Category: Country Store

It’s September and the Country Store, our annual fundraiser, is just days away. Hopefully everyone has managed to set aside a few cacti, succulents, succulent-themed items and/or pots to donate.

Doors will open at 6:00 PM for you to bring your donations. Please arrive by 6:45 PM to set out your donations, buy your tickets, and settle in for an exciting evening. The Country Store drawing will start at 7 PM.

There will be four drawing categories for the donated items:

1. Cacti
2. Succulents
3. Misc. succulent-themed items such as books, clothing, jewelry, etc.
4. Pots

Tickets will be 50 cents each. Each ticket has two parts. You keep one of the two and the other goes into one of the containers located at each category. You can enter as many tickets as you like in whichever categories you choose. If your ticket number is called, you get to pick whatever you want from the category that it was pulled from.

BAKED GOODS will be a separate category. Instead of entering tickets and then waiting until your number is called, you’ll be able to buy treats with tickets throughout the night. Those of you who wish to donate food items can bake your own treats or purchase them. Either way, please wrap them in individual serving sizes (you decide the size) to be purchased with 50 cent tickets. A shout out to Hal and Troy who often bring home-baked treats to our monthly meetings!

The SILENT AUCTION will have higher-value plants or special items-think planters, books, special pottery, jewelry, etc. Each item will have a bid sheet where you can add your name and your bid. All bids are visible, so there’s opportunity for spirited competition! Please bring cash (smaller bills, too, not just twenties) for the silent auction; in the past, winning bids ranged anywhere from $5 to $50.

PRO TIPS (NEW MEMBERS PLEASE READ)

1. Depending on how many tickets you buy, keeping track of your numbers can become a challenge. However, all you need to do is write down the number of the first and the last ticket. If a ticket between these two is called, it’s yours.
2. If you’re more of a visual person, you can tape your ticket stubs to the back of a box or a piece of cardboard for easy reference. If you like this idea, bring cardboard and Scotch tape!
3. Bring a box or bag for the items you win!

NOTE: You do not have to donate to participate. If you do have donations, use your judgement on what to donate. Think healthy and pest free plants that some other members would be happy to own. If you have any questions, please call or text Bill McCabe at (916) 225-5974.

Why in the **** do we keep propagating more cacti & succulents? Why, so we can donate them to our annual Country Store!

Do you need want more plants? Do you have way too many plants and want to get rid of some? We collect cacti and succulents—it’s what we do! But we are often conflicted between the need to reduce and the desire to add to our collections. Welcome to the Country Store where we try to solve this dilemma for you or at least make it easier to rationalize coming home with more plants.

It’s time for Club members to start gathering donations of cacti, succulents, pots, and cacti and succulent themed items (books, clothing, pictures, jewelry, etc.) to bring to our annual Country Store on Monday, September 22, 2025. If you don’t have any extra plants, how about baking some sweet treats like cookies, brownies or cupcakes? A drawing will be held for donated
items with tickets being sold before 7PM that night.

Bring your donations in early (6:15) so we can get set up and you can see what’s available. There will be a silent auction where you can get great deals on higher valued cacti and succulents and other cacti and succulent related items. The Silent Auction has exploded over the last .couple of years with some amazing items being donated by our amazing Club members!

Attending the Country Store is one of the great perks of being a Club member. You can add several new plants, inexpensively, that have been generously donated by other Club members. And on that note: To be successful, we need your donations! Please start setting aside the items you would like to donate. You do not want to miss this event. You do not have to donate items to participate! We will have more details at the August meeting.

New members: If you are unable to attend the August meeting, but have questions about how the whole thing works, feel free to call or text Bill McCabe at 916-225-5974.