District IX Report - 2010/05

May 2010 151
LORA KNOWLTON has submitted the
following article, chronicling one of the
largest RC auctions in the country. Lora is a
well-respected modeler in the Rocky
Mountain area and has been project manager
for our annual AMA Expo in Ontario the last
two years.
“While it seemed like most everyone else
was making preparations for a Super Bowl
party or to attend one, the Jefco Aermod’lers
RC Club members were working hard to prep
for the club’s 36th Annual RC Auction.
“Held February 5-7 at the Jefferson
County Fairgrounds near Denver, Colorado,
the event drew nearly 500 buyers, sellers and
spectators and over 1,150 items for sale. A
huge selection and variety of items are
always for sale—airplanes, jets, cars,
helicopters, gliders, radios, engines, tools,
and even a few RC boats!
“The club ‘moves in’ to the fairground
exhibit hall on Thursday. Over 66 club
volunteers dedicate themselves to fun, hard
work, and more fun over the busy weekend.
On Friday, there are numerous tasks to
accomplish—arranging and covering display
tables, arranging the auction item check in
area, setting up the computer and input areas,
embellishing the volunteer check in
hospitality area, securing the ‘cash out & pay’
areas, and we can’t forget the most important
area for the event—the official auction block.
“Friday is also the first official ‘check-in’
day. About 90% of all items for sale are
checked in on this day. Sellers bring their
wares labeled ‘Buy It Now,’ priced, shrinkwrapped,
packaged, and ready to hopefully
snatch top dollar.
“After items are checked in, volunteers
ferry those items in to the exhibit hall—
arranged with great care to create a visually
appeasing auction area. Kits must stacked
underneath tables; aerobatic planes laid
diagonally on end against the outer walls;
Giant Scale aircraft are arranged on the floor
in a special roped off area; and engines,
radios, and other goodies are scattered
throughout the table area, with no spare table
space to be found. Miles of aisles of airplanes
and goodies!
“There’s a definite sense of excitement in
the air! I also saw several guys checking their
wallets to make sure that they had plenty of
money for the weekend.
“Saturday and Sunday are hot auction
days! Club volunteers take turns sharing the
microphone and playing auctioneer. It’s
amazing to know that we have several
wannabe radio DJs in our club!
“Runners transport items from the table
areas to the block, carefully seeing that items
are taken to the sold or ‘pass’ tables. Data
entry volunteers rotate turns doing finger
exercises as they enter and type bidder
number, item number, description, and
selling price for each transaction. Reading
glasses are a required piece of equipment for
this important task.
“Steve Mangels, our ever-faithful auction
coordinator has a profound sense of calm and
serenity during the auction. Must be the
calming colors of his bright colored shirts!
“Steve reported that ‘Everything ran fairly
smoothly with only the normal amount of
problems and errors. This year was a bit of a
challenge as we included a number of new
systems and procedures such as a new Buy It
Now system and a new Pass table operation.
We are constantly trying to reduce errors, and
overall we are always pleased with outcome
of the auction. This year was no exception.’
“Jefco Aermod’lers RC Club president
John Lipe reported, ‘Our annual auction was
a success from several viewpoints. The
proceeds will help our club retire some of the
debt incurred when our runways were
repaved last fall. The auction functions not
only as a vehicle for buying and selling of
hobby products, but as a social occasion to
exchange ideas and new technology plus
visiting with old friends. The combination of
these attributes furthers our hobby far beyond
just having an auction.’
“The Jefco Aermod’lers RC Auction is
not only one of the major annual events for
the club, but also another opportunity for club
members to bond, have fun, and to work
together as a team. Oh by the way—many of
our hard-core event volunteers did make it to
their Super Bowl parties on Sunday!”
Auctioneer and recorders keep runners busy
bringing aircraft to the stage.
Don’t scratch your nose or you may own a
new airplane!
Smaller airplanes are displayed on tables for
buyer inspection.
Larger models are displayed in a corral
which was full this year!
Remember, keep the sunscreen on to keep
the cancer off when you go out to the field
to fly! Till next time.
Jim Wallen
Vice President
7322 W. 82nd Way
Arvada CO 80003
Tel.: (303) 421-9061
www.amadistrict-ix.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Steve Culver, Omaha NE;
[email protected]
Zac Heskin, Garrison ND;
[email protected]
Fred Hildebrand, Casper WY;
[email protected]
Bruce Ream, Highlands Ranch
CO; [email protected]
Brenda Schuette, Auburn KS;
[email protected]
Mike Tallman, Wichita KS;
[email protected]
Jim Tiller, Rapid City SD;
[email protected]
Webmaster: Jim Shaw,
[email protected]
Contest Coordinator:
Mac Strader, Overland Park KS;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator:
Steve Mangles, Denver CO;
[email protected]
District IX Volunteers
District IX
Jim Wallen, District IX Vice President; [email protected]
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
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