Bearfootin' Bears set record, surpass last year's total raised by nearly $40,000
On Saturday, Oct. 16 in downtown Hendersonville, the 2022 Bearfootin' Bear Auction came to a close, and in the end the bears, now in their 20th year, raised a record $140,250, surpassing last year's old record of $102,400. According to a press release from Friends of Downtown Hendersonville, eight of the bears sold online at the Buy Now option for $10,000 each. A total of 63 bidders placed more than 239 bids throughout the month-long auction period, the release said.
All of the money raised goes to local non-profits and also the Friends of Downtown Hendersonville. This year's total is nearly $40,000 more than last year and three times the amount from the 2019 auction, which was in-person. This marked the second year that the auctions were held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the virtual format has replaced the traditional in-person auction, a countdown celebration was held at the Historic Courthouse Plaza on Oct. 16 in Downtown Hendersonville. Nonprofit representatives and volunteers cheered on their bears as bids came in during the final minutes of bidding, the release said.
“We continue to be surprised and amazed at the success of the Bearfootin’ Auction after pivoting to the virtual bidding format in 2020, it is a true testament to the beautiful work by our local artists and the charitable nature of our local community” said Jamie Carpenter, downtown manager with the City of Hendersonville, in the press release. “We are also thrilled to share that the Friends of Downtown bear, “Celebration ‘22” painted by Diamond Cash which commemorates the city’s 175th Birthday in 2022 will stay with the city as a fixture in Edward’s Park in the future.”
According to Friends of Downtown Hendersonville, part of the proceeds from each bear benefit a designated local nonprofit. The first $3,000 of the winning bid is split with the organizing nonprofit, Friends of Downtown Hendersonville, to sustain the event and support the overall Downtown Program. Any amount above the first $3,000 goes entirely to the designated nonprofit (in other words, a maximum of $1,500 per bear will go towards Friends of Downtown Hendersonville).
A new batch of Bearfootin' Bears will be revealed in May 2023. For more information go to downtownhendersonville.org.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Bearfootin' Bears set record, surpass last year's total raised by nearly $40,000
