ARLINGTON — The Kiwanis Club of Arlington held its annual Fourth of July auction fundraiser at Haller Park, starting at 8:30 a.m. on July 4.

The Kiwanis Club saw more than 100 donated items and hundreds of bidders during the four-hour event. The Kiwanis Club added an early silent auction to the Arlington Frontier Days Fourth of July celebration three years ago. They held two silent auctions, one at 8:30 a.m. and one at 10 a.m., plus a live auction at noon. This year’s auction featured dozens of unique and intriguing items donated mostly by local businesses and residents.

“We raised $6,800,” said Deena Jones, treasurer. “It is quite a bit lower. We tend to get around $8,000 most years, and we give that much in scholarships.”

One possible reason for the smaller total was different donated pieces. “We didn’t have as many big ticket items this year,” said Jones. “We seemed to have as many people signing up for bid numbers. And some items were going for way over the stated value.”

Auction items ranged from antique furniture, a Rat City Roller Girls gift basket and tickets, an estate planning certificate from Steve Peiffle, several wine and cheese baskets, Mariners and Aqua Sox tickets, a Deception Pass boat tour, an Argosy Cruise on Lake Washington, a certificate for a massage, a computer tune-up certificate, a framed needlepoint picture, jewelry, lunch with John Koster and cheesecakes made by Kay Duskin.

Each year, an American flag flies over the U.S. Capitol in honor of a local citizen, upon the request of Arlington native and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, and each year, it is put up for bid at the Kiwanis auctions. The flag also comes with an authentication certificate and the winning bidder chooses who it flies to honor.

Larsen has attended the Arlington Fourth of July celebration since he was 3 years old and said he is always glad to come back to Arlington for holidays because of the town’s rich annual community traditions.

“You think about how much money is being raised for local scholarships through the Kiwanis auction and how much money is being raised for the fire department,” Larsen said. “All of it is raised locally to be used locally, and that’s something I think we forget sometimes in the country.”

The Arlington Kiwanis Club auctions have been a part of the July 4 celebrations in Arlington for more than 15 years. They started across the street from the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce, back when its offices were located near Legion Park.

“We are thankful for what we have and will hopefully make some students happy,” said Jones. The Kiwanis Club traditionally gives $2,000 scholarships to one senior from Lakewood High School and three seniors from Arlington High School.