The 2022 Wakefield Auction, Live Again!

The 2022 Wakefield Auction was among the most appreciated in history. Bringing the community together once again for all the fun and excitement of both the biggest social gathering and the biggest fundraiser of the Wakefield year, the Auction was sorely missed during lockdown, and enthusiastically welcomed back this year.

Themed "Vegas in the Vineyard," the event was held at the beautiful Blue Valley Vineyard in Delaplane, and featured a VIP winetasting beforehand deep in the atmospheric stone wine cellar, a festive cocktail hour as the setting for the silent auction bidding and Giving Tree purchases, and a spectacular dinner, created by Pampas Fox Catering and served in Blue Valley's main room, with soaring ceilings complementing the room's wraparound hilltop views of the vineyards and the mountains beyond.

Dinner of course led to the evening's main event, the live auction, and whether a person came to the event intent on securing a desired auction item, or simply to watch the fun of closely-fought bidding wars among a team of rivals, the process did not disappoint. Vacation stays, parking places, special dinners, and a freezer full of beef were among the hotly-contested offerings, with all of the proceeds, of course, going to directly support Wakefield's programs. 

A perennial favorite at the auction is the Fund-a-Scholar bidding. With donations ranging from $250 up to $10,000, the majority of those in the room made a contribution to Wakefield's financial aid program.

The casino games opened after the auction was completed, with the "fun money" people won in their gaming being used to purchase raffle tickets for prizes drawn at the event's end. The fun went late into the evening, but the energy in the room, even as the celebration drew to a close, belied the late hour.

"Vegas in the Vineyard" was Wakefield's most successful auction to date, attributable both to the generosity of the event's sponsors and donors, and to a whole lot of hard work beforehand. Special thanks to the mavens of the amazing evening, Lisa Winick and Jenn Moores, for an outstanding job!

Click this link to see a smattering of images from the picturesque festivities. To see even more, log into your Wakefield portal and view the Auction album on Vidigami.