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Event nets $18K for Day Care

By Staff | Dec 9, 2008

Organizers of the Second Annual Wine Auction to Benefit the Shepherdstown Day Care are pleased to announce that, thanks to the generosity of the event’s sponsors and participants and the skill of auctioneer Marty Kable, the second wine auction on Nov. 15 weathered the winds of this uncertain economy and raised more than $18,000 to support the children, families, and staff of the Shepherdstown Day Care Center.

With the assistance of The Design Center, organizers turned The Men’s Club into a place of enchantment with flickering lights and fanciful arrangements. The evening began with a wine tasting on the first floor, which featured a variety of wines from local wine merchants, including Albert & Arnold’s Wine and Cheese Shop, The German Street Coffee & Candlery, and Grapes & Grains Gourmet. Guests also enjoyed a delicious selection of hors d’oeuvres prepared by local gourmets.

Prior to the Live Auction at 8:30 p.m., the doors on the second floor of The Men’s Club were open for guests to survey the auction lots of wine and travel opportunities. The auction began, with words of thanks from Lynn Wilson, the President of the Board of Directors of The Shepherdstown Day Care.

Donn Marshall, Vice President of the Board of Directors and self-proclaimed “MC” (Master of the Cork) for the evening, thanked the event’s sponsors, including Platinum Sponsors Jefferson Security Bank, The Journal and Chronicle newspapers, Steve Mitchell and Susan Davis Mitchell of Zachary Homes, and Mr. and Mrs. Henry K. Willard II, and Gold Sponsors The Charles Town Races & Slots, Terry and Judy Marcus of Marcus Enterprises LLC and Lynn and Peter Wilson.

Although there were 28 auction lots, the Gavel fell 32 times during the evening, as members of the audience stepped forward to offer second opportunities on lots offering items like trips to St. Lucia or Tucson.

Bidding wars erupted over a 1983 Fonseca vintage port, a trio of amazing 1995 Bordeaux, a magnum of M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois (with its original wood case), a five-course customized wine dinner at the Bavarian Inn, a bottle of Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of 2007 — a 2005 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape, and a mixed case of wines from Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2007. One lucky attendee even took home a jeroboam (four bottles in one!) of 2001 Cos D’Estournel Bordeaux.

Over and over, bidders opened their hearts and their wallets for The Shepherdstown Day Care, and, at the end of the evening, the Day Care had received more than $18,000 to support its mission of making a quality childcare experience available for the children of the area’s working families. “Thanks to all who made this event such a success — sponsors, donors, bidders, and volunteers,” said Lynn Wilson.