The Peterborough Players’ 19th annual auction on November 3rd will do double duty this year -- in addition to supporting the theatre’s operating budget, this year’s gala is designed to sparkle as the kickoff to the organization’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Year.

Back at the helm this year will be professional auctioneer Kathy Kingston, who has lit up the barn since 2004 in with her energy, wit, rapid-fire pacing, and surprising new ways to sell the items. Although she is a dynamic one-woman show all on her own, Kathy will be accompanied on stage by a supporting cast of talented actors and Players regulars, who promise to add plenty of rehearsed and off-the-cuff zaniness to the evening.

In addition to a wide range of trips, dinners, services, artwork, sporting events, concerts and one-of-a-kind items for sale, auction-goers will be treated to sumptuous hors d’oeuvres by Sage With Thyme catering, a stunning array of decadent desserts, and complimentary cocktails, wine and beer throughout the evening.

This year, several never-before-offered items - and one very special surprise –will be on the auction block alongside perennial favorites, with something to bid on for every budget. The big ticket item of the evening is a six-day, six night South African Safari for two, with accommodations at a four-star game lodge (with four-star chefs) in the heart of Zululand. If you’ve ever contemplated an exotic vacation, this is a once-in-a lifetime nature and wildlife experience.

For great getaways that don’t require shots, consider a week’s stay in an English country cottage; a weekend in an elegant Capitol Hill row house in Washington, D.C.; a rest and renewal stay at the Kripalu Center for Health & Yoga in Lenox, MA; weekends at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, the Eliot Suites Hotel in Boston, the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, TX; or a week’s vacation home getaway in Venice, Florida.

Bidders who want to eat a bit closer to home can choose from a array of gourmet theme dinners for 2 to12 people -- some offered by regional restaurants, including the Hancock Inn, Acqua Bistro and Aylmer’s Grille, and some by local caterers or talented amateur chefs, including a Tailgate Picnic; the “Best Barbecue You Ever Ate;” a Garden Brunch; an authentic New England Clambake for ten; a Tuscan Dinner for six; and a “Taste of Provence.” The theme dinners are always the hands-down auction favorites; bidding on them is fast and competitive, but the cost of a great party can be split by several couples.

In the category of Amazing Artworks, there will be a rosewood antique shelf clock, a charming garden Buddha, and a beautiful replica of Degas’ statue, The Dancer. There will also be outstanding works in both live and silent auctions by local oil and water-colorists, sculptors, jewelers, potters, woodworkers and photographers.

Sports fans will be want to bid on tickets to Red Sox, Celtics and NH Fisher Cats games; golf outings at Dublin Lake Club, Monadnock Country Club, and many other local and regional courses; Crotched Mountain and Mt. Sunapee Ski passes, memberships at Curves, the Wellness Center and the Performance Fitness Center, and relaxing massage sessions to help you recover from all that physical activity.

Items in the ‘nearly anyone can use this’ category include: a $500 gift certificate redeemable at the businesses of Depot Square in Peterborough; bark mulch for your garden beds; 100 gallons of heating oil; tree and shrub pruning/removal; auto detailing and carwash certificates; a gas grill; flowers for your home; and homemade cakes or pies delivered for your entertaining occasion.

Friends of the performing arts will have a chance to bid on tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (with dinner); Monadnock Music concerts; performances at the Redfern Arts Center at Brickyard Pond; theatre tickets at Lincoln Center or the Pearl Theatre (also in NYC), the Capitol Center for the Arts (Concord), the Stoneham Theatre (MA) or New Rep Theatre (Watertown, MA). For those who love singing, tickets are available for Raylynmor Opera’s Don Giovanni at the Colonial in Keene, Broadway musicals at the Palace in Manchester -- and much, much more.

Two very special items will be offered this year in honor of the Players’ Diamond Jubilee auction theme: a one-of-a-kind diamond and silver necklace from Emily Scott Originals; and a top-secret surprise item to be unveiled for the first time during the live auction.

The Players auction is always a not-to-be-missed event, but if you can’t get there, many wonderful items, services and gift certificates will be auctioned online at the Players website. The on-line action begins at midnight November 3rd and ends at 9 AM Saturday, November 10.

The Diamond Jubilee reception and live/silent auction preview at the Players’ barn on Hadley Road begins at 5:30 PM on Saturday, November 3rd. Tickets are $60 per person and include admission to the auctions, substantial hors d’oeuvres and desserts, and evening-long open bar. Tickets are available by calling the Players box office at (603) 924-7585 between 10-4 on weekdays. To reserve online, visit www.peterboroughplayers.org.

©2001 - 2008 Peterborough Players, PO Box 118, 55 Hadley Road, Peterborough, NH 03458

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Deb Porter-Hayes
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