Grab your golden ticket! UUSB’s Annual Service Auction is back, and this year we’re stepping into a world of pUUre imagination with a Willy Wonka-inspired evening of food, fun, friendly competition, and community.

The Service Auction is one of UUSB’s longest-running traditions, our biggest fundraiser of the year, and one of our biggest parties. Each year, members and friends offer their talents, creativity, hospitality, and occasionally delightfully strange ideas for others to bid on. Past auctions have included everything from dinners and themed parties to gardening, babysitting, outings, handmade items, and unique experiences.

And you absolutely do not need to be a big spender to have a good time. Come enjoy the decorations, music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, games, laughter, and the spectacle of watching your friends get surprisingly competitive over something they really want.

What Happens at the Auction?

Doors open at 6:00 pm, giving you plenty of time to enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, grab a drink at the cash bar, explore the silent auction, and pick up your official bidding number.

Then at 7:00 pm, the oral auction begins!

We’ll make our way through the services, experiences, events, and other offerings donated by members and friends of UUSB. Some items have one lucky winner, while others—like dinners, parties, or group outings—may have many spots available. Offerings range widely in price, so you don’t need a huge auction budget to join in.

Throughout the evening, we’ll also have games, jokes for purchase, our Heads & Tails 50/50s, and plenty of opportunities for general silliness.

At the end of the night, winning bidders can pay by cash, check, or digitally.

The Oral Auction: Share Something You Love

The heart of our auction isn’t stuff—it’s what we can share with one another.

Could you host a dinner? Teach someone a skill? Organize a game night? Bake something spectacular? Help with gardening? Lead an adventure? Host a themed party? Offer a service you’re particularly good at?

You can donate something on your own or team up with another member or friend. Some of the best auction offerings are simply an excuse to gather people together and make a memory.

And don’t be afraid to get creative. pUUre imagination is the theme, after all!

The Silent Auction

Have something wonderful that needs a new home? The silent auction is the place for physical items, gift cards, and other treasures.

It’s also a great reason to look around your house for something nice that you aren’t using anymore—or to help us connect with local businesses.

If you know a local business that UUSB folks should discover, consider asking them to donate a gift card or other item. Business donation forms are available in the Great Hall. Please coordinate with the office before approaching businesses so we don’t accidentally send half the congregation to the same place!

Enter the Dessert Competition

Think your dessert has what it takes to win the hearts and minds of UUSB?

Bring it on.

Our dessert competition will return during intermission. Contact the office at office@firstunitarian.us if you’d like to put your baking reputation on the line.

And don’t worry: despite the Wonka theme, there will be plenty to eat besides candy!

Get Your Chance at the 50/50 Drawing

Before the auction, Lois and Dan Holm will once again be selling playing cards for $10 each after Sunday services. Each card gives you a chance to win the 50/50 drawing—and you get a lovely little piece of art to keep, too.

How to Donate an Auction Item

We need your offerings to make the auction happen!

To submit an item for either the Oral or Silent Auction, contact the office at office@firstunitarian.us for auction website login information.

Not sure what to offer? Sample programs from previous auctions will be available in the Great Hall to help get your imagination going.

Whether you donate an experience, bid enthusiastically, bring a dessert, play along with the games, or simply come for the party, the Service Auction is ultimately about investing in this community and enjoying the remarkable collection of people who make UUSB what it is.

So mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24. Doors open at 6:00 pm, and the auction begins at 7:00 pm.

Come hungry. Come ready to play. And bring your imagination.

Questions?

Contact the UUSB office at 574-234-6588 or office@firstunitarian.us.