2025 Benefit Auction

1. Click on the “RSVP” button above.
2. This takes you to the Special Auction website where you can buy dinner tickets and find out anything you want to know about this fun event!
   • On the Sign In page, click Find Existing User if you have been a past supporter of the Festival. If your record is found, you can create a password and edit your contact information if something has changed.
   • If you are a new supporter of the Festival, click Create New User and fill out your contact and payment details in the form.
   • When finished, click the Create New User button at the bottom of the page.
3. Choose your dinner tickets in the drop down menu. Early bird pricing is $135 per person until March 21st ($150 after). Even better, put together a table of eight for only $1000. Don’t delay – early birds are automatically entered into our Early Bird RSVP Raffle drawing!
4. Choose your meal selection from the drop down menu.
5. Add any guests for whom you would like to purchase tickets.
6. Fill in your credit card information, then click SAVE REGISTRATION.

Hooray!
You are now registered for the Festival of Music dinner and auction.

Bidding opens on March 29th at noon for the Online Auction. Once registered (online auction registration is free), you can create your online Wish List of items you wish to bid on. When bidding begins, anyone placing a guaranteed bid on an item is the guaranteed winner. All bidding on Online Auction items will close at 5:00 PM on April 7th. All sales are final, no exchanges or refunds. Please note, there will be no Online Auction bidding opportunities offered at the Live Auction on April 5, 2025.

Bidders must register to be eligible to bid in the Online Auction. Registration is free.

How Do I Place a Bid on an Online Auction Item?

1. Click here to go to the Auction Bidding Website. Once there, follow the remaining steps below. Note: Online Silent Auction bidding opens March 29, 2025, Noon.
2. Click on the image or title of the item to view the details and bid box
3. Enter a value in the bid box which equals or exceeds the suggested next bid
4. Click Submit Online Bid. If you have not already signed-in, you will be prompted for your last name and password.

You will then see your bid in the current bid box and a confirmation message that you are the top bidder.

How to Determine Whether I Still Have the Top Bid?

Please click the My Bids link near the top right of the screen to display all your bids. If any of your bids are still the highest, they will be highlighted in red.

What is the Purchase Now Link For?

PURCHASE NOW: The auction offers a few items at a guaranteed purchase price, and these items are available for purchase now. Auto Bid is not available on Purchase Now items. If you want to buy a Purchase Now item, and are willing to pay the guaranteed price, click the Purchase Now link or enter the corresponding guaranteed price as your bid.

What is Auto Bid?

AUTO BID: The auction website is designed with automatic $15 incremental bid steps. Auto Bidding will automatically store your designated maximum bid (which is at least two bid steps above the current bid) for you and only increase your actual bid as needed to win the item. For example, if you enter $150 as your maximum bid for an item that is currently bidding at $100 and has a suggested Next Bid of $115 (bid steps of $15) then the website will submit a bid on your behalf of $115 and store your maximum bid of $150. If a competing bidder enters the suggested next bid of $130, the Auto Bid system will automatically increase your bid to $145 and the competing bidder will get an indication that they’ve already been outbid. If the competing bidder persists and enters the next bid of $160, then the Auto Bid system will email you to indicate that you’ve been outbid for this item. This email will include a link to your Auto Bid page, which allows you to increase your existing auto bids at any time. You can also reach this page directly by clicking the My Bids link in the header of your site and selecting Auto Bids from the drop-down list.

When is the Auction Finished?

The time remaining for any item is always displayed in the top right-hand corner of the corresponding bid box.

What Happens When the Auction is Finished?

When the auction is finished, all purchased items will automatically indicate that they’ve been SOLD. If you are the lucky top bidder for any item(s), you will receive an email confirmation with pick-up and payment instructions.

How To Pick Up Items:

Gift certificates will be mailed to winning bidders approximately two weeks following the auction. To pick up your other auction purchases contact Grace Phelan at gtphelan@gmail.com. Winning bidders living outside the area should call the Festival at 360.201.6621 to make shipping arrangements at their personal expense.

The opportunity to donate to these two programs is open NOW and will continue through Sunday, April 6th. As an alternative to donating with your credit card on file, you can select to donate through your Charitable Fund account or IRA account as a tax-free Qualified Charitable Distribution provided you are 73 or older. To do this, go to the Special Auction Website and click on the Donate button and select “Bill” option in the Payment Method box. To complete transaction by credit card option or by “Bill” option select Donate Now button.

Gift certificates will be mailed to winning bidders approximately two weeks following the auction. To pick up your other auction purchases contact Grace Phelan at gtphelan@gmail.com. Winning bidders living outside the area should call the Festival at 360.201.6621 to make shipping arrangements at their personal expense.