Amish Auctions – May 2014
Looking for an Amish auction in May? A reader has helpfully put together this list of auctions taking place across the country next this month.
Below you’ll find events in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky, Missouri, and Michigan (Update: plus New York, Nebraska, Virginia and Iowa).
The list includes school auctions, Haiti auctions, quilt sales and various benefits.
We don’t have exact addresses listed, but this ought to get you started. Additional info on any of these events is welcome in the comments.
Note: most of these events are attended or organized by Old Order Amish. Some are associated with related groups, see descriptions. There is one singing listed as well.
May 2014 Amish Auctions & Events
-May 2, Friday evening, Wheat Ridge Amish School Community Benefit Auction, West Union, Ohio
-May 2 & 3, Friday evening & Saturday, 17th Annual 2-day Consignment Mud Sale, Proceeds to benefit Gratz Fire Company and Amish Schools of Eastern Lykens Valley, Gratz, PA
-May 3, Saturday – Fivepointville Mud Sale, Fivepointville Fire Company, Denver PA
-May 3, Saturday, 4th Annual Spring Prairie Grove Amish Mennonite School Consignment Auction, Buffalo, Missouri
-May 3, Saturday – 15th Annual Hickory Hills School Benefit Consignment Auction, Jamesport, Missouri (There is a bigger one in the week of July 4.)
-May 3, Saturday – Switzerland County Produce Auction 8th Semi-Annual Consignment Auction. Starting at 9 a.m. Benefit to Amish School. 244 Poplar Ridge Road, Canaan, Indiana. Phone: 812-689-6283 (reader addition)
-May 3, Saturday – Sheldon WI Auction. Contact Marvin J. Mast, N 1698 Marshall Rd., Sheldon, Wisconsin 54766. Or call 715-452-5389. Also held August 23 (reader addition)
-May 9, Friday at 3:00 PM, Community Health Clinic Benefit Auction & Supper, for genetics treatment for rare diseases and special children. Antique Auction Building, Shipshewana, Indiana. Huge auction, donations coming from 4 Amish communities (reader addition)
-May 10, Saturday, 39th Annual Auction to benefit Cumberland Valley Amish schools, Newburg, PA. 4 auction rings
-May 10, Saturday – Honey Brook Quilt Sale & Consignment Auction, Honey Brook Fire Company, Honey Brook, PA
-May 10, Saturday – Benefit Auction Jack’s Mountain Amish School, Beaver Springs, PA
-May 10, Saturday – 12th Annual Nicholas Stoltzfus Benefit Auction, for preservation of the Nicholas Stoltzfus House, Wyomissing, PA
-May 10, Saturday, Second annual Hope for Haiti Benefit Auction at the Hertzog Homestead, to benefit a school in Haiti, Ephrata, PA
-May 10, Saturday – Bonduel Consignment Auction, Bonduel, Wisconsin. Also held August 30.
-May 10, Saturday – Bowling Green MO School Auction. 9 a.m. at the Jonas Eicher farm off Pike 466, Bowling Green, Missouri (reader addition)
-May 10, Saturday – Benefit auction to help pay bills for a 16-year-old Amish girl’s heart transplant that happened last December. 5640 S 900 E, Hamilton, Indiana (reader addition)
-May 10, Saturday – Medford WI Auction. Location: Marvin Miller. W8332 Pine Ave., Medford, Wisconsin. Begins at 8:30. From Medford, go 7 Miles west of Medford on CTH O to Oak Drive, 2 miles south on Oak Drive to Pine Avenue. A second auction will be held August 16 (reader addition)
-May 16 & 17, 2014, Friday & Saturday, Yoder’s Quilt Auction & Flea Market, Clare, Michigan
-May 17, Saturday, Kentucky Haiti Benefit Auction, Trenton, KY
-May 17, Saturday, Swiss Pioneer Preservation Associates Consignment/Benefit Auction, New Holland, PA
-May 17, Saturday, Amherst Quilt & Amish Furniture Auction, Amherst, Wisconsin
-May 17, Saturday, 4th Annual Amish School Consignment Auction in Pawnee City, Nebraska (reader addition)
-May 17, Saturday, Consignment Auction, Daniel Coblentz farm, 3090 Hunting Creek Rd., Nathalie Virginia 34577.
