Amish auction raises funds for community school
Karen Peterson photo
Auctioneers take bids on an anvil that eventually sold for $100.
Karen Peterson photo
Young Amish lads oversee chickens during Saturday's auction.
Karen Peterson photo
Sara Yoder, 10, Kristina Brenneman, 12, and Emily Miller, 9 wait for customers at their ice cream stand.
Karen Peterson photo
A variety of homemade pies was available at Saturday's Amish auction.
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Students in any school might say recess is their favorite subject. Emily Miller, 9, Sara Yoder, 10, and Kristina Brenneman, 12, aren’t any different.
“We like recess,” they said in unison.
Emily also enjoys vocabulary lessons when school is in session.
“I like learning new words and fitting them into sentences,” she said.
The Amish community members volunteer their time to organize an auction to ensure the girls and their classmates have a school to attend each year.
“The auction is all about the community coming together,” said Marty Miller, auction committee member. “Every able-bodied person in our Amish community works on this.”
Auction profits are used for several things including books, supplies, and maintenance costs.
“The majority of the money goes to pay the teachers,” he said.
People drove to St. Ignatius from as far away as Washington to attend Saturday’s annual auction.
As many as four groups of auctioneers took bids at the same time in the field in front of the school house for things like furniture, flowers, anvils, tomato plants, books, and quilts.
Emily, Sara and Kristina used the math skills they learned in school to calculate change as they sold homemade ice cream.
“It’s really good,” Sara said.
The quilts are another attraction with names like Moon Glow and Pine Cone Mariners Compass.
“We have some incredible quilts this year,” Brenda Beachy, quilt organizer said.
Quilt auctioneer Orlie Troyer remembers a quilt being auctioned for $1,200 several years ago.
“We always hope to do that well,” he said. “But some years are better than others.”
Students don’t have to worry about the school if the auction comes up short.
“Everyone in the Amish community donates if we don’t make enough at the auction,” Miller said.
