ENTERTAINMENT

Hilarious and unpredictable, Auction for the Arts returns

From Staff Reports

Black Mountain News USA TODAY NETWORK

The 13th annual Auction for the Arts takes place March 3. It is one of the nonprofit Black Mountain Center for the Arts' most important fundraisers, not just because it raises money to support the year-round classes and programs offered by the center, but also because the people who buy tickets know they will leave having had a great time.

The Auction for the Arts is not an art auction. It’s an auction for the arts where hundreds of items including goods and services can be bid on to help the arts center thrive. Tickets are $30.

Tina Rosato, left, and Libba Tracy look over items during the silent auction during a previous Auction for the Arts.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a catered reception and a silent auction in the gallery that features a wide range of items, including entertainment discounts and packages, gift certificates, textiles, pottery and jewelry. About 7 p.m. the event moves into the theater space for the entertaining and sometimes heated live auction.

This year, the auctioneer will be Jeff Hutchins, a local author and man-about-town whose lively assistants describe the items and generally keep the action moving. Items for the live auction are of higher value than the silent auction and may include vacation accommodations, sculpture, musical instruments, sports equipment, prints, furniture and creative packages.

This year the auction is being coordinated by Ana Prendergast and Lori Cozzi, dedicated center board members and friends who lend a hand in putting the many elements together for a successful evening. Generous merchants and residents donate new items for the auctions

Joyce and Fritz Ackerman enjoy placing their bid for a piece of art at a previous Auction for the Arts.

Guests will fortify themselves for the live auction with plates full of prime rib and healthy-yet-decadent sides provided by Black Eyed Susan Catering and other local restaurants. There will be a table full of desserts to sweeten participants up before the bidding paddles go up. In the thick of the live auction the wine continues to flow, and the spirits are high as 30 select items are bid upon. Typically the action, fast and funny, is over by 9:30 p.m.

For more or to purchase tickets, call 669-0930 or visit BlackMountainArts.org.