Lucas Punkari
Although the exact totals still were being tallied as of press time, the 29th-annual Ducks Unlimited banquet Friday night at La Place Rendez-Vous here proved to be another successful evening.
While it was another packed house in the banquet room, and the bidding wars were tight for both the silent and live auctions throughout the night, event chairman Kevin Begin noticed a bit of change compared to previous years
“I think this year’s event had a slightly different feel to it, and that was in a good way,” he noted.
“This year when it came to the auction, I think the artwork and carvings that were done by local artists and carvers were the big winners, and I think that’s what made things different than in previous years,” he explained.
Something that also was different this year was the return of the “mystery” print as the final live auction item of the night as those on hand bid on a print that had been under wraps all evening.
“When I first started coming here with my dad in my early 20s, at the end of the night there was always the ‘mystery’ print,” noted Begin.
“And since no one knew what was in it, it always drew big dollars.
“This year, Don [Cumming] decided to bring it back and it ended up doing really well,” he smiled.
The “mystery” print itself—a panoramic view of Red Gut Bay on Rainy Lake done over three canvases by Cherie Serrano—went for $420.
Another interesting note to this year’s dinner was that while many returnees were on hand, there also was a high amount of younger patrons to the event, which was something Begin felt made this evening a different one.
“There was a younger crowd this year compared to others, there’s no doubt about that,” he remarked.
“Some of the people that have always come here traditionally are already bringing their grandchildren along now, and you have a few groups of friends who just like to hang out.
“No matter who they come here with, they all want to come out and have a good time,” he reasoned.
While it was a night of change, a lot of things did the stay the same when it came down to the highest bid of the night. A Rossi .410/.22 combo gun was the top seller of the night at $775.
Although this year’s event has just finished, plans already are starting to be thought up for next year’s dinner, which will mark the 30th anniversary for the annual fundraiser locally.
“I can remember that the 10th-annual and the 20th-annual banquets were special deals, so next year’s will be another big event here,” Begin enthused.
“We brought on some new young guys this year on our committee with Charles Fisher and Chris Benz, and we also have a couple of other guys wanting to help out and they’ve brought some new ideas on board,” he noted.
“And I think you’ll see some big things and some extra things planned for next year.”
