Auctions
In the fall of 1970 the first auction—a small affair—was held in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, to raise funds for Camp Deerpark. Dale remembers driving to Gid and Betty Miller’s house in New Jersey to pick up a crank phonograph to sell at the sale, one you had to wind up for it to play. Alvin Horning, Doris Stoltzfus’ brother, was a young professional auctioneer who worked at the Harleysville Auction House. Alvin agreed to be the auctioneer for the first benefit sale. He didn’t know how popular the annual Camp Deerpark auction would become, or how many times he would be the auctioneer, urging on the many bidders who traveled from New York City in search of quilts, antiques or Pennsylvania Dutch style foods.
Alvin was on the Camp Association Committee when Glenn Zeager was the chair of the M.A.P. board in the early years of camp. Alvin remembered there was talk about whether they should have more auctions. “We discussed whether it should be an ongoing kind of thing,” Alvin said. Dale and Alvin had done most of the planning for the first auction. One person on the committee was skeptical that a larger auction would be successful. “I specifically remember that Glenn looked at this person and said, ‘So, you’re saying it won’t work.’” Alvin remembered thinking, “I’m going to be involved and make it work for them.”
The auctions did continue and in the spring of 1971, Ken and Jan Kurtz moved to camp for a two-year voluntary service assignment, taking care of the facilities and assisting in the kitchen. At that time, Ken’s brother, Leon, who was also an auctioneer, began to assist Alvin. “We had auctions at a variety of places,” Alvin said. “The Guernsey Barn, Farmersville, and in New Holland are three that I can recall.”
Dale’s brother, Donald Stoltzfus, and Aldus King also began to help out at the auctions. They would roast a pig and sell pork sandwiches. “Sometimes we roasted two pigs,” Don said. “They always sold out. I remember one woman from New York City asked me for the pig’s head every year. She would bring a plastic bag to the auction so she could take the head home with her. She told me I was throwing out some of the best meat. I always gave it to her and she took it home on the bus.” All of the proceeds from the sandwiches went toward the auction proceeds.
“There was always a regular group of people who would sit in the front row every year,” Alvin said. Dale added, “Ray and Annie Pacheco and Lowell and Ruth Jantzi are some of the people I remember sitting in the front rows.”
“On auction days I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to make this a good day for them and make it fun,’” Alvin said. “I’d play around and make jokes when auctioneering and make them laugh. Sometimes I’d jump the price by a large amount or something like that. We had a good time.”
Ray Pacheco said, “Annie and I always enjoyed Camp Deerpark auctions in Pennsylvania. There were many auctions that we participated in since camp was a special place for us. My best recollection of the Camp Deerpark auction was the time that my parents were visiting us in New York from Puerto Rico. We brought them to the auction in Pennsylvania. My mom saw a quilt that had a design with roses and she exclaimed, ‘I like it because I like roses!’ For Annie and I that was a clue that we had to get it for her. After a good effort on the bidding process we were able to purchase it. For many years, when we visited my mom in Puerto Rico, she always brought out the quilt for us. It was used, she told us, for special occasions only.”
Brooklyn, pack up purchases after auction.
Ruth Villanueva Jantzi said, “My objective was always to get to the auction early enough to sit in the first or second row. Our row usually included the Torreses, the Lugo ladies, and my brother, Tommy. Behind us always sat Pearl Lapp and Elsie Gunden. We made them laugh at our outrageous bidding and sheer excitement over getting the $1 boxes that no one else wanted. Sometimes I would get stuck with things I didn’t have any use for, but I would donate the stuff. From the beginning I knew camp struggled with lack of funds, so I went with a certain budget each year designated for small and large purchases.”
“In the early years I would travel by bus from the city and had a blast singing camp songs with a rowdy bunch,” she said. “I have tons of wonderful memories of Ray Siegrist and other youth leaders trying to entertain us.”
“It was a highlight of the year for me,” Ruth continued. “I wouldn’t have missed the auctions for the world. I didn’t even get up to buy food. Lowell would have to go and get food for me. I didn’t want to miss any of the bidding. I still have items that Al Kruse handcrafted, and computer art drawn by Donna Stoltzfus. And I really loved the quilts. I still have many beautiful quilts.”
“Some of them she meant to buy,” Lowell said, “and some she didn’t.”
A favorite item that was sold every year at the auction was a rocking chair. “It didn’t even rock well,” Lowell said. “It would go over backwards.” Nevertheless, every year it would be bid on and someone new would purchase it. And every year it would be returned to the auction to be resold. People who bought the chair would sign their names or put their initials on the bottom of the chair before returning it. “I have no idea how much that chair brought in over the years,” Dale said, “or how many people purchased it.”