-May 17, Saturday, 8th Annual Vevay Amish School Auction beginning at 9 a.m. 9958 Barker Road, Vevay, Indiana. Contact: 812-427-9733 (reader addition)
-May 17, Saturday, Hazleton Semi-Annual School Auction. Twice-yearly consignment auction for the school in the spring and fall. Items sold in 4-5 sale rings. Held at the Wapsie Valley Produce Auction (Junction of W13 and C57) in Hazleton, Iowa (reader addition)
-May 24, Saturday, Indiana Haiti Benefit Auction, Shipshewana, IN
-May 24, Saturday, 11th Annual Nittany Valley Benefit Auction, to benefit local families in time of need, Hublersburg, PA, in Centre County
-May 24, Saturday, Annual Readstown Parochial School Craft Auction to benefit the local Amish parochial school, Readstown, Wisconsin
-May 24, Saturday, 10th Semi-Annual Country Consignment Auction, to benefit the local Amish schools, St. Charles, Minnesota
-May 24, Saturday – 2014 Amish Relief Auction, benefits area Amish families and medical bills owed by the Conewango Valley New York community, Cherry Creek, NY (reader addition)
-May 30, Friday evening, 2nd. Annual Freedom Hills Benefit Auction, Mount Hope, Ohio
-May 30, Benefit auction for family. Father has heart problems and was in Mayo Clinic when young daughter died unexpectedly at home of heart failure. Benefit to help pay expenses and make up for limited income. Donation chicken supper at 4, auction at 4:30. 12865 CR 30, Middlebury, Indiana (reader addition)
-May 30, 31, & June 1, Friday to Sunday, The Christian Hymnary Hymn Conference & Singing, at Roxbury Campground, Orrstown, PA. Organized by Nathan & Matthias Overholt with the Beachy church, and Daniel Hershberger with the River Brethren (non-auction event).
Please add: Switzerland County Produce Auction 8th Semi-Annual Consignment Auction, Saturday May 3rd starting at 9 a.m. Benefit to Amish School. 244 Poplar Ridge Road, Canaan, Indiana.
Phone: 812-689-6283
Thanks to the reader for developing and sharing the extensive schedule of auctions listed. Erik — can this be a regular feature of Amish America? Many of us enjoy attending Amish auctions. I think a monthly listing would be helpful, just as the Amish business directory is helpful. Maybe it could be another category in the business directory. I’ve found that although the actual date changes, the day is the same for many auctions — like I know the Hart County,Ky., consigment auction is usually the second Saturday of every April.
Nice idea
Just added the Switzerland County IN auction to the list, thank you Al.
I’d be happy to post this regularly, I may need some help in putting together the list though. Might be particularly handy in warmer months when more auctions are happening.
I think many of us will help you with the list, Erik. I’ll try to
keep up with the ones in Ky and southern Indiana. I know there are several good ones in Ky in April and May, and likely later in the year, too.
On Saturday, May 17, 2014 I attended the “Big Valley” Amish Mud sale in Belleville, Pa. This was an auction that was to benefit a new clinic to open soon which will concentrate on inherited complications of Amish children. They hoped to raise $400,000 to start a clinic here similar to the one in Lancaster County. A hospital in Pittsburgh was the co-sponser and they agreed to match the monies raised.
It was well attended but mostly by the Amish themselves which is a bit odd for all the other auctions I attend. But it was their first auction. The food was amazing but it was a little underpriced. The people were amazing and very friendly. I was hoping for more small animals because I need some new chickens. The quilts were so-so and I saw nothing that I had to have. I did buy three “bricks” of home-made butter for $4.00 each. Last week at Beaver Springs I bought 6 “bricks” for 3.50 each and three one pound tubs for 2.50 each. I give some to friends and freeze the rest. Most of my friends don’t like it and say it’s too strong. To me it’s like putting ice cream on everything…no added color, no preservativies… just pure better like my mom used to make. All three buggy colors were present.
I have a few interesting photo shots that I would like to send to Erik but I need an email address that allows attachments. I’ve got one shot of a young boy sleeping on a love seat that was auctioned of shortly after the shot. It’s really cool.
On other observation was that the Amish here and actually everywhere else I’ve visited was that the Amish litter like crazy. If they are having a beverage or food on a plate, when they finish the plates and containers are tossed where ever they are no longer needed. A group of girls said they will clean up afterwards but I found no problem walking around to find a trash can. It’s an odd custom but they all do it, everywhere.
Sounds like good times to be had by all.
Everyone have a lovely May, wherever you are.
Erik, post a list like this is such a great resource. Thanks to you, and especially to your contributor that compiled this. But you may have created a whole new problem — the anxiety of wanting to make half-a-dozen different auctions all falling on the same day! 😉
Another auction you might add is the Bowling Green, MO, school auction. I was told that it was on Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend last year; I don’t recall yet getting confirmation that it is the same (May 10th) this year, but I assume it is.
