Country hams. Nine tons of crushed rock. Fitness club memberships.

A weekend getaway.

That’s just a sampling of the items up for grabs this weekend at Peanut City Auction’s fundraiser to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. The charity auction kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the auction house at 1239 Carolina Road.

&uot;We’re hoping at least 100 people will come out,&uot; said Frances Chittum, who has organized the auction for her son’s business. &uot;It’s being held after the Peanut Fest parade. We thought it would be the ideal way to cap off the parade.&uot;

For the past month, Chittum has been contacting local businesses, asking them to donate items that can be auctioned.

&uot;People have been very generous,&uot; she said. &uot;They have been great.&uot;

The business will continue accepting donations of &uot;gently used items – anything but clothes&uot; – to sell up until Saturday morning, she added.

All proceeds from the auction will be turned over the Suffolk office of the American Red Cross.

Chittum’s son, Brandon, proposed the charity auction earlier this month after watching news coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

&uot;It was just heart-wrenching,&uot; she said. &uot;We just felt like this was a little thing we could do to raise money to help these victims begin to rebuild their lives.&uot;

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com