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It’s absolutely astounding what the Lyle Area Cancer Auction has accomplished over the years.

After a year that saw the LAC relegated to a three-hour drive through meal, which still raised over $38,000, the 43rd auction came storming back with an amazing $177,500 two-day total.

Fans of the event proved they were ready for a fully in-person event and then built on the enthusiasm with an epic amount of bidding.

In the span of these past 43 years, the LAC and its partner events have raised around $3.258 million, all of it going to cancer research.

Keep in mind, this is a community of just a few hundred people, but they raise big dollars each year to keep the support going.

The LAC is representative of what fighting cancer has become in this corner of the state. The wildly successful event is paired with several other events including the Quilting for a Cure, Cropping for a Cure, Cans for a Cure and the immensely successful Lucille Johnson Annual Cancer Pool Tournament, held in Carpenter, Iowa.

On top of it there is the popular fundraising events in Blooming Prairie, Geneva and of course, our own fundraising event here in Austin — Paint the Town Pink, which will soon be getting underway in the coming days.

This all shows that southeastern Minnesota is all in when it comes to fighting cancer and supporting such worthwhile entities such as the Eagles Telethon and The Hormel Institute.

We hope that people continue supporting these events whenever possible, because when you support these events you support the quest to end cancer.