By: Michelle Kinsey—
Muncie, IN— Quartermania is coming to Muncie!
(If you are wondering what Quartermania is, don’t worry, we’ll get to that in a moment.)
This fun evening of bidding for an awesome array of prizes, all benefitting local robotics team PhyXTGears, is set for 5:30 p.m. March 16 at MadJax Muncie, 514 E. Jackson St.
Team 1720 The PhyXTGears is “an independent, non-profit high school level robotics team that is affiliated with USFIRST Robotics,” according to Shawn VanNess, president of PhyXTGears. “We are based out of Muncie and have students from six different counties. Our team builds robots from scratch in six weeks that compete with approximately 4,000 other teams worldwide. Our team is inspired by STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math).”
Building robots, maintaining the team’s space at MadJax and the busy competition season, which kicks off this month, is costly, VanNess noted.
Enter Quartermania.
“It’s a mix between an auction and bingo,” explained Melissa Martin. She, along with her daughter Ashley, who is a PhyxtGears marketing and public relations mentor, are spearheading the event.
Here’s how it works: Ten dollars will get you into the event and your choice of three numbered bidding “paddles.” When the auctioneer – in this case VanNess – explains each fabulous prize, you decide if you want to bid on it.
If you do, you hold up one, two or all three of your paddle(s) and use your own quarters (or cash in your bills on site) to place your bid. There is one bid for each paddle.
A “quarter value” is assigned to each prize – 1 quarter equals a $25 prize, 2 quarters is a prize valued at $50, 3 quarters bids on a $75 prize and four quarters will bid on a prize package valued at $100.
Once all of the bids are in, the auctioneer randomly pulls a number from a custom-made (by PhyXTGears members in the woodworking shop) bingo drum.
If your paddle number is called and you have placed a bid, you win that item(s)!
What items, you may be wondering? There will be restaurant gift certificates, museum admissions, amusement park passes, car services, sports items, sports memorabilia, skincare items, car wash gift cards, chocolate, Ball State University logo gear, golf packages, theater tickets, PhyXTGears merchandise and so much more.
Members of the PhyXTGears animation team have created a video that explains how Quartermania works that will be shown at the start of the event. There will also be beverages and snacks available for purchase.
All proceeds will go to the robotics team.
“Our efforts would not be possible without support from our awesome community and generous contributions from our sponsors and donors,” VanNess said.
Tickets are available in advance from PhyXTGears team members or online through Eventbrite. For more information about the event, check out the team’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/frcteam1720/
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