Dairy auction attracts the curious as well

LIFE’S MEMORIES:
Auctioneer Jim Drumm, center, of Shasta Lake coaxes higher bids out of an audience that included neighbors and friends of the Gail Hopson family, as well as the curious and even a few bargain-hunters who stopped by on Saturday, March 15, to help dispose of the Hopson Dairy in Anderson.

The flotsam and jetsam of a rural Anderson dairy farmer, along with his family’s carefully collected treasures, were quickly and unemotionally sold to the highest bidder Saturday, March 15, by auctioneer Jim Drumm.

Cardboard soft drink and beer flats filled with paperback books went for $1. Three table lamps of assorted sizes fetched $10. A couple of hardbound books of Hummel collectibles were snapped up for $5 each. And five pint-sized glass milk bottles in a wire frame brought a bid of $110 from collecter Debbie Crone of Burney.

“I’m not a former customer of the Hopson dairy, but I am a collector of dairy relics,” Crone said as she carefully inspected her glass bottles for nicks and scratches. “I already have a pint bottle from the Alturas Dairy, but this one is in much better shape so this is for my collection. I didn’t have a Johnstonville Dairy bottle until now, and this one is my prize,” she said, holding up a hand-blown glass bottle with a wired glass lid and several noticeable air bubbles encased in the glass wall of the small bottle.

The Weston Dairy bottle likely dates from the early 1900s, she said.

Gail Hopson established the Anderson-based Hopson Dairy in 1943. It closed in 1987. Hopson died last August at age 79, so his son Ben, 43, of Sacramento decided to clear out the family’s old farmhouse, barn and garage.

The dairy property, which sits on 108 acres and features four houses and a barn, is also for sale with a listed price of $2.2 million.

Meanwhile, back at the auctioneer’s table, Drumm was touting the wonders of a hand-held vacuum.

“Who’ll give me $5 for this Electrolux vacuum. It belongs in the museum of technological goods,” Drumm said lightly, drawing a few polite titters of laughter from the mostly serious bidders sprawled out on folding chairs or standing in the flower beds, trying vainly not to crush too badly the irises and crocus plants poking up through the mossy grass.

When no bidders raised their white cards with boldly printed numbers to indicate interest, Drumm quickly changed tactics.

“Will I have to give you $5 to buy this vacuum?” Drumm chided the audience of nearly 100 strong, including many friends, neighbors, former dairy customers and quite a few strangers looking for a bargain or two.

A bid of $1 eventually claimed the appliance.

Much more popular was a painted green aluminum cooler, complete with matching lid and a wood-and-wire handle. Clearly visible on the front was an old logo for Dr. Pepper.

Patrick Hart of Anderson eagerly started the bidding at $10 and stuck doggedly with the item until he finally secured the top bid of $75. The rapid-fire stuccato of the auctioneer’s call announcing each $5 jump of the price as Hart matched pace against a woman on the other side of the crowd.

“I don’t know if it’s a bargain or not, but I like it. I couldn’t pass that up,” Hart said after collecting his prize.

Moments later, Hart was back to bidding, this time on a 20-gallon cardboard feed barrel bearing the label of Mutual Dairy Compound.

“These auctions are fun to come to. I try to watch for them when they are advertised in the newspaper,” Hart said.

At his feet, nestled among the irises, were several boxes of books, the cooler, his feed barrel and a box of electric appliances.

“I bought two mirrored candle holders for $5 and a General Electric radio alarm clock for $2. Since we live nearby, I was also interested in seeing the dairy property. I have always been curious about it,” Hart said.

Jill Cloverie of Palo Cedro was more than happy to pay $16 for a pair of Hopson half-gallon glass milk bottles.

“I used to get my milk delivered by Gail Hopson years ago,” she said. “About a year before Gail Hopson died, we bought some milk bottles from him for $25 each, but my daughter’s bottle was eventually broken.

She won’t believe what I paid for its replacement,” Cloverie said with obvious pride in her purchase.

However, in a more reflective moment, Cloverie seemed to sum up the feelings of many of those in attendance.

“It’s really sad to see someone’s life sold piecemeal like this,” Cloverie commented as she looked around.

Out in the parking lot, a few Looky Lous and Lulus were leaving early. Some of them could be overheard complaining that the prices being bid were “too high.”

But back under the shade of the farmhouse driveway, the Hopson’s many friends and neighbors stayed fast, willing to do their part in helping the family’s survivors dispose of a lifetime of memories, hopes and dreams mixed in with a few pieces of junk.