The American Cancer Society telethon this weekend reached new heights, raising $254,386 in its 24 hours of fundraising.

“This was our most financially successful year ever,” Telethon chairman Joe Krushinsky said, adding it was only fitting as the telethon wrapped up with a tribute to longtime musician Danny Farole, who died Jan. 21 at age 90 and Jesse “Big Dog” Hiles, who died Jan. 31.

Farole participated in more than 40 telethons, wrapping up Sunday evenings with songs such as “Tony the Ice Man” and “Those Were the Days.”

In recent years his family joined in, bringing him to the telethon and providing backup.

On Sunday night the family joined the house band in tributes to Farole.

Hiles was the founder of Zoostock, the annual Labor Day fundraiser which has been a major fundraiser for the telethon. For over 30 years Jesse owned The Sports Zoo, Lansford, where the event was held.

On Sunday, Krushinsky announced the festival will continue and be named The Jesse Hiles Zoostock Labor Day concert.

He said the festival has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Hiles’ sister-in-law Lisa Hiles, longtime volunteer with the telethon, said, “Cancer doesn’t stop and we won’t either.”

It truly takes a community to bring in the large totals for the annual fundraisers. Organizations hold events all year long.

Last year, the telethon amount was down slightly, with $224,763. The past few years have been tough because many fundraisers were canceled because of the pandemic.

The East End Fire Company in Tamaqua resumed its boilo contest. The check was presented with fundraisers from Notre Dame Club of Schuylkill County and the American Hose Company of Tamaqua. The total was $15,831, which Krushinsky said was just $800 more than was raised with the entire first telethon at Tamaqua High School more than 40 years ago.

Other major fundraisers included the ACS basket raffle, bringing in $34,000; Relay for Life, $11,619, despite a rainy weekend; Zoostock, $9,207, mostly from T-shirt sales as the festival was also hit by rain; golf tournament, $8,400, and pink ribbon sales, $6,000.

Doug Yasinsky, organizer of the golf tournament and ribbon sales, said, “We all know someone who has had cancer, is fighting cancer or unfortunately will get cancer.”

His mother has survived two bouts of breast cancer, 17 years apart, and he lost his sister to cancer.

Yasinsky also organized remotes in Tamaqua with a pub crawl.

Remotes were also held in Pottsville and Steel Pub in Bethlehem.

It wasn’t just the big events that contributed to the total. Lisa Hiles ran a gift card that brought in $1,200.

Koch’s TV and Appliances Inc. hosted a Facebook contest and donated $1 for every like. That brought in $1,200.

School groups are essential to the fundraiser. The Tamaqua minithon, Kids helping Kids, raised $6,000.

Lehighton Area Middle School student advisory council brought a check for $2,157. Under the direction of Kenny Eck, they sold daffodil chocolate lollipops made by volunteer Kathy Lengyl.

They also sponsored a pink out day and provided a pizza party to the homeroom who wore the most pink on that day.

Carbon Career & Technical Institute brought students to answer telephones and then donated $500 through various fundraisers such as dress down collections and the annual fall fundraiser.

The school will be hosting the festival on Sept. 30 to support the American Cancer Society.

Panther Valley’s Harmony Scholars performed on the telethon and will be donating proceeds from the annual show.

At the end of the telethon, the final total was unveiled, and a recording was played of Farole and longtime host Bud Wychulis, who died in 2021. The song was appropriately a rendition of “Show me the way to go home.”