Dine with an Astronomer! Take a Fishing Trip! Fly a Plane!

Tioga United Way is hosting their 4th Annual Adult Spelling Bee on March 30, along with their Celebrity Adventure Auction in order to raise money and awareness for the 34 agencies that depend, in part, on the Tioga United Way to fund their services and programs. 

This year, some of the online auction celebrity adventures include: Have you ever wanted to meet a real-life Astronomer? Are you interested in the super-Earths and rocky planets? Here’s your chance to share a meal and take a tour with the Director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger. She is part of the IMAX 3D movie “The Search for Life in Space,” and she even has an asteroid named after her.

Want to get a jumpstart on your golf game before the snow melts and the buds start to pop? Learn from Pheasant Hill Golf Pro, Rob Clark. Choose from three options: three private lessons; or one group lesson with three of your best golf pals; or Rob will be your fourth in a golf tournament which you’re sure to win.

Grab five of your best friends and bid on a private tasting at the brewery that won the Bronze Award for TAP New York Medal Winner in the Belgian Style category – The Farmhouse Brewery. Brewmaster, Marty Mattrazzo will conduct your tasting in the Farmhouse Brewery’s private back room located at 17 Lake St. in Owego.

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a local newscaster? Well, now’s your chance to find out. The highest bidder will have lunch with the oh so popular host of Newschannel 34, Jim Ehmke, and then take a tour of the station and sit in the studio during an early evening newscast. You might even get to experience the “magic” of the green screen.

The highest bidder will win a Paint-n-Take party for six children at ‘What’s In Store?’ located on Main Street in Owego, N.Y. The children will choose from a selection of ceramic pieces to paint and take them home that day. It’s a terrific idea for a birthday party or children’s celebration. 

This adventure takes to the sky! Three friends will ride with pilot, Robert Henrich, in one of Goodrich Aviation’s “Discovery” Flights, located at 2514 Airport Rd., Johnson City, N.Y. Once comfortable in the air, the highest bidder will get their hands on the controls and fly the plane. For safety considerations, the weight limit is 600 lbs.

Grab three of your best pals and bid on this six-hour fishing trip with Blue Moon Sport Fishing. USCG Licensed Captain Scott Fletcher will navigate the scenic Cayuga Lake and will guide you on finding lake trout, rainbow trout and salmon. It will be a memorable day on a beautiful lake.

Pizza of the Month Club? Yes, you read that right! The highest bidder will win a pizza gift certificate from 12 different pizzerias and restaurants all over Tioga County.

Every year, the most popular fundraiser in the southern tier sells out in minutes. Now’s your chance to secure two seats at the table of Dancing United with the Starz ’19 scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019 at Tioga Downs Resort and Casino. Be the first to say “I have my tickets for the hottest show in town!”

Online bidding at tiogaunitedway.com is available starting Monday, March 18. Online bidding will end Friday, March 29 but LIVE bidding will then begin again at the Spelling Bee, Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Owego Elks and winners will be announced at 9 p.m. that evening. If you’re not on a Bee team but would like to attend, there’s a $5 cover charge and your name gets entered into a drawing for gift give-a-ways.

The Bee is sponsored by Lockheed Martin and Literacy Volunteers of Broome / Tioga Counties, and there’s still time to register your team. 

If you’d like to support the Annual Giving Campaign or get involved in the next big fundraiser, contact the Tioga United Way at (607) 687-4028.