The board of the Lambertville Area Education Foundation (LAEF) and community volunteers are making final arrangements for the organization’s 11th annual Auction and Benefit Party.
The event will be held at the Eagle Fire Company Banquet Hall, New Hope, on March 24.
The silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. and the live auction at about 8:30 p.m.
Proceeds support “innovative programs for students attending Lambertville Public School, West Amwell Township School, Stockton Borough School and South Hunterdon Regional High School,” said a spokesman.
”The affair has a reputation for providing attendees with excellent food and opportunities for remarkable bargains,” the spokesman noted.
LAEF President Jill Myers reports that the number and quality of this year’s auction items are particularly high. “Attendees will be bidding on an array of wonderful items,” she said, “thanks to the generosity of businesses, restaurants, artists and other community members who support our efforts.”
As in past years, works of art will be a highlight of the live auction, many of them created and donated by area artists. Among the artists represented are Tom Birkner, James Cascio, Bill Claus, Jean Michel Dumas, Irma Fuhr, Kathryn Hackyl, Bob Heath, Penn Krebbs, Tony LaSalle, Nora Lewis, Peter Petraglia and Collette Sexton. Additional artists are in the process of creating or donating items for the auction.
Other auction items that are likely to attract spirited bidding include:
— Four tickets to a Giants pre-season game;
— Tickets to the Dr. Oz Show;
— Signed New York Jets memorabilia;
— Fine jewelry, some of it designed by local artists;
— Gift certificates for area stores, restaurants, inns and services;
— A life-sized, white stuffed colt from Wells Fargo;
— Rounds of golf at Mercer Oaks and Copper Hill Country clubs;
— A pre-fireworks Sneddon’s picnic for four on Lewis Island;
— A beautiful, handcrafted coffee table by local artisan Porter Little;
— An elegant candlelit dinner for six on the Wing Dam, in the middle of the Delaware River; and
— Vacation getaways to Vermont, Disneyworld and the Jersey Shore.
A “BEST OF LIVE” feature will raise the excitement level at this year’s auction, which traditionally offers 50-60 live auction items that attract bids of up to $2,200 each. The Best of Live winner will walk off with any live auction item he or she chooses before it is brought up for bid. Tickets for Best of Live cost $50. Only 100 will be sold.
Ms. Myers said: “A lot of people are going to be attracted by the idea of taking home the best live auction item for $50, with no bidding hassles.” And, she pointed out: “You don’t have to be present to win, so this is a great opportunity for our supporters who can’t attend the event.”
The evening will feature food and drink provided and prepared by an all-star list of area restaurants and caterers, including: Bitter Bob’s, Carla’s, City Market, Homestead Farmers Market, Lambertville Station, Logan Inn, Rick’s, Thai Tida and Tortugas Cocina.
Remaining tickets to the traditionally sold-out event, at $50 per person, are available at Lambertville Trading Company, The Medicine Shoppe and Walkers Liquor Store. Event tickets, “Best of Live” tickets and tables also may be reserved by contacting Kathy Ferry at [email protected], Kathrine Hunt at [email protected] or Jill Myers at [email protected].
Community members who would like to donate auction items, such as art works, frequent-flyer miles, stays at vacation homes and tickets to sporting events, plays or concerts, should contact Ms. Ferry at [email protected]. The LAEF also is seeking volunteers to help at the event.
The LAEF, founded in 1992, is a nonprofit organization, run entirely by volunteers, and virtually 100 percent of its income is expended in grants to teachers at area schools. More information is available at LAEF-for-the-kids.org or on Facebook.
— Ruth Luse

