Bearfootin’ Bear Auction Virtual Bidding Ends this Saturday, October 21!
Bearfootin’ Bear Auction Virtual Bidding Ends this Saturday, October 21!
HENDERSONVILLE, NC - Bidding for the 2023 Bearfootin’ Art Walk bears concludes this Saturday, October 21 at 6pm.
The virtual auction has been a proven success for raising funds for 20 local nonprofits every year, with the 2022 auction exceeding $140,000. Currently, 6 bears have been purchased at the ‘Buy it Now’ price of $10,000. Bidders seeking to ‘buy now’ must do so before 5pm on Thursday, October 19, any bears up for bid after that time may sell for over the buy now price.
There are currently 3 bears awaiting their first bid: Hope & Honeycrisp, benefitting Safelight; Beautiful Place To Serve, benefitting First Responder Ministries of Henderson County, and Clowning Around Bear, benefitting the Shriners Childrens Hospital.
How to bid:
- Go to: https://www.accelevents.com/e/bearauction23 or downtownhendersonville.org.
- Select bear and click "bid now.”
- Bidders will enter name, cell phone, Credit card, email address and mailing address.
- Bidders will make their desired bids, starting at $1,500 with a minimum bid of $100. A buy it now price is available for $10,000 and will automatically charge credit cards Bidders who wish to buy the bear in advance should contact info@downtownhendersonville.org to secure a buy-now bear to pay with check in order to avoid credit card fees. The Buy It Now option ends on Thursday, October 19 at 5pm.
- The auction software will send a text confirmation of bids and a notification if outbid.
- On the final day of the auction, October 21, bidders will have until 6pm sharp to win their bear. Please do not wait until the last minute to set up your text-to-bid account!
To celebrate the final hours of the auction, the public is invited to a countdown event on October 21 at the Historic Courthouse Square on Main Street from 4:30pm until 6pm. Attendees and bidders will meet the bears while enjoying live music and refreshments available for purchase from Mini Batch Bakery. While there won’t be voice call bidding at the event, attendees will be able to bid live via cell phone and can ask for setup assistance at a designated registration table.
Interested in Sponsoring a 2024 Bear? ONLINE Applications for a bear for 2024 will open on Tuesday, October 24th at 10am. It will be “first come first served” for all interested parties – current bear sponsors, wait listed sponsors and sponsors from past years that would like to participate in 2024. The application can be found at hendersonvillenc.gov/bearfootin.
ABOUT THE BEARFOOTIN’ ART WALK PROGRAM
Since 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has helped raise funding for Friends of Downtown Hendersonville (a 501c3 nonprofit) and a variety of local nonprofits. In addition to raising funds, the bears offer a window into good work being done by community organizations. The Bearfootin’ bears arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each into a spectacular fashion, with creative themes ranging from Mona Lisa to Blue Ridge Mountain scenery. After the “Reveal” event in early May, the bears then take up residence in downtown Hendersonville for the duration of the summer and fall, up until the auction. Winning bids up to $3,000 are split evenly between the Friends of Downtown Hendersonville and the nonprofit chosen by the sponsor, while bid amounts exceeding $3,000 are directed entirely to the nonprofit. The 2022 auction raised more than $140,000.