Awesome items at 21st Celebrity auction
Michelel LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 24/00) - Have a hankering for a pair of long red underwear?
What if you're told MLA Bill Braden will be showing them off Saturday night?
Well, get ready to do battle in a bidding war -- the underwear, a classic pair if there ever was one, will be but one of hundreds of items auctioned off Saturday night.
Oh, pardon me, your tastes are somewhat more sophisticated?
No problem. How about a handcrafted walking stick, which comes complete with a fully functional watch-face, hidden away in a secret compartment.
Walking-stick-maker Terry Woolf found the musk ox horn on Banks Island, the diamond willow at the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, the caribou antler under his house and the plumbing fixtures at the dump. Sounds like the makings of a truly Northern stroll.
Ah, I see. You're not interested in sticking around. How about a trip to Edmonton? Ottawa? Mmmm, Phoenix sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
"It's the ultimate getaway when it's 40 below," notes Celebrity Auction organizer Beth Harding, looking for all the world like she would love that particular little auction item.
Canadian North will even throw in a few goodies, courtesy of other sponsors, like an overnight at the Crown Plaza (Edmonton), tickets to a Senators' game (Ottawa) or a condo on a golf course (Phoenix).
"All told, there will be well over 200 items," Harding says.
The auction, a fund-raiser for the NWT Council for Disabled Persons, will feature ace auctioneers Tony Whitford and Mel Stroeder, with a secret guest appearance planned.
There will also be a silent auction, a raffle, and a draw.
"And we'll have a fishing pond. You win every time you fish," says Harding.
Admission is free to the 21st annual Celebrity Auction.
The doors to the Explorer's Katimavik Room will open at 6:30, with the auction beginning at 7 p.m.
