Revisit the 1904 World's Fair

Snow is blanketing the ground, and even though it seems hard to believe, Fete du Feather is just around the corner!

Waiting for guests to arrive...a bird's eye view of a previous Fete du Feather in the beautiful atrium of the Ameren UE building

Fete du Feather is the World Bird Sanctuary’s bi-annual themed fundraiser/auction.  The planning committee has been busy choosing a theme, designing invitations, selecting a venue, and doing the basic groundwork.  After much discussion it was decided that this year’s theme will be the "1904 World’s Fair"!  What could be more appropriate for a St. Louis event?

Director Walter Crawford, dressed for the theme, greeting guests

Now the hard work begins.  There are booths, activities, and costumes to be designed, and much research  to be done to bring the 1904 Fair to life. 

One of the most important aspects of putting this event together is solicitation of items for the auctions.  This is where we are right now.  There will be both silent and live auctions—with the larger items being sold at live auction. 

Just a small sampling of the many items offered at a past silent auction

In the past we have offered some of the following items for auction:

*            A fully restored vintage automobile

*            5 days at a vacation home in Montana

*            Weekend getaways at a Lake home

*            Autographed baseballs, footballs or hockey pucks

*            Hockey or football jerseys worn by major league stars

*            Tickets for sporting or other entertainment events

*            Quilts

*            Jewelry

*            Photo sessions for family portraits

*            A kayak

*            An antique stained glass window

*            Paintings

*            Fine art prints

*            A crate of oranges

*            Baskets with a collection of various related items

*            A hand crafted leather topped poker table

*            A handmade copper windchime

The list goes on and on--it takes a lot of items to create a good auction!

Do you get the picture?  Almost anything and everything is good fodder for an auction!

One of the many items up for bid at the live auction portion of the evening at a past event

Do you have an idea for something we could auction?  If you can imagine it, we can probably use it.  So--if you have an item or service that you would like to donate contact Teri Schroer at 636-225-4390, XT 3, or email her at tschroer@worldbirdsanctuary.org. 

All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Help make our biggest fundraiser a resounding success, and “Meet Us in St. Louis” on May 7 at our re-creation of the 1904 World’s Fair!

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer