DOWNTOWN AUCTION TO BE HELD JULY 31

Guests who head to the "beach" may walk away with more than a bucket of sand when the Downtown Merchants Association holds its annual auction this month.

Headlining a list of items to be auctioned at the "Beach Party" event are a reversible leather and mink jacket, a surveillance system, a leather-top desk and tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

"We have a good variety of items for the auction," said David Hutson, a member of the auction committee. "And more items are coming in every day."

The 12th extravaganza will be held inside a vacant building at 45 N. Main July 31. It starts with 6:30 p.m. hors d'oeuvres provided by Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant. The auction begins at 8 p.m. but will feature a silent auction when the doors open.

Tickets, at $10 a person, are available at a number of merchants, including the Plant Lady, 1. S. Main; Shivelbine's Music Store, 535 Broadway; Jayson Jewelers-Ervin's Metalsmith's, 115 Themis; Hutson Furniture Co., 43 S. Main, and The Pyramid Group in the former Montgomery Ward building on Themis.

For the first time since the auction began, it will be in a location other than the Port Cape Girardeau Yacht Club. The building on Main Street allows more room for the beach party theme, said auction planners.

As many as 200 people generally attend the auction, which is open to the public and has provided more than $145,000 for downtown improvements and projects during the past decade.

The auction, which features more than 100 items including clothes, jewelry, furniture, collectibles, art prints and gift certificates, has averaged $13,000 a year.

The reversible jacket, a $3,500 item, is provided by Hecht's Store; the desk, valued at $1,100, by Hutson's Furniture; a "Cardinal Evening," a $300 value, complete with a game, dinner and drinks for four at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, by the Pyramid Group, which is moving into the Montgomery Ward building; and the surveillance system with four cameras by Shivelbine's Music Store, 535 Broadway.

The list includes a $250 Sam's Town Hotel weekend at Tunica, Miss.; a $500 framed etching by Sherrie Wolfe provided by Gregg Gallery; and an old Cape Girardeau plate featuring the courthouse and former shoe factory building and other structures. The plate, valued at $70, and a large ornate silver tray, valued at $85, are provided by Madder Rose Antique Mall.

There is a ceiling fan from Cape Electric; collector figurines from Zickfield Jewelry; a plant and decorative items from the Plant Lady; and gift certificates from Howard's, Wieser Honda, and a number of restaurants. Jewelry items will be provided by CP McGinty Jewelers Inc. and Jayson Jewelers.

The items are auctioned through the donation of Chug's Auction Service.

Money raised from the auction have helped fund a number of projects and special events, including the annual Christmas of Lights Parade; two floodwall murals, including the Wall of Fame; Christmas lighting; speakers for Main Street music; Riverfest promotion and an open-air, turn-of-the-century-style pavilion.