Volunteer Judi Taggart honored with scholarship named in her honor at Pub Mania

GILFORD — The 13th anniversary of Pub Mania, a major fundraising effort for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, was a special one. Organizers honored a prolific fundraising champion with a scholarship in her name. 

Dozens of participants packed the bar at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery before the barstool challenge's opening ceremony, where teams of 12 — most representing local businesses — compete hour-by-hour 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in a celebration of a year's worth of fundraising for the Children’s Auction. 

This year, the event was particularly meaningful. Patrick’s Pub owners Jennifer and Allan Beetle, who also host Pub Mania, told a large crowd they’d created a scholarship to honor Judi Taggart, a longtime fundraiser who’s dedicated much of her life to supporting and uplifting Lakes Region children and families.

The Judi Taggart Community Champion Scholarship will provide $1,000 to a graduating Lakes Region senior, with a total of five students selected over five years. Taggart, who was in attendance at the pub, was surprised with the honor and was visibly moved by the announcement.

“Judi is tenacious with a gentle style,” Jennifer said, while reciting a long list of the accomplishments of Taggart’s life along with numerous personal anecdotes, expressing her gratitude for Taggart’s contributions to the community. 

The Children’s Auction aside, Taggart spent years contributing to support United Way, Upstream and the WOW Trail. She’s also one of the original volunteers at Pub Mania, helping bring it to fruition since 2009.

“We wanted to do something extra special for Judi to commemorate her impact in the community. Words cannot acknowledge her enough,” Allan said. “And I don’t think there’d be anything more special for Judi than her helping local students pursue their ambitions.”

Taggart, who was surrounded by friends and family at Pub Mania, said giving back is in her blood and she was shocked to be honored in such a meaningful way.

“I was brought up to give back and it's just so overwhelming that it’s going to so many kids in need,” Taggart said in an interview. “My family benefitted from others' giving and it’s just so wonderful to give back.”

Taggart’s granddaughter, Mimi, said Judi taught her a lot about kindness and respect.

“She’s always taught me to treat others with manners and kindness and that everyone else comes from other walks of life.”

Volunteers spent the hours leading up to 11 a.m. readying the restaurant, loading boxes from trucks idling outside. Volunteer “referees” prepared for a day of jubilant adjudication on a stage just feet away from the large, rectangular bar in the center of the establishment. 

Above each barstool, at the top of the bar, sat affixed small wooden plaques denoting the teams participating in the event. A larger metal-on-wood plaque above the nameplates memorializes the dollar amounts raised each year, the sum totals rising significantly between 2009 and 2024.

Jennifer Bailey, one of the referees, said Pub Mania is about celebrating the ground gained in supporting Lakes Region families and children. 

“Pub Mania, along with other fundraising events throughout the year, the primary purpose is to get as much money as we can to the Children’s Auction,” Bailey said. “This is a celebration, this is a big party.”

Bailey said her favorite memory came last year, when organizers presented the founder of the Children’s Auction, Warren Bailey, with a lifetime achievement award. Warren Bailey was in attendance, and he said he was eternally grateful to the Lakes Region and its people for their support of the charity.

“To this day, it really takes my breath away. This is the highlight of my years, this is a room full of love,” Warren Bailey said. “One thing that inspired me from year one is the generosity.”

He recounted a memory from one of the first years of the auction — it’s now in its 43rd year — when a man came up to him, without a coat for the wintertime, and said he wanted to contribute and help out local kids.

“He didn’t have two nickels to rub together — you know what? He gave me that nickel,” Warren Bailey said. “It brought me to tears.”

Now the original beneficiaries of the Children’s Auction are at least 43 years old, Warren Bailey figured, and said people still find him to express gratitude for the help they received long ago. Many of the same children grew up to contribute passionately to the Children’s Auction. 

“The movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ happens right here in the Lakes Region,” Warren Bailey said.

“We’ve been raising money all year for the kids and we’re here to celebrate that — but we’re not done,” Allan Beetle said just before the first hour of the event was set to begin. “Let’s keep the pedal to the metal.”

Staff at the pub and many of the participants were decked out, head to toe, in Christmas-themed clothing and costumes. On TV sets above the bar, a livestream of the Children’s Auction played as those in attendance watched between drinks and conversation. Team captains were busy decorating their bar stools and respective sections.

“Today, we’re all sitting at Pub Mania for the full 12 hours, all to raise money for a great cause and to support the Children’s Auction,” Auction Chair Douglas Morissette said in an interview at the bar.

Lisa Cornish, a longtime volunteer and fundraiser for the Children’s Auction, said she appreciates the hard work all volunteers and supporters put in throughout the year to make the charity a success.

“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everybody for everything you’re doing,” Cornish said. “What you do is you bring a smile to the faces, not just of the children, but of the parents who are struggling.”