FORKS — The 50th annual Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction will open its golden anniversary with a wealth of trips, treasures and treats.
The live auction will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday in the student commons at Forks High School, 261 S. Spartan Ave., where all items will be on display.
The auction also will be carried live on Forks 1490 AM/96.7 FM radio and live-streamed at www.searchforks.com/qvsa, with photos of the auction items available on the website.
Bids can be made in person at the student commons or by phoning 360-374-6262, ext. 228 or 229, during the event.
Credits cards will be accepted, and all sales are final.
School costs
Money from the annual auction funds awards made to Forks High graduating seniors and graduates to pay for college costs, vocational school fees or tools for graduates heading off to work.
Recipients can use the scholarship for any continuing education, including vocational or certificate training.
This year’s expected graduating class of 88 students is far larger than the usual 55 to 60 seen in past years, said Jerry Leppell, chairman for the
auction committee.
To offer the initial $1,200 scholarship for each student that has been awarded in the past, the auction will have to earn a record amount this year: more than $100,000, Leppell said.
In 2013, the auction raised $71,000, he said.
Students from the high school have been collecting donated items since February and will continue to accept auction items until Sunday.
Fits every budget
There are items to fit every budget, Leppell said.
“We have items that will go for $5 to $5,000,” he said.
Among the larger auction items this year are an Alaska fishing trip for two — a $2,400 value — and many local guided fishing tours.
Wood carvings and metal sculptures created by inmates at the Olympic Corrections Center — popular and sought-after items, organizers said — will be included in this year’s auction.
Other auction items donated by community members include local baked goods, birdhouses, gift baskets, and smoked salmon.
In the first 49 years of the auction, more than $1 million has been raised for Forks alumni to continue their vocational or higher education goals.
Students are overseen by a group of community leaders who coordinate the radio broadcast and manage the scholarship while teachers at the school serve as auctioneers.
Most of the committee members are Forks High graduates, and many are past recipients of the scholarship.
Any Forks High graduate is eligible for a scholarship twice in his or her life, based on financial need, grades and participation in past auctions.
All items must be picked up in the Forks High School Commons before the close of the auction each day.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
