Lyle Area Cancer took another six-figure stab out of cancer over the weekend.

After the 37th Lyle Area Cancer Auction on Friday and Saturday, LAC organizers pledged $227,185 at the Fifth District Eagles Cancer Telethon in Rochester Sunday afternoon.

The total narrowly missed the record $230,000 raised last year. That means LAC has now raised just under $2.5 million.

Another strong year left organizers thanking the many volunteers who contribute throughout the year and anyone who gives money to the cause.

“We can’t stress it enough: Thank you for everyone that has anything to do with this,” said Larry Ricke, LAC’s co-chair.

“We wouldn’t be this successful if we didn’t have [those] people,” he added.

For the first time, auction organizers paused pledges from LAC events from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday to take advantage of the hours that traditionally see the largest crowds.

During that time, they auctioned off many of the big-ticket items.

“I think it was a huge success,” Ricke said. “I think it’s because the people were there and we sold the big stuff at that time.”

That approach will likely be used in the future, and volunteers also stressed giving bidders time to mull over big ticket items and to not close the bidding until they were 100 percent sure someone was out.

“That helped,” Ricke said.

Along with pies and other such items selling for hundreds of dollars, Farmboy Barbecue organizer Joe Rosenberg donated four freshly-cooked racks of ribs, which took in about $1,100.

A toy/model barn built by Vance Erie and Cork Unverzagt with help from Diane Pitzen and Bruce Buckhart sold for $4,000, a Canada fishing trip sold for close to $1,000, a few quilts topped $1,000, an Overby Orthodontics gift card for a set of races sold for just under $5,000, a wooden horse sold for about $2,100 and a worldwide Bluegreen Vacations timeshare sold for just under $3,000.

LAC took in about $12,500 in cash donations just on Friday and Saturday to go with more than $61,000 raised during the auction.

Most LAC events peppered throughout the year saw good years, as the Harley raffle and the Lucille Johnson Pool Tournament both pledged record totals.

“They all did very well,” Ricke said.

Auctioneers participating came from Mulberry, Alabama; Rochester; Lime Springs, Iowa; Austin, Dexter and Brownsdale.

After surpassing the $2 million mark last year, Lyle Area Cancer is now on the cusp of $2.5 million with about $2.4 million raised overall.