Groundbreaking set for Oct. 14 on new facility

Saturday's Boys & Girls Club annual auction raised more than $250,000 to help fund operations this coming year.

Development Director Kristie Traver said she didn't have a final total yet but that it appears they easily passed last year's record of $226,000.

"We did really well," she said noting that many of the big items such as a 1979 VW Beetle convertible went for more than they were appraised for. The white VW sold for $11,000 and a 1929 Chevrolet sedan for more than $8,000.

And club officials closed the night by announcing they will break ground Oct. 14 on the new Boys & Girls Club facility on Russell Way. The 12,500 square foot first phase of that project will cost about $2.5 million.

When completed, the entire facility will be nearly 40,000 square feet including a gym and cafeteria. But Traver said even phase one has more space than their current facility, which is only 7,000 square feet.

The auction was a sell out with some 900 people buying tickets at prices ranging from $100 to $250. But for that, participants at the Pony Express Pavilion also enjoyed what organizers modestly dubbed the "world's greatest barbecue" and an evening concert featuring country singer Lee Greenwood.

Greenwood closed out the show at 9 p.m., singing his signature hit "God Bless the USA."

Among the other big items sold were two power boats, a Harley-Davidson Sportster, two Kawasaki Jet Ski's complete with trailer, tickets to the Rolling Stones-Metallica concert, a 42-inch big-screen TV and four tickets to a 49ers game including airfare, hotel and spending money.

Traver said a complete accounting of everything sold and the total received will take several days.

- Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.