DALLAS — Going, going, gone. Over 250 antiques and new items will cross Traver’s auction block Tuesday during the Apple Harvest Festival.
The Apple Harvest Festival is a continuation of the Back Mountain Memorial Library’s summer auction, but with a fall theme. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., with bidding starting at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at Traver’s Auction Barn, 56 Dorchester Drive. All proceeds will benefit the Back Mountain Memorial Library.
“There is never enough time to sell everything during the (July) auction,” said Steve Traver of Traver’s Auction Barn.
Traver estimates it will take only about two hours to sell off the remaining donated items for the Back Mountain Memorial Library.
Antiques that include Depression glass, a marble top table, as well as a mixture of new items such as quilts and toys are left over from the summer auction.
Antique chairwoman Leslie Horoshko noted items such as $500 worth of fruits and vegetables donated individually from Dymond’s Farm and Brace’s Orchard, both of Dallas, add to the fall theme.
Library auction
The first day of the library’s auction in July was a washout due to rain. Festivities picked up one day later and event staff tried to sell the abundance of donated items as quickly as possible, Horoshko said.
The auction’s delayed start resulted in leftover items.
Last year, Traver and his wife, Diane, held a similar auction for the library with great success.
“Last year, the auction raised between $6,000 and $7,000 for the library,” Diane Traver said.
“This is the second time we are holding a fall auction, but it is the first time it will have a harvest theme,” Steve Traver said.
The couple is counting on attendance from its usual Tuesday night buyers, as well as library supporters. Steve anticipates over 100 guests.
“It (Apple Harvest Festival) will be a faster pace than the summer library auction, but not as fast as my usual Tuesday night auctions,” he said.
Library support
Community support for the Back Mountain Memorial Library is pivotal to maintain its operations. Funding to pay operating expenses and purchase materials adds up while partial funding provided by the commonwealth is reduced year-by-year, Horoshko said.
“The amount received by the state keeps being reduced every year,” Horoshko said. “Our library is the only one (in the region) that has not cut its hours.”
The Back Mountain Memorial Library at 96 Huntsville Road in Dallas offers a variety of services, including books, e-books, computers, movies. It has become a hub for the community with programs, such as yoga classes, reading programs for children, poetry and fiction writing programs and more offered throughout the year.
“We (the Back Mountain Memorial Library Board) are very thankful to Steve and Diane, and the community for their support of the library,” Horoshko said.
