Auction: Back to the 80’s

For this year’s auction the theme was “Totally Awesome 80’s” — and the Synergy community dressed-up and had a blast. When the party started, Devo, Pee Wee Hermann, Run-DMC, and a crowd of Madonna’s showed up. Cindi Lauper made an appearance too, along with Kurtis Blow, Molly Ringwald, and Elliott from E.T.

After a decade at the Greek Orthodox Church, this year’s auction moved to a new venue: the SOMA Art Center. The walls of the hall were covered in huge Keith Haring-style murals with a Synergy-themed twist. There was food, bubbly, a wine pull, and a photo booth, and the room was so animated that it was hard for the auctioneer, alum dad Ken Newman, to get the crowd’s attention. Once he did, the bidding got lively. The live auction included a year of fresh-laid eggs, a week in a classic 60’s-era trailer, a vacation home in Inverness, a visit with Mayor Ed Lee, and a tour of the Tenderloin led by homeless activist Del Seymour.

The last auction item was “Fund-A-Need” to support construction of a new and improved Hard Yard. Synergy athletic director Melvin Smith touted the advantages of the yard upgrade: an all-weather resilient surface to protect against injuries, improved lighting, a padded wall and gate, a climbing wall, and official painted lines for multi-sport games. There was a short film by Synergy middle school students to promote the new project, then the bidding began. With the generous support of our community, Synergy raised over $42,000 for the new yard.

At school, students got to experience some 80’s nostalgia too: the front hall monitor and bulletin board featured 80’s posters and trivia, and movie classics on ‘80’s day. (At least one child found all the period fanfare confusing: at pick up time she was overheard asking, “Mom, what’s the 80’s?”)

After the bidding ended, the party didn’t: when the DJ. Damon Boyle (who spins 80’s hits every Thursday at the Cat Club), pumped up the music, all the 80’s icons hit the dance floor one more time…

–by Connie Matthiessen, photos by Russ Curtis (see more auction photos here)