WH cake auction honors Pacula during a touching night
A surprise visit by Libby Pacula ignited the crowd and bidders as the West Holmes Music Booster Club presented its cake for auction on Jan. 25. The cake was purchased for $10,000 with an additional $6,000 being added to that total by three area banks.
Cakes are supposed to be sweet, but for two nights this January, cakes proved to be more than just sweet. They were memorable.
On a night when the West Holmes Knights and Hiland Hawks boys basketball teams waged an incredible game, it was overshadowed by the special feeling that was generated from a cake auction like no cake auction before.
The annual West Holmes Knights Athletic Booster Club cake auction took place Jan. 6 and Jan. 25, with the proceeds from each cake going to the West Holmes Athletic Booster Club, which in turn provides for the student-athletes.
However, the Jan. 25 event took on a significantly more meaningful experience when the West Holmes Music Boosters were invited to participate, bringing in a special cake to honor Mike Pacula, WHMS band director and assistant high school director who passed away recently.
The result was a memorable, fun and touching bidding war between a team of area banks including Commercial & Savings Bank, Killbuck Savings Bank and Park National Bank, as well as Tom and Laura Abraham, owners of Agri-Sludge Inc.
The cake was created by Kandi Hipp to honor the memory of Pacula. The bidding war rose to $8,000 before Team Abraham went all in at $10,000, capturing the cake. To top it off, each bank then donated $2,000 apiece, bringing the total of the cake to $16,000.
"We really didn’t know what to expect," WH Music Booster Club President Laura Casey said. "We thought maybe $1,000, but what took place blew us all away. It was inspiring and touching to see that kind of support."
Kaufman Realty auctioneer Tim Miller had done the Jan. 6 cake auction and returned to work the next day, encouraging Casey to have the music boosters see if they could create a cake for auction.
The next two weeks were a blur of activity and inclusion as the idea gained traction. Casey approached WH Music Booster Club Vice President Sean McCune to see if the idea was plausible. That got an enthusiastic endorsement. Casey then went to the music booster members and West Holmes Athletic Department to get their blessing.
She didn’t stop there.
Knowing Pacula was heavily involved with Young Life, an organization that works closely with teens at West Holmes, she got them involved. She then contacted Erin Moan, East Holmes Music Booster president, knowing Pacula had meant so much to so many people on that end of the county.
Pieces fell into place, leading to the Jan. 25 night of the second half of the cake auction.
The gymnasium at West Holmes High School took on an electric atmosphere as the bid soared past $1,000 and quickly rocketed toward $7,000. What inspired people even more was seeing Pacula’s wife Libby Pacula amidst the music students displaying the cake at center court.
“We had no idea she was going to be three,” Casey said. “She said she wanted to be there, and she wanted to be part of the celebration. She said it was great for her to experience the love and joy people showed.”
Kaufman auctioneer Derrick Kandel paused when the bid stopped at $8,500. Then the Abrahams went the extra distance, bidding $10,000. That brought the entire fan base to its feet as they applauded the incredible gesture. When the banks added their donation, there were more than a few teary eyes, but it was tears of joy, seeing how a community can exemplify the ultimate compassion and gratitude toward a man who left an incredible mark on communities on both the west and east sides of the county.
Casey said the proceeds of the auction would be split between both school districts' music booster clubs and Young Life.
“We wanted this to be fun and uplifting, and it was,” Casey said. “It created some great memories, and we are excited to share Mr. Pacula’s passion for music and honor his memory in this way.”
In addition, the West Holmes Athletic Booster Club continued to see the strong support it has received for the cake auction, bringing in around $15,900 to bring the total raised at the cake auction to nearly $32,000 this year.
“This kind of support is typical from our community year after year,” said Roger Proper, athletic booster club president. “This was a special night. None of us knew what to expect with the music booster cake, and it was pretty incredible and shows our community support. I was actually getting teary-eyed watching it take place. This event speaks volumes as to the amazing community we live in.”