ATTENTION !!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages!!! Plans have progressed for this year's Cirque du Cyclisme Charity Auction and it looks like it will be THE BEST yet!
I know you've been looking in yer drawers and in those old cardboard boxes under your bed for the stuff dreams WERE made of. Remember when ya bought that beautiful shinny imported aluminum bit? Well,..... now she's used. BUT NOT used up! It's NOW time to recycle her at Our very own CIRQUE CHARITY AUCTION. I, John T.Pergolizzi, am Auction organizer and chief auctioneer. Matty Bowne will act as auctioneer's 1st assistant and Gabe and Rita Romeu are chief $ collectors. Guest auctioneers will be taking up the slack as my voice goes South. Jamie Swan is auction consultant and official tag writer. Yes, each item will be tagged and numbered. Mike Schmidt will be Chief Guy Friday; doing every thing we need him to to help out (he WILL BE running around like the chicken w/o a head!). This year's event is the third anniversary of The Auction is an official Cirque event. John Slawta of Landshark has donated a custom built frame, Joe Bell (Giuseppe Campanello) a beautiful paint job, and Bilinky Cycles will announce another generous donation. And Peter Gilbert of Cane Creek, as always, is SUPER generous with handouts and donations. Commemorative posters from the NAHBS signed by THE MOST important people in the lugged steel World will be available. And that's only the beginning!
Take a look at our new venue:
http://www.cirqueducyclisme.com
Thanks Wayne for making our fun possible!
Proceeds this year will be divvied up 75%/25% to Operation smile (www.operationsmile.org) and The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx) in memory of our departed friend Sheldon Brown. PLEASE be generous. Many, many sellers made very generous donations at the last four annual auctions to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation in 2004 ($1,856.00), Operation Smile in 2005 (over $4,000.00), in 2006 a $6,500.00 donation again to Operation Smile! And last year we somehow managed to raise a whopping $11,500.00 for Operation Smile. ELEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS! HOLY Merckx sweat!!! Since 1982, Operation Smile's volunteers have provided free facial reconstructive surgery to tens of thousands of children and young adults in 25 developing countries and the United States. 90,000 children have been treated. 87% of cash and in-kind donations go directly to programs helping children. Operations cost $3,000 here, but only $250 overseas. That's 42 smiling faces last year my friends! I thank you all for the pleasure of making this auction happen.
Please remember that this year, admission to The Auction includes a lavish desert and coffee buffet located at a deluxe venue wonderfully decorated for our enjoyment. Make sure you save some room after dinner because your sweet tooth will have it's itch scratched!
And to make sure youse ALL get their early, I will be raffling off a very special case o VINO at the opening at 7:45 pm June 6, 2008! Ya hear that Louie D.?
Before the Auction event, there will be a preview & inspection of the auction goods that will give prospective buyers a much better look at the wares. AND a 50/50 auction will give some lucky ace a few extra bucks to spend and help raise more $ for charity. ************All youse new attendees: WE NEED STUFF TO SELL!!! So please bring an item or two (or many!) and I will auction um off. All I ask for is a minimum 20% donation. . Many a youse donate 100%. WOW!!!!
EVERYONE:
Please send all advance donations directly to:
Wayne Bingham 37805 Clearbrook Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180
Because of logistics, if you are NOT attending, these must be 100% donation packages. PLEASE mark the box "Charity Auction".
This is gonna be GREAT fun! So please prepare youse selves for a great time! Look through those boxes and bins for all your old junk, unused frames, too BIG bicycles and other bits that you would like to pass on to the next user and know that a very good cause will benefit from your generosity.
********* MOST IMPORTANTLY: For those of youse bringing items for sale to the auction; you MUST bring them with you EARLY!!! Bring them to the venue when you come for the Dessert Buffet or even EARLIER!!!! My helpers and I will be next door to the bike shop organizing the items to be tagged. BRING THEM IN!!!!!!!!!!**************
YOU MUST HAVE YOUR NAME, % OF DONATION AND IF THEER IS A RESERVE WRITTIN ON A TAG OR PIECE OF TAPE OF IN THE BAG THE ITEM IS IN. This will help us dramatically in keeping track of every thing and improve efficiency tremendously.
**********If you do not have a place at the Desert Buffet and want to attend The Auction, a $5.00 donation will help defray costs of put'n on the show and is greatly appreciated. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!**************
Know that two very good causes will benefit from your generosity, so.......BRING LOTS OF MONEY TO SPEND!
Thanks youse one and all,
John T.Pergolizzi
San Diego, Ca.
Chief auctioneer, Cirque Charity Auction
1-917-770-2025