The Wetzel County Farm Bureau would like to invite the public to its eighth annual WCFB Ronald McDonald House Charity Auction that will take place at the Chili-Fest again this year. The auction will be held in the city building chambers on Main Street at 1 p.m.

Russ Clem of Parkersburg will be doing the auctioneering duties for the day. Many items have been donated and it should be a successful auction again this year. A very special thanks are given to Lynn and Terry Adams for contacting donors and collecting items for the sale. “Lynn and Terry have added a special touch to the sale as far as the quality of the items donated,” said WCFB Secretary Robyn Yeager. “Last year we had numerous comments on the items auctioned and the addition of the programs Lynn made and handed out. They have been a real asset to the organization and to the auction. We really appreciate al the work they have done.”

Items have been donated from all over the tri-state area-from Chester to Parkersburg, Morgantown to Zanesville, and western Pennsylvania.

Some of the items to be offered for auction are a king-sized homemade quilt, several trips, hotel stays with dinner, signed West Virginia University memorabilia, motorcycle helmets, Glenn Barnes prints, wildlife prints by Kari Coen, Sons of Tennessee CDs and DVDs, Fiesta Ware set, handmade crafts, gift certificates, clothing, tools, oil change, car detailing kit, and many more items.

All funds raised go to supporting the Morgantown Ronald McDonald House. “Over the past seven years we have raised over $25,000 for the house. We use the money to purchase needed items for the house,” said Yeager. “The coordinators give us a wish list and we fill the list, then we deliver the items to the house on Food Check-Out Day. We also present them with a check of the remaining funds. Over the past few years we have been able to purchase them an upright freezer, microwaves, towels and washcloths, bedding items, a laser printer, and much more that was needed to run the house most effectively.

“When we started the auction in 2000, then Women’s Chair Joanie Miller and President Marilyn Thomas, along with Nell and Robyn Yeager, covered the area collecting items and we were able to raise $2,000. Last year we more than doubled that total and again I have to give credit to Lynn and Terry Adams for that. They really brought in high quality items for the auction and I expect that again,” said Robyn.

Along with the auction, the WCFB also collects pop tabs, printer cartridges, and youth-sized quilts for the house. “Our women’s committee has made and donated over 100 youth-sized quilts to the house. Every child that stays in the house receives a quilt when the family leaves. In fact, that is how we originally took on this project,” noted Robyn. “I had a friend who lost their child and my family supported a week’s stay for them at the house and I became familiar with how it all worked and I wanted to do something in memory of their child. We sent groceries and quilts the first year and it just kept growing. It is just a great feeling to be part of this project.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the auction or to the RMH can do so the day of the sale. Anyone wishing to donate pop tabs, youth sized quilts, or used printer cartridges that day can also drop those items off at the city building prior to or during the auction.

The WCFB is a non-profit organization. Anyone interested in joining the WCFB or wanting more information on the Ronald McDonald House can contact the WCFB at 386-4567 or 889-2473.