Three-not-four, four-not-five, five-here, five-here, six-dollar-pan-six-dollar, do I have a seven?" Elbert Graybeal has been to auctioneer school and every Saturday night at Wildcat Flea Market he aims to prove it. Yep, he's certified and he means business. As he began the night's numerical song, a woman eyeing the goods twirled her purse strap in anticipation of what the night would bring. "I remember the first time I ever went to an auction. I couldn't understand a word they were saying. Now I understand the language. My whole house is done in auction. Sometimes there are just things I can't live without." Her words trail off as she exclaimed, "Oh my goodness" as yet another item is put up for bid.

Standing at his pulpit, Elbert reeled off numbers with an inflection and speed that made it seem as if he was speaking in tongues. With careful eyes he scanned the crowd looking for white bid cards that teetered in anxious hands, waiting for just the right moment to be raised.

His faithful sat in church pews. Lined with pillows made of the floral and plaid prints of the 50's, the pews are souvenirs of closed churches in Ashe and Watauga county. Occasionally, people want to purchase the pews, but they are too much a part of the experience to be auctioned off. Elbert explained, "Some people come in for the first time and, after they see the pews, they'll find out I'm the auctioneer and come up to ask me, 'When's the sermon start'?"

Elbert has been in the ministry of auctioning since the mid-70's. Years ago he owned a barber shop in West Jefferson where he displayed antiques. Soon, the antique business outran the hair cuttery, so he succumbed to his passion for lost treasures and found joy in finding them new owners.

In 1977, the Wildcat opened and invited Elbert to perform auctions after observing him in action at an estate auction.   Elbert said, "I've loved doing this from the start. I'm one of the few people that gets up excited to go to work everyday. Everyday is exciting. Everyday is different. People find things at auction that bring back memories. Sometimes they'll see something they haven't seen in years and they'll have to bid."

The bidding starts high, but on the smaller items and even some of the larger, prices drop as everyone plays the waiting game, holding their breath, waiting for the right moment to cave into their desires. Sometimes, people get caught up in the excitement.

Randy Pennell knows how it feels get swept into the bidding frenzy. For years he went to auctions bidding on competitive whims. Now, he comes early to examine the merchandise. He takes notes on objects and decides what his limit will be. "I don't want my ego to get bigger than my brain. I write down how much I want to pay so I don't go over," he said, holding a worn pocket notebook. In retrospect, he continued, "You know, maybe I shouldn't tell you that. The fun of an auction is to get caught up in the excitement. It's like someone playing a poker machine. They don't play for the money, they play for the adrenaline rush."

Some people that come to the auction resell their finds in more convenient venues, others just come for the ever-changing items of nostalgia. Cast iron frying pans, oak desks, and armoires received the same amount of excitement as a collection of amber depression-era glass plates.

Ed Taylor of West Jefferson is a regular. "Gosh almighty" he said, burrowing his hands into the deep pockets of his navy blue coveralls as he revealed, "I've been doing this since I was a young fellow - about 50 years!" Sometimes Ed resells his wares from the back of his pickup in front of Hardees, but mostly he just enjoys visiting with the other regulars who talk over steaming coffee about bargains found and those that got away.

The Wildcat auctions often last until every coffee cup from the snack bar has been filled to the brim several times. Veronica Lake and Mae West keep a close eye on the scene from vintage movie posters overhead. Sometimes the lyrical sound of Elbert's calls can be heard until 10:30 or 11:00 without a break. At estate sales that last all day, Elbert has been known to last 10 hours or more. He said, "I've been thinking about retiring but I just can't do it. At some point I'll have to slow down, but I'll never stop. It's just too much fun. This is Saturday Night Live at Deep Gap. The entertainment's free."