Ken Bontrager remembered: “Monroe Yoder was the last person to buy the chair—in 1999. I’ve sat in that chair in Monroe’s house in the Bronx.”
Perennial Rocking Chair
This chair has been bought and sold at the Camp Deerpark auction at least 22 times. The following names and dates are written on the bottom of the chair.
Wilmer Ebersol ’86, Minnie Santiago ’89, Lowell and Ruth Jantzi ’90, Mel Lapp ’91, Lucille Shank ’92, Amos and Barbara Sauder ’93, Earl and Vera Smoker ’94, Refinished by David Hess ’94, Keith, Lisa, and April Yoder ’95, Ken Bontrager ’96, Earl Smoker ’97, Monroe Yoder ’98, Monroe Yoder ’99, No Date Written: Jerry Whyte, Jerry and Leonor Kennell, Wes and Marian Newswanger, Earl Martin, Frank Freeman, Gene Shelly, Jim Baer, Jesus Cruz, Mel Lapp, Dale Weaver, Note: Monroe and Rachel Yoder’s grand-daughter, April, is the current owner of the chair.
Dale has a memory of another chair that was sold at an auction. “There was an old original locust wood chair that was at camp when camp was first purchased, ”Dale said. “Lanny Millette decided to remove the plastic lattice strips and I took it to Hope Center to have it refinished. After it was refinished, Lanny put on a macramé seat that he had made himself.” At the next auction, the chair was put up for sale. “I began to bid on it,” Dale said. “I was really interested in the chair as it had a lot of history to it, and because of the added work by Lanny and Hope Center. I was on the board for Hope Center at the time. But the chair quickly went up to $100 so I quit bidding. I didn’t know that Jerry Kennell and Jesus Cruz were standing behind me and had begun to bid on the chair when I stopped. They bought it and told me they’d pay the difference. I paid $100 and they paid $25. Doris and I brought the chair with us when we moved to Landis Homes. We still have it in our living room.”
Jerry Kennell and Jesus Cruz.
Alvin remembered that he occasionally had to adjust his auctioneering style at the Deerpark event. “Sometimes I had to slow down,” he said, “or help someone bid. Sometimes a person would raise his or her number repeatedly, and when I said, ‘Sold!’ they’d look surprised. They’d point to themselves and ask, ‘Me?’”
“Weren’t you just bidding?” I’d ask.
“Yes.”
“Then why are you surprised I’m selling it to you?” Alvin said, laughing. “But that didn’t only happen with people from the city. It happened with others from Lancaster County as well. And I have to say, as much fun as it was for the people attending, it was also fun for me.”
One year Dale and Alvin thought it would be a good idea to get more publicity for the auction. Henry Martin Jr. arranged for Dale to be interviewed on WDAC, a Christian radio station in Lancaster. John Eby interviewed Dale about the auction for half an hour. Someone from a bike shop in Lititz called in to donate a bike during the show.
(from Camp Deerpark newsletter)
September 10, 1987: The “reunion” is almost here! The annual trek to southeastern Pennsylvania to attend the Camp Deerpark Auction is a fall tradition for many of you. Welcome again! The camp family will be gathering October 10,1987, at the Martin Sales Pavilion, Route 340 and New Holland Road, east of Intercourse. We will have the usual pig roast, the quilts, the antiques, and of course the fun and laughter. We may even see the Camp Deerpark Auction rocking chair again! Is your name on it yet?Written by Wes Newswanger.
Eventually the Pennsylvania auctions came to an end. The last auction was held in 1999 at the Liberty Fire House in New Holland. “It was a tremendous amount of work to get donated items to sell,” Dale said. “The camp committee for the auctions in Pennsylvania decided to end them. The amount of work it took, compared to the earnings, no longer seemed worth the effort.”
In 2006, the Camp Deerpark auction was revived, but it was held at Camp Deerpark. “There has been an auction and homecoming—a reunion of people who have connections to camp—every year since 2006 until the present,” Ken said. “In 2018 the total homecoming and auction proceeds were more than $22,000 with an additional challenge match gift of $10,000.The event continues to grow.”
—Written by Donna Stoltzfus, former camper and staff.
Ken Bontrager, current director.
Alvin Horning, auctioneer for camp auctions in PA.
Ruthie Villanueva Jantzi, counselor in the ’70s and former board member,attended Burnside Mennonite Church in the Bronx.
Lowell Jantzi, camp staff member in the ’70s, former board member.
Ray Pacheco, First Mennonite of Brooklyn, former board member.
Dale Stoltzfus, former camp director.
Donald Stoltzfus, volunteer.