ARLINGTON The annual spring Silvana Fair Auction will be held March 10, from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the Viking Hall on the Pioneer Highway in downtown Silvana.
This year the highlight of the auction will be two antique horse-drawn carriages donated to the fair by Lee Farms.
The carriages will likely be the most sought-after items, according to fair spokesman and major domo Roy Strotz, who said the winning bidder will have to provide their own horsepower to haul them away.
The auction proceeds fund the operation of the annual Silvana Community Fair, a highlight of this agricultural community throughout north Snohomish County. The fair is a show place for farm animals and arts and crafts and is good clean fun thats easy on a familys pocket book. The auction helps provide the prizes for the youngsters entering their 4H projects and for other aspects of the fairs operation, according to Strotz.
It helps buy tents, it helps buy trophies, it helps buy ribbons for the kids, Strotz said.
There are usually at least 200 people at the auction and they all stay around to the end because of the raffle for a trip to Reno. People are entered into the raffle when they purchase something and anyone who buys 10 items gets that many entries. Hot dogs, soda and coffee are served.
We have a tremendous amount of silent auction items, Strotz said.
The event has dueling auctioneers with a straight-man-and-wise guy duo to spice things up.
Its a ball, Strotz said.
A long-time chairman, president, janitor and everything else of the Silvana Fair, Strotz owns Strotzs Country Feed Store east of the Interstate, and he also raises miniature donkeys. Being a big wig at the fair is no protection for Strotz or anybody else, he warned from the auctioneer.
I tell you, that guy is a character, Strotz said. He adds jokes about my jackasses, because Im up there and Im one of the spotters. He likes to pick on me, but its all in fun.
All auction items are donated by community members and can be viewed the day of the auction starting at about 3 p.m.
Everything that we always get is very nice stuff, Strotz said.
Weve been doing this auction for quite few years. Were probably one of the oldest community governing organizations that have been doing it.