Summit Hill Heritage Center held its fourth annual Mason jar fundraiser, offering up hundreds of decorative, prize-packed containers for auction in order to help pay down construction costs from last year.

“Today is the Mason Jar and Music Fest. It includes everything in, on or around a Mason jar. It’s a fun auction, and we have music by Lyle Mantz,” Summit Hill Heritage Center chairman Deb Ranck said.

The whole festival is a product of the hard work of the ladies of the heritage center, and other volunteers.

In order to accumulate a stash of jars, the group swings by the yard sales around town, as many people no longer can their own vegetables. A team of six volunteers researched ideas, decorated and filled the jars to get them ready for the auction, which was sponsored in part by Thrivent Financial’s Josh Koch.

“We decorated the jars, and added some prizes like Pez dispensers. Some were made into candles. We also got some pickles and chow-chow that were made in Mason jars. Some were made into lights, with potpourri and candles on top,” Cathy Papesh said.

Liana Jones, 8, made a few distinctive jars for the auction, including a pair that would be just right for the kitchen.

“I really liked making a fruit set. One is a pineapple, and one is a strawberry,” Jones said. “I used paint, and some paint markers to color the designs.”

The event also featured fresh lemonade and tea, served in Mason jars, of course, as well as hot dogs and other tasty snacks.

Andrea Mantz, leader of the volunteer crew, originally came up with the concept when she was considering a slightly different approach to the old-fashioned fundraising effort.

“I just thought, ‘Well, they fill baskets with stuff for auctions, and a lot of people are into Mason jars for crafts, so what can you put in a Mason jar?’ You can fit a lot of stuff in a Mason jar, if you think about it. We’ve had jewelry, lottery tickets, Hot Wheels, all kinds of stuff. We thought we’d try it and add some music. It was successful. It was our fourth year, and we’re still going,” Mantz said.

After having to take out money for the roof repair last year, the board decided that they would funnel the proceeds of the Chinese auction toward alleviating some of the costs. After all, the heritage center is a pivotal place in the Summit Hill Community.

“We’re also the home of the Summit Hill Community Food Pantry. They take up our whole basement, and we want to make sure they always have a home here, because they serve up to 156 families,” Ranck said.

Lansford residents Jack Ruzicka and Sam Taylor have made it a point to come out for each and every Mason Jar and Music Fest event, since the jars work well for plenty of practical purposes, and as decorations.

“I just feel like it’s different. It’s a different fundraiser than you usually see. And, so far, we’ve won every time,” Taylor said.

Ruzicka said that he appreciates the artistic value of the unique jars, as well as the support for the heritage center.

“With the time and effort that gets put in, it’s not normally something you can just go to the store and buy. And, it’s supporting some local, a good cause,” he said.