Woodstock on the block

<p>Maxine Averbuck saw something of herself in the Woodstock statue entitled "The Village Gardener."</p><p>An avid gardener from Sebastopol, Averbuck fell in love with the 5-foot-tall statue featuring Snoopy's little yellow friend wearing a straw hat and perching atop a nest brimming with fresh flowers, produce and garden tools.</p><p>But Averbuck also is a seasoned bargain hunter, and she wasn't about to overpay for her prize. She coaxed the auctioneer into sweetening the pot - three free rides on the Redwood Empire Ice Arena's Zamboni for her grandchildren.</p><p>"Going once, going twice - SOLD for $6,000!" announced the auctioneer, as he brought down his gavel and gave Averbuck what will surely go down as one of the more expensive pieces of garden statuary in Sonoma County.</p><p>Averbuck was one of dozens of bidders vying Sunday afternoon for one of 20 Woodstock statues auctioned off to raise money for causes supported by the family of the late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.</p><p>The Santa Rosa auction brought to an end the "Summer of Woodstock," a public art program that brought 76 fancifully decorated Woodstock statues to the streets, most supported by and displayed in front of local businesses.</p><p>The event, which is modeled after a similar program in Minnesota, is on a three-year run - Charlie Brown last year, Woodstock this year and "Joe Cool" Snoopy next year, said Craig Schulz, the cartoonist's son.</p><p>Last year's event astonished the Schulz family, raising about $300,000, including one statue by artist Tom Everhart that fetched $54,000. This year's auction was more modest, raising about $167,000. Those results disappointed some bidders.</p><p>"I thought the bidding was terrible," said Shirley Spencer, who bought three statues Sunday, including the highest-priced one. "Some people only paid $2,000 for theirs."</p><p>Spencer paid $36,000 for a statue by Everhart called "Dots the Way I Like It," which features Woodstock drizzled with dots of colorful paint.</p><p>The statues cost $5,000 to sponsor and $2,000 to keep out of the auction, not to mention the cost and effort to decorate, she explained. That means some people bought statues for far below what they cost sponsors, she said.</p><p>That suited Santa Rosa resident Robin Marcus just fine.</p><p>"We had no idea we'd be going home with a Woodstock tonight," said Marcus, who spent $3,500 for "Woodspock," which features the hapless bird dressed up like Mr. Spock from "Star Trek." "And definitely not one sitting on The Enterprise."</p><p>Marcus agreed the bidding seemed to be down from last year, but she couldn't say why. She said she is not a particular fan of "Star Trek" but bought "Woodspock" because she and her children thought it was one of the most creative ones in the lot.</p><p>Schulz said the funds raised this year will help finance art scholarships for local young people and a bronze Peanuts statue at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.</p><p>The auction likely suffered this year because there were other major auctions in the county on the same day, he said. The second year also may have dropped off because the novelty of the first year had worn off slightly, he said.</p><p>The number of total sponsors this year was up from the 55 Charlie Browns last year. Only 16 Charlie Browns were auctioned off last year, he said.</p><p>Despite the drop, the "Summer of Woodstock" was a huge success, he said.</p><p>It all started with the painting of the statues over three days in May, followed by parades over the summer that featured Woodstock as the grand marshal, he said.</p><p>Charles Schulz got the idea to name the little bird in his comic strip Woodstock in 1969 after hearing about the infamous concert in New York that year. Sunday's auction was replete with references to Woodstock's roots in American hippie culture.</p><p>Attendees wore tie-dyed T-shirts, and Jimmi Hendrix's psychedelic guitar licks reverberated through the ice rink where the auction was held.</p><p>"Woodstock has always been a popular character worldwide and continues to bring people to Santa Rosa, which is what this is all about," Schulz said.</p>