There weren’t many dry eyes during Monday morning’s 58th Annual Cadiz Rotary Radio Auction and W.J. Hopson Kick-Off Breakfast at the Lake Barkley State Resort Park’s Edward T. Breathitt Convention Center.
A large wooden loon, carved by the creative hands of 87-year-old Arnold Chlupsa, went for a staggering $32,500 — moments before the long-time local and gifted artisan was named a prestigious Paul Harris Fellow by the Cadiz Rotary Club, after years and years of service to the Trigg County community.
Loons, he said, are worth about $1,500 of his time — but the generosity of the community, and his time, is priceless.
Even better: it was his first time at the breakfast, where for years his ducks and loons have gone for a pretty penny — and all in the name of youth and senior support in Cadiz and Trigg County.
Auctions with Ducks Unlimited and The Turkey Federation, he added, helped turn his attention to something like the Cadiz Rotary Auction — and he’s lived in Trigg County since 1991, many of those years a close friend to Rotarian J.B. Moore.
And it takes the right piece of wood, and the right bird, to create the right moment.
Chlupsa has been carving since 1977.
Between the pristine Cundiff Ham, the “Bucket O’ Money,” a famed Penny Wallace Rum Cake and three famous “Hubcaps” inspired by the late Hattie Humphries Cheatham — former chef of Lake Barkley State Resort Park — Monday’s breakfast raised more than $35,000, or 10% of this year’s $350,000 goal.
This year’s Cadiz Rotary Club “President’s Award” went to auction co-chair Beth Sumner, while “Rotarian of the Year” went to Jim Wallace — a member of the club since 1988, who according to Tim McGinnis has been doing “all the rum-running” for Penny over the years, but has also devoted himself time and again as a coach, mentor, superintendent and more.
Food vendors for the week include:
+ Helping Hands on Monday and Tuesday
+ The Way on Wednesday
+ Trigg County Project Graduation on Thursday
+ And the revered Genesis Express fish fry set for Friday
Bell sponsors for the week include:
+ The Cadiz-Trigg County EDC on Monday
+ Bolinger Real Estate & Auction on Tuesday
+ Trigg Supply on Wednesday
+ Wildcat Chevrolet on Thursday
+ And the Trigg County Hospital on Friday
Big Board Sponsors include:
+ The Hopkinsville Community College Foundation
+ Rogers Group
+ TVA and Pennyrile Electric
+ Kentucky Machine & Engineering
+ And LifeBridge United Methodist Church
Some other reminders for this week:
*The auction is running from 6-9 PM Monday through Friday, with live bidding available at the Cadiz Baptist Annex, and online bidding available through web browsing and the Handbid application on phones. Five items went up for bidding at 9:30 AM Monday.
*Item pickup runs from 8 AM until noon Saturday, April 19, at the Cadiz Baptist Annex.
*Bid early, bid high and bid often.
