Six dozen of Sue Shank’s sugar cookies sold for $21,700.
A swirled glass art piece donated by Sonia Whitehead was part of the silent auction items.
This marquetry piece had a winning bid of $550.
This Packer Creek Pottery mandala wall piece and farm picnic basket with beef, chicken, brats and brown eggs were offered in the silent auction.
Novel Night drew 160 people to the Veterans Buidling at City Park.
Live auction items – including six dozen sugar cookies – raised more than $40,000 at the Wood County District Public Library Foundation’s annual Novel Night.
Novel Night typically raises $120,000-$140,000 annually with proceeds going to the library to purchase books.
Another two dozen silent auction items added thousands more to the total and then there are the donations.
“Tonight has been a wonderful success,” said library Director Michael Penrod. “The trust that the community places in the library is something we take very seriously, and we are going to have so much fun buying so many wonderful books for the community.”
The national average of a library’s budget to purchase books is 11.5% – but those in charge at WCDPL didn’t think that was enough, said library Foundation President Brian Paskvan at Thursday’s Novel Night, held at the Veterans Building at City Park.
“With the help of this fundraiser, 16.5% of our budget is spent on materials each year,” said Paskvan, who also is a member of the library’s board of trustees.
Since 2009, Novel Night has raised $1,468,497 for the library, he said, earning applause from the 160 people at the event.
“I want to melt your credit cards for the library collection,” joked Penrod,
“Your response to our appeal tonight is allowing us to meet local reading demands, both for digital items … and the print book, which are not going anywhere,” he said.
“Everything we do tonight will have a direct impact on what we can do over the next year,” he said.
Board President Ken Frisch said when you’re in the library, you see 2-weeks-olds in story time and more senior folks.
Auction items included a Huffy Youth Sea Star bike, that was won by a $140 bid, glass art donated by local artist Joel O’Dorisio ($2,100) and a marquetry wall piece Becky Bhaer won with a bid of $550.
The handmade marquetry wall piece was crafted by Becky Schooner using cedar, mahogany, cherry, oak, maple, birch and walnut.
Bhaer said she has known Schooner for years and actually met her at the library after inviting her to lead a craft program.
Other auction items included dinner for six with Bowling Green State University President Rodney Rogers ($5,200), flight training with the Bowling Green Flight Center ($1,000) and a cooking class for eight at BGSU’s Teaching Kitchen ($675).
An Ooni Koda gas-powered pizza oven sold for $650 while a 36-inch Blackstone grill and accessories was won with a $1,000 bid.
Guest coaching with the BGSU women’s basketball team and the women’s volleyball team went for $1,100 each.
A pitcher and six glasses made by O’Dorisio went for $900 and the winning bid for co-hosting The Morning Show with Clint Corpe was $375.
Dianne Klein won a seven night stay Regent Hill Estates in South Africa for $600.
Six dozen sugar cookies donated by Sue Shank were the last items to be sold.
Auctioneer Shad Ridenour called them “world famous.”
The first dozen sold for $5,000 which each subsequent dozen going for $4,600; $5,100; $2,800; $2,000; and $2,200.
Shank has been donating her sugar cookies since the first Novel Night in 2009.
