Penny party fundraiser for youth group set March 23

Franklin United Methodist Church will host a spring penny party and a night of prizes, with doors opening at 5 p.m., Friday, March 23, in the banquet hall of Frankford Fire Hall, 7 Main St., Frankford.

Games begin at 6 p.m. Players can purchase multiple game entries at $3 apiece. Guests should bring coins, although some change will be available.

“It’s a fun evening. You can leave with a lot of things,” said the Rev. Barbara Keyser. “There’s items that you need around the house or little gifts and knick-knacks.”

People on are often at the edge of their seat, with their eyes on a prize. “You know that your number is in there, and you know there’s something on the table you want!” Keyser said.

In a penny party, players are assigned a number, with approximately 100 chances to win. When a table of prizes is announced, like the penny table, guests enter the contest by bidding any amount of coins and the same number of chances. The auctioneer draws numbers at random, and guests choose their prize. The more they bid, the better the chance of winning multiple prizes per round.

The game is fast-paced and repeats as the prizes are refilled at nickel, dime and 50-cent tables, with the biggest prizes saved for the $1 round at the night’s end.

Guests can also purchase light refreshments and enter the 50/50 drawing, silent auction and raffle auction.

All proceeds benefit the Frankford UMC Youth Group, helping send them to the annual Youth Rally in Ocean City, Md. The rally is a special opportunity for kids in sixth through 12th grades to hear music and motivational speakers, plus spend time together.

“The speakers are there talking to the youth, and it kind of hits home to what they may be going though in their life. So, they do walk away feeling better about themselves,” Keyser said. “Last year, we had 10 youth attend and we were able to pay their expenses. It’s a time for them to spend a weekend with each other and get to know each other well. They like the whole thing. They come away motivated. It helps them to understand what it’s like to be a Christian.”

The Frankford UMC Youth Group for grades six to 12 meets at 6:30 p.m., every other Sunday, continuing March 25, at 2 Main St., Frankford.