Stop, shop and let the highest bidder roll home with ‘real nice items’ at Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair auction

THIBODAUX, La. (WGNO) — When the beloved two-day live auction happens at the Firemen’s Fair, upwards of 700 items are up for grabs. When you hear the horn blow, it means it’s an “RNI” or “Real Nice Item.”

One of the featured items for this year’s auction is a mud boat.

“This is one of our featured items this year. It’s a mud boat with a 40 hp engine, with the transmission. It was built by a son in law of our Grand Marshal, Mr. Jude Percle,” said Ron Bourgeois with the Auction Committee.

An “RNI” for hunters includes a deer stand.

“For all you hunters out there we got a Redneck-brand deer stand and if you need a new rifle to go with it, we have those too,” said auction co-chairman Buddy Ledet.

Run by Company One, the auction usually raises more than half a million dollars.

“I describe it as a spectacle it’s the place you want to be the first weekend of May if you’re anywhere in this community. It’s a wonderful tribute to the appreciation that our citizens have for the firefighters of the City of Thibodaux,” said Ledet.

Some of the items at the auction also hold sentimental value, including a handcrafted banner made for the fair once a year by Diane Barrios, who’s been making them since 1993. Last year, it went for $7,001.

Additionally, a lot of these “real nice items” aren’t in the warehouse at all. They’re experiences. Everything from a full year of school tuition to a round of golf with city officials. Even the chance to ride in Endymion for two people, throws included!

So, this weekend, stop, shop and let the highest bidder roll home with some “real nice items.”

Latest Posts