Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve is hosting their 9th Annual Auction Dinner Fundraiser, on Friday October 15th from 6pm -10 pm at Liberty Mountain Resort.

For more than 24 years Strawberry Hill has protected 600 acres of land, two high quality stream corridors, and numerous wetlands. The preserve provides recreational opportunities to the public through various cultural and environmental programs, and by maintaining ten miles of trails that are open to the public.

Strawberry Hill’s environmental education programs have enriched Adams County’s local school programs by providing interactive exploration of natural life cycles, plant-animal relationships, and ecology to over 5,000 local school children annually.

Throughout the past few years Strawberry Hill has made great strides to meet its mission to connect the community to the outdoors. Along with continuing to provide quality environmental education programs for local elementary and middle schools, Strawberry Hill has been working with community partners to develop new programs such as vernal pool, invasive plant, and stream gauge workshops to expand their connection to local high schools and adult population.

Also, new Fly-Fishing, Mother’s Day Wild Flower Walk, Second-Sundays, Live Green and Maple Sugar Festivals, Adult Naturalist Classes, and the Twisted Turkey Trail Tussle 10-mile/10k Run are just a few of the new family and adult programs added to keep the Preserve’s doors open to the community on evenings and weekends.

The auction dinner is a big fundraiser for Adams County’s only non-profit environmental education center and preserve. The event primarily consists of a social hour, silent auction, dinner, raffles, and a live auction. All proceeds help support the environmental educational programs offered to the community at the Preserve.

This year, Strawberry Hill has already risen over $7,000 in sponsorships from community businesses to support the evening. Businesses include:

• Adams Electric Co-operative,
• Bishop and Associates Investment Brokerage,
• Beneficial Massage,
• Carriage House,
• Chef’s Outlet,
• Confederate Woods Veterinary Hospital,
• Emmitsburg Veterinary Hospital,
• Kojak Graphic Communications,
• Liberty Mountain Resort,
• Pella Corporation

As of today, over $4,000 in donated items and services have been collected from local businesses and supporters for auction and more is expected to come prior to the evening! Last year there were over 140 items to bid on to support the Preserve. To make this a very successful event for Strawberry Hill, community support is needed to attend the event and match the donor support.

The live auction will feature art items inspired by nature. Four limited edition photographic prints (16x16" and larger) from the Charles "Jim" Lott (1914 – 2004) Adams County Heritage photo collection have been donated by Americas’ Arts LLC. The Lott HERITAGE (Series I & II) is a collection photographic images of Adams County from the 1930s and 40s. Charles "Jim" Lott lived his entire life in Adams County and was known to most as a successful farmer at Granite Hill Farm, located on the Fairfield Road west of Gettysburg. Lott’s work hangs throughout the Windham Hotel and Conference Center, and is part of the exhibition collection at the Majestic Performing Arts Center.

Also featured will be a 10x10in. acrylic painting of a Great Blue Heron by David Weaver. David Weaver is a Gettysburg resident artist, Licensed Battlefield Guide, and Iraq War Veteran. David was featured at the 2009 Gettysburg Fringe Festival with brush in hand, painting live for the public. David’s artwork includes wildlife on the Battlefield, and as an avid fly fisherman, is a painter of fish and winner of several state fish stamp print competitions.

After two years of flitting with butterflies and caterpillars, Linda Krut of Bonneauville, has made Strawberry Hill a machine pieced and hanging quilt – consisting of garden of corn, tomatoes, radishes, watermelons, onions, beets and carrots approximately 30" high by 24" wide. The piece consists of approximately 180 different pieces of cotton fabric – all prewashed and washable.

A Becky Brown pen and ink sketch of Strawberry Hill’s Nature Trail Bridge will also be included in the auction. Inspired by architecture of Gettysburg and the battlefield – Becky’s pen and ink sketches have been depicted in a vast array of prints and note cards. Becky works with the Adams Council of the Arts to teach fundamental drawing skills for pen & ink and watercolor.

Redware clay pottery by Jack Handshaw (Fairfield), hand carved walking sticks by Dan Taylor (Gettysburg), Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly photo (17x12") by William Brozy (Hamiltonban), hand braided wool rug (45x36") by Catharine Roth (Orrtanna), a stone necklace and earrings by Wanda Harner (Fairfield), along with great donated services from supporters such as the Antrim 1844 County House Hotel, Adams County Winery, Carriage House Inn, Majestic Theater, Totem Pole Play House, Gettysburg Holistic Health Center, Liberty Mountain Resort, and Cashtown Inn are some of the great items that will be available at the Auction Dinner.

All proceeds from the donated art, items, and services will be used to support Strawberry Hill’s environmental education programs. Tickets for the Auction Dinner are available now! If you are interested in attending the Auction Dinner, or would like to make a donation, please contact Strawberry Hill for more details at (717) 642-5840 or info@strawberryhill.org.

Free Wine and Cheese Social

To whet your appetite, Community Benefits Real Estate (227 W High Street, Gettysburg) will be hosting a

Free Wine and Cheese Social to preview some of the auction items during Gettysburg’s First Friday’s evening in town on October 1st, 6pm - 8pm. You can also go to StrawberryHill.org to see the donated items as they come in for the auction.

If you cannot attend the Auction Dinner and still want to support the event:

· Proxy bids will be accepted at the Wine and Cheese Social, by email, and at the office prior to the event,

• Sponsorships to purchase tickets or a table for our volunteers are still available,
• Donations of goods and services for auction are still being accepted,
• And of course, cash donations are always welcomed!

The Auction Dinner is the Preserve’s largest fundraising event of the year. The support received this evening helps to ensure that Strawberry Hill remains open to the community. Please consider giving your support by attending the Auction Dinner, donating items, or sponsoring the evening.

As Adams County’s only non-profit environmental education center and preserve, Strawberry Hill cannot continue its work without the community’s support. Please consider participating in the 9th Annual Auction Dinner so that with your help, Strawberry Hill can continue to foster… A Love of Nature that Lasts a Lifetime!

For more info check out www.StrawberryHill.org