Planning has started for the 2025 Oxford Picket Fence Charity Auction. The Oxford Business Association has been supporting local nonprofits since 2007 with an auction of one-of-a-kind painted Picket Fences. Local artists volunteer their time and talents to create these 4-picket sections of the iconic Oxford Picket fence, depicting life on the Eastern Shore. This is a popular event each year, resulting in substantial donations for participating organizations.
We are seeking local non-profit organizations who could benefit from this event, both financially and through community awareness. We are also recruiting artists to paint fence sections for those organizations may not have an artist available to them.
Here’s a brief overview of how the Auction works:
- Non-profit partners enlist a volunteer local artist to represent their organization. The artist will design and paint a section of an Oxford Picket fence (example below). If you are unable to enlist an artist, we may be able to assist in making a match.
- OBA builds and provides the ‘blank canvas’ fence section for the artists. Fences need to be completed by April 30th.
- Completed fences will be displayed throughout Oxford from early May until mid-September. Fence listings and walking tour maps will be available at Oxford businesses, on social media, at local visitor or tourist centers, and more, listing the benefiting organization and crediting the artist.
- In mid-October the fences will be auctioned at the Oxford Community Center (exact date TBD). The event will include an hors d’oeuvre and cocktail reception for the organizations, artists, and patrons prior to the start of the auction.
- Attendance for the auction is free.
- Bidding happens live at the event. Proxy bidding will also be made available through the OBA website, so one need not be in attendance to win.
- Historically, fences have sold from a few hundred dollars to $1000 plus.
This is NOT a fundraiser for OBA. Our goal for this project is to promote Oxford and its businesses and promote and support local non-profit organizations. Net proceeds for each fence will go to the partner non-profit organization.
OBA will promote the project with press releases, ads, on our website, and through social media. Promotions will include photos of the fences, and information on your organization and the artist. Of course, we would also appreciate your organization promoting it with your audience through your normal channels of communication. The more we jointly promote the event the more successful it will be! Visitors and locals alike are encouraged to come stroll the shady streets of Oxford and discover these little gems on display.
In addition to being on display in Oxford for the summer, the photos and information on the Picket Fences is available on the OBA website, https://portofoxford.com/ and on social media. Anyone unable to attend can place a proxy bid by completing a quick and easy online form. Proxy bidding will open once all fences have been placed on display.
In October, all the fences will be on display at the Oxford Community Center (OCC) for a reception and live auction (exact date is TBD). The OCC auditorium will be full of people vying for a chance to take one of these one-of-a-kind pieces of art home, for display in their gardens, on their porch, or in their home. Many of the fences have artwork on both sides, so the successful bidder will get two original works of beautiful art!
The organizations’ commitment would be to recruit an artist to paint a fence for your benefit and add promotional information for this event to your communication newsletters and materials. You would receive a cash donation and community exposure. If you can not recruit an artist, we may be able to help.
If you are ready to sign-up, or have questions, please email us at marketing@portofoxford.com. We ask that non-profits and/or artists register by March 30th to provide enough time to make the fences for each organization.
The Oxford Business Association works to promote the town of Oxford and to provide a positive business environment for its members to achieve cultural, civic, economic, and business goals and contribute to the prosperity and vitality of the Oxford community. Additional sponsors include Brinsfield Fence Co. and the Oxford Community Center. Visit www.portofoxford.com for more information.