Christina DeFranco, who used to be a reporter at the TV station, gave me a call, asking if I'd help with a fund raiser for her kid's school - Pine Grove Elementary in Avon. Their auction, silent and live, was scheduled for this evening at the Avon Old Farms Hotel.
First impression. This was the best dressed, best put together group of parents I had ever seen.
Considering it was for an elementary school, this was a huge turnout and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Hopefully, they raised a lot of money. There certainly were more items than I'm used to seeing for a silent auction.
So, you might ask... what did I do there? My best explanation is, I play the part that, in the Catskills, was called "tummler¹".
Actually, it's something I enjoy doing. I go around from auction table to auction table, trying to get people into the spirit of the event, trying to get more bids, trying to get higher bids.
Tonight, the microphone wasn't really working well, which made it tougher. Still we got through it all. Especially since EBay, people wait around, trying to get their bid in at the very last moment. I try and move them along.
The only problem tonight was the distance. This was a 45 minute drive in each direction with only the time between shows available to me.
I'm glad I was able to go.
¹ - tumm·ler Pronunciation Key (tmlr)
n.
1. One, such as a social director or entertainer, who encourages guest or audience participation.
2. One who incites others to action.
[Yiddish tumler, from tumlen, to make a racket.]
