By Larry Mauter
LCSWA member
Peter and Anna Conerly didn’t show up at the Linn County Small Woodlands Association (LCSWA) annual meeting looking for a bargain.
But they came away with one.
A chainsaw-carved bench with an eagle perched on one side was their reward in a winning bid during the Jan.17 potluck gathering.
LCSWA’s membership meetings close with a fund-raising auction.
“It was in the front of the Grange Hall when Jim Merzenich announced that it was to be auctioned off, so Peter and I went over to take a closer look at it,” said Anna Conerly in an e-mail.
“We didn’t actually discuss bidding on it. Peter just shot his hand up,” she said.
The winning bid was $190.
The artist and age of the American folk art piece is unknown at this point.
LCSWA board member Jim Cota brought the item for aucton. He said Mike Melcher bought the Douglas-fir piece at auction decades ago. “It was in the back shop for 20 years at least,” said Cota.
He said Melcher suggested it as an OSWA auction item.
“It probably weighs a couple hundred pounds,” said Cota. “They got a pretty good buy for themselves.”
“Peter was the one who was nudging the bids upward, and we really feel like we got a steal on it,” Anna Conerly said.
She is the conservation manager for the Corvallis-based Greenbelt Land Trust. The trust was formed in 1989 and is among 13 in the state.
“(Peter) and I both knew that it would be perfect for the grove. It’s (now) a lovely seating area right outside our dining room where we often eat meals and relax in the summer,” Conerly added. “It’s a centerpiece of art in our outdoor entertaining area.”
Overall, the auction raised $460, according to LCSWA Treasurer Christy Tye.
BroomMagic brooms – the hardwood handles come from Linn County tree farms – were also among the auctioned items.
A portion of the auction proceeds is donated to the historic Z Hall in Scio.