CASSOPOLIS, Mich. — Cass County 4-H Leaders’ Assoc. will host its yearly silent and live auction Saturday, April 11 in Cassopolis. It will be at the Cass County fairgrounds in the Gregrarick building at 590 N. O’Keefe St.

The auction will begin at 11 a.m., and items for sale may be previewed starting at 10 a.m. The silent auction will include mostly small items, said spokeswoman Jenny Bischoff.

Auction items include a swine show pig, 48-inch end table, a 48-inch painting, new computer, two show rabbits, wheelbarrow with barn items, Whirlpool gold electric cooktop, an autographed photo of Detroit Red Wings hockey player Jakub Kindle and an autographed baseball signed by Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez.

Silent auction items will include a large bath jar donated by North Red Hill 4-H, a fruit basket donated by the Horse Leaders Assoc. and a Shear Magic Hair Salon Basket donated by M-40 Hustlers 4-H.

There also will be gift cards, including a Four Winds casino gift card, Fire Keepers casino gift card, a gift card for two oil changes from Tylers Niles, a gift card from Joey Armadillos Food/Bowling, Red Lobster, Cranky Hanks of Twin Lakes Road, Silverstone Gardens – Eau Claire and Payless Shoes.

Bischoff said the Cass County 4-H has participants from Granger, Ind., Berrien County as well as St. Joseph County. Youth can participate in the Cass County fair as long as they don’t duplicate their efforts at other county fairs, she said. Although the Cass County fair is not a 4-H fair, Bischoff said people who are active in 4-H are often the same people who are active at the county fair, too.

The county fair “gives them a chance to show what they’ve learned or achieved in 4-H,” she said. “This is our third year of doing this, and each year we get a better crowd. We hold two other fundraisers during the year, but we’re hoping to get to the point where we hold only one fundraiser.”

The fundraiser supports the programs provided by the 4-H Leaders’ Assoc. for the youth of Cass County and the surrounding counties that participate in the Cass County 4-H program.

The association provides scholarships for educational trips to MSU Exploration Days, Citizen Washington Focus, college scholarships, county workshops and leader training along with other programs and events. 

The fundraiser also pays for more basic items, such as the pins, medals and plaques for participants who receive outstanding leadership and other awards. “All the money that we raise goes back to the kids,” Bischoff said.

A food booth will be available at the auction. New auction items are being added, so auction organizers say check the webpage often to get an up-to-date list.

The webpage is at www.casscounty 4hleaders.org

Bonnie McCarthy, at 269-445-2686, is the auction contact. More information is also available at the Cass County MSU Extension office at 269-445-4438.