St. Anthony's gears up for annual bazaar

COLUMBUS - Anticipation of food, games, cake walk, annual auction and raffle is a sure signal St. Anthony's annual Bazaar and Dinner are right around the corner.

St. Anthony's Catholic Church will hold its annual bazaar and dinner, beginning at 11 a.m. Oct. 28.

Dinner will be served from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Platte County Agricultural Park. On the menu is a roast beef or turkey and dressing dinner and a variety of desserts.

Admission is $7.50 for adults, $3.50 for children 5-10, and free for children 4 and under.

A variety of activities, including music, bingo, a cake walk, sausage and cheese booth, surprise stand, fish pond, raffles and more will highlight the day-long event.

Music will be provided by The Starlite Orchestra, Ron Zoucha and the Kava Orchestra with Bill Kava.

Tickets for the cake walk and the sausage and cheese booth will be purchased for 50 cents each and will include three chances to win. Typically, there are about 150 cakes from which to choose.

The auction begins at 5 p.m. with raffle drawings to follow.

Some of the items featured on this year's auction include two tickets to the Nebraska/Kansas State football game Nov. 10, dinner for six with the Rev. Lydell Lape, a Nebraska Husker sweatshirt quilt, adult and children's bicycles, a two-wheel trailer with lights and a tilt bed and other items.

Several antique items are included on the auction as well including an Edison Victrola with a new diamond needle, picture frames, garden tools and other items.

This year's 25-item raffle includes cash prizes of $1,000, two $500 prizes, two $250 prizes, four $100 and five $50 prizes. A Sanyo 32-inch flat screen TV, custom golf clubs with bag and other major prizes.

The raffle prizes are sponsored by Lucille Kopetzky and family, Golf Connection, St. Anthony Knights of Columbus, Overhead Door, St. Theresa Sodality, Home & School parishioners and friends of the church.

Cyril Zoucha has an eye for what sells at an auction, and he's been volunteering that skill to run the annual auction at the bazaar for the past 33 years.

“There's a rumor going around that I'm not going to do this next year, but that's just not true,” Zoucha said. “I've enjoyed it all these years, and I'll do it as long as I can.”

Zoucha and his wife, Phyllis, head up the committee that makes the auction happen each year. The preparations begin in July or August of each year in order to have enough items for the October auction. Once the list of items is finalized, promotional materials are sent out to parishioners and others on the mailing list, which includes some local antique dealers.

Antiques are among the obvious items that do well in the auction, but Zoucha is very creative about finding services and unique items as well. The past several years “dinner with Father Del” has raised between $600 and $800. Services such as “One Pie Every Month” have raised up to $300. The winning bidder for this service receives a fresh baked pie, rolls or bread each month for 12 months.

“We usually have eight others who help up with hauling everything to Ag Park,” Zoucha said. “Some years Phyllis and I have been at Ag Park from early Saturday to 4 p.m. getting everything set up.

“The auction and bazaar are always on the fourth Sunday in October, and we always have it at Ag Park.”

Zoucha said other good selling items are quilts and in most years Husker tickets bring a good price.

In the past few years the auction alone has brought in an average of about $3,500 for the annual fund raiser. The annual bazaar and auction are a significant part of the church budget each year.

“Last year was our best year ever,” Lape said. “Last year the bazaar and auction raised just about $50,000. The last few years have been very good.”