FORKS — Residents will gather this weekend for the 53rd time in as many years to pay too much for blackberry pies, bid against family and friends for firewood, sit for hours with numbered paper plates and in the end, feel good about it.
The 53rd annual Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction (QVSA), featuring hundreds of items for bidding, will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday in the Forks High School Commons at 261 Spartan Ave.
The goal for this year’s auction is $92,000.
The event will be broadcast live on KBDB 96.7 FM.
The event started in 1964 as a community dinner. The discussion began in 1963 as community leaders felt that, due to the remoteness of the community, Forks High School graduates desiring further education were at a disadvantage and could use a little financial help.
In 1964, the Quillayute Valley Scholarship Fund came into being and a corporation was formed. It was governed by a board of seven members presenting different occupations in the area — business, banking, teaching, logging — with at least two members women.
The original board members were Robert Rosmond, Harvey King, Russ Thomas, Larry Wagg, A. Nordman, Jane Waters and Millie Thompson.
The dinners were held for several years and then the local radio station got into the act. In 1968, the dinner took in $600 and the radio station auction took in $2,400. Organizers were thrilled with the results.
Wouldn’t the first board members be amazed by the financial support the auction garners these days with the all-time record of $91,900 in 2014?
Student coordinators for this year’s QVSA are Zachary Carlson and Jessica Paul. The auction chairman is Jerry Leppell, a member of the QVSA board.
Forks High seniors were assigned to groups that canvassed businesses in Forks and Port Angeles seeking donations for the auction.
Among the large donations are a car from Wilder Auto of Port Angeles and a quad from Jennifer Zaccardo.
Items of all sizes were welcome, Leppell said.
To obtain scholarships, applicants must be Forks High graduates. Factors considered in granting scholarships are need, scholastic record and interest of the student.
Grants are given for any area of further education — business school, trade school, beauty school or college. Students already in college or advanced training also can apply.
According to QVSA board member Bill Brager, since the start of the scholarship auction, $1.8 million has been granted in scholarships.
Along with Leppell, other board members are JoMarie Miller, Cheri Dahlgren, Patti Holz, Robert Dickinson and Edith Henry.
Henry’s husband, Bob, was the first recipient of a QVSA scholarship. It helped him pay for his last quarter of schooling. He eventually would return to Forks to become the town dentist, just recently retiring.
Leppell said, “This event is a wonderful thing for our community. Even in the down years, this town surprises you.”
Leppell shared a tale about the time a 1973 Cadillac was in the auction.
“My mom wanted it real bad,” he said.
His mother, Edna Leppell, began bidding on it and on the other side of the room someone kept bidding her up. It soon became apparent that Leppell’s father, John, was the other person bidding against his mother.
They got the car.
Throughout the years, the auction has gone from the radio station lobby to Northwestern Bank, then to the Bank of America. After the closing of the Bank of America in Forks, it was homeless for a bit but found a new home at the Forks High Commons, although the auction is not affiliated with the school district and is a separate 501(c)(3).
Leppell said the use of the commons has made the setup much easier.
During the auction, senior parents offer concessions so hungry bidders never have to leave.
The money raised from the concessions supports Senior Safe Night. Safe Night is a party held the night of graduation where grads can have fun and win prizes as long as they stay all night.
All seniors are expected to help at the auction, and this year, the class of 2017 has 72 students.
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Christi Baron is the editor of the Forks Forum, which is part of the Olympic Peninsula News Group, composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at cbaron@forksforum.com.
Forks High School seniors Zachary Carlson and Eryn Abrahams take delivery of a 2002 Mazda 626 LX to be auctioned at the Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction this weekend. The car was donated by Wilder Auto and has 77,000 miles and gets 26 city/32 highway miles per gallon. (Christi Baron/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
