40th Mennonite Country Auction slated for Saturday, Oct. 7

The annual Mennonite Country Auction and Relief Sale is set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The event has been held in Ritzville on the first Saturday of October for the past 40 years, and is expecting to welcome even more visitors to the central location.

The event is held at the Menno Mennonite Church outside Ritzville. Breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and booths open at 10 a.m., followed by the live auction at noon.

The annual auction and sale proceeds support the Mennonite Central Committee in their outreach efforts worldwide.

Auction coordinators remind visitors there will be lines forming at booths before they open at 10 a.m. The line for cheese, sausage, ham and bacon opens earlier than most of the booths, and the stock popular food items tend to sell quickly.

Visitors are welcome and encouraged to bring a cooler with them to transport food items home. Along with the meats and cheeses, kraut ranzas, apple cider, apple butter, baked goods and New Year’s cookies are also for sale on the grounds.

The apple cider and apple butter are made fresh at the grounds, and visitors are welcome to watch the process.

Other food items available for purchase include sausage on a stick, pie, ice cream, hamburgers, German green bean soup and ribs.

At 10:30 a.m., the Liberty Quartet will perform live on the grounds.

Those interested in bidding on items in the live auction can pickup a free bidder number on the grounds.

This year’s auction items include a loaf of bread, Seahawks tickets, patio side tables, furniture, quilts, afghans and more.

All of the quilts, wall hangings and afghans are on display prior to the start of the auction, when buyers can have an up-close look at the items. The quilts are both tied and hand quilted, and come from all over the country.

The quilts also include a variety of baby quilts to king-size, as well as wall hangings of various sizes.

The Menno Mennonite Church is located at 1378 N. Damon Road in Ritzville.

Those traveling from Ritzville are advised to take Rosenoff Road, and then follow the signs for the auction, before turning left on Damon Road.