It’s a mix that keeps people coming back year after year.

Not only do people mark a weekend in January to attend the Lyle Area Cancer Auction each year, many people also make time to stop by the auction’s kitchen.

“That’s really a big part of it because everybody eats when they come here,” said Cindy Ricke, who manages the kitchen.

Lyle cancer benefit raises $130K

Like the auction itself, the kitchen of the Lyle Area Cancer Auction pools the efforts of many people from southern Minnesota and northern Iowa to serve things like homemade vegetable beef and dumpling soup, chili, sloppy joes and pork on a stick.

“Everybody’s excited just to raise some more money,” she said.

The kitchen raised more than $4,000 last year. The year before it raised about $3,500.

“Every year we’ve been making consistently more and more money in the kitchen,” she said.

Up until about a decade ago, organizers purchased the food served at the auction. But that limited the amount of money raised.

Cindy decided to contact local businesses for donations, which she admitted was nerve-wracking at first. But the businesses stepped up, and now all the food sold at the auction is donated by grocers, suppliers and area groups.

“Without them we wouldn’t have all this food,” she said. “If I had to purchase everything, we wouldn’t make nearly as much as we do.”

More than a dozen businesses help the cause, but the help isn’t limited to companies. Churches post requests for donations, and donate bars for freewill donations. Volunteers help cook soup and drop off cooking supplies. Farmers donate food.

Larry Ricke, Cindy’s husband and co-chairman of the auction, said organizers put little money into the auction. In fact, the auction’s total expenses are far lower than $500 each year.

“Our expenses are little or none,” he said.

In fact, he said one motto of the auction is to beg, borrow or steal to keep costs down.

The auction and the meal are only parts of Lyle’s annual January get-together. A Harley Davidson motorcycle is raffled off each year. A local brewer samples beer. Progressive Hair cuts hair. Massages are available on Saturday.

“We got so much going on,” Larry said.

The kitchen is just part of the annual tradition. John Ceaman and Jamie Patterson, who have attended the auction for years, typically do the same thing at each auction.

“We normally eat, drink and go buy stuff,” Ceaman said.

Like the auction, the kitchen sticks to tried and true formula. The same menu has been served for years.

The vegetable beef and dumpling soup — a Ricke family recipe — commonly gets rave reviews.

As with any large event, small things go wrong before and during the auction. Cindy said she often fears someone may forget to arrive for his or her shift the kitchen. However, Cindy said she’s comforted by knowing she could ask many people in the crowd to help if needed.

“Everyone’s so helpful,” she said. “This is just such a happy weekend.”