The 45th annual Huntington Woods Men’s Club’s auction will be held April 18. Community members can bid on items to raise funds for city projects.
By: Mike Koury | Woodward Talk | Published April 7, 2026
HUNTINGTON WOODS — The Huntington Woods Men’s Club’s annual auction, taking place for its 45th year, will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at the Gillham Recreation Center, 26363 Scotia Road.
The money raised from the Men’s Club auction will be used to buy an LED sign to display city information and messages outside City Hall. Funds also will be used for Jaws of Life tools for the city’s newest fire truck to help people in emergency situations. Additional proceeds will go toward the Men’s Club’s community projects.
The silent auction will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the live auction at 8:30 p.m. A beer garden will open at the same time as check-in at 5 p.m.
Each year, Men’s Club President Rob Onesko said, the city comes to the club with several different projects it needs help funding.
From what was presented, the Men’s Club thought the Jaws of Life tools would be beneficial to provide to the Public Safety Department, and the club also decided to raise funds for a new LED sign.
“The Jaws of Life was a little bit under what we would normally like to give our big projects,” Onesko said. “So, we decided to donate money for the sign and the Jaws of Life this year. The sign, everyone that drives by that sign sees it, and it is about 50 years old and it’s wooden. So it’s old, you put the letters in and replace them when anything changes, which takes hours.”
Public Safety Deputy Chief Bill Spencer said the Jaws of Life equipment, which can be used for prying, cutting and stabilizing vehicles after crashes, is very helpful, not only for automobile accidents, but for scene stability as well.
“They’re very versatile in stabilizing vehicles that have been in automobile accidents,” he said. “The current units that we use, they’re outstanding as well. They’re battery-operated but an older form of batteries, and the equipment’s extremely heavy. The gift from the Men’s Club, it’s a newer lithium-style battery. The actual equipment itself is probably half the weight. So, it won’t take as much strain on our officers when they’re utilizing the tools to try to rescue someone from a vehicle.”
Spencer said the department is grateful for the support of the Men’s Club in raising funds for these tools.
“We have a very supportive community here in Huntington Woods,” he said. “We don’t ask for much, but when we need something that’s extremely important that can assist not only our community, but the surrounding community and visitors in and out of our city, we truly appreciate what the Men’s Club does for us.”
A resident of Huntington Woods for much of his life and a member of the Men’s Club for 14 years, Onesko said that the club helps fund large projects and smaller needs.
“The additional money we raised, we fund a lot of smaller projects that aren’t as (noticed), like giving back to the robotics club, to the Berkley choirs, to the sports teams in the area,” he said.
Auction items up for grabs this year include a Detroit Tigers suite package, a casino night for up to 30 people, a whiskey-tasting and a landscape restoration.
Onesko said his favorite auction items are the ones they get to put on themselves, such as the surf and turf parties in people’s backyards.
“We deliver all the food and services, and we make it seem like it’s put on by a five-star-service catering company,” he said. “Those are the ones that I love. Those bring a good ton of money, and I believe the people that buy them have a great time, and the people that work them have maybe even a better time.”
To purchase tickets for the auction or to learn more, visit hwmc.org.