McGavin's raise thousands for charity through auction - April 11, 2019

BY DENNY SCOTT

The population of Walton grew exponentially on April 1 as McGavin Farm Equipment held a special clearance auction.

The event brought in 700 bidders in person, who, alongside other guests, lined the roads in and out of Walton with hundreds of vehicles, as well as 300 bidders online to consider 308 different lots, including aged, rented and used farm machinery.

The last time the company held such an auction was in 1993 when Jeff and Brian McGavin took over the company from their father Neil, but with the pending merger with Roberts Farm Equipment, Brian said the timing of the auction made sense to help clean up the company’s inventory.

The unreserved equipment auction was a big success, Brain said, with some items selling for higher prices than expected, while others sold lower.

“We were very happy with the day,” he said. “Everything went well for the sale and the weather was better than anyone could have asked for.”

The end of the auction was special, Brian said, as a pink pedal tractor was auctioned off to support the Huron Residential Hospice and the Tanner Steffler Foundation.

While the pedal tractor was set to be auctioned off once, the first winner said put it up again, a practice that happened nine more times before the tractor found a home. As a result of the 10 auctions, $16,000 was raised for the two organizations.

The dealership plans to match that amount, Brian said, and make two sizable donations to the hospice and the foundation.

As for why those organizations were identified as beneficiaries, Brian said that his family has long had ties to the Steffler family, making that an easy choice. The hospice, he said, is an important organization in Huron County that provides a beneficial service.

The auction took a month of planning, Brian said, but that resulted in a great event. Bidders came from all over the area and from across the border, with people attending from Missouri, Tennessee and Ohio.

“The staff worked hard to make this event happen,” Brian said. “The timing worked well too, because the farmers weren’t in the field.”

Other organizations benefited from the event as well. The Blyth and Brussels Minor Hockey Association, which had a fundraising food booth and Freedom Syrup, the Walton-area organization that raises money for the families of fallen soldiers, were part of the event as well.