The Auction is Coming, The Auction is Coming

  
The Durham Academy Under The Big Top Gala and Auction is happening this year on April 9th. This year’s leadership Team of Harriet Putnam, Jamie Spatola, Kemi Nonez and the always present Kristin Teer have been working all year to bring us what is sure to be one big fun night.
Russ and I stared going to the DA auction when Carter was just two, well before she became a student there. I remember looking at all the beautiful student art work in the silent auction. I naively bid on a sea turtle clay bowl but quickly learned that it was going to be won by a parent who had a child in that class. You can imagine that it must have been fabulous if I wanted it and my child had nothing to do with it.
At that first auction I watched the auctioneer work the room. Russ and I actually won a week at the Greenbrier and cooking school with Julia Child for a song because I don’t think that auctioneer knew what he was selling. Russ turned to me and said something like, “you could do a better job at that.”
A few years later at a Caring House Auction that went terribly bad because we had two cattle auctioneers who did not know our crowd, another friend said, “Dana, you should be the auctioneer.” So the next year I was, and for a while.
Then a few years after I had gotten plenty of practice, between Caring House and Garden club auctions I started being the auctioneer for the Durham Academy Auction. This was a risky experiment for them to try. We had been using a professional auctioneer and after one bad year a group said, “Let Dana try. It can’t be any worse that the guy from DC.”

That was seven years ago.  
I have had lots of fun helping people support the school by raising their paddle even when they swore they were not interested in buying anything. We have had some great years where the set up,the items being offered, the economy and the sound system were all working in unison to help raise records amount of money. Once or twice we have had a hiccup, but for the most part it has been very fun.
This is going to be my last year as the DA auctioneer. As we have moved to the bid pal electronic bidding it is time to try a professional who works with bid pal all the time and has a team of people he brings in to maximize the bidding. But that is next year. If you want to see me tease as much money from the crowd as possible you need to come to the auction this year. I am hosting tables and would welcome you. It is my last hurrah, but only for DA. I am still happy to auctioneer for other events.  
The good news is next year when Carter is a senior, I will finally, at last, get to just have fun at an auction and not be working. I have volunteered at every auction since Pre-k and I am ready to rest.