It was a record breaking event this year for the return of the in-person Carhartts & Caviar Welding Showcase and Auction

Held on March 10th at Great Plains College, Bryce Martin, Donor Services Coordinator for the college reflects on the evening.

"It was a great evening. We had a sold out crowd, so we had approximately 300 people in attendance. They were very happy to be at an in-person event again and it showed. Throughout the evening there was alot of visitation, alot of socialization going on and alot of smiles."

The 10th annual event raised over $35,000 with 11 items on the auction block for participants to bid on. Martin says there was a terrific amount of support from those in attendance . For the 11 items, $23,650 from the auction was raised. There were a variety of items on the auction block including indoor and outdoor furniture along with some unique metal wall art. 

Martin says the night was a great success. 

"So within the ten years of Carhartts & Caviar, this year the event is a record profit for us. We are very happy with how the evening went and we know that all of the profits from the evening are going to be very well received, not only by the students but also by our welding program who are the main benefactors of the event."

Top items for bidding that evening went to the custom river table created by instructor Jared McKenzie which received the highest bid of $4,700. Second was a mountain getaway package from DLO Metal Works (metal art creation) and Mercator Financial (vacation package) for $3,900 and third place was a custom office desk built by Kade McIntosh at Sandhills Welding for $2,800. 

According to Martin, the success of any fundraiser is totally dependant on sponsors for the evening. S3 Group Ltd served as the title sponsor again this year and Martin would like to send a very large thank you to all sponsors, contributors and participants who contributed to the success of the evening. 

Martin also wishes to thank the alumni who have participated over the years. He says that this year they were fortunate to have three alumni who provided items for the auction table. 

"When you have alumni participating back to the event, this goes to show that they have alot of respect for the program and the fundraiser itself" says Martin. 

Great Plains College also wishes to thank this year's major sponsors: the City of Swift Current, Plewis Automotive Group, Mercator Financial, Lime Zero Mechanical and Anderson & Company.