Harris Community Centre supper and auction returns Friday

By Ian MacKay

The Harris Community Centre supper and auction will return Friday evening, raising funds for ongoing improvements and maintenance of the facility.

Jeff Longworth will handle bidding for larger items in the live auction, while additional donations will be offered through a silent auction, said board member Barry Graham.

Proceeds will support upgrades to the centre, which operates out of part of the former Harris-Tessier School. After declining enrolment led the former Rosetown school division to discontinue high school classes, a wing of the school was turned over to the community.

“The school division gave a whole wing to the community,” Graham said, noting renovations were completed to repurpose the space.

The gymnasium now serves as a hall, while former classrooms are used for community activities, collectively known as the community centre complex. The supper and auction are held there.

Recent improvements include converting former shower rooms into bathrooms. A long-term goal is to replace the original fluorescent lighting with LED fixtures.

“That’s one thing the money will go to, for sure,” Graham said. “There are always things to repair.”

Major auction items include a certificate from Regal Motors for four new tires, use of a sprayer from Western Sales, and rounds of golf with cart access from the North Battleford Golf and Country Club.

“We have a lot of gift certificates from stores in Rosetown,” Graham said, along with “quite a wide variety” of items ranging from home baking to larger items such as patio sets, fire pits and barbecues.

The evening begins with a roast beef supper, followed by the live auction. The Harris Lions Club will operate the bar. Doors open at about 5 p.m.

This marks approximately the fifth or sixth fundraiser of its kind for the centre. The event is now held every three years, rather than every two, Graham said.