It may have rained, but it didn’t rain on our parade or spirits, as hundreds of dedicated BC/EFA supporters came to the Shubert Alley in New York’s theatre district Sunday, September 30, 2001, to buy theatrical memorabilia and bid on priceless one-of-a-kind packages at BC/EFA’s 15th annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction. This year’s Broadway Flea Market raised $358,556 for critically needed services for people living with HIV/AIDS across the country. As previously announced, a portion of the proceeds will be also be donated to The Twin Towers Fund created by Mayor Guiliani and the city of New York to address the immediate financial needs of the families of those firefighters, police, and civilians lost in the wake of the September 11th tragedy. A total of $30,000 will be donated — $20,000 to the American Red Cross, and $10,000 to the Twin Towers Fund.

Among the top sellers at this star-studded event were four tickets to the final taping of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” which garnered $6,000, and a pair of coveted house seats for The Producers on a Saturday night which was bought for $1,800.

A special attraction at the Flea Market is always the Celebrity Table, where celebrities such as Joan Rivers, Dana Ivey, Cherry Jones, Tony Roberts, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Polly Bergen, Phyllis Newman, Ian McKellen, Michele Lee, Celeste Holm, Leslie Uggams, and Jim Dale, and more signed autographs and posed for photographs in exchange for donations to BC/EFA. Celebrities weren’t just at the specified table — Joel Grey made a surprise onstage appearance during the auction to support our cause, and Bebe Neuwirth placed the winning bid on Roy Scheider’s black sequined jacket from the Bob Fosse film “All That Jazz,” which she purchased for $2,200.

Thank you, as always, for your support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. What we do together makes a difference.