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The Geneva Cancer Auction will celebrate its 40th year of raising money for cancer research during the first two weekends in January at Geneva Bar & Grill.

Since it started raising money in 1985, the auction has raised over $2.32 million, all of which is donated to the Eagles Cancer Telethon in Rochester, which then divides up the funds and gives them to support research at the University of Minnesota, Hormel and Mayo Clinic.

Whitey Hagen, who helped start the auction, said he got involved after his brother died from cancer. His friend Hank Thompson owned what is now Geneva Bar & Grill, and they began having the auction there.

The first year of the auction, it raised $5,500, and it has grown in the years since. Last year, it raised $165,000.

One of the organizers, Barb Kuchenbecker, said she has been attending the auction ever since she can remember but got more involved when she used to own the Geneva bar. Now, even though she no longer owns the bar, the effort remains an important one for her, as she has had a sister, brother and both of her parents who have died from cancer.

“It kind of hits your heart,” she said.

In addition to the money raised during the auction itself, there are several events throughout the year that collect money to go toward the cause, such as a motorcycle run, purse bingo, a bean bag tournament, a golf tournament, a mum sale, beer raffle and a pool tournament. Another group puts on a wild game feed, and another puts on a cancer rodeo. There is also a mini auction and pancake breakfast the first Sunday in April at the bar.

The auction starts at 7 p.m. both Jan. 5 and 12 and at 2 p.m. on Jan. 6 and 13.

“It’s busy from the minute we start,” Kuchenbecker said. “The last day is the busiest — it’s just crazy that day.”

Committee members in the months leading up to the event go around to area businesses soliciting donations, and then everything is brought to the bar the first day of the event.

“We go on all donations and we depend on donations,” Hagen said.

Kuchenbecker said it is hard to know ahead of time what all has been donated because the different committee members are out collecting. There will be everything from restaurants donating meals to gift baskets, clothing, quilts, baked goods, canned goods and handmade crafts.

“Everything you can imagine gets sold,” she said.

She and Hagen recalled jars of pickles and apple pie selling for several hundred dollars and even over a couple thousand dollars.

There is also a raffle, with cash prizes of $1,000, $500, $300 and $200 drawn at 10 p.m. on the last night of the auction. Tickets are $5 each, and people do not need to be present for the drawing to win.

The auction recognizes different cancers each year, selling T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and other clothing items with different cancer colors and their meaning. This year, they will be honoring patients suffering from colon cancer.

If people have donations they would like to drop off for the cause, they can do so at Geneva Bar & Grill or with someone on the committee.