Basketball Booster

Club WANY Radio

auction set for Friday

Bid, buy, have fun and support our basketball teams.

That’s the way Al Gibson summed up what will be going on this Friday night when he once again is set to co-host the long-running Clinton County Basketball Booster Club /WANY Radio Auction.

Set to begin at about 5:00 p.m. this Friday, February 17, the Radio Auction has become a tradition in Albany and Clinton County and is expected to once again provide some much needed funding for the varsity basketball program at Clinton County High School.

As has been the case for a number of years now, the Auction is set to be held on the Friday night immediately after the end of the regular season basketball play for the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs, both of which will see its regular season finale being played this Thursday night at Barren County High School.

Both the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs will then be gearing up to compete in next week’s first round of post-season play, the 16th District Tournament held in Russell Springs February 20-24.

Gibson noted this week that putting the Auction in place on the Friday after the Barren County game just seemed to make sense several years ago.

“We’ve tried it almost everywhere – early in the season, middle of the season, Friday night, Saturday nights, but when we put it on the Friday night between the Barren County game and the start of the 16th District Tournament a few years back – it just seemed as if the program had found it’s home,” Gibson said.

He added that area residents – whether they are big high school basketball fans or not, have come to look forward to the Radio Auction each year.

“There will be plenty of bargains to be had – there always is, and at the same time, some of the items will go for surprising amounts, especially when friends get into bidding challenges or bidding wars,” Gibson said.

Gibson, who is the long-time editor and publisher of the Clinton County News, has served as a co-host of the program since its inception during the early 1980s.

He began working the on-the-air hosting of the auction alongside WANY personality Sid Scott, who also is the announcer for the game broadcasts at the local radio station.

Several years ago, Scott stepped down from working the radio auction, and Jackie Flowers moved in to take his place alongside Gibson.

The pair have worked the broadcasts of the radio auction ever since.

As is always the case, this year’s lineup of offerings during the program will be very diverse, ranging from legal and tax services from area professionals, to health care, beauty care and even mechanical care for vehicles.

In addition to the wide range of services that will be auctioned during the program, there is also expected to be a host of actual merchandise that will go up for sale to the highest bidder.

In past years, sale items have included clothing, tools, gravel, car care items, home care and maintenance items and even homemade collectibles.

Of course food items, ranging from pizzas, dinners, fast foods, soft drinks and even homemade cakes and pies will take up a lot of what will be sold Friday night.

Everything that is included in the lineup of things being sold, has been donated to the Basketball Boosters from local and area professionals, businesses and individuals.

“We never really know exactly what we’re going to have until the parents bring the items they’ve collected in just prior to the start of the program and we start laying them out on the cafeteria tables,” Gibson explained.

Parents of varsity players have been soliciting items and services to be auctioned off for the past couple of weeks.

Any individual, local professional or business owner who has not been contacted and would like to donate goods or services, can contact Gibson

Gibson noted that the auction will run for about five hours, from the noted 5:00 p.m. start time up until the normal 10:00 p.m. WANY sign off time.

In addition to listening to the program directly over the airwaves of WANY, Mediacom cable customers in Albany and Clinton County, can hear the program being simulcast over the cable lineup public access channel 16.

The Auction will be headquartered once again at the cafeteria at Clinton County High School, where the items will be on display. Bidders can either attend the event live inside the cafeteria, or can telephone their bids in during each segment.

Phone bidders can place bids throughout the night using a single local phone number, 387-5569.

Typically, each bidding segment lasts about three minutes, and includes three or four separate items.

Larger items that are expected to garner more attention from bidders, will be placed in special “big ticket” slots and will typically run through more than one normal segment time length.

“We’ve had autographed basketballs, handmade furniture, quilts, loads of rocks and everything you could imagine donated in past years, and we can usually recognize those special items as being something that deserves a little more time and attention,” Gibson explained. “We even sold a calf one year.”

Gibson noted that as has been the case for several years now, although bids will be taken both on a live basis as well as through the telephone bank, those phone bidders will have the final advantage.

While the audience inside the cafeteria can enjoy the entertainment of the antics that are going on during the program, they are also able to get an up-close look at each item being auctioned.

It is the phone bidder who gets the final advantage, however, with the final 30 seconds of each segment being dedicated to bids received over the phones.

That method, he explained, puts everyone on an even playing field – even with the advent of the cell phone several years ago that allows members of the audience to place phone bids in those final seconds. They are still on an even keel in that they are jockeying trying to get their bid answered in those final seconds.

While most bidders opt to work the program from the comfort of their homes, many others, particularly parents of players choose to get in on the fun from the cafeteria.

“Things can get pretty hectic at times, but we most always seem to manage it to everyone’s pleasure – everyone seems to be able to remember that we’re doing this for the kids and they have a lot of fun during the night,” Gibson said.

Concessions will be offered for those enjoying the auction atmosphere inside the cafeteria.

The format of the program itself allows everyone to get in on the fun that night, with players answering the phone banks, parents and fans working the item lists and tote boards as well as keeping up with who purchased each item or service, and for how much.

Successful bidders can pick up their purchases on Friday night following the end of the program. In addition, another pickup time will also be held, usually on Saturday or Sunday, and will be announced during Friday night’s auction.

“It’s a very satisfying event each year – seeing the entire community come together, the fans, parents and players working alongside each other all night long,” Gibson said. “Not only is it a way to raise some much needed funds, but it gives the players a little recreational break away from the court as they head into next week’s District Tournament.”

Funds raised Friday night are used totally to benefit the varsity basketball programs at Clinton County High School.

In past seasons, the funds have been used to purchase video equipment, camp fees, uniforms and travel suits and other purchases that might not be possible with a small school’s athletic budget.

Bid, buy and get in on the fun while picking up some great deals and supporting the C.C.H.S. basketball teams as they make the transition from regular season to the post-season tournament run next week.