Wildcat Tastefest Silent Auction Grows
Popular event raises money for Novi Athletics
August 28, 2010

NOVI, MI – The Wildcat Tastefest has grown in every way since the Novi Athletic Boosters first introduced the fund-raising event in 2007, so it was only right that the Tastefest Silent Auction, introduced in conjunction with Tastefest last year, would quadruple in size this year.

“We tested the waters with the silent auction last year,” said Jack Kilger, Boosters fund-raising chair and Tastefest Silent Auction chair. “It had a significant interest. We sold all of the items. This year we decided to do it bigger and better.”

The silent auction is just one part of the Wildcat Tastefest event, which will take place beginning at 5 p.m. on Sept. 24 at Novi Wildcats Stadium. Proceeds from Tastefest go to the Novi Athletic Boosters and are used to provide equipment and uniform needs for all Novi High School athletic teams and to assist Novi Middle School teams. Tastefest and the silent auction raised $6,500 last year to support Novi’s student athletes.

Because of its growing size - from 15 to 20 items on three tables to 80 items displayed on 20 tables - the silent auction has a new home in the Field House adjacent to the Tastefest area at the north end of the football field. The southern double doors of the Field House will be open for fans to peruse the auction items before returning outdoors where the tents for restaurant partners, Novi athletic wear vendors and face painters will be located.

Angela Brown, who for the second year is co-chair of the Tastefest event with Andrea Mohr, is pleased by the growth of the silent auction and its promise of raising more money to benefit Novi’s athletic programs.

“We expect the silent auction to be a great success this year, and Jack Kilger is central to that success,” Brown said. “He took the ball and ran with it, creating a great event that is a perfect partner to our already successful Tastefest event. We couldn’t be more grateful to Jack and to all of the area businesses that are making this event possible.”

With the larger number and wider variety of items in this year’s auction, Kilger is hoping to increase the amount of money it raises to benefit student athletes.

A key auction item will be a four-day Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas, but there are also items for those wishing to have a great time in and around Novi, including a gift certificate from Carrabba’s Italian Grill for dinner and wine for six people. Other items include Wildcat spiritwear, sports memorabilia from DC Sports, rounds of golf at several different courses, gift certificates at various hair salons and restaurants and ticket packages for professional sports teams.

Kilger noted that several items might be of particular interest to Novi parents, including gift certificates for Prestige Portraits, a tuxedo rental for Prom from Men’s Warehouse and gift certificates for Prom or Homecoming flowers from area florists.

“Through Tastefest and the silent auction, our community business partners and the community at large continue to support our sports program and student athletes,” Kilger said. “We wouldn’t be able to continue to do this without their help.”