Paying hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars for a Christmas tree wasn’t uncommon Sunday at the Kokomo Mall.
A crowd of hundreds packed into the mall’s main hallway as auctioneers took turns selling 80 decorated trees and wreaths during the We Care Trim-A-Tree Festival auction fundraiser.
Mariesa Skogland, the event’s coordinator, said the fundraiser, which is a collaboration with Kokomo radio station WWKI-FM, brought in an unofficial total of $45,710.57. In addition to the $38,803.98 from the sale of the trees, $6,906.59 came from votes for the People’s Choice Award.
Auctioneers motored through $100, $200, sometimes more than $1,000, for each tree Sunday evening as potential buyers shot their arms up in the air to buy the decorated arbors.
Groups from around Howard County put up the trees Nov. 1. Since then, the trees and wreaths have been on display in the mall.
One wreath — “Be Dazzled By the 12 Days of Christmas” by Master Creations Jewelry in Kokomo — sold for $2,500.
Stacy Hall said she bought the wreath for her mother, Shirley Bunch, after winning a bid war that reached unexpected heights.
“I’m just dumbfounded,” Bunch said about her daughter’s gift, which included jewelry and other separate gifts along with the wreath. “I kept telling her ‘That’s too much. That’s too much.’”
A few buyers also donated their trees back to We Care to re-auction.
Kokomo real estate agent Jeannie Kuhn bought a tree for $325, then donated it back to We Care, which sold the tree a second time for $275.
Kuhn said this was the sixth year she bought a tree at the auction “just because it helps those with less than we [have].”
Before the auction began, We Care handed a trophy to 434 AMXF for its People’s Choice Award-winning tree, “A Red, White, and Blue Christmas.”
While the trees were on display the last two weeks, passers-by could drop a penny in a bucket in front of each tree and wreath. One penny counted for one vote.
Ashley Miller, a senior at North Miami High School in Denver, said she led AMXF’s tree decoration as part of her senior project.
Miller said she sold candy bars and organized a few other fundraisers, bringing in a total of $230. The money raised went straight into the tree’s bucket, she said.
The tree auction served as a precursor to We Care’s top fundraiser, its annual telethon, which is scheduled for the first weekend of December.
• Daniel Human is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Trim-A-Tree auction raises more than $45,000
- Local News
-
-
Venue change doesn't deter crowds from Chocolate Celebration
It was a different shell for Kokomo’s biggest candy event, but the chocolaty tastes and aromas inside were the same as always.
-
Walk will honor shooting victims
Following a string of random shootings that left two Kokomo residents dead and three others hospitalized, several members of the shaken community have been moved to organize a Peace Walk to pray for the victims and their families.
-
Peru to cut 2012 budget
The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance issued a mandate last week requiring the city of Peru to cut $783,000 from its 2012 budget.
-
Haynes records $8.4M profit
Earnings fell short of what Haynes International Inc. originally expected for its first fiscal quarter of 2012, as the company profited $8.4 million.
-
Brady’s admission catches NFL off guard
NFL Super Bowl officials were hoping to score some major media attention with the arrest of a “web pirate” accused of illegally streaming sporting events over the Internet.
-
Haynes International posts $8.4M profit
The Kokomo-based high-performance-alloy manufacturer's profits are up more than $3 million from a year earlier.
-
Crash claims one
A 21-year-old Sharpsville woman died at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 31 near the Tipton-Howard county line, which was one of two serious crashes in Howard County Thursday.
-
Newville is found guilty in rape case
Jurors in Howard Circuit Court took just four hours Thursday afternoon to convict 49-year-old Steven Newville of attempted rape, criminal confinement, battery and receiving stolen property.
-
The Material Girl comes to Indianapolis
Suddenly, she arrived, with her famous bleach blond hair, the almond-shaped eyes, the ruby-red lips.
Madonna, in the flesh, was standing in front of about 500 media members, in Indianapolis.
-
Police: Struggle leads to K-9 bite
A man police say punched and choked a police K-9 during a foot chase Wednesday faces multiple charges, including battery on a police service animal.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
