The 2020 edition of the Hopkinsville Rotary Auction probably won’t go down as a record-setter for money raised. But it might be remembered years from now as the little auction that could — even against some big challenges.
On Thursday, Rotarians had hauled in $102,252 at the end of the auction’s fourth night, chairman Scott Cowan reported. That included $7,180 from 96 items sold Thursday and $17,574 in Hour Club donations.
This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the auction is a smaller version of the club’s traditional fundraiser — and that’s made it hard to get close to last year’s total when the club blasted past their $300,000 goal and ended up with $330,000. There is no official goal this year. The focus is more about keeping the tradition going and raising as much money as possible for the Rotary Scholars program at Hopkinsville Community College, Cowan told Hoptown Chronicle.
Two nights remain. The auction will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and from 6 p.m. until the last item is sold Saturday.
There’s no live audience this year at the Memorial Building. Only Rotarians and volunteers who help run the auction are inside the building. Anyone who wants to follow along can listen to the auction on WHOP or watch a livestream online. It’s also on Spectrum channel 376.
Bids are made over the phone. The number to call is 270-885-7500.
A preview of items that will be auctioned is available each day at 4 p.m. on the club’s website.
See our coverage of the 2020 Rotary auction:
- Hopkinsville Rotary Club postpones annual auction until Sept. 14
- Hopkinsville Rotary Auction, minus the live audience, starts Monday
- Hopkinsville Rotary Auction pulls in more than $50,000 on opening night
- Rotary Club gets a matching offer from Planters Bank to boost auction
- Halfway through Rotary Auction’s novel run, chairman makes plea for Hour Club donors
- Rotarians hit the $100,000 mark and head into final two nights of auction
- Rotary Auction pulls in a surprising total
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
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.
