ON THE AIR — Heart Auction volunteers (from front left) Rosamond Joines, President Cornelia Reeves, Virginia Setzer, Michael Sexton and Sonia Joines help auction items on WCOK during the annual Heart Auction.

Heart Auction has strong start

The first week of the 39th-annual WCOK (1060 AM) Heart Auction got off to a strong start on Saturday, raising $7,401 in sales and donations, said Virginia Setzer, spokesperson for the auction.

The total for pledges, contributions and challenges was $3,319 of the total, while auction items brought in $4,082. “That’s a very, very good opening day,” Setzer said. “That’s a real high class day.”

The annual two-week event will continue this Saturday on WCOK, with audio also available on Sparta Cablevision Channel 8, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The auction continues until finished or until sign-off on Saturday evening, which can be as late as 6 p.m.

Last year’s first day total was $5,414, while the 2004 opening day total was $7,117.

Auction supporters pointed to Saturday’s snowy weather as being a possible reason for some of the boost.

“I think more people stayed home today and listened to the auction because of the weather,” said WCOK Manager Andy Wright on Saturday.

The top-selling item for Saturday was a wormy chestnut pie safe built by John and Carol Edwards, which sold for $1,000 to Sandy Carter Herndon.

The day’s biggest donation came from Mountain Dreams Realty, which gave $500. First Community Bank and BB&T both gave $250.

“We had a lot of donations for a $100 and less,” Setzer said. “We had a lot of memorials and a lot of challenges.”

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