Bob McCarthy’s Irish Christmas this past Friday night at EBC was by far the best ever. After a two-year hiatus from the live event a large crowd came out to celebrate the 16th annual Fundraiser. A brief comment by Mayor Burrell preceded the live auction hosted by Brooks LeFeber of Brookslefeberauctions.com and at a frantic pace the bids started to soar.
Incredibly, bids for a great EVL Themed Stainless Steel Fire Pit created and donated by Barrett Price of Bear Metal Works in Buffalo, skyrocketed. As usual many came to donate via generously bidding on Live auction. The custom Fire Pit saw rapid fire bidding back and forth, finally being won by Tina Dillon, who is always a generous supporter while a second themed Fire Pit sold to Lynn Mayer. Bob original creations were sprinkled in throughout with his Irish Cabinet selling to Erin Cornelius. Ed Frederickson, once again used his creative genius and woodworking skills to put together an array of hand-made gems in the Bob tradition. His beautiful Cedar Chest sold to Dan Minner and his unique birdhouses were very popular. The Traditional Irish Whiskey Basket donated by Cynthia & Mike, sold to a very thirsty family. The auction was limited to 15 items so it was complimented with an Irish basket raffle with a great assortment of Christmas gifts. This basket raffle organized by Erin Cornelius, Brooke Szpaicher & Mila Clauss was a great addition and will be back next year.
This year’s event could not have happened without our host the Ellicottville Brewing Company, who again went above and beyond to support Bob’s night! They are so generous to the Foundation this year donating the proceeds from special beer and wine sales to the fund. Brew Master Dan Minner’s tribute to Bob, “McCarthy Irish Red” was being to the delight of many in the crowd. Laura Kohler & Mike Rogers expertise made staging this party easy and fun for the committee while EBC’s spacious new Beer Hall and their friendly staff were the perfect hosts.
It was obvious that many of our benefactors opened up their hearts and wallets to support The Bob McCarthy Foundation’s Santa’s workshop & the Sheriff Santa program. The auction by far surpassed all prior ones setting a new record $15,000.00! A very special donation of $1,500.00 was made during the event by Trey Clauss on behalf of Sean Lowes & The City Garage. This was a result of their Film fundraiser at The Depot this fall. Additionally, a number of generous people chose to donate directly to the Foundation. As these donations normally continue through the end of the year, we anticipate surpassing previous years highs by over 25% In the current economy, that is truly amazing.
PandaGoat Media, that is Brenda Perks and Meghan Lucarelli did a great job on the artwork and promotional material. Heather Sullivan of Heather J Sullivan Consulting worked her magic with the Website and Facebook. Brooks LeFeber hosting the auction, as always made it both entertaining and successful with a local’s flair.
As is always the case our great local publications, Ellicottville NOW & The Villager provided promotion of the event both online and in print, helping us greatly. The Chamber of Commerce on line promotion featured with The Stroll weekend was also greatly appreciated
A special thanks to Cupcaked, Dina’s, EBC, Katy’s, Madigans, The Silver Fox & Villaggio who brought “A Taste of Ireland” back to the live event. The food was fabulous and the crowd enjoyed the interaction with the restaurant owners. Ellicottville’s home bakers (too many to thank) whose special desserts are done as a tribute to their friend Bob and this tradition. We also thank the many local businesses who supported the basket raffle with their generous gifts. Many friends of Bob McCarthy helped make Friday night a success, you know who you are and we thank you all.
When asked how this started, McCarthy would answer “It started with a little magic”. To be sure the magic came in the form of Ellicottville’s residents, both permanent and part timers who bid or donated to the cause. The real magic is that this event is helping a number of local families have a better Christmas through Santa’s Workshop & the Sheriff’s Santa program. Bob, we all miss you but we will continue your tradition of giving. The Bob McCarthy Foundation (www.bobmccarthfoundation.com) wishes all of you a great holiday season – Thank you Ellicottville.
Photo by EllicottvilleNOW