the stone ornamentation from the former Peabody High School. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bid on a piece of Peabody's past.
We still need more auction items.
The weather has turned cold recently, so many of us will have an opportunity to spend some time indoors. Why not take this opportunity to start or finish a craft project for the auction?
I know we have many fine woodworkers in this community. How about making and donating a piece of your handiwork? Highly successful items in the past have included recipe boxes, benches, chairs, cutting boards, serving trays, and toy boxes.
And to the artists in our community — drawings, paintings, etc., always are popular items if they are of a Peabody landmark. Why not create a future masterpiece?
Alums, we ask that you check your attics and basements for old Peabody memorabilia. If you haven't used it yet, you probably won't, so why not donate it back to your hometown so that we can raise some money and someone else can enjoy the item.
Most any item, large or small, is welcome if it has a direct connection with Peabody. Old photographs are always favorites. If the image is too near and dear to you to part with, we understand. We'd be happy to simply copy it and return your original.
Think about what you can do to help, and DO IT! You still have plenty of time.
Donations may be dropped off at the city building or given to Susan Marshall, auction committee chairman, Joanna Brazil, Main Street director, or me. If you've got a project in the works, let us know.
We appreciate your help.
