Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 17, 1995 TAG: 9508170023
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
She and other chamber staff members have to wind their way around exercise bikes, cases of soft drinks, radial tires and curio cabinets just to give a brochure on available Pulaski apartments to two visitors.
And the items filling the office at the Pulaski Train Station are only a fraction of those donated for the ninth annual chamber buffet and auction starting at 5 p.m. Saturday inside New River Community College's newest building, Edwards Hall. The rest have been hauled off in a Heilig-Myers truck for the 5 p.m. silent auction and 7 p.m. live auction, with Al Smith and Dee Dee Myers as the auctioneers.
Edwards Hall has not even opened for classes yet. "We'll launch it," said Sexton-Bowman, the chamber's executive director. Even if Hurricane Felix causes wet weather, she said, all activities will be indoors.
"Volunteers collected over $50,000 in cash and goods for the auction," said chamber President Sue Berkley. "It is the best response we have ever had."
It almost seems that the auction will offer enough vacation trips to empty Pulaski County.
The biggest is a trip for two to the Bahamas including air fare, accommodations and a meal package donated by First National Bank. It is far from the only one.
Others include Disney World; Hilton Head, S.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Nashville, Tenn., with Grand Ole Opry tickets; Williamsburg, with passes to Busch Gardens and Water Country; Potomac Mills with Lazy Susan Dinner Theater tickets, and air fare for two anywhere in the United States.
Closer packages include the Dublin Comfort Inn, Blacksburg Marriott, Best Western, and Mountain Lake in Giles County. Golf packages will offer trips in and out of state, and sports packages will provide tickets for Carolina Panther, Pittsburgh Steeler, Charlotte Hornet, Washington Bullet and other games, Charlotte Speedway tickets, Radford University basketball tickets, and Virginia Tech football tickets.
Even services are being donated, such as dental and medical exams, a cardiovascular risk assessment, an office temp for a day and more.
For those who would rather bid on a special piece for their home, the auction will also offer a grandfather clock, a sound-effect wall clock, an oriental rug, and such railroad memorabilia as a 1927 antique train, a modern train set, and Norfolk Southern Railway framed prints, ornaments and cups.
Tickets to the buffet and auction are $15 for couples and $10 for individuals. They are available at the chamber office, and will be available at the door.
The Appalachian Ramblers will play bluegrass music during the festivities. Food will include turkey and chicken along with the traditional pork barbecue prepared by Joe Morgan and company.
Last year's auction grossed $35,000 for chamber programs promoting education in Pulaski County, a county tourism brochure, and business and industrial development activities.
The auction is the chamber's biggest fund-raiser of the year. Visa and MasterCard credit cards can be used for bids.
by CNB