FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LAKE COUNTY, CA —The Lake County Wine Auction crossed a milestone on Saturday September 21, 2013. Early in an evening of highly competitive bidding, the total raised in the 14 years of this event easily topped the $1,000,000 mark. Going into the auction, the 13 year total was $991,302, so it took only 9 items before the total passed the “magic” number.
Welcoming people to the event, Wine Auction president Kaj Ahlmann reminded everyone that “the focus of the event is to support our young people who represent the future of Lake County.”
Honorary Co-Chairs John and Joanne Van Eck worked tirelessly to transform their unique facility into a magical place, which many in attendance feel contributed to the high energy atmosphere and high bidding.
While it will be several weeks before the final figures are known, preliminary indications are that this year’s auction will be judged a huge success. In 2012, $96,000 was distributed to the beneficiaries and the auction committee expects that this year’s recedes could be equal to that or higher. The high bid during this year’s auction was $7,500 for a barbecue event for 15 people at Congressman Mike Thompson’s ranch in Finley. The second highest was $6,000 for John Clarke’s painting “The Country,” which provided the signature image for this year’s event. The painting was purchased by Dirk and Karen Wooten of Clearlake.
Proceeds from the 14th Annual Lake County Wine Auction will benefit the county’s five area high schools along with 10 other charities and community organizations. Representatives of these groups will receive their checks at a special reception in
December at the Saw Shop Bistro in Kelseyville.
The Lake County Wine Auction would like to thank this year’s premium sponsors: American Ag Credit, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Calpine, Mendo-Lake Credit Union, Kathy Fowler Chevrolet and Six Sigma Vineyard and Winery. These and our other fine sponsors cover the costs of the event so that all the money raised from ticket sales and the auction can go directly to our beneficiaries.