The Kiwanis Club of Orillia’s biggest fundraiser is returning for the 40th year, and there are some big-ticket items up for grabs.
The Kiwanis Mammoth Auction will take place Nov. 2 at ODAS Park. Doors open at 8 a.m. and the live auction will begin at 10 a.m. There will also be a silent auction.
One of the unique items being auctioned is a snare drum donated by Jane Sutcliffe.
The numbered drum, from DW Drums, is the same type played by Neil Peart, of Rush, and it bears an endorsement from the band.
“It’s one of these unique items that you don’t see every day,” said Heather Breckles, a member of the auction committee.
The drum is on display at Alleycats Music and Art until the event.
The auction, as always, will include a variety of items. Woodworking students at Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School are making an outdoor tiki bar and donating it to the auction.
Attendees will also have the chance to bid on Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs tickets, weekend passes to the Mariposa Folk Festival, bicycles and much more — “everything from the kitchen sink to a hot tub to a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 motorcycle,” Breckles said.
Orillia native Gordon Lightfoot has signed a guitar that will be up for auction. He has a connection to Kiwanis, having performed at the Kiwanis Music Festival as a kid.
“When we called and told him it was for the Kiwanis Club, he said, ‘Sure, I’ll sign it,’” Breckles said.
Kevin Collins will be on hand to open the auction. Collins, who is from Orillia, is the president and CEO of Easter Seals Ontario. Before the Kiwanis fundraiser became a live auction, it was a radio auction, with all proceeds going to Easter Seals.
“Because Kiwanis is funding children’s initiatives, it’s kind of special to have (Collins) come back,” Breckles said.
The auction raised more than $82,000 last year. Proceeds were used to complete the “smile zone” in the pediatric unit at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.
The goal this year to raise $90,000, and the club hopes to fund a new monitoring centre in the pediatric unit. A similar system is in place in the neonatal unit; it immediately sets off an alarm if anything is wrong with the patients.
All of the money raised goes toward Kiwanis projects in town.
The Nov. 2 event will include a pancake breakfast that costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids.
Keep an eye on the auction website, where items will soon be displayed.
Breckles said the club welcomes new members. Those interested can visit kiwanisorillia.ca for more information.
