Preston Killebrew does not bake any of the brownies or cupcakes he sells in the Sweet Shop at the Hopkinsville Rotary Auction.
But if he did, you can bet they would be some amazing desserts. Like nothing you’ve ever had before. Just ask him.
“Next year I’m going to make something that goes quicker than Taylor Swift tickets,” Preston said Tuesday night during a little break from his Sweet Shop shift.
Preston, a sixth-grader at Heritage Christian Academy, is 11 years old. He’s one of the volunteers who keeps things running during the weeklong Rotary Auction. His father, Brandon Killebrew, is the auction chairman this year. His mother, Kiley Killebrew, is also a Rotarian.
Preston might be young but he’s not a Rotary Auction rookie. He told Hoptown Chronicle he’s been helping since he was about 8 or 9 years old.
Last year he and another young boy shared time in a large chair atop a wooden platform at the edge of the auction pit. It was their job to take bid sheets from audience members, clip the papers to a wire and fling them down to the auctioneers.
Fling they did — with enthusiasm.
But as Preston says, things got a bit too active up there in the big chair with boys competing to launch the bids. This year some older kids are launching the paper bids, and Preston is back to selling sliced cake and pie and bags of popcorn.
Now Preston channels his enthusiasm into salesmanship. He knows what his customers like. The spiced cupcakes with cream cheese icing have been big sellers this year.
“Last year we had a mystery pastry,” he said. Something with lots of icing and strawberries. The crowd loved that one, he says.
Preston is part of a long tradition for Hopkinsville Rotary. For decades, children have been hanging out at the Memorial Building during auction week and pitching in to help. It is an irresistible atmosphere for children — a mixture of chaos, exuberance, food and noise.
Eventually, Preston will get back in that big chair to fling bids. Until then, he’s entertaining auction-goers with stories of what he might bake for them. How about some chocolate cake pops with sprinkles, he says.
Auction Tally
The following totals reflect the money raised through the main auction, Rotary Diner and Sweet Shop, and the Hour Club.
| Monday | $124,159.50 |
| Tuesday | $60,120.50 |
| Grand Total | $184,280 |
Rotary Foundation Grants
In 2021, the auction’s fundraising power spurred the creation of the Hopkinsville Rotary Foundation, which makes grants to programs that benefit the community. This week’s distributions have included:
Monday
- $5,000 for educational programs at Jeffers Bend
- $3,500 for special needs swimming lessons and equipment at Hopkinsville YMCA
- $100,000 for an inclusive playground on Pardue Lane
Tuesday
- $5,000 for the Christian County Literacy Council to assist with publishing a book for local children that will be dedicated in memory of Carolyn “Mrs. Pickle” Haddock — a long-time supporter of the Rotary Auction
- $15,000 to the Pennyroyal Arts Council for youth camps and arts programming
If You Go
When: 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6-10 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. until the last item is sold Saturday
Where: Memorial Building, 1202 S. Virginia St.
Watch and Listen: On WHOP Radio 98.7 FM or on Hopkinsville Rotary’s website
Bid: Call 270-885-7500
Eat: At the Rotary Diner for lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and dinner 5 to 8 every night
Donate: On the club’s Hour and Goat Club site
Don’t miss: Ask for the Arnold Palmer cake in the Sweet Shop
This story was updated to reflect final auction totals.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
