Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 25, 1993                   TAG: 9308250166
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ED SHAMY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NEXT YEAR'S AUCTION SHOULD REALLY RAKE IN THE BUCKS

What'll you bid to take a guided walk along historic Tinker Creek with Roanoke's business editor-for-life, the historic George Kegley?

We will find out.

Thursday evening in the Roanoke attic - the 21st floor of the Dominion Tower - two museums will auction goodies and treats you can't just buy in any five-and-dime.

Lunch with Miss Virginia. A cooking class with Pearl Fu. A champagne dinner for two at the Jefferson Club.

The Roanoke Valley History Museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation will share the auction proceeds and the $10 admission fees.

This being the first time they've tried this cooperative fund-raiser, forgive them for failing to put on the block some really valuable opportunities.

Some examples:

They'll auction two nights and champagne dinner for two at the Hotel Roanoke.

For next year's auction, to make some big bucks: Breakfast with the asbestos crew - including souvenir respirator.

They'll auction 10 loaves of bread from On the Rise bakery.

For next year: A guest seat at a private meeting of the seven lumps of dough - Roanoke City Council. Bidders can select, as an alternate, two tickets to the Three Stooges Film Festival.

They'll auction a weekend at the Greenbrier resort.

For real money: A weekend at The Homestead with a veranda view of labor unrest at no charge.

They'll ask for bids on a chance to eat lunch with Miss Virginia.

The real money: Lunch with Tai Collins.

They'll auction a birthday party with all the fixings for 15 kids inside a caboose at the Transportation Museum.

Try: Winning bidder gets to fill a caboose with 15 people of his choice; caboose gets pulled to a grade; bidder gets to decouple caboose from locomotive.

They'll auction one-year subscriptions to digital cable radio on Cox Cable.

Try: One year's worth of Tier 17 on Cox's new cable television packaging - includes three networks and the deluxe extras of C-Span, 24-hour full-color test pattern with periodic interruptions for Roanoke County Board of Zoning Appeals schedule. A $400 value.

They'll auction a gourmet Italian dinner hosted by Dr. Vince Basile, an anesthesiologist; and Dr. Richard Surrusco, an emergency room director; and their wives.

Try: Free anesthesia in an Italian emergency room.

They'll auction two tickets to a Virginia Tech football game and a night and dinner at a Blacksburg hotel.

Next year: Four tickets to the first halves of two Tech football games, to assure that bidder can leave Lane Stadium with the Hokies leading.

On the auction block: Private tennis lesson from the tennis pro at Hunting Hills Country Club.

To make real money next year: Tennis pro enters out-of-state amateur tennis tourney in bidder's name, plays, wins. Tainted, sure. But bidder is famous.