Auction, food and booths benefit relief fund

RITZVILLE - The 31st Annual Mennonite Country Auction and Relief Sale is Saturday.

An early breakfast, food booths, sales booths and an auction are some of the event highlights.

The event takes place at Menno Mennonite Church, N. 1378 Damon Rd. in Ritzville.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Mennonite Central Committee, the relief organization.

A breakfast of cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy is from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Booths are open at 10 a.m.

An auction starts at noon.

Volunteer Colleen Kagele said the food booths feature some delicious delectables.

"There is the world famous kraut runza booth, the Amish cheese booth, the sausage, ham and bacon booth, the New Years' cookies booth, green bean soup and African ground nut stew booth, the homemade pie booth, the homemade ice cream booth, the fresh apple butter booth," she said. "There will also be barbecue pork sandwiches, hamburgers and sausage sandwiches available."

Organizers make 2,500 kraut runzas before the sale, Kagele said.

Event-goers can watch apple butter being made, she said.

For the homemade ice cream, a member refurbished a six-gallon ice-cream churn, Kagele said.

"You've got things that you've never seen before, like pear pie, raisin pie, shoofly pie, Amish vanilla pie," she said.

Food isn't the only highlight of the sale.

Great Gatherings features antiques and collectibles, and 10,000 Villages sells items made by people in Africa such as Christmas ornaments, carved stone items and gourds. Other booths include Quilter's Corner, a craft booth and a wheat-grinding booth featuring flour ground fresh.

Children can assemble school supply kits, which are sent worldwide by the Mennonite Central Committee, Kagele said.

There will be a video for older children to watch about the kits, she said.

Last year, it cost visitors money to assemble a kit. This year, they are free to assemble, Kagele said.

"It's a better lesson to have them put (the kit) together and then know where they are going," she said.

Kagele said the auction is the best part of the day.

Members of the church purchase quilts from the Amish community, using donated money, and then auction the quilts, she said. Women from Canada also donate quilts each year.

"There are going to be some tough decisions at the auction this year by those quilt collectors," Kagele said. "As usual, this will be an eclectic auction. There are many widely varied items."

Auction items include a wooden cradle made by Jim Sandberg, a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis, handcrafted wood items made by Walt Reimer, windchimes custom made by Dennis Kagele, a Personal Energy Transport made by Vic Franz and a cedar chest made by Bill Dyke.

Kagele said this is her 10th year in the Mennonite community. She said she was amazed the first time she attended the event.

"Oh my goodness, when I saw the first quilt go for $3,000, I thought, 'oh, these people are serious,'" she recalled.

In the past 30 years, the event contributed more than $1 million to the Mennonite Central Committee, Kagele said.

For more information, call 509-659-0926 or e-mail menno@centurytel.net.