MCC holds 45th and final auction in Aurora

A tradition of praising God and raising money for global relief efforts unfolded for the 45th year in Aurora this weekend, with officials announcing that 2024 is the final year the Mennonite Central Committee relief auction will be held at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.
The two-day event kicked off Friday with a ceremonial prayer and early auction, then concluded Saturday with an all-day event that featured two auction rings along with numerous booths and food areas spread throughout the grounds. By the end of the weekend an estimated $188,000 had been raised.
Anna Rathke, vice chairman of the MCC board, said after so many years the MCC sale is “a pretty well-oiled machine.”
“This year is really special to us with it being the last year in Aurora,” Rathke said. “We’ve had such a special relationship with the community and with the fair board and we’re so appreciative of the time we’ve had here.”
Asked about the reason for the change, Rathke said it was simply a matter of logistics.
“With the fair board losing that (4-H) building it just didn’t work anymore,” Rathke said, referring to an earlier decision to convert the 4-H building into office space for the Extension staff. “By the time we realized the 4-H Building would be available we had already signed a contract with the Holthus Center in York. There are no hard feelings. It’s been great to be here and we all just have so much history here.”
The fairgrounds were buzzing on Saturday, with good crowds roaming the grounds and filling chairs at two separate auction arenas.
“The quilt auction has always been a favorite out here, along with the main auction,” Rathke said. “And then this year we have so many German Mennonite favorite food items, like the New Year’s cookies, Apple Marishak and Veranika. All of those will continue with the sale next year, though we might introduce some new things and add some new life in different ways as we move forward in the new location. There will be new possibilities, but the heart and soul of the sale will continue to be the same.”
Kelly Kliewer, a liaison between the MCC and fair boards, said it’s been a good 45-year relationship between both organizations and the host community.
“Any time you bring someone from the outside in it takes a while to establish camaraderie with the community,” Kliewer said. “My dad (Henry Kliewer) was the heart and soul of this deal and he knew the community had to be involved, so we’re very appreciative of the support we’ve had here.”
Kliewer noted that the large MCC sale proved beneficial to the fair board and the community over the years, explaining how the event was used to help improve facilities.
“When the Farr Building was built we had a 10-year contract, which helped the fair board acquire matching funds,” he said. “So it wasn’t like we didn’t have some sweat equity in these facilities. There are no hard feelings. The MCC Board just decided they were ready for a change.”
Rathke echoed those sentiments.
“I feel like this might be a shock for some people, that some might be disappointed,” she said. “For me, I grew up at this sale so the nostalgia here, the feelings, I mean there are just so many memories for so many people. For a lot of these people this is the only time you see them. You get to reconnect with family and with different churches, so this place has always been so special. We’ve been blessed to have  this space.”
Rathke emphasized that there are no hard feelings as MCC prepares to transition to the York location next year.
“It is just what needed to happen this year,” she said. “We’re very grateful for the years that we had here and the great relationship with the community and the fair board.”
Adding the revenues from this year’s event, MCC raised just over $6.2 million in its 45 years at Aurora. It was a consecutive run, except for a pandemic pause in 2020 and 2021. The largest single sale brought $249,569 in 2022, the first live event in three years after the pandemic.