Loretta Teagarden carefully studies the contents of one of the raffle baskets before putting her name in for the drawing. She won a basket as well as a large Tigger stuffed animal in the lower left corner. (Photos by Roger Sims/Linn County Journal)
LA CYGNE – About 70 La Cygne and Linn Valley area residents attended the 15th annual Spring Fever Reliever fundraising event sponsored by the La Cygne Library on Sunday evening, Feb. 25, despite the lure of a spring-like evening outdoors.
Drawn partly by getting to sample chili and soups in a cook-off contest and bid on an overflowing table of desserts, it became clear as the evening progressed that the real reason people were there was to support the library’s programs for the coming year.
Mary Hansuld, right, replenishes the grated cheese topping for the chili or soup.
Keith Stoker’s chili won the cook-off prize, and Rosanne Jackson’s dessert was named the best being served. But under the coaxing of Rick James with Semper Fi Auction Services, Jackson’s desserts were a top draw for bidders.
Jackson brought several different desserts, but top bid for the evening went to one of her cakes for $300. Several other of her baked creations brought more than $100 each.
Paityn Curtis walked desserts around the room as Rick James with Semper Fi Auction Services coaxed bidders to up their bids.
In addition to the dessert auction and a cakewalk, attendees were able to buy tickets for the nearly two dozen gift baskets donated by individuals and businesses. Those buying tickets for the basket raffle put tickets with their names on them into paper sacks, and couple of young helpers drew the names when the time came.
Librarian Janet Reynolds said that free-will donations for the chili and soup plus the dessert auction raised more this year than last year, but the basket raffle was about $200 less. She said there is no set fundraising goal for the event, and the amount received determines what kind of programs the library can afford over the remainder of the year.
For those who couldn’t resist staying outside for the evening rather than chowing down on chili, the library does take donations throughout the year.
Assisting with the drawing for the raffle baskets, Gabrielle Garr reaches in deep to pick out a name. Her brother, Eugene Garr, also helped with the drawing.