Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation

Thermopolis, Wyoming

“Happy Trails” chair by artist Cindy Clancy brought the top price -- $500. See Full Gallery

The well-attended Chair-ity auction Friday night featured 33 works of chair art, raising $5,370 for the Greater Learning Foundation’s proposed center in Hot Springs State Park.

People attending the preview voted on the chairs in a wide variety of categories, with the overall favorite award going to Cindy Clancy’s Happy Trails chair. The wooden folding chair with a horse head painted on the seat and horseshoes on the back top with the words “Happy Trails” was the high seller, going to Dr. Guy Drake for $500.

The funniest chair -- created by the Nicodemus, Oliver and Zamora families -- was a character out of the popular children’s book “Wild Things.” The large furry creation provided a seat on the character’s lap.

For the most artistic chair, Maralee Hilzendeger created an outdoor landscape on the seat of the chair with pebbles and mossy textures.

Winner of the most imaginative chair was Canyon Fish Taxidermy for their Tri-chair- atops, purchased by The Wyoming Dinosaur Center. See Full Gallery

Canyon Fish Taxidermy had the most imaginative chair with a large dinosaur (“Tri-chair-atops”) providing a wild seat.

Toddi Darlington, secretary and treasurer of the Greater Learning Foundation, said JoAnn Gerber did most of the work on the Chair-ity event.

“When JoAnn had to tend to the water damage at Storyteller I just stepped in to help with the auction,” Darlington said. “We were surprised and pleased with the number of chairs that were entered and the quality.

“This was one of many fund-raisers that the foundation is doing to raise money towards the Heritage Center in the park,” Darlington said. “So far we’ve raised over $500,000 in fund-raisers, donations and in-kind matches towards the center.

“We are able to use every $10 donated as a match for grant money, which usually generates an additional $50. So every donation helps toward our reaching our goal, which is to build the Heritage Center.

“The Chair-ity promotion was part of a streetsmART grant that we received,” Darlington said. “The intent of the grant was to bring the arts to the downtown.”

Darlington said the Foundation plans to do a lot more arts in the downtown area and will do the chair theme again next year.

Other category winners were:

• Business - Needful Things
• Children (group) - Demitra Zamora, Kira, Kenna and Krista Oliver, Brett and Jolie Nicodemus (also won “Funniest”)
• Adult (individual) - Maralee Hilzendeger (also won “Most artistic”)
• Adult (group) - Lily Hayes, Heather Hayes, Tracy Nye and Pat Schmidtman
• Senior (individual) - Diane Walrath
• Senior (group) - Bea Seaver, Sue Blakey and Connie Taylor

• Tom Anderson family
• Mike & Susan Berry
• Sue Blakey
• Lee Campbell
• Canyon Fish Taxidermy
• Four Winds Trading Post
• Dr. Guy Drake
• Ann Hardesty
• Jadeco
• Joey & Melissa Johnson
• Dave Koerwitz
• Jacque Michel
• Roger & Marcia Shanor
• Karen Sinclair
• Louis Walrath
• Wyoming Dinosaur Center

A special thanks to Lofink Auctions for conducting a great auction!