I WANT THAT CAKE, AUCTION NET $4,000 FOR GOOD CAUSE
By TERESA N. SETTLE
Tennessee Express News Writer
* How would you like to have a man wait on you at suppertime? What if he
brought you a nice salad, a choice of dressings, asked what kind of spaghetti
sauce you wanted with your meal?
* Suppose he even attended to your drink refills? And kept the hot bread basket
loaded for you?
* But wait... what if he even SERENADED your table, taking requests as you
savoured dessert?
* Sound too good to be true?
* If you were one of the lucky ones who attended last week’s Erin Rotary Club
Spaghetti Dinner and Auction, you got a real treat, then got to sit back and
bid on lots of neat goodies to boot.
* And best of all, all the proceeds went to a good cause, according to Rotary
President Russ James, who emceed the night and welcomed a packed crowd at Erin
City Hall last Thursday, Nov. 4, beginning at 6 p.m.
* Russ told attendees that proceeds will help fund a reading project whereby
any child in Houston County could get a free book a month at their home from
birth to age five if parents would like to participate.
* He said the “imagination library” funded by the local Rotary Club hopes to
kick off in January.
* Fellow Rotarian Harriet Bryan, who is the minister at Erin United Methodist
Church, blessed the meal which would be served completely by Rotarians dressed
to the hilt in aprons and chef’s hats.
* Not only was the meal good, but it was lots of fun, too.
* The waiters, each assigned to his or her own table to serve, included: Donnie
Simmons, Phil Averitt, Tommy Mitchell, Scott Lyle, Harriet Bryan, Jeff Rye, Jim
Branson, Jay Wilburn, Ray Fussell, Mitch Mitchum, Tim Cleghern, Allen
McCampbell, Russ James, Phillip Powell, Paul Moody, and Sid Vinson.
* Stoney and Loria Odom sat at a table with Janet Cleghern and Becky Averitt.
When asked about their waiter, Tim Cleghern, Stoney jokingly replied, “He ain’t
doin’ no good.”
* Tim’s wife Janet took a moment to reflect on how often her husband waits on
her at mealtimes at home.
* “No, he doesn’t cook,” she said.
* Becky, whose husband Phil was waiting on another table, stated, “He’s petty
nice to hand me something if he’s getting himself something.”
* Of course, she said Phil doesn’t cook at home, either. “But then again,
there’s not a lot of cooking going on at home,” she admitted.
* Meanwhile, at Phil’s table, those being served were very enthusiastic. Edna
Parchman declared that Phil “would work well at O’Charley’s.” She contined, “He
would fit right in.”
* Parchman, like many others, agreed that the food was also scrumptious. She
sat at a table with Jimmy Felts, Donald and Elsie Cooksey, Ray and Millie
Kresge, and Wayne and Kathy Parchman.
* Millie agreed about their waiter. “He was super. He was very attentive to all
of us,” she said.
* When Averitt, owner of a local sawmill, heard these comments he added drily,
“It’s nice to know I can have something to fall back on.”
* As the meal progressed to dessert, guests began to make requests, something
that must be backed with money...
* A nice version of “Four Leaf Clover” was scintillating as sung Barber Shop
quartet style by Rotarians Phillip Powell, Jim Branson, Scot Lyle, Phil
Averitt, and Donnie Simmons.
* Then it was Tim Cleghern’s turn to sing, “Old MacDonald” (with much gusto, of
course).
* At the end of the song, he stated, “And that’s why I don’t sing in the church
choir.”
* Local Judge and Attorney Sid Vinson was up next with, “I love you; You love
me; We’re a happy family. With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, Won’t
you say you love me too?”
* When Tommy Mitchell was asked to sing “Old Hickory,” he said tonight was a
night of no shame.
* Part of the lyrics of that historical tune include, “We fired our guns and
the British kept a-comin’.”
* Paul Moody and Russ James got into the rhythm with “You ain’t nothin’ but a
hound dog.”
* But many in the crowd were just waiting for enough people to pool together
their money in order to “make” Phil Averitt sing “Rocky Top,” since he’s a Bama
fan, not a Vols fan.
* It was Kyle Lewis of Traditions Bank who put three $20 bills down to hear the
song, which of course led to a few joining in.
* And, almost as unforgettable, was Russ James’ entertaining, if somewhat long,
song entitled “Tennessee Stud.”
* A total of $113 was made by the singing waiters, and Rotarian Allen
McCampbell earned $5 for NOT singing (paid by Earl Williams).
* After the entertainment, it was time for the auction to begin. This year
Rotarian Jay Wilburn did an entertaining and fast-paced job of auctioneering.
* Wilburn, local pastor of Bible Baptist Church, shared that he used to go to
stock sales years ago and during his breaks, he sold watermelons.
* There was a great range of auction items, from art, appliances, dishes,
candles, to game tickets, clothes, food, and the coveted duck call made by
local resident Gene Parchman.
* The big ticket items of the night, along with the duck call, included
homemade goodies by Byde Simpson, Titans football tickets, and season tickets
to APSU basketball.
* Byde’s pound cake went for $155, after a very intense bidding war between
Kyle Lewis and Tommy Mitchell. During the bidding, the auctioneer addressed
Byde after the bid had topped $100 by saying, “You go make another one... We’ll
keep [the bidding] going [until you get back with more].” Mitchell, who
appeared to be the top bidder of the night, garnered the coveted cake as Byde
stood for applause.
* “I’m taking orders,” she joked.
Byde’s jam and jelly basket, traditionally decorated with cellophane and
ribbon, went later for a whopping $100 by Russ James.
* Of course, bidders knew the importance of the fundraiser and bid generously
as in past years.
* Four Titans tickets against the Chicago Bears, along with luxury
transportation and including a tailgate lunch, went to Donnie Simmons for $195.
* This year’s duck call, made by Tennessee Ridge resident Gene Parrish, was the
envy of many, since it was orange and white with the UT Vols emblem on it.
Jimmy Felts of Highers, Koonce & Associates was the top bidder–$225–but as has
come to be a trademark, he turned around and donated it back to the chamber to
be auctioned off again.
* The next time around, Stoney Odom got it for a generous $200.
* After the auctioning, Felts stated about the donation, “It’s just to help out
the county. We do a lot of work here. The City of Erin and Houston County have
been good to us, and we appreciate it.”
* Two sets of season tickets to APSU basketball went for a total of $220.
* Of course, there were plenty of “affordable” items that went for $10 to $40
each, such as dishes, decorative centerpieces, candles, books, and even carpet
cleaning.
* At the end of the night, according to Rotary Treasurer Anne Baggett, the
Rotary had made over $4,000.
* “It was the best one in a lot of ways,” Anne said about the seventh annual
dinner and auction sponsored by the Rotary Club. She said attendance was up and
there were great auction items as well.
*For local coverage of your next fundraiser or event, contact the writer, by e-mailing “redwriter@hctn.net.”MORE PHOTOS
