Want to score a football jersey signed by Saquon Barkley? Or a new refrigerator? Mark your calendar to attend the Kraybill Mennonite School's 44th annual pig roast and auction, to be held at the school, 598 Kraybill Church Road, Mount Joy. The event will run on Friday, May 7, from 4 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"This year, we will have a live auction, outside under a tent, in addition to a simultaneous online auction," said Liz Heisey, auction chair. "We will have TV screens in the live auction tent showing what's being shown online. People can bid in person or from their homes."

The auction will include some big-ticket items such as a lawn tractor, a Yeti cooler and a weekend mountain getaway, Heisey noted. "We will have a handmade four-sided picnic table made by a Kraybill parent," she added. "We will have lots of quilts."

Highlights of the event include auctioning off class projects. "Each class works together to come up with a themed basket or a personalized project," Heisey explained, noting that parents in her son's prekindergarten class refinished an old student desk and chair, and then students put their handprints on it to make a unique keepsake. Teachers also auction off opportunities for students to participate in one-on-one experiences with them, such as trips for miniature golf or ice cream. A children's tent will feature a Mother's Day craft station and games. On Friday night, an inflatable obstacle course will be set up for children, and a silent auction will be held in the gym.

In addition to the auction items, the event will feature a pig roast on Friday night and a chicken barbecue on Saturday. Additional food options will include the Mount Joy Rotary french fry truck, Dutch Country Soft Pretzels, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches and Gene Wenger's Meats' hamburgers, along with baked goods and strawberry pies.

Proceeds from the auction help cover tuition costs and pay for maintenance projects at the school. "We use the money toward offsetting the cost of private education so we can keep our tuition down," Heisey explained, adding that in 2018 and 2019, the auction raised $110,000 each year, and she'd like to meet that goal this year. Last year's auction was canceled due to the pandemic.

"It's great to be able to see other people and share the enthusiasm of the students and alumni who come back every year to see the exciting things we're doing at Kraybill," Heisey remarked. "It's just a great community event."

For more information on the auction, including a schedule of events, visit http://www.kraybillauction.com.