Extension Homemakers' auction raises $7K

Maria Flora, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·2 min read

Jul. 24—This year's baked goods auction at the Boone County 4-H Fair brought in nearly $2,000 more than last year.

Money from the Boone County Extension Homemakers' Fresh Baked Goods Auction is used for the homemakers' charitable activities, largely scholarships.

Veteran auctioneer Tom Dull helped Miss Boone County 2023 Jacqueline Pratt and her court auction their baked goods Wednesday evening.

Auction assistant Jody Durham and food runner Livie Burtner kept the dark chocolate salted fudge and peach jams flowing, along with a raspberry tea ring and strawberry coffee cake.

Boone County's talented bakers enter their best dishes into the homemakers' open show the previous day, and a judge samples a small portion. The remainder is then auctioned.

"The only problem with it is it's missing a slice," Dull warned bidders about one cake, drawing a laugh. "Other than that, it's all there."

A lard-crust berry pie and pig-shaped cookies made by a pork producer brought a $150 winning bid from Phil Staton of Staton Construction.

John Bankert of Boone County Resource Recovery Systems bought the sweepstakes winning German chocolate cake and gave it to Dull because that's the auctioneer's favorite.

Pratt offered a potica, a Slovenian sweet bread that takes 48 hours to complete, made from a family recipe. Her great-grandmother's recipe is her only remaining link to her Slovenian family, Pratt said. Her potica came with tiaras she placed on the heads of the buyer's granddaughters.

Miss Congeniality Jayden Sanders offered two pecan pies in honor of her grandfather, who introduced her to 4-H and fostered her love for it. She and her sister bake pecan pies for his birthday every year, but he is old enough now that he doesn't get around as much and he could not attend the auction.

"These pies are how he's at the fair tonight," she said.

In all, the auction of treats from green tomato relish to peanut brittle and everything in between, brought in $7,455. That's $1,735 ahead of last year's auction.

Dan Fry of Home National Bank and Walter Burtner of the Lebanon Pizza King were the night's overall high bidders.

Durham pulled the final item, a German chocolate cake, from the auction table and caused a little stir in the audience when she announced that she would hang up her assistant hat after countless years in the role. Bonnie Prestin will replace her next year.