ACCEPTING BIDS — Parks Executive Director Coty Shingle, left, and Programs Director Chris Krishak hold some of the items available for bidding as part of this year’s Bulletin Board Auction. The annual auction serves as a fundraiser for Weirton Parks and Recreation. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — For more than two decades, the Bulletin Board Auction at the Millsop Community Center has served as a major fundraiser for Weirton’s Parks Department and a sign of the holiday season.

Organized each year by the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation, the annual auction kicked off this week, with approximately 120 items available for bidding during the next several days.

“This is one of the biggest fundraisers we do,” noted parks Executive Director Coty Shingle.

Those interested in participating can visit the Millsop Community Center during regular business hours, look over the bulletin board listing all the available items set up in the main hallway and then visit the main customer service desk to pick up a bid slip.

The highest bids will be posted at the start of each workday.

Then, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, the auction will go live, with a staff representative on hand to pass and out collect bid slips, posting high bids as they are submitted.

Successful bidders will be contacted by phone by Friday to arrange for pick up and payment of their items. All items must be picked up by 5 p.m. Dec. 17.

Programs Director Chris Krishak offered his appreciation to the businesses and organizations who donated items for the auction, with many of the packages including gift certificates and special offers including a $250 certificate for Speedy Furniture for use when spending at least $500; overnight stays at local hotels; jewelry from R.E. Saxon Jeweler; services from JC Pest Control; an OGIO Vision 2.0 golf bag and towel from Graphics in Print; a 15-pound Hammer bowling ball from Holiday Lanes; photography packages and more.

“It puts money back into the local businesses that support the auction,” Krishak said.

He thanked Starvaggi Industries for providing a monetary donation to assist in purchasing additional gift cards.

Shingle noted, while the auction may not seem to be a major event, the impact of it and other fundraisers throughout the year add up for the parks services.

“We do a lot of little things to make the big things possible,” Shingle said.

For information on the auction, residents can ask a customer service desk representative, or call (304) 797-5721.