Mennonites gather for quilt auction in Brooklyn Park

Kathy Hurst traveled from her home in Kingman, Kan., to attend the Festival and Sale for World Relief Saturday, Nov. 8 in Brooklyn Park. Its the fifth one she and her sister have attended this year.
It was worth the drive, she said, thumbing through a book on quilt-making at a makeshift bazaar in the cafeteria of Hennepin Technical College.
Hurst was joined by Mennonites and quilt enthusiasts from across Minnesota and around the country for the Mennonite Central Committee fundraiser. The organization is the cooperative relief, service and development agency of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America.
An auction featuring more than 50 painstakingly designed quilts was the highlight of the event. Bidders offered everything from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars for the quilts, most of the money going primarily to fight homelessness, according to Darla Jackson, sales day coordinator.
Funds will go organizations such as St. Stephens Shelter in Minneapolis to agencies building homes in cyclone-ravished Bangladesh, Jackson said. Last year, about $50,000 was raised. About $5 million was raised nationwide.
Jerri Wielen of Cottage Grove and Norinne Hobbs of St. Paul spent a big part of the morning perusing the quilts and admiring the variety of patterns. Theyre all just beautiful, said Wielen.
Four auctioneers took turns calling the quilt auction, injecting some fun and a good bit of cajoling to raise money for the cause.
In addition to quilts, a wide variety of Mennonite and Amish hand-made items were also on the block. A classic Adirondack chair and stool, a hand-cut oak veneer shelf clock and hand-carved loons donated by Bob Rupp of Minnetonka were among the offerings.
Children werent left out at Saturdays festival and sale. An auction geared specifically for youthful pocketbooks was held in the morning and traditional craft sessions were held throughout the day.
Those who werent ready to bid headed to the college cafeteria, which had been transformed into a café offering traditional Mennonite foods along with a few Midwest favorites.
Guests dined on verenicke cheese pockets lightly fried and served with creamy ham gravy as well as prescke (apple-filled pastry) and borscht (a hearty chicken vegetable soup).
More than 200 volunteers were part this years event, the eighth to be held in the Twin Cities. While Mennonite usually conjures visions of women in plain dresses and men in beards and black vests, Minnesota adherents were fully modernized for the auction. Donations were tracked on a series of laptops, and patrons were able to use their credit cards to pay for their purchases. (BY PAUL WAHL • SUN NEWSPAPERS)

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• Mennonites
• quilt
• quilting
• Brooklyn Park
• verenicke