Thanks again. (BTW, cool pic! (ha))
Don (above) is right about the Bowling Green, Missouri, auction. It’s Saturday, May 10th, starting at 9 a.m. I don’t have the exact address but it’s at the Jonas Eicher farm off Pike 466. Lots of fun! Bowling Green, MO, is just about an hour and twenty minutes from St. Louis so very able to be a day outing from there. 🙂
Thank you Don and Beth for filling out another auction on the list. Just added it. Don you are right since Saturday is the most convenient day for most they do tend to cluster on a few dates so a choice must be made 🙂
Thanks "reader"
Thanks for gathering and posting these; not that I will actually get a chance to attend any of them. People that frequent this site tend to be a nicer, more considerate group of posters than you find on some other internet blogs.
I use to go to four or five sites quite regularly, none were Amish related, but got sick and tired of all the name calling, arguing and little flame wars that erupted from time to time. I don’t see that on this site, which is why I check it so often. Perhaps people that are interested in “the Amish” have incorporated some of their ways into their own lives. Or, maybe it is because we have such a wonderful host, but at any rate my 4 or 5 sites has now become two & I am considering letting the other one go as well.
Friendly readers
And for that credit is due to the readers here. I noticed the nastiness you mention just this morning while on another site. It was a site which has Facebook commenting only.
I remember thinking that linking comments to Facebook, which a number of sites started doing some years back, would encourage civility.
Maybe it has to a degree, but still I see enough people are comfortable attaching their real names and Facebook profiles to some pretty nasty/embarrassing statements.
Thanks to all of you out there who help keep these discussions civil and friendly 🙂
I forgot to add a THANK YOU for posting this listing – I’m sure that took a lot of work, and it’s great info to have.
All credit to our reader for taking the initiative to put this together. Hopefully is going to come in handy.
There is a monthly Amish auction here in Seymour MO at the High School I think. Calling Seymour government might give you the info you need on it. Sorry I don’t have it handy…
Thanks!
This is a great idea…albeit a lot of work, for which many of us are thankful! It’s very interesting to see what’s going on in just the month of May. Wish I could attend any of these. I’ll need to look at a couple of maps to narrow my choices. 🙂
Alice Mary
May 17th Saturday, 4th Annual Amish School Consignment Auction in Pawnee City, Nebraska
Tom LincNebr@hotmail.com
Thanks Tom, just added 🙂
More auctions in Indiana
May 9. Community health clinic auction, antique auction building, shipshewana, in. Huge auction, donations coming from 4 Amish communities.
May 10. Benefit auction to help pay bills for a 16 year old Amish girls heart transplant that happened last December. 5640 s 900 e, Hamilton, Indiana
May 30. Benefit auction for family. Father has heart problems and was in mayo clinic when young daughter died unexpectedly at home of Heart failure. Benefit to help pay expenses and make up for limited income. Donation chicken supper at 4 auction at 4:30. 12865 cr 30, middlebury, in
It makes it interesting when everyone works together, both in making this list on Amish America, and when the folks do the benefit auctions.
Friday, May 9, 2014, Friday at 3:00 PM, COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC Benefit Auction & Supper, for genetics treatment for rare diseases and special children, Shipshewana, Indiana
Linda and Shipshe, your contributions are up now. This list has grown by a half-dozen today. Thanks to all for the help, I like your observation Linda.
Erik, I’ve seen various info. on dates and places and who’s-to-benefit from the various auctions, but a question about another aspect comes to mind. What is normally (if there is a norm) put up for auction at the various auctions? I’ve been to the big Jamesport auction that just has acres and acres of everything. I’ve also been to the weekly produce and monthly livestock auctions. And of course we’ve all heard about the quilt auctions. So what about the benefit auctions — are they auctioning the same kind of stuff, or something different?
Another quick question: Are the auctions typically the Amish buying stuff from other Amish in order to support the Amish schools (or whatever the benefit is for), or do the Amish do this as a means of drawing outside (Englisch) money into their community? (Not that I am critical of either way — just curious how the system works.)
What can you buy at an Amish benefit auction?
Don maybe others who have been to more benefits can give better examples in answer to your first question, but I think most auctions which aren’t themed can potentially have a bit of everything–furniture, hunting gear, household items, etc. One benefit I attended sold what was essentially a symbolic item that served as an excuse to make what was in practice a large donation–a piece of woodwork made by a child, with a final price tag well into the $1000s. I’m not sure how common that is, I haven’t been to enough benefit events to say.
