One of the many highlights of this annual charity event, benefiting the needy at home and abroad, will be the crying of the grand auction starting at 8am on Saturday, March 18. Volunteer auctioneers, including two Amish gentlemen from Arthur, will cry the sale. In addition there will be a children’s auction on Saturday morning.

Featured at the auction will be more than 60 handmade quilts and even some wall hangings. One of the highlights for children in our Grand Auction will be an eight-room Colonial Dollhouse. The dollhouse is completely furnished and has LED lighting. This special item has been donated by Norm and Sharon Ewert of Wheaton, IL.

The Pennsylvania Dutch Market will have a bustling business with many kinds of luscious pies, cakes, cookies, homemade bread, and much more. Once again meat lovers will have the opportunity to purchase fresh whole-hog sausage, both link and bulk. Specialty booths that always draw crowd attraction will be Arts and Handicrafts, Baby Booth, Flower Box, Kiddie Korner, and others. New for the children this year will be Water Tattoos.

The most unique creations from overseas—purses, linens, baskets, and all kinds of jewelry—will be offered for sale by Ten Thousand Villages, an organization located in Akron, Pennsylvania. Purchasing these items at the sale helps to provide a fair income to Third World people who creatively make and sell their handicrafts. This program purchases quality products from over 2,000 needy artisans in over 30 countries of the world. These quality items are sold here in America with that income then going back to the artisans for more trade.

Twenty percent of the net proceeds of the Illinois Sale helps local charities by providing food for the needy. Some of these groups are the Salvation Army in Peoria, Bloomington, and Pekin. Other recipients are Peoria Rescue Mission, Peoria and Bloomington’s Midwest Food Bank, and other local food pantries.

Eighty percent of the Relief Sale net proceeds are channeled to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) of Akron, Pennsylvania, for international world relief assistance.

For more information please contact 309-266-7704 or 309-262-4296.