The MMBC October 2022 meeting will be Thursday, 10/17/2024 at Van Attas Greenhouse & Flower Shop (https://www.vanattas.com/).  All members are encouraged to participate in our annual auction. 

Here are the details.  Please read carefully!  This will be fun! Looking forward to seeing you all.

6:30 PM: Setup, Buyer and Seller registration - Sellers must arrive with their items for auction no later than 7:00 PM

7:00 PM: Acceptance of new Sellers ends

7:30 PM: Quick business meeting

7:40 PM: Silent auction opens, discussion of overwintering

8:30 PM: Silent auction closes - depending on attendance and bid activity, the silent auction may close early

8:45 PM: Buyers settle payments, tidy facility 

9:00 PM: Depart

The format will be Silent Auction and "fish bowl" Raffle this year:

• Selling of bonsai and bonsai related items at our auction is reserved for members of the Mid-Michigan Bonsai Club
• All items to be sold at auction should be clean and free of disease and insect infestation
• See below for details regarding the raffle

Registration of members intending to buy and/or sell items will be required before bidding begins - see schedule/agenda above for deadlines. Forms are attached here in case you want to prepare them in advance. **If you intend to prepare your forms in advance, contact Kim Wiljanen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for your participant numbers. Let us know if you need the forms in a different format.

Seller Instructions:

Selling of bonsai and bonsai related items at our auction is reserved for members of the Mid-Michigan Bonsai Club. All items you want to sell at auction should be clean and free of disease and insect infestation. The format will be Silent Auction and this year.  There is a "fish bowl" Raffle, but those will be items selected by the MMBC Board.

If you intend to sell bonsai and/or bonsai related items at the MMBC Auction, you must register as a Seller.  You can prepare these forms before you arrive at the auction, this will streamline your registration process – contact Kim Wiljanen for your participant ID. (forms are attached to this email)

As a Seller, you may set a minimum opening bid amount. If no opening bid amount is specified, the opening bid will be set by the Treasurer at no less than $1.00.

MMBC will retain 10% of the final selling price of all items sold. As a Seller you may elect to donate a higher percent of the final sale price to MMBC, up to 100%.  This will greatly help MMBC with 2025 programming!  

To ease the burden on our Treasurer, amounts payable and amounts receivable will be completely separate - no "net due" will be calculated:

• Payments due to Seller will be made via mail after the auction. MMBC will not reimburse Sellers at the time of the auction.
• Annual Club Dues may be paid as a line item on a Buyer sheet - dues will not be deducted from moneys owed Sellers.

When you register your sale items at the auction site, you will be assigned a Seller ID.  Put the Seller ID on your Silent Auction Sheets.

Auction Forms

If you are selling items in the Auction, there are two forms to prepare, the Auction Seller Sheet and the Auction – Bid Sheet.  Provide your name, contact information and list each item you want to sell at Silent Auction under the heading, Description of Auction Item.  Additional directions are found on the Silent Auction Seller Sheet.     

Each item/group of items listed on the Silent Auction Seller Sheet must have an Auction – Bid Sheet.  Fill-in your ID # and a description of each individual item on the Bid Sheet.

Labeling Your Auction Items

You must tag each auction item offered at the live and silent auction (tags will be provided at setup). This label should have your Seller ID and the Item # as listed on the Live and Silent Auction Seller Sheets. As an example, if you are selling a group of four bonsai pots, your label will read "S99-3" ("S99" is the Seller ID and “3” identifies the auction Item # as found on the Auction Seller Sheet).

"Fish Bowl" Raffle is new this year.  All who attended club meetings, provided "show and tell" during those meetings, or provided a presentation have all acquired raffle tickets during the 2024 season.  This has been tracked and tabulated by the MMBC Secretary.  At the Auction on Oct. 17, you will be presented with your earned raffle tickets to be used as you wish in the "fish bowl" Raffle.  Additional raffle tickets will be available for sale on the night of the auction.  

Bid high, bid often!  

See you all at the MMBC Auction on October 17, 2024 at Van Attas!