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AUGUST 20, 2009 ISSUE

Valle Crucis Park Auction August 29

Story by Anna Oakes

The Valle Crucis Community Park features a playground, walking/jogging trails, athletic fields and covered shelters.

Exquisite luxuries such as a rare bottle of wine and Porsche rentals are available to the highest bidders at the 25th annual Valle Crucis Park Auction, a fundraiser for the Valle Crucis Community Park, a 23-acre park featuring pristine fields, marshes and streams.

The auction, the park’s largest annual fundraising event, takes place on Saturday, August 29, in the cafeteria of Valle Crucis Elementary School. The flea market, featuring yard sale items, begins at 8:00 a.m., followed by auction viewing at 8:30 a.m. and the live auction at 9:00 a.m.

“This beautiful park…is supported almost entirely through private funding,” said Mary Wood, coordinator of this year’s event.

The auction includes a rare bottle of 1962 Chateau Mouton that was recently sold at The Chicago Wine Auction for $3,000 a case, Wood said. Also available are Porsche rentals from Club Ferdinand, a kayak that retails for $600, gift baskets, gift certificates, antiques and artwork.

Valle Crucis Community Park is located at the junction of three waterways—Watauga River, Dutch Creek and Clark’s Creek.

Caroline Poteat, director of the park, said the auction will function similar to an eBay online auction—auction items will display a “Buy It Now” price for buyers who want to scoop up items before the live auction. Professional auctioneers Bill Knox and Sandy Phillips will conduct the live auction.

The event will also feature fresh-brewed coffee, breakfast and lunch items and a bake sale. The auction, which last year raised about $16,000 for the park, continues into the early afternoon.

The Valle Crucis Community Park features a playground and areas for walking, jogging, sports, picnics and fishing, as well as spaces for reunions, weddings and live music. For more information about the auction or the park, call 828-963-9239 or click to www.vallecrucispark.org.