Old Town Cape to host 31st annual Charles L. Hutson Auction next month

Old Town Cape Inc. is hosting the 31st annual Charles L. Hutson Auction at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau to benefit the continued funding of Old Town Cape, according to an announcement Friday.

The annual auction serves as the major and only fundraiser for the organization for the year, Old Town Cape event coordinator Emily Vines said Saturday while assisting patrons at the Cape Riverfront Market in downtown Cape Girardeau.

�For us, it helps us raise the funds for the rest of the year,� Vines said. �Since we are kind of volunteer-based and we rely on people from the outside doing stuff for free for us a lot, it just helps fund our staff and helps us to continue to be able to do things � like this.�

The auction began as a way to raise funds for downtown businesses to help promote the area, and was taken over by Old Town Cape during the merger with the merchant group, according to a news release.

Last year�s auction, Vines said, garnered nearly 320 attendees, so she�d like to see at least 350 people at this year�s event.

�That�s kind of a goal I�m setting for myself,� she said. �But really, I feel like there�s an overall awareness of downtown right now.�

Vines would also like to see �a younger crowd� this year, but understands the word �auction� is not necessarily something many youth �would typically envision being a good time on the weekend.�

She was, though, excited for the prizes that have been donated.

�We�ve got some items in right now. The donations we�re getting are coming from businesses in Cape Girardeau, both local to downtown and outside of downtown as well,� Vines said.

She said businesses in Cape Girardeau and Jackson have already donated multiple items, and �sometimes we even have out-of-town businesses donating.�

�A lot of stuff� will be part of the auction, Vines said, with many of this year�s available auctions up for bid to be �experiences.�

�We�re seeing a lot of those,� she said. �Restaurants are donating date nights and tours, rather than a gift card.�

Guests at the event will have the opportunity to take part in silent and live auctions and raffles, and heavy hors d�oeuvres also will be available.

More details as they become available can be found online at the Old Town Cape Facebook page.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632