Community Missions: It's auction time

Community Missions will hold its annual Antiques and Fine Arts Auction Nov. 9 at the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown. Viewing will begin at 12:15 p.m., with the auction starting at 1 p.m. There also will be an international sampling of luncheon hors d'oeuvres.

Auction items include an early American primitive of a child, early American samplers, African masks, antique clocks, dolls, Persian rugs, paintings, President John F. Kennedy memorabilia, sports memorabilia, a Lyon electric guitar, Vietnam War memorabilia, porcelain (Staffordshire, Royal Copley, Lennox, Aynsley, Limoges, etc.), and many other items.

"Each year, we have one or more items that turn out to be rare finds," said auction organizer Don Luce. "For example, one year we had a signed Picasso print. Another year, we had a pair of Windsor Chairs that turned out to be from the 17^th century. We've also had pre-Columbian pots and rare Persian rugs."

There will be a large collection of more than 100 purses this year, including brands such as Coach, Liz Claiborne and Gucci. A New York City advertising agency sent several of these after using them for photo shoots in women's magazines. Once a purse was used in a photo shoot, it could no longer be sold as new. So the auction will have a $5 bin and a $10 bin for people to look through.

The auction will support the crisis services program at Community Missions. Last year, Community Missions provided 75,980 meals in its soup kitchen; sheltered 749 individuals, 94 of whom were children; and helped more than 1,000 individuals with mental illness.

In addition, the mission has a home for people living with HIV/AIDS, support programs for at-risk youth, and programs for parolees.

Admission is $10 per person or $15 per couple to cover the cost of the luncheon hors d'oeuvres. The auctioneer is Bob Deull. The honorary chairwoman is Carol Rogers and event chairs are Michael Ryan, Ginger McNally, Mary Maj, Ron Zito, Mark Lynch and Tom Korn.