Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Sep 04/98) - Gerry Wright's handiwork and a little "friendly" competition helped establish a record auction bid of $1,202, a portion of more than $5,000 raised for charity through the recent eighth annual Fort Simpson firefighter's burn dance.

Every year Wright, the deputy fire chief, designs two wooden signs that are auctioned off. The proceeds are donated to the burn unit in Edmonton. This year Kim Squires came up with the winning $1,202 offer. She was unaware that it was her spouse's brother, hidden in the crowd, who was driving up the price.

"I didn't know. I didn't know that Owen (Rowe) was bidding. It was like the two of us were going neck-and- neck here," Squires laughed, noting that she attempted to obtain a sign last year but failed because the judges didn't hear her bid.

Regardless of the price, she said she's happy to assist the cause.

"I've always supported burn unit," she said, adding that the sign, which has three layers of plywood to give it depth, is "really, really nice. I loved it."

Mike Chemerys, a bidding veteran, took home the other sign. He paid $320 for "The Watering Hole." Chemerys said he tries to buy one sign each year and has only missed out once. He owns one of the largest and most detailed signs, "The Dog House," which he proudly has on display in his garage/recording studio.

Wright, who is already at work on next year's masterpieces, spends several weeks on each sign. "The Dog House" took him more than 400 hours.