Auction fundraiser supports Amish Community School
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ST. IGNATIUS – Rain dripped off the edges of a large tent keeping hundreds of quilts and people dry during the annual Amish Community Auction on Saturday.
But no one really complained about the much-needed rain.
“If it takes an auction to bring the rain, we’ll have an auction,” Lorene Yoder said smiling after she helped put auctioned quilts into plastic bags.
People traveled from as far as California and Wisconsin to buy all kind of things at the auction including the quilts under the tent and other items sold outside the tent by another set of auctioneers. Many stood under umbrellas bidding on rows of items such as log style beds, porch swings, vegetable plants and a birdbath filled with plenty of rain water.
Suzy O’Hara welcomed the rain as she ate a slice of homemade apple pie while standing under a smaller tent. At her home in California, it’s so dry she doesn’t let the used sink water down the drain. Instead, she uses it to water plants. She bought several items including a small lighthouse and a few baskets at the auction. She also wanted to get a quilt.
“We are going to rent a U-Haul if we have to,” she said, explaining how they’ll get the items she bought home.
Ruby Koppes and Melissa DiBattista traveled to the auction from Hamilton.
“We heard about this wonderful auction from a friend,” Koppes said. “We had to come see it. The quilts are just beautiful.”
Joyce Lobeck from Arizona was in the area for the summer. This is the second time she has attended the auction.
“We come here to support the Amish and the school. I love the quilts and the little log cabin,” she said, pointing at one of the smaller buildings on the auction block.
The proceeds from the auction are used to support the Amish Community School where about two dozen children attend the one-room style schoolhouse with grades K-8.
“We use the money from the auction to pay the teachers and buy supplies,” said Vern Schlabach, head of the school board. The supplies include pencils, books and wood for the wood stove during the colder months.
Susan Borntrager is one of the two teachers at the school. She said some of the subjects she plans on teaching are math, reading, writing and German. She helped serve a chicken dinner during the auction to raise money for the next school year starting in August.
