Friday night’s 40th Annual Morton Museum auction at the VFW Hall might be the most successful auction event the Cooke County Heritage Society has ever held, according to auction chairman Linda Southworth.
The auction was dedicated to former Gainesville mayor and civic leader Margaret Parx Hays who died Thursday in North Carolina. (A profile of Hays’ life and accomplishments appeared in the Friday edition of the Register.)
In a telephone interview Saturday morning, Southworth said official totals for the auction won’t be available until Monday, but she believes the live auction alone brought in more than $22,000. She said it is her understanding that private donations and proceeds from the fund-raiser — which included a dinner and live and silent auctions — will top previous years’ totals.
“We feel like we’ve done better than we ever have,” she said.
Southworth said she doesn’t have an answer for why this year’s event was so successful, but she said the organization is thankful for assistance from so many people.
“It’s just amazing. We’ve been so lucky over the years,” she said.
Southworth said the number of visitors who stop by the museum appears to be increasing.
Large numbers of visitors including tour groups who take in the exhibits in the historic former Gainesville Fire Station at 210 South Dixon St.
Grandparents often bring their out-of-town grandchildren.
School kids and their teachers stop by for field trips.
The response to the museum is overwhelmingly positive, Southworth noted.
She also credits museum staff and volunteers with keeping things running smoothly during the transition which followed former curator Shana Powell’s decision to leave the museum last September after years of service.
“They (new staff members) took on the responsibility and they have done a wonderful job,” she said.
The annual auction is a vital part of fund-raising activities for the museum.
A group of at least 40 Morton Museum Auction committee members spent months getting ready for the event.
As a result, Southworth said the museum chose to name the entire committee volunteers of the year.
“There are so many different individuals who worked so hard in 2008. It was impossible to select just one,” she said.
Volunteers are another important aspect of the museum.
“We have fabulous volunteers who come and work at the museum,” Southworth said.
Part of the reason for the auctions’ success was the large number of engaging items up for bid, she said.
Friday night’s event featured “phenomenal auction items,” she said.
Under the direction of award-winning auctioneer Renee Jones, guests could bid on gift items and leisure and recreational activity opportunities such as the “Killer of a deal” which featured dinner for four at WinStar Casino’s Stone Ranch, a basket of high-end chocolates and tickets to see Jerry Lee “The Killer” Lewis in concert.
Sports packages were also on the auction block including tickets for two to the Cowboys vs. Giants game, a chance to turkey hunt in West Texas and a duck hunt at Leeper Lake in Southern Oklahoma.
Also available were more refined gift selections including an add-a-pearl baby necklace and Vera Wang double heart teething ring.
Southworth said the museum and the Cooke County Heritage Society which supports all museum endeavors will now turn their attention to the organization’s June 2 bridal show at the Santa Fe Depot.
The event is a luncheon and includes a vintage wedding gown show and wedding cake for dessert.
Southward said the Morton Museum of Cooke County offers more than a glimpse into history.
“Visitors tell us they feel welcome here,” she said.
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