Le Mars Community High School seniors (from left) -- Jenelle Michaelson, Ben Strub, Dusty Pick and Emily Plantz, display a quilted wall hanging that will be raffled off during the 11th annual Music Boosters Auction this Friday, March 28, at the Le Mars Community High School cafeteria. The small posters highlight the services students will be auctioning off. Michaelson will be a Big Sister for a day, while Plantz has teamed up with others to host a birthday party. Strub and Pick will join together with vocal music director Randy Ewing to serve as auctioneers this year. [Click to enlarge]

The 11th annual Le Mars Community Schools Music Boosters Auction and Supper will have a new look this year, with new items and new auctioneers.

The auction, set for 6:15 p.m. this Friday, March 28, in the LCS high school cafeteria, will begin during the Spaghetti Supper, which is served from 5 to 7 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Formerly a pancake supper, Music Boosters and students will cook and host the meal of spaghetti with choice of meat or meatless sauce, garlic bread, salad and ice cream.

A silent auction with the theme, "Taste of Le Mars," will run from 5 to 7 p.m. in the high school lobby.

"The silent auction features restaurant and food items in the Le Mars area," said Kay Michaelson, who serves as committee chair for the auction. On the silent auction are gift cards for pizzas and merchandise, as well as gift certificates from several area restaurants. Students also got into the spirit, with 12 months of baked goods (one baked good each month) and a basket of locally grown vegetables.

Students also took off with an idea from the Music Boosters for the live auction. The boosters suggested students donate time or services to be auctioned off, and with a few starter ideas, the students soon came up with more on their own.

"The idea to have the students auction themselves really took off," said Michaelson.

"We're hoping for a better turnout at the auction," Dusty Pick, a senior, said.

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"It gets the kids more involved," said Jenelle Michaelson, also a senior.

Students teamed up and will be providing a number of services, including: babysitting, being a Big Sister for a day, painting, hosting a birthday party, cleaning (a house or business), giving tennis lessons, tutoring, pet sitting, car wash/clean, lawn and outdoor work, lifting/"man" work, baking cookies, garden work and more. A few special items are also on the auction. They include 12 thick ribeye steaks, dinner for four, catered meal for eight, a quarter of beef, be an orchestra guest conductor donated by Ted Hallberg, and a mystery item donated by the LCHS Music Boosters' auction committee.

The auction will conclude with the auction of the 11th annual Music Boosters Activity Quilt. This year's quilt has 32 squares representing activities across the spectrum of LCHS programs. Nancy Giese designed and constructed this year's quilt, the largest ever.

Not only is the auction of services new but this year's auction features three new auctioneers. Seniors Dusty Pick and Ben Strub, along with vocal music director Randy Ewing, will don their auctioneer garb and cry (or maybe sing) the auction sale.

"We'll see how it goes," said Pick, who admits he doesn't talk too fast, but hopes the three can cajole the audience to place high bids for the auction items.