LANSING - Anyone need a quarter of beef? How about a ton-and-a half of corn? Those items were up for bid at an auction to benefit the Dave and Lori Lukas family on Saturday at the Lake Watch Inn, Route 34 in Lansing.
Lake Watch owner Leo Mahool donated the space as well as the food. Nicole Kerry, banquet manager, said about 300 people were expected to come.
The Lukas' home in the Hamlet of Five Corners, Genoa, was destroyed by fire Feb. 16.
The four-alarm fire was reported just after 10 a.m., with volunteer firefighters from King Ferry, Locke, Genoa, Aurora, Lansing, and Moravia responding to try to save the Hill Road home.
Lori and her son, Danny, were at a wrestling match miles away in Bainbridge, N.Y., when the fire started. It is believed to have started in the basement, but the fire department said it may have been electrical or connected to a wood-burning furnace; an exact cause wasn't determined.
The home couldn't be saved. However, no one was at home when the fire broke out. Four cats and a Burmese mountain dog, Cohen, died in the conflagration. Lori had received the dog as a puppy a couple of years before.
Since the fire, the Lukases have been staying at a home owned by friends who will be returning from Florida at the end of March.
Lori's father and mother, Edward and Beverly Hutter, of Buffalo, could not attend the benefit, but her sister Lisa Hutter, also of Buffalo, did.
Ed Hutter, a retired landscaper, will use a mini-excavator donated by a neighboring farmer, to grade and landscape the Lukas property. They expect to rebuild on the same lot.
Kris Becker, longtime friend of Lori and Dave, organized the benefit. She said they lost everything in the fire and that their insurance did not cover the contents of the house. The family received many small donations from dog lovers all over the country, strangers who heard about their story on the Internet.
“This is an amazing community,” Lisa Hutter said, “the way everyone sticks together.
“It's unbelievable,” Becker said. Many sent notes along with their contributions.
Becker said she organized the event out of friendship for Lori.
“We just love each other,” she said. “You have to have your girlfriends to get you through.”
Lori, who had been a Girl Scout leader for a number of years, received 21 cakes from the local Scouts. A cake wheel, or wheel of fortune, was spun to award cakes and cookies to those who put their money on the right number.
Kristy Partridge, who was in the Scouts under Lori's leadership, organized the game. Tiffany Radcliffe, an Onondaga Community College student and Rachel Marshall, a Wells College student, both former Girl Scouts, helped run the cake wheel.
Entertainment was volunteered by the Prison City Rockers, managed by Bob Bachta, who also runs the IGA store in Genoa.
“I respect anyone who volunteers,” Bachta said of his band's donation of time and talent. Nicole Hoey also sang.
The auction began at 6 p.m. with auctioneer Steve Fedrizzi. Besides the corn and beef, various baskets were donated; a Christmas basket and a Mexican basket; many framed photos by Lori Radcliff; watercolor and oil paintings; New Hope Mills gift certificates; a signed Cornell lacrosse helmet; Fessenden Dairy compost; distilled water; a snowboard; and 50 pounds of sunflower seeds from Turek Farms were just a few of the items also on the auction block. A full year golf membership, homemade furniture, a quilt, afghans and gallons of maple syrup were also up for bids.
The Lukases work at Cornell University in the animal hospital, where Lori is a veterinary technician. They have three children: Hillary, 21, a Wells College student studying abroad in Australia; Colleen, 18, a student at Hobart-William Smith, and Danny, 12.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
How to help
Contributions and donations may be made to: “Lukas Family New Beginning Fund” c/o Kris Becker, 476 Cowan Road., Locke, NY 13092, or Bob Bachta, P.O. Box 202, Genoa, NY 13071. For more information, call Becker at 497-1809 or Bachta at 497-1830.
The Lukas' home in the Hamlet of Five Corners, Genoa, was destroyed by fire Feb. 16.
The four-alarm fire was reported just after 10 a.m., with volunteer firefighters from King Ferry, Locke, Genoa, Aurora, Lansing, and Moravia responding to try to save the Hill Road home.
Lori and her son, Danny, were at a wrestling match miles away in Bainbridge, N.Y., when the fire started. It is believed to have started in the basement, but the fire department said it may have been electrical or connected to a wood-burning furnace; an exact cause wasn't determined.
The home couldn't be saved. However, no one was at home when the fire broke out. Four cats and a Burmese mountain dog, Cohen, died in the conflagration. Lori had received the dog as a puppy a couple of years before.
Since the fire, the Lukases have been staying at a home owned by friends who will be returning from Florida at the end of March.
Lori's father and mother, Edward and Beverly Hutter, of Buffalo, could not attend the benefit, but her sister Lisa Hutter, also of Buffalo, did.
Ed Hutter, a retired landscaper, will use a mini-excavator donated by a neighboring farmer, to grade and landscape the Lukas property. They expect to rebuild on the same lot.
Kris Becker, longtime friend of Lori and Dave, organized the benefit. She said they lost everything in the fire and that their insurance did not cover the contents of the house. The family received many small donations from dog lovers all over the country, strangers who heard about their story on the Internet.
“This is an amazing community,” Lisa Hutter said, “the way everyone sticks together.
“It's unbelievable,” Becker said. Many sent notes along with their contributions.
Becker said she organized the event out of friendship for Lori.
“We just love each other,” she said. “You have to have your girlfriends to get you through.”
Lori, who had been a Girl Scout leader for a number of years, received 21 cakes from the local Scouts. A cake wheel, or wheel of fortune, was spun to award cakes and cookies to those who put their money on the right number.
Kristy Partridge, who was in the Scouts under Lori's leadership, organized the game. Tiffany Radcliffe, an Onondaga Community College student and Rachel Marshall, a Wells College student, both former Girl Scouts, helped run the cake wheel.
Entertainment was volunteered by the Prison City Rockers, managed by Bob Bachta, who also runs the IGA store in Genoa.
“I respect anyone who volunteers,” Bachta said of his band's donation of time and talent. Nicole Hoey also sang.
The auction began at 6 p.m. with auctioneer Steve Fedrizzi. Besides the corn and beef, various baskets were donated; a Christmas basket and a Mexican basket; many framed photos by Lori Radcliff; watercolor and oil paintings; New Hope Mills gift certificates; a signed Cornell lacrosse helmet; Fessenden Dairy compost; distilled water; a snowboard; and 50 pounds of sunflower seeds from Turek Farms were just a few of the items also on the auction block. A full year golf membership, homemade furniture, a quilt, afghans and gallons of maple syrup were also up for bids.
The Lukases work at Cornell University in the animal hospital, where Lori is a veterinary technician. They have three children: Hillary, 21, a Wells College student studying abroad in Australia; Colleen, 18, a student at Hobart-William Smith, and Danny, 12.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
How to help
Contributions and donations may be made to: “Lukas Family New Beginning Fund” c/o Kris Becker, 476 Cowan Road., Locke, NY 13092, or Bob Bachta, P.O. Box 202, Genoa, NY 13071. For more information, call Becker at 497-1809 or Bachta at 497-1830.
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