MUSCODA - The Muscoda Chamber of Commerce met Monday evening, December 12 for a special meeting held at the Sportsmen’s Lounge and Supper Club.
It included the presentation of the ‘Citizens of the Year’ award to a pair of area natives, Perry and Heidi Wilkinson. Perry is the son of Gerald and Alice Wilkinson of Muscoda and Heidi is the daughter of Kenneth and Madonna Eng of Blue River.
The couple met while in school at Muscoda. They married in 1982 and have two sons, Tyler and Shane.
While presenting the award, Chamber President Dan Behrens noted that Perry joined his auctioneer father and his mother in 1980 as Wilkinson Auction Service was forming and growing. Heidi started her career as a barber but joined the family business in 1993.
As the company grew Perry took over the majority of the auctioneer duties with Heidi specializing in the growing real estate sales efforts.
Through the years the Wilkinsons have been especially valuable to the Chamber of Commerce as they donated their auctioneer and record keeping talents to help make the annual Fall Opener a success. It is the major annual community fund-raising event.
The monies from that effort have financed numerous community improvements, especially in the parks and schools.
The light-hearted Wilkinson-style of auctioneering is one of the attractions of the Opener and at other similar area community efforts.
The recent development of their East Nebraska Avenue Auction Yard in Muscoda attracts many people to the community.
Two other examples of recent company growth have been the opening of an office in Spring Green and a Columbus auction yard as the sons have joined the company.
