The Ephrata Lions Club will sponsor its 44th annual Sports Card Show and Auction on Saturday, March 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ephrata Recreation Center, 130 S. Academy Drive, Ephrata. Overflow parking will be available at the Ephrata Middle School, 957 Hammon Ave., Ephrata. There is an admission fee, with a discount for children under 12.

The sports card show will feature more than 70 vendor tables where attendees may buy, sell, and trade sports cards, memorabilia, and other sports-related items.

Former Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Ham will sign autographs between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Ham's participation is sponsored by Keystone State Baseball & Softball Academy, Summers Trucking, and the Ephrata National Bank. There is a fee for one autograph on a mini-helmet or a flat item, such as a card, photo, or magazine, with a higher fee for an autograph on any other item. Autographs may include only the inscription "HOF 88." Only 300 autograph tickets will be sold, and they will only be available to purchase in person on the day of the show. Ticket buyers may bring their own items to be autographed, or they may purchase items from the Ephrata Lions Club or from other vendors at the show.

Three auctions will be held. Items up for bids will include a full-size Penn State football helmet autographed by Nick Singleton, a framed Pittsburgh Pirates jersey autographed by Gerrit Cole, and a framed Phillies jersey autographed by Steve Carlton.

A live sports memorabilia auction will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m., conducted by auctioneer David Birmingham. About 225 items will be auctioned, including individual sports cards, complete card sets, sports publications, photographs, bobbleheads, figurines, baseballs, souvenirs, and other memorabilia. Some of the memorabilia to be auctioned has been autographed by current and former stars from a variety of sports. People must be present to bid; no telephone or proxy bids will be accepted.

In addition to the live auction, a smaller silent auction will run from the start of the card show until 1:30 p.m., when the winning bidder or a proxy must be present to claim the purchased item. The silent auction will feature items like autographed photos and game tickets.

For the first time, the event will also include a separate online-only auction of sports memorabilia, run by Pannebecker & Wolf Auctioneers Inc. at https://pannebeckerwolf.hibid.com. The online auction will be available from Monday, March 18, until Friday, March 29. All details will be posted on the aforementioned auction site.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Ephrata youth sports programs and the Ephrata Recreation Center, helping to enable Ephrata area boys and girls to participate in local sports programs and the Lions Club to sponsor the 17U Ephrata Lions baseball team. Proceeds will also go toward Ephrata youth counseling and support organizations, such as the Samaritan Counseling Center's TeenHope program for the Ephrata Area School District, and the Mountaineers' Table community food program. The Lions Club also recognizes Ephrata High School students via the Senior Service Award, the Students of the Month program, and a sponsorship for the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Seminar.

Additional details, including the auction list, can be found at http://ephratalions.org. For more information, contact Jack Forney at 717-314-0962 or Brad Lauderman at 717-471-3968, or email cardshow@ephratalions.org. All vendor tables for the sports card show have been reserved, but a waiting list is available for future years.