By STEVE REAGAN
Staff Writer
Calling all Aggies (and Longhorns and Red Raiders and Cowboy fans and ...), it's time for the annual Howard County A&M Club Scholarship Auction.

The auction, which raises money to finance scholarships for Howard County students attending Texas A&M University, will be held Saturday evening at the Big Spring Country Club. Appetizers will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the auction will begin around 7 p.m. Admission is free, organizers said.

Dianna Newton, who has helped organize the event the past several years, said a wide variety of items — ranging from vacation trips to sports memorabilia — will be auctioned Saturday.

The item nearest and dearest to club members will be the chance to have one's name put on an endowed scholarship to the university. The minimum bid for the naming rights to the scholarship begins at $5,000, Newton said.

“We currently have 14 kids on scholarships,” Newton said. “Each year, we try to raise enough money to add an endowed scholarship for $25,000 ... so that we can keep this up for years to come.”

Last year, the club raised just more than $50,000 at its auction and members are hoping to exceed that total this year. To that end, Newton said they are offering a wide selection of items.

One of the biggest is a week's vacation at the Club Regina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Other vacations up for auction include trips to Cancun, Mexico, Pagosa Springs, Colo. and a “Kenny Chesney” weekend in Houston, including tickets to watch Chesney, Keith Urban and Leann Rhymes in concert.

Local banks have donated U.S. Savings Bonds to the auction and Southwest Airlines has donated a pair of round-trip tickets good for anywhere in the continental United States.

Newton said there will be various hand-crafted items auctioned as well, inlcuding a five-piece wood dining set donated by a local business. Local artists and welders also are donating items for the auction, she said.

Sports fans also will have plenty to choose from, Newton promised.

Among the memorabilia items for auction Saturday include:

• A jersey autographed by John David Crow, Texas A&M's only Heisman Award winner.
• A Leroy Nieman print of Tom Landry, Roger Staubach and Bob Lilly, autographed by those Cowboys greats.
• A Houston Oilers jersey autographed by Earl Campbell.
• Various other sports items from A&M, University of Texas, Texas Tech University and other colleges.

Despite some of pricier items, Newton swears one doesn't have to be a high roller to participate.

“You don't have to be a big spender to have fun,” she said. “It's free, any donations will be accepted ... so just come out and enjoy it with us.”
For more information, contact Newton at 263-4204.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it