The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has added additional items to its Youth Auction, held annually during the Kentucky State Fair (KSF) and World's Championship Horse Show (WCHS).

Among the items up for bid at the 2009 ASHA Youth Auction are two tickets to the sold out Taylor Swift concert, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 30. Included with the concert tickets is a night's stay at the Crowne Plaza hotel on the evening of the concert. Another "big ticket" item that will be up for bid is a week's stay at a three-bedroom ocean-front condo in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Full details about the condo can be found at http://www.vrbo.com/139924.

The silent auction will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 26, in Crowne Room A of the Crowne Plaza hotel. Bid numbers can be obtained at that time. Bidding in the Silent Auction will conclude for the day at 6 p.m. Silent Auction bidding will resume at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 27, and end with the conclusion of the Silent Auction at 3 p.m.

The Live Auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, and in addition to the aforementioned, items up for bid will include such items as Kentucky Derby tickets, a Tommy Lovell Rocking Horse, Breeders’ Cup tickets, and bound volumes of The Horseman dating back to 1891. As in the past, a free reception and cash bar will be offered beginning at noon on Thursday, along with a poster signing by winners at the previous year’s World’s Championship Horse Show (WCHS).

A $20,000 raffle drawing will also be held on Thursday, at 2:30 p.m., as well as a $1,000 Grand giveaway, which will take place during the Silent Auction, for which a bid number is required, and participants must be at least 18 years of age and present to win.

The ASHA Auction and Youth Committees are currently in the process of gathering items for this annual event. The auction is the sole fundraiser for ASHA Youth Scholarships and all ASHA Youth Programs (Junior Judging, Saddletime Awards, Academy Awards, Showmanship at Halter Awards, and the ASHA Youth Award). If you would like to donate an item, please contact Brenda Newell, ASHA Senior Program Administrator, at [email protected], Ron Merwin, ASHA Auction Chairman at [email protected], or Germaine Johnson, ASHA Youth Chairperson at [email protected]. All donations are tax deductible, as the ASHA is a 501(c)(3) corporation. A donation form can be obtained from the ASHA website here.

Additional details about the 2009 ASHA Youth Auction and Raffle, and auction item photos can be found on the ASHA website here.