After a one-year break, the Oungre Memorial Regional Park is back with the 2021 edition of their annual auction.
Due to continuing pandemic-related restrictions, the 50th version of the traditional activity organized by the Dr. Brown fundraising committee will take place over Facebook at the Doctor Brown - Oungre Memorial Regional Park Online Fundraiser page. The bidding will start on June 17 and the cut-off time will be on June 19 at 8 p.m.
Committee chair Loran Tosczak said that with no fundraiser in 2020 and the public safety restrictions, the park did not have a busy year in 2020, yet they still had all the expenses as they would have if they were running at 100 per cent capacity.
"Every year for probably 20, almost 30 years, we have a big auction night with entertainment and supper, usually in the end of March. With COVID, of course, last year, we had to postpone it. So this year, we had to think of something to do because the park didn't have that much revenue last year and still have all the bills," Tosczak said.
As restrictions are still in place, the committee, comprised of eight community members, decided to opt-in for the online auction and they were overwhelmed with the amount of support they've received. As of June 10, a week before the auction, they already had 129 lots to be auctioned off and the donations kept coming.
"On our usual auctions, we have let's say 160 items in total for our live auction and silent auction. And I've just entered 129 and there's still a lot to come in. So we are getting a lot, a lot of new people who see it on Facebook and want to add to it … and there are many companies who donated for years and years in the past. So it's looking really good," Tosczak said.
Once the bidding is open people will need to leave their names and prices under pictures of the items they want to bid on and it's $5 increments. The highest bid at the closing time will win the item, which later will need to be paid for and picked up at the park.
The park means a lot to the surrounding communities, so there are a lot of private donors participating. The auction has a variety of items, from a two-week stay in Mexico to handmade baby clothes, from luxury accessories to a playhouse and gravel, from liquor and delight sets to barbeques and tools, and much more.
The committee also accepts cash donations that will go directly towards the fundraising total. For cash donations, they can issue a receipt, if the cheques are made payable to Oungre Memorial Regional Park.
They usually raise about $90,000 through the event, but with it being virtual Tosczak said they would be happy if they can raise $50,000 this year.
All money raised goes to the park and will be used to upgrade the plumbing and heating for the indoor swimming pool, and help with the clean-up and rebuild of areas that were damaged by wind storms.
Tosczak said that they'll keep accepting any kind of donations from businesses, private people and families all the way through June 17, however, they hope to see most of them in by the 13th, which will allow some time for the committee to organize and upload everything.
She added that things started getting busier at the park already. They opened up on the Victoria Day long weekend and many people are now using the campsite and booking swimming lessons.
The Oungre Memorial Regional Park was founded in 1968 on a site that had been a gathering place named Foster's Grove. Foster's Grove was a spot for school events and church picnics for people all over the area. The park is located on Highway 35, about 65 kilometres west of Estevan and 20 kilometres north of the Canada-U.S. border.
For years the park has remained a vital part of the surrounding communities. There are several campsites; an indoor pool; buildings to rent for reunions, weddings or other group events; a 9-hole sand green golf course; an 18-hole miniature golf course; and two baseball diamonds. The main concession is a full-service restaurant that is open year-round. The park employs 25-30 staff members during the summer.
There are capital projects required at this time; the park is currently in the process of upgrading the heat exchange system for the main pool, paddling pool and hot tub. Upgrades to the ball diamonds, shelter belt and bowling alley and the overhead door in the rink are also planned. Due to the recent windstorm, four of the six ball diamond light towers as well as several trees within the park need to be replaced.
"Oungre Memorial Regional Park continues to strive to be self-sustaining but with capital expenses and continued maintenance, any assistance … would be greatly appreciated," said Melissa England with the Dr. Brown fundraising committee.
