Teams compete to raise most for the kids at Patrick's Pub Mania

GILFORD — It's that time of year again. “The world’s greatest barstool challenge” is upon us.

Pub Mania returns to Patrick’s Pub & Eatery on Thursday, an all-day affair that brings teams of fundraisers from around the Lakes Region together for friendly competition, and to celebrate another year supporting the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction.

Teams of 12 represent local businesses and organizations who commit to fundraising to support the auction, which, in turn, funds local and regional charities to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.  

Last year, Pub Mania raised a whopping $386,722 for the Children’s Auction, capping off a successful effort that raised $763,344 total to support local children. Even ahead of Pub Mania, the event had already raised a bunch of cash, Patrick’s owner Allan Beetle said. 

“It’s already a success in my mind, because we just passed $222,000,” Beetle said Wednesday morning.

“I could only hope that we break the record that we raised last year,” auction board Chair Douglas Morrissette said Wednesday afternoon.

Those 12-person teams play a big role in the fundraising effort. At the closing ceremonies, awards await the top-performing teams, and order is kept by “referees” dressed in stripes during the event. It’s a herculean effort to organize, too, taking most of a year.

“Pub Mania truly allows our community to engage in a fun activity and fundraise all year,” Morrissette said.

“We have to scheme and dream all year about how to make these 12 hours as fun as we can,” Beetle said. “Then, it's a lot of execution.” 

“We really have to be on our toes.” 

“They are a key source of funding for our entire event,” Morrissette said of the Pub Mania teams. “They’ve been tremendous.”

This year’s is the first in decades that won’t be attended by the late Warren Bailey, who created the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction more than 40 years ago. This year, the Children’s Auction dedicated The Warren Bailey Studio at their broadcast headquarters in Belmont to the late founder and radio personality.  

Bailey died in August, at the age of 72. In the spirit of the auction, Beetle started Pub Mania to support the cause. This is its 14th year. 

“Warren loved to come to Pub Mania and the opening ceremonies. He brought his big heart, his big smiles and his stories,” Beetle said. “We will miss him greatly.”

He’ll be there in spirit, though. Patrick’s keeps a scepter onsite all year long and it’s used for the opening ceremonies during Pub Mania. It’s capped off with a Warren Bailey bobblehead.  

“It’s a wonderful reminder of the man who started this movement,” Beetle said. 

Pub Mania is open to the public, and runs from opening ceremonies at 11 a.m., until the final bell at 11 p.m. Live music, creative bingo adaptations, karaoke and lots of good food is what’s in store.

For community members joining in on the fun for lunch or dinner at the pub, there will be a collection for nonperishable foods items. A truck from the St. Vincent de Paul Society will set up shop in the restaurant’s parking lot, at 18 Weirs Road.

Anyone should come by if they’d “want to be part of the world’s greatest barstool challenge,” in an effort to end child poverty, hunger and neglect, Beetle said.

Tony Felch, a city councilor for Ward 6 in Laconia and longtime participant in the Children's Auction, fondly remembers Pub Mania events in years past. He said Wednesday Bailey was “always in awe of everything that the Beetle family and Pub Mania did for the auction.” Felch generally participates as part of team Cafe Deja Vu, which is among the strongest fundraisers each year.

His favorite memories of Pub Mania, however, were when Bailey was there, too.

“He’d brighten up the room.”

For Jennifer Kelley, executive director of the Children's Auction, public involvement makes the world go ‘round. 

“Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the event is the culmination of so many people doing work all year round,” Kelley said. “Come see the magic in person.”

She said Wednesday, one of her favorite aspects of Pub Mania is seeing all of the fundraising teams get together to celebrate the effort’s success and engage in friendly competition. 

“It’s really getting all of those people involved together,” Kelley said. “All in the spirit of what Warren Bailey wanted us to do — get involved in the community.” 

Bid for the kids at childrensauction.com, or by calling 603-527-0999.

Tune into the auction daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., through Friday, Dec. 12, in person at Belknap Marketplace, or on Lakes Region Public Access, channels 25 and 9002 on Breezeline, and Comcast channel 8. Lakes 101.5 FM also broadcasts the event each day, and it is also streamed at laconiadailysun.com and childrensauction.com.

Bailey started the auction 44 years ago in 1982, and engaged enthusiastically with Pub Mania and the rest of its activities every year until his death. His goal, Kelley said, was for the movement to help children to outlive him. It’s safe to say he achieved that — the movement he created has raised and distributed more than $9 million to charitable organizations in Central New Hampshire.

“He has accomplished that in a really big way,” Kelley said. “His impact will be felt by everyone.

“Personally, I think he’ll still be with us.”