Silent auction adds twist to Blintz Brunch

A collection of Star Trek memorabilia.

An official will prepared by an attorney.

And a private concert in your own home performed by a world-renowned pianist from Kansas University’s faculty.

These are among the dozens of offerings included in a silent auction scheduled for Sunday as part of the 40th annual Blintz Brunch at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive.

The addition of the silent auction represents a change from the center’s past brunches, at which blintzes — folded crepes filled with farmer’s cheese or a potato mixture — were the sole star.

This time around, they will share the spotlight at the popular event, which is a fund-raiser for the center, the Jewish Community Women and a number of Lawrence charities.

“We decided to try a silent auction, and I’ve solicited contributions from our own members, as well as artists and businesses in the community. Lawrence is such a wonderfully unique and talented city that we’ve been able to get some phenomenal things contributed,” said Liz Kundin, chairwoman of the silent auction.

Jack Winerock, professor of piano in KU’s department of music and dance, has donated the performance of a half-hour piano program at the home of the winning bidder.

Winerock, a performer and teacher, has received national and international acclaim. His students have gone on to win prizes in major competitions.

The 40th annual Blintz Brunch will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive.Tickets are $6.50 and are good for one serving of three to four blintzes, fruit and coffee.The brunch, an outreach event and fund-raiser for the center and the Jewish Community Women, will feature a Judaica giftshop and a homemade bake sale of traditional Jewish foods and frozen blintzes.A silent auction will begin at 10 a.m. and close at 2:15 p.m. Participants do not need to be present when the auction closes in order to win. The highest bidder will be contacted after the auction is over.For more information, contact the center at 841-7636.

“I think the person (winning bidder) and I would get together and see what music they like. It would probably be within the classical tradition because I’m not a jazz player,” he said.

Reva Friedman-Nimz, an associate professor in teaching and leadership at KU, has donated a collection of Star Trek memorabilia.

The collection includes a complete set of homemade videos of all the TV episodes of the original Star Trek series; Star Trek action figures, books and action comics; as well as a model of the command bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, still in its plastic wrapper.

Friedman-Nimz started collecting the items when she was developing a thematic unit for children in grades four and up who were interested in science fiction.

Ron Schneider, a Lawrence attorney and co-chair of the Blintz Brunch, has donated his legal services to prepare a will for either a single person or a couple.

“The amount of time (it would take) ranges anywhere from three to six hours. My hourly rate is $150 an hour. So a joint will is typically going to cost someone $400 to $700,” he said.

“They (the event organizers) called me, and I responded. Everybody needs a will; it’s a good, functional tool. It’s like a doctor offering a free checkup.”

The silent auction also will include bidding on five different sets of catered meals, as well as a variety of artwork donated by members of the Lawrence Art Guild.

Kundin described the auction’s offerings as eclectic, with bids ranging from $7.50 up to hundreds of dollars.

She hoped the debut of the silent auction at the Blintz Brunch would help boost the event’s bottom line.

“The Jewish Community Center is small,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of members, and so it’s always a struggle to pay our bills. The brunch has always been one of our most important sources for supporting the organization.”