ROME TOWNSHIP — It is probably the only place in the county where an apple pie can go for $175. But no one batted an eye at Monday night’s Sweet Tooth Auction at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds.

Everyone knew it was for a good cause. The annual auction that brings out the generosity in the community offered goodies from pies to no-bake cookies to buckeyes to beer bread. All for quite sumptuous prices.

The beer bread, along with the apple pie, were the contributions of Dalton Russell of Kitts Hill with some help from his mother to the auction. All the confections are baked by members of the Junior 4-H Fair Board, an organization open to 4-Hers 14 years old and older. This year there are 16 members.

“This is to raise money,” said Dalton, who is a member of the Country Rebels 4-H Club.

Last year’s auction raised approximately $2,000.

“We used $800 to give to the families of Toni Black and the Richard Schwab,” Timothy Simpson of Proctorville said.

Black was a Chesapeake woman who lost her battle with cancer and whose supporters continue to raise money for cancer research. The Schwab family had members who were killed or injured in a well-publicized car accident.

Oftentimes money goes to buy Christmas presents for underprivileged children.

“We make sure it goes to something,” said Holly Brooks of the county 4-H organization.

The money that doesn’t go to a charity funds items for the Cloverbud program and other 4-H club needs.

As always Bob Sells conducted the auction bringing in the high prices for the cakes and pies.

“It is a great money-making project and goes to a good cause,” he told the crowd gathered at the new livestock arena before the auction.

Sells also paid tribute to those who worked to get the new barn for the county youth.

“That vision has come true with the determination of the fair board,” Sells said.