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ANR
It was the end of an era Saturday at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.
The annual Mennonite Central Committee relief auction has been bringing faith, family, great food, heritage and a giant helping of goodwill to our community for nearly 50 years, though that tradition has now come to an end.
And what a run it’s been!
The story of how the MCC sale first began 102 years ago is a well-known tale involving five men in Hillsboro, Kan., who recognized a need for relief in Ukraine. Rather than launch relief efforts in their own churches, the men decided to start a temporary organization, a central committee, where people could combine their resources to do relief work in the name of Christ.
The Nebraska organization of the MCC is connected to 13 different churches located in towns such as Henderson, Beemer, Shickley, Beatrice and even one from Colorado. Forty-five years ago, church leaders were looking for a location to host an auction in Central Nebraska, which started what became an annual event at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.
Talking to folks from both the fair board and MCC perspectives, this was a mutually beneficial partnership from the very beginning. Henry Kliewer played a huge role in extending the invitation to come to Aurora early on, knowing full well that the event would only work if the host community got behind it. And it did, from the very beginning, according to sources on both sides of those conversations.
Having such a large anchor event each spring helped the fair board immensely over the years. At one point, plans were coming together to build what is now well known as the Farr Building. That has clearly become a centerpiece of the fairground facilities, and a go-to location for many of the area’s largest events throughout the year. The MCC Board helped make it happen, making a commitment to Aurora by signing a 10-year contract which let the fair board acquire match funding needed to complete the project.
Henry’s son Kelly Kliewer and extended family have continued to offer a supporting role over the years, which was evident this weekend with Kliewer, his son Mark, their spouses and several grandkids helping out in various ways. It was a team effort, they will tell you, though the Kliewer clan has been deeply imbedded in this partnership since the beginning. Kliewer, who in recent years served as a liaison between the fair board and MCC board, in fact got his start as an auctioneer during a fill-in role at the MCC sale, when he was handed a mic with little notice and asked to start selling. He did well, liked it, and, as they say, the rest is history.
Sadly, MCC’s run in Aurora is history as well now, ending a 45-year run. During that time an estimated $6.2 million was raised, with proceeds earmarked for various global relief efforts. Both sides agree there are no hard feelings, which is good to hear.
“I know that everybody who is here has a lot of history, a lot of love, a lot of passion and a lot of care for this sale,” said Anna Rathke, an MCC board member whose grandfather, Robert Friesen, was involved from the beginning. “We’ve been so blessed to have this space. It was nothing against anybody, it was just what needed to happen.”
Our community owes the MCC a debt of gratitude for helping improve the fairgrounds over the years, and we wish the organization well moving forward.
-- Kurt Johnson
