LANCASTER – Despite a myriad of COVID-19 restriction challenges, the 2020 Kiwanis Jr. Livestock Auction was a huge success, ranking third in dollars raised over the past 65 years with nearly $600,000 in bidding that directly supports local participating youth, organizers announced Thursday.
Traditionally, the auction is a single-day event, but this year’s event was a virtual event spanning over seven days with “add-on”
donations running for a total of 10 days.
The event had 305 “lots,” or animals up for bid, a slightly lower number than past years. The bidding days culminated with live auctioneer Don Rogers calling the event on the final bidding day. The total dollars raised for the 2020 virtual event was $591,914, according to organizers.
“This is an incredible success story, a true testament to the resilience and heart of this community,” said AV Fair & Event Center CEO Dan Jacobs.
The top 20 buyers for this year’s event included: Animal House, Barnyard Belles, AV Ford, Kyle & Kyle, NASTF, Theurer Orthodontics, Rich Meiers Landscaping, Calandri Farms, Trade Craft Farms, All Cal Jet, PBLS Surveying, Nibbelink Masonry, Giles Group, All Glass & Plastics, AV Engineering, Porter Concrete Construction, Ron & Yvette Emard, Builders Unlimited Constructors (BUC), Schooners Patio Grille and Brian Gorrindo.
“This virtual event is one for the history books. The entire process was very different, and I commend the gallant effort that everyone in this community put forth to ensure that this year’s auction was not canceled, and in fact, ended up being one of our top money raisers,” said Drew
Mercy, President of the Antelope Valley Fair Association. “We have all learned a lot, and I suspect that we’ll be having conversations about how we possibly embed virtual bidding in future auctions.”
For all AV Fair & Event Center information, including event updates, visit avfair.com.
[Information via news release from the Antelope Valley Fair Association.]
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