Fairgrounds hosts 45th annual event
A tradition of praising God and raising money for global relief efforts resumed this weekend at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, where hundreds of people from all across Nebraska and the central United States gathered for the annual Mennonite Central Committee relief auction.
After last year’s record-setting auction, which was the first live event in three years due to the pandemic pause, organizers said the 2023 version, the 45th consecutive event at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Aurora (except for the two-year pandemic break), was another successful venture.
“There have been some changes, as we’ve had to move some things around to accommodate everything, but other than that it’s pretty much the same,” said Frank Steckley, chairman of the MCC Board’s Central States Committee. “We’ve been doing this for so many years and getting along so well that it pretty much runs itself.”
Last year’s auction hit $249,569, the highest ever total, which Steckley credited to the public’s support of the MCC cause, as well as a desire to get together again.
“Last year was the first live auction we’d had in a couple years,” he recalled. “We had a couple online, but people were just excited to be back together. It’s a big social event and it’s a one time a year deal, so I think people like it.
“The quilts are a big deal,” Steckley added. “This year we’ve got all kinds of crafts and craft items as well. People build stuff to auction off here, so we had a lot of different things to show people.”
Volunteers began arriving at the fairgrounds Thursday, setting up booths and auction areas in three different buildings for activities that kicked off Friday night. The first item on the block, as always, was a single loaf of bread, sold as a ceremonial kickoff. The main event was Saturday, when the grounds were humming all day long with the central auction, a quilt auction and a separate auction for kids only.
By the end of the day Saturday, bidders of all ages had combined to help raise $204,369, an unofficial total.
The story of how MCC 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.
According to its annual report, available at the weekend event, MCC generated a total income in fiscal year 2020-21 of $47.3 million. Of that total, $5.6 million was spent on relief efforts, $13.1 million on development projects and $4.8 million on peace initiatives. Some of the various projects supported include emergency food assistance, improved water resources, sanitation facilities, relief kits, hygiene kits, comforters, canned meat and educational supplies.