Chair-ity Benefit Postponed

A row of artistically painted Adirondack chairs against a white wall indoors. — Photo courtesy of Wolfgang Deininger.

When this year’s Best Seat in the House: A Chair-ity Auction with a View was postponed in March due to COVID-19, the plan was to hold the event in October.

However, due to ongoing COVID concerns, organizers decided to wait until March of next year, says event founder and coordinator Karen Love.

Since the March cancellation, the ten wooden Adirondack chairs, each creatively painted by a different Gulfport artist, have been stored in different locations around Gulfport and moved numerous times by a small but dedicated group of volunteers. When that was no longer feasible, Love reached out to the Gulfport Lions Club, and they agreed to store the chairs until the event that benefits the Gulfport Senior Center Foundation is held in 2021.

Three people stand in a doorway talking to each other with a view of the outside. — Event Coordinator Karen Love, left, discusses chair storage specifics with Lions members John McEwan and Ron Coyne.
Photo courtesy of Wolfgang Deininger.

In addition to the Adirondack chairs, art-embellished vintage windows created by six different artists, will also be auctioned off at the benefit by auctioneer Philip Bailey. The windows are currently on display at the Gulfport Public Library.

According to Love, last year’s inaugural benefit auction, held in the Art Village Courtyard, raised $7,000 for the Senior Center Foundation. She hopes the next one will exceed $10,000 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the foundation.

The exact date and location haven’t been finalized. For updates and to see more photos of the chairs, go to the Best Seat in the House Facebook page.