RECORD-BREAKING CROWD AT LIBRARY AUCTION NIGHT; "TWIST ENDING" FOR DOLLHOUSE!

The Library's fundraising Auction Night was held on Saturday, April 9th. The Auction's 7th year was had an all-time high attendance, with over 150 people thronging the VFW Hall. The crowd enjoyed a delicious dinner, bid on a wide variety of items, and raised over $8000 for the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association. As guests arrived, they began enjoying the huge variety of delicious food donated by local businesses: ABC, the Basil Leaf, Bingham's, C&D Eatery/Miss Penny's, Cindy's, the County Seat, A Dream Desserts (Cheylyn Adams' cheesecake business), Maple Street Cafe, the Montrose House, Original Italian Pizza, Robinson's, Stables, and Subway. The Holy Name of Mary Confirmation Class, Katie Ruegner, Angel Palmer, and others also made food for the hungry crowds. Organizer Anna Ruegner had been preparing for many months requesting items from local businesses, artists and craftspeople, and the selection was outstanding. Dave Coddington's masterful auctioneering kept the excitement high--and the audience in stitches, as he teased and encouraged people to dig deep for a good cause. The enthusiastic audience snapped up every item, including the spectacular dollhouse, an eleven-foot boat, two vacation stays in the Outer Banks, stone wall building, amazing baskets, lovely art, furniture, and crafts, and delicious baked goods. More than a dozen door prizes made the lucky winners happy. If you saw the enormous furnished dollhouse and missed your chance to bid on it, you've got another chance. In a "surprise ending," the generous purchaser donated it back to the Association, and the dollhouse will be raffled at the Blueberry Festival! Tickets are on sale now at the Library in Montrose. Many local businesses made the event possible by advertising in the program and sponsoring publicity. The evening, supported by the Montrose Rotary Club, raised over $8000 for the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association. "This was another great year for this event, and we want to express our thanks to everyone who made it possible!" said Administrator/Librarian Susan Stone. "In these times of state budget cuts, it's heartening to feel the incredible support from the community that is reflected in Auction Night."