What Kind of Pie is this? — Heart Auction volunteers (from left) Tom Atwood, Sandy Carter, Andy Wright, Dudley Carpenter and Virginia Setzer work on the auction of a pie during last Saturday's auction. Wright is station manager and Carpenter is an employee at WCOK 1060 AM, which broadcasts the auction.

Heart Auction raises $7,117

The 37th Annual WCOK (1060 AM) radio heart auction started off well last Saturday, helping raise more than $7,000 for the American Heart Association in its first week.

The auction officially collected $7,117, of which $3,854 was raised directly from auctioned items. In addition, contributions and memorials helped add $2,933 and special memorials for David Parlan Smith, a long-time auction volunteer, helped add on $330. Smith died earlier this year from complications resulting from an extended illness.

"We all miss him being there," said Virginia Setzer, who has been with the auction since its inception.

In comparison with last year's record total, the auction brought in $4,922 on the first Saturday, while the overall total that day was $7,885. The total this year is more in line with auction performance in year's past, officials said.

"We were pleased with that total," Setzer commented. "We want to thank everybody who listened or participated in any way."

All of the items that sold during the auction's first week went for $325 or less, said Setzer.

"Our biggest sale item was Tom Atwood's chest, which brought in $325," she noted. "We'd hoped it would go higher."

Coming in a close second was a wet-dry sink made of wormy chestnut by John Wayne Edwards, which sold for $300.

In all, 114 items were auctioned on Saturday.

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back