By Bill Reynolds
La Conner Community News
La Conner Rotarians presented local food bank hero Duane Holmes with an esteemed Paul Harris Award and raised thousands of dollars for their various service projects near and far during the club’s annual Harvest Dinner & Auction event at Maple Hall on Saturday.
“We had a full house as 122 folks attended and everyone was generous,” said La Conner Rotary President Lori Buher.
Attendees dined on a menu of pecan-crusted steelhead and beef brisket, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and honey-glazed carrots, assorted artisan breads, vegetable Shepherd’s pie, and various appetizers catered by La Conner Seafood and Prime Rib House. In addition, bidders vied for 20 high-quality travel, hospitality, food, and art packages, including an original painted carving by Swinomish master artisan Kevin Paul.
“We won’t have numbers for a few days, but the feeling among the cashiers in the front room was that we equaled or maybe even passed previous years,” Buher said.
The club generally raises over $90,000 at the event, funds which allow La Conner Rotary to support numerous scholarship awards and student nutrition and literacy programs, among other initiatives.
One of the more moving moments of the evening was when Paul performed a song in honor of his newborn grandchild.
Paul explained his passion for creating art, many pieces of which he donates to worthy causes such as the Rotary auction.
“I put a lot of love into my work and I really enjoy it.”
Equally moving was the acknowledgement of Holmes’ unwavering commitment to food security in the La Conner area. A longtime food bank volunteer and its former treasurer, Holmes last year provided the financial support necessary for La Conner Sunrise Food Bank to acquire the Garfield Masonic Lodge Building and avoid having to relocate elsewhere, perhaps outside town.
Holmes, a graduate of Whitman College and the University of Massachusetts, made his mark as a physicist, engineer and inventor in California’s Silicon Valley, most notably with his work designing electron microscopes.
“His contributions to electron microscopes literally changed the world,” auctioneer Paul Schenfeld said of Holmes, who grew up in Mount Vernon and now resides with his wife, Mary, in Shelter Bay.
Buher lauded Holmes’ devotion to the food bank mission here.
“Most recently his work with the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank will provide for its continued outreach and will help the food bank board chart a course for the future,” she said.
“Duane has been instrumental in that effort.”
La Conner Rotary each year presents a Paul Harris Award, which is named for the founder of Rotary International who envisioned an organization that would prioritize service to others.
Holmes was an ideal choice for the 2026 honor, Buher stressed.
“Duane’s very accomplished life reflects his belief in service to others,” she said.
The harvest dinner and auction is one of two key La Conner Rotary fundraisers. The other is tulip sales each spring.
“Our club members begin working on our annual dinner and auction just as soon as the tulips have been topped,” Buher said. “I’m always in awe of the effort expended by every member to bring this wonderful evening to fruition.”
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
