[auctioneering] - Jesse Miller: 21, now,
$2,100 bid?
I'm at 2,000, can I get a 21?
Top deal, now $2,100 bid. [shouting]
21, now 22, how about 22 to you?
$2,200 bid, bring in a partner.
2,200, you gonna do it?
2,200, good?
21, now, two? 22, top two?
Now, 22, how about to 21; it's the last item all night.
$2,200 bid, I got 21 here, got 22 to go, $2,200 bid,
22? Going once!
- Bidder: Go! - Going twice.
- Bidder: Come on!
- I sold it to you, my man, $2,100.
[cheering] Thank you very much!
[whooping]
That's amazing.
[upbeat bluegrass music]
[auctioneering] 375, okay now 400,
okay now, 400, 5 bid, you gonna do it?
400? 4?
Are you smilin' or biddin'?
- We're not biddin'. [laughter]
- Jason, we gotta work on your facial expression;
you're so charming, I just wanna take the bid.
[all laughing]
375 to 4; you gonna do it?
$400 bid!
- My name's Jesse Miller
and I sell insurance in Boone, North Carolina.
And as my way of giving back, I auctioneer for non-profits.
Yeah, it's kind of a thrill
when you get up there, and you know,
I'm sort of an introverted extrovert.
I don't know if that's how you say that, but I love...
I mean, I'm outgoing, I love talking to people,
but at the same time,
I've gotta be in my comfort zone to get there sometimes.
So auctioneering, especially in front of a new crowd,
it's not comfortable for me.
But it's gotta be done, so once I get rolling,
that thrill from when the crowd responds,
and you can immediately see
whether they're having a good time or not.
Most of the time, hopefully, they're having a good time.
And so, it's really fun to see their faces
when this South Georgia slow accent kicks it up a notch,
and, you know, people get into it.
So, I love seeing that response from the audience.
I love to see the audience
competing happily with each other to raise more money.
And that's when it gets really cool.
When they want something,
but they also want somebody to bid higher than them
just to get, to raise more money for the charity,
and, I don't know, I think it speaks to this place too.
Thank you very much. [audience cheering]
[upbeat folk music]
My dad's an auctioneer.
It's all he's ever done, since he was a teenager.
He was the man in his industry.
He was a farm equipment,
construction equipment auctioneer.
So, my brother and I grew up knowing him as that guy.
And we'd go to all these auctions,
and he would be, he's the guy.
"Robert Miller's doing it," you know.
And it was cool for us
'cause we always knew we had a father
that was a respected individual in his trade.
That gave me a feeling of that community side of it.
That you can be something professionally,
but it also means a lot personally
to the people that you're working with.
You know, I used to think I cared about
what my job was gonna be as long as I could provide
and be able to support hobbies and family and that whole bit.
And now I've really, kind of fallen in love with my job
because of where I'm at.
And because I can be a part of this community,
which is a group of phenomenal people.
Boone is a place filled up with people
who just want to live in Boone.
It's not like a city where people go to get a job.
You really can't come to Boone to get a job.
You come to Boone to live.
And that's what the people in this community have done,
and so it's cool to be around that.
So I gotta think about this whole time.
So I lived my first 18 years at home in Hazlehurst, Georgia.
And that was totally cool and a great way to grow up.
And didn't know any different.
And then, you know, went to University of Georgia,
that's in Athens; phenomenal town, super cool town.
Atlanta certainly has its attributes.
But nowhere has been home like Boone's home.
And you know, Boone is home.
Even going back to where I grew up,
there's no emotional connection anymore.
I hate to say that;
my parents are probably upset with that.
And again, I loved growing up there,
but there's no emotional connection to the place.
Certain people, certainly, but here,
it's the people, it's the world around us, the environment,
the town, it's just, the place is home.
I'm Jesse Miller and I'm a Boonie.
[laughing]
[spoon playing] [upbeat bluegrass music]
- Announcer: Boonies is made possible
by the Watauga Economic Development Commission.
For a complete list of funders and to find out more,
visit www.artemisindependent.com.