The Humboldt & District Museum & Gallery is preparing for its fourteenth annual Festival of Wreaths fundraiser.
For the second year in a row, all funds raised will go towards the museum's expansion into the Merchants Bank building. The museum's new wing is scheduled to open in early January and will host traveling art shows and give the museum some extra space it so desperately needs.
At a recent coffee party at the Humboldt Senior Citizens Hall, three members of the Friends of the Museum, the organization behind the fundraiser, spoke about its importance.
"Before we started the Festival of Wreaths [in 1999], we were scrounging for pennies," said president Louise Miller.
Last year over 125 items were sold at the silent and live auctions, with a total of $6,700 being raised. Miller and board members Wanda Lefebvre and Marion Hingley all agreed that the fundraiser gets steadily bigger each and every year.
Local businesses, individuals and groups make donations that range from pragmatic to wacky. One donation this year was a small Christmas tree decorated with crushed Coke and Pepsi cans in the shape of stars. According to the board members, food is always a popular donation and the variety of donations has increased exponentially over the years.
"Originally we just accepted wreaths," Miller said, "but the variety of items we get keeps expanding every year."
Like so many other fundraisers, this one couldn't go on without its army of volunteers, many of whom donate their time to keeping the museum open for extended hours while the silent auction items are on display.
"None of this could happen without the volunteers," Hingley said.
"We especially want to thank Mel and Josie Stroeder," added Lefebvre.
The Stroeders have served as the fundraiser's auctioneers from the beginning and give the show an added level of excitement that only an experienced auctioneer can deliver.
The opening reception for this year's fundraiser is set for Nov. 14, with the live auction scheduled for Dec. 5. Anyone interested in making a donation can contact the museum at 306-682-5226 or by email at [email protected].
