High and often: Children's Auction bidding now open

BELMONT — The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction dates back to 1982, and has grown into the area’s largest fundraiser by keeping to the same goal for more than four decades: $1 more than last year’s haul.

That modest goal, along with the understanding the money raised will go back to the community in the form of grants to local organizations which benefit children, has helped the auction grow from an event that raised $2,100 in its first year to $711,495 last year. This year’s goal? $711,496.

It’s a lofty goal, but one that’s needed to come close to meeting the need. Doug Morrissette, chair of the auction’s board, said 75 local nonprofit organizations have submitted grants and collectively those organizations touch the lives of 32,500 local children.

“Anything that we can raise is a blessing,” Morrissette said, especially considering all items auctioned this week were donated, as is food for volunteers, even the space used by the auction this year at Belknap Marketplace.

The auction, which tends to bounce around from year to year in search of free lodging, is setting up shop in a couple of the units within the Marketplace, formerly known as the Belknap Mall. The auction broadcast studio will take place in a storefront near Shaw’s, while winning bidders will pick up their items from a storefront next to the Hawk/Lakes 101.5FM broadcast studio, also in the Marketplace.

The 2024 Children’s Auction runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., from Dec. 10 through 13.

Old auction, new tricks

Continued growth requires constant innovation, which is a lesson auction organizers have taken to heart. Two auctions previous, a new VIP option was released, which allowed those serious about their bidding to get advance notice of items about to come up on the block, and the ability to place bids on those items. Last year, those capabilities were opened to everyone, as well as the option for online bidders to post both their current bid as well as their “max bid.” In doing so, bidders who wanted to be able to split their attention could let the system update their bids for them, up to a pre-set dollar amount.

Jennifer Kelley, executive director of the auction, said it was a good move. On Monday, a day before the auction officially began, several items on childrensauction.org had already started collecting bids.

“We really increased our revenue a lot last year,” Kelley said. Referring to the number of organizations who have asked for grants, she said, “That’s what drives my passion to make this a really successful auction. The community needs us.”

The hope is the new bidding tools will continue the rise in revenue. Auction organizers are also hoping to increase the public’s general interaction with the event, which is the sentiment behind a couple of other innovations being added or expanded this year.

On Wednesday, the auction is bringing back “Family Night,” an event that proved popular last year and could double in attendance this year. The event on Dec. 11 will be a free event for families to attend and get their picture taken with Santa, jeer at The Grinch, help build toys in Santa’s workshop and decorate cookies, sing holiday songs and collect a book given by the local Kiwanis Club.

New this year, the auction is offering gift wrapping. Morrissette said wrapping could be a useful service for the many who use the auction to do their holiday shopping. “They can sneak it in the door without anyone knowing” what’s under the gift wrap, he said.

The wrapping will be done by donation. Although it was conceived as a service for auction winners, Kelley said anyone can bring their gifts to be wrapped.

Catching the 'magic'

The auction has changed and evolved since radioman Warren Bailey was moved to park a broadcast van on North Main Street in 1982 and plead for listeners to donate items, then encourage listeners to place bids on the items he described on the radio.

Today, the auction is still broadcast on the radio — 101.5FM — and carried on LRPA TV and can be streamed at childrensauction.org, laconiadailysun.com or facebook.com/childrensauction.

Yet despite all of the digital avenues, there’s something special about seeing the event first-hand. The auction makes itself explicitly welcoming to the public, who are invited to visit the studio and watch the auction in action.

“We want to invite the public to come and experience the magic,” Kelley said.