McMinnville’s only locally owned public broadcasting service, radio station WCPI 91.3 FM, will be holding a special Spring Fling fundraiser this Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Chamber of Commerce Activity Room.
The event will include a silent auction with items donated by local businesses including Exchange Furniture, Flowers on Main, All-O-K’sions, Grizzel’s Jewelry, a soapstone sculpture by Tim Muscetta and Victorian Rose Antiques, among others.
In addition, there will be performances from local residents including Griffin Winton, Mary Richardson and the Big Apple Blues Band. Attendees can record greetings to their special graduates to be broadcast on WCPI, and for the car enthusiasts there will be a cruise in. The Black House and Heritage Alliance Museum will be open for tours, and the Farmers Market, downtown gift shops and eateries will also be open for business during the event.
WCPI volunteer Kathy Rone says the event will be enjoyable and provide much-needed support to WCPI, which is non-profit and operates through donations from the public.
“Spring Fling is WCPI’s first-ever fundraiser,” Rone said. “Our silent auction will feature gifts from downtown merchants, many of which will be open so there will be a lot of fun things to do. We’re going to ask for donations, but we’ll also have a lot of information on WCPI because it’s going to be a public awareness event as well, just to let people know we are here and what we’re about.”
WCPI has been on the air for 14 years and is a 1,600-watt, non-profit radio station owned by the Warren County Educational Foundation. WCPI is the official 911 Weather Station, responsible for alerting Warren and surrounding counties of impending severe weather. The local 911 is wired into WCPI and can automatically interrupt normal broadcasting to make timely emergency announcements to its listeners.
“WCPI belongs to the community,” Rone said. “Like it says in our mission statement, our goals are to enrich the lives of our listeners by providing locally and nationally produced programs that educate and inform on a wide variety of issues, subjects and interests.”
Rone says the station also provides a forum for locally produced shows.
“We want to get people involved,” Rone said. “We have opportunities for local students to produce programs, and we’d like to get more involved with the school system. If someone has an interest and wants to do a show, this is the place to come.
“We want to keep doing this and that’s why we are asking for the community’s support for their radio station. We’d like for everyone to come out and visit with us on Saturday and take part in our Spring Fling fundraiser.”