By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—Since 1989, the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) has offered up the beautiful and the bizarre at its annual fundraising auction. Just about to enter its 37th year, the auction has undergone major changes over its lifespan but has remained a cherished event on the Brandon calendar.
“The Chamber didn’t have a big fundraiser back then,” said Janet Mondlak, who was BACC’s executive director from 1992 to 2013. “Nothing was being done to raise money. The auction was Warren Kimble’s idea.”
“Doug Bailey and I revived the Chamber,” recalled Kimble. “There were only 25 members in the mid-80s. We needed to do something to raise money and stir things up. I’d been in the antiques business for years. I thought, let’s have an auction.”
The first auction, under the supervision of BACC’s first exec director Jim Jasmin, was held in 1989 in the bandstand in Central Park.
“We had to have it in the middle of town, where it would be visible,” said Kimble.
“People would be driving by on Route 7 and stop,” said current BACC Exec Director Bernie Carr, who first got involved with the Chamber back in the early 90s. “Governor Dean was driving by once and stopped to check out a sailboat we had for sale.”
The auctions were held as live events from that first year until COVID forced a change to silent auctions in 2020. But those early years were known for their boisterousness and friendly competition for prized lots.
“Husbands and wives would bid against each other,” laughed Kimble. “It had to be fun to get people involved. It wasn’t a quiet auction.”
Tom Whittaker, Sr. and Barb Watters led the auctions in the early years. Both were licensed, experienced auctioneers. Whittaker was involved with the Ayrshire Association and had run cattle auctions behind the Brandon Inn. Barb had organized tailgate auctions every Friday night at the Smoke Rise Restaurant (which became Cattails and is now Lucky Sevens Dispensary).
“Barb was fun,” said Kimble. “And we had fun listening to her. An auctioneer has to know how to keep the momentum going. Their job is to keep bidders engaged and bring in the highest prices possible.”
“People used to come just for the interactions,” said Mondlak. “We’d still be setting up and there’d be a line of people waiting to get the best seats.”
The objects for sale came mostly from BACC members, who were all expected to donate. Over the years, donations have ranged from inexpensive household goods to the aforementioned sailboat, Jim Jasmin’s own vintage pickup truck, and some very desirable artwork by Kimble and other local artists such as Liza Myers and Dolores Furnari. In fact, some of the highest prices ever realized at the auction were for Kimble’s artwork, which could fetch over $10,000 for a single piece.
“Once, someone donated a 1949 Plymouth to the Brandon Village Partnership, which was the precursor to the Downtown Brandon Alliance, and the Partnership had no way to sell it,” recalled Mondlak. “So, they gave it to us and we sold it for $1,500.” Jasmin’s vintage pickup ended up selling for $4,500…to Jasmin’s own brother.
“We had giant porcelain urinals for sale one year,” laughed Carr.
“I think those may have come out of the Town Hall when it was being renovated,” said Kimble.
“The auction has a history of creepy dolls too,” added Carr.
“We used to store stuff for the auction in the old chicken coop that used to be at the corner of Route 7 and Nickerson Road,” said Mondlak. “There was an upside-down baby doll hanging in there that freaked everyone out.”
“The doll was dirty and we used to joke that everyone who came into the coop had to kiss the baby,” laughed Carr.
Even though the crew had a lot of laughs getting the auctions together every year, it was hard work. There were donations to pick up, many of which required strong, young backs.
“Stuff sometimes fell out of our truck,” laughed Mondlak.
The items had to be appraised, catalogued, and displayed on the day of. Chairs had to be set up.
“People like Joel Mondlak, Joan Rowe, and Nancy Spaulding-Ness were there from the beginning,” said Carr.
“Everyone looked forward to this community event,” said Rowe. “It’s amazing that this little town was able to keep it going all these years.”
Nancy Leary sold 50/50 raffle tickets at every auction. One year she managed to sell $1,500 worth of tickets. The winner of the raffle would get 50% of the pot and the opportunity to come up to the podium to act as auctioneer for an item.
“The crowd was always into that,” said Carr, noting that the auction routinely drew 300 to 500 people.
The event remained at Central Park until the Segment 6 construction project forced a move to Estabrook Park for 2018 and 2019. And then COVID hit in 2020 and BACC couldn’t hold a live event.
“Barb was with us until COVID,” said Carr. But in 2020, the auction became a silent event, with people leaving written bids instead of raising paddles. The silent auction was initially held in the space now occupied by the National Bank of Middlebury but is now held in the main room of the Town Hall. And instead of displaying the items for only the day of the auction, the new format allows people ample time to browse and deliberate.
Though some folks miss the fun of the live event, the expanded timeframe and buy-it-now option have resulted in more sales.
“It was time for a change anyway,” said Kimble. “Everything needs to be revived at some point. Because of how everything gets set up at Town Hall—it looks terrific in there—there’s excitement about the auction again.”
“A good auction would net BACC between $13,000 and $15,000 when it was in the park,” said Carr. “Last year, we netted $24,000.”
Mondlak estimated that the auction has raised more than $350,000 over the years.
The proceeds from the auction go toward BACC’s projects and initiatives, all of which are designed to make Brandon an attractive place to live and run a business.
“The Chamber has used that money for a lot of projects around Brandon,” said Mondlak. A short list of those projects includes rebuilding the bandstand in Central Park, helping with the renovation of the Town Hall and the establishment of the Brandon Museum and Visitor Center, the establishment of Green Park, the purchase and installation of trash cans and benches, and even the implementation of a small-loan program for local businesses.
Mondlak emphasizes that anyone can be part of the auction by donating, buying, or volunteering to help run it.
“We couldn’t do this without all our amazing volunteers,” said Carr. “We get a couple dozen people signing up every year.”
Anyone who wants to donate to the event can send an email to info@brandon.org. Donations are accepted throughout the entire auction, as “buy-it-now” items need to be replaced on the floor as they’re purchased.
“We have new items every day,” said Carr.
Newcomers to Brandon might not have had the chance to experience the heyday of the live auctions, but the tradition carries on in new form at Town Hall. So, plan to stop by and pick something up. You never know what you might find—maybe even a vintage urinal!
The 37th annual Chamber Auction will be held in the main room of the Brandon Town Hall from Thursday, July 3rd to Saturday, July 12th.