As we see with how many are promoted, English are generally more than welcome to come. There are sometimes stories in the newspaper publicizing the event, for instance in the recent case of baby Amos Hertzler–where bringing in outside support is part of the goal. I believe family sales are about the only ones which are limited, for instance when parents/grandparents have passed away and items in the estate with emotional value are sold to buyers only from within the family.
Don, if you Google Search the name of an auction and the state, and maybe the date, you will likely come up with some sort of sale bill, or a generalized list of items for sale.
I kind of classify the Amish auctions I’ve been to as either “consignment auctions” or “benefit auctions”. Consignment auctions are usually for the benefit of some cause (an Amish school,or an Amish settlement’s hospital fund), but they seem to be much larger, have a wide variety of things for sale, and I’ve bought things at bargain prices (though some things do sell high). At one I recently attended, there seemed to be at least five auction rings going for several hours. Items included furniture, greenhouse and nursery items, small animals, quilts, old machinery,buggies, tools, boxes of miscellaneous,etc.
I have attended several much smaller “benefit auctions” such as for a specific individual’s medical bills or an Amish school. There was only one auction ring going, and items were similar as listed above, but no small animals or machinery. There were many
interesting “envelopes” that were auctioned which were usually meals for groups of ten or twenty people in Amish homes or “I’ll mow your lawn all summer”. Prices have been much higher at these “benefit auctions” and I don’t think I’ve ever bought things at bargain prices at these auctions. People seem to come with lots on money to spend. For example, I once saw one piece of berry pie sell for two hundred dollars. I’ve even seen things bought and paid for, then donated right back and auctioned again.
At both types of auctions, there is usually a food stand with meals, snacks, fresh donuts, ice cream, etc. I’ve had many good
all-you-can-eat breakfasts at Amish auctions.
New York auction
May may be a peak month for charity auctions.
May 24, Saturday – 2014 Amish Relief Auction, benefits area Amish families and medical bills owed by the Conewango Valley New York community, Cherry Creek, NY.
If this Fire Department auction has Amish furniture, does it mean Amish are involved? Could someone give input?
May 3, Saturday. Rensselaer Falls Fire Department Benefit Auction, Rensselaer Falls, NY
Virginia Amish Auction
Just gave a call to the Daniel Coblentz farm in Nathalie, Virginia.
Their annual May consignment auction is taking place Saturday, May 17th (updated the list above with address: 3090 Hunting Creek Road, Nathalie VA 34577).
The young fellow I spoke with explained that they sell farm machinery, garden goods, and “whatnot” 🙂 Also furniture.
Sounds like there is a mix of items, and if you want to sell something, you’ll need to bring it before auction day (I guess that’s obvious).
According to one site, there is also this info, did not confirm on my call, but fwiw: “…wide variety of Amish foods, deli, & bakery, Buggy rides (Come to meet your neighbors, and bid on a wide selection of farm & home items)”.
http://www.southsidecentral.com/wordpress/2009/07/27/an-inside-look-at-halifax-countys-amish-community-part-2/
8th Annual Vevay Amish School Auction
Sat. May 17, 2014 beginning at 9 a.m.
9958 Barker Road, Vevay, Indiana
Auction contact: 812-427-9733
Semi-Annual Hazleton School Auction
May 17, 2014, Saturday, (Thanks to Deb), Hazleton Semi-Annual School Auction. Hazleton, Iowa has an annual consignment auction for the school in the spring and fall, selling items in 4 or 5 sale rings, at Wapsie Valley Produce.
The closest I could come online was from 2013.
http://www.communitynewspapergroup.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/eedition/e/1d/e1db3ce1-e3ea-59ad-a608-b436d69a4e44/521cb8fb2ec09.pdf.pdf
Hazleton, Sept 9: Hazleton 19th Semi-Annual School
Auction, 1500 120th St. (W13 & C57), pancake breakfast
7-10 a.m., auction 9 a.m. 319-269-2666. [John Lehman]
Auction list has grown
Thanks for this Linda (and Tonya, who mentioned it on the Wisconsin Amish thread), I have got it on the list now with the location details.
I didn’t put up the times since we don’t have that verified but I think it may be helpful that you’ve at least mentioned last year’s info, good thinking.
We’ve had nearly a dozen additions thanks to reader efforts since this was posted, going from 8 to 12 states 🙂