- December 25, 2024
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The popular Carver Center Online Auction is up and running with some 67 items to bid on this year.
The auction is the main fundraising event for the center and is noted for some interesting items. Everything from an African safari, to a bowling outing with Flagler County Schools Superintendent Jacob Oliva is online and available to the highest bidder.
But the competition is not just between the bidders. Flagler County Commissioners George Hanns, Frank Meeker and Nate McLaughin also have a friendly competition going, all offering their culinary expertise.
Hanns has once again entered his lasagna meal, a recipe that has been passed down generation after generation from his great-great-grandmother in Naples, Italy. (The recipe is a secret, but I may or may not have a copy of it somewhere in my recipe box.)
The chairman has been offering to make his famous lasagna for the top bidder and deliver it to their home for a number of years now. Last year, the dish, which feeds up to 12 people, went for $116.
But the famous Hanns lasagna is not the only one up for auction this year. He is challenged by McLaughlin’s lasagna meal that will also be delivered to the door of the highest bidder.
“Nate doesn’t cook,” Hanns said of his opponent. “But he is multitalented. It wouldn't surprise me if he cooks and just doesn't tell anyone about it.”
Meeker is skipping the noodles and offering up something he said is much better; his homemade pizza. His auction item invites four people into his home for a night of pizza with toppings of their choice.
“All I can tell you is it’s not a New York style,” Meeker said of his pie, weary not to give out his secrets.
What he did let slip is that it is made on a pizza stone, which he swears makes the best crust on the planet.
“Frank supposedly makes a pretty mean pizza,” Hanns said. “We’re having fun with it. The only part that would not be fun of course, is if I lost.”
All three are vying for the title of the most money generated for the Carver Center by a commissioner and thereby confirming the title of best cook.
“Not only does (the auction) raise funds for the center, but it is also a lot of fun to bid on items and watch to see how your favorite item make it through the competitive process,” said Flagler County Commissioner Barbara Revels.
Revels serves on the George Washington Carver Center Foundation and was also instrumental in getting the center on a sustainable level in the community.
Because of operational cost and building upkeep, the Flagler County Commission considered closing the facility two years ago. Through a cooperative effort with the Flagler County School Board, the city of Bunnell and Flagler County, the center is back and serves as a centerpiece of the community. In addition, the George Washington Carver Foundation was formed to insure the sustainability of the Center.
Bidding opened April 7 and will close 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24. To bid and to keep tabs on the bidding process, visit flaglerschools.com/content/auction. Watch as bidders duel over everything from original artwork, to a year’s free pass to the Flagler Beach Pier, and of course, the food.
