AUBURN - Dan Salato is battling cancer but his spirits were certainly lifted Saturday as close to 1,000 people attended a picnic fundraiser at VFW Post 1975.

“I'm really impressed that so many people came out in his honor,” said Joe Barwinczok, who was selling beer tickets. “And he's still got a great attitude. We just tell him to hang in there, hang in there. He's strong.”

Peter Salato said his brother was “doing OK” as he pointed him out in the throng of people.

Nearly 80 different food vendors made a donation.

A couple of big tickets items - such as a gas grill and a flat-screen television - cost some money that was raised by Leader and others. There were also 25 gift baskets raffled off, along with a cake wheel, a dice wheel, raffles, and ice-cold bottles of beer for $2.

“Whether its was large pizza, to a gift certificate, everyone pitched in.

And all of the food was donated,” said Brad Leader, Dan's nephew.

Former City Councilor Bill Jacobs and his wife were in attendance. Once a firefighter as well, Jacobs got to know the Salato family very well from their work with the Cayuga Fire Department.

“A great family. A solid family,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs is also good friends with Tommy Leader, who is married to the former Celeste Salato. Their son, Brad, was one of the fundraiser's organizers.

“Everything got auctioned off. Everything went well. It was just a really good day, and I'm glad everybody turned out,” Leader said. “It was a great atmosphere, friendly. And we made some money to pay for his medication, and his hospital and home bills.”

The event's organizers met every Tuesday night at the VFW over the past six weeks to plan the event.

Dan is a past commander, and quartermaster, at VFW Post 1975, and is a well-known contractor.

Another organizer, Mary Currier, has been involved with many benefits but has seen few that could rival Saturday's party.

“He's a very, very loved man,” she said. “It was a whole pool of people - about 25 people, and also people from the VFW - that put this together.

And it came together very quickly. We started organizing only six weeks ago.”

Post Commander Charles “Abie” Carroll was worried the poor weather of the early morning might last until the afternoon.

“The turnout is even better than I thought it would be,” Carroll said. “But I'm not that surprised, either. Dan is just a good guy. He'd do anything in the world for you.”

Providing the afternoon's entertainment were DJ Bill Crolick and the LaFrance family of Red Creek - guitarist Todd, and the two female singers, mother Cathy and daughter Z.

Dan is suffering from liver cancer. He talked with friends and well-wishers all of the afternoon before leaving around 4:45 p.m. because he was so tired. Slated to end at 5 p.m., the party continued for way past an hour more.

“You know, he's got cancer. But he's doing OK. He's a happy-go-lucky guy,” Peter Salato said.

The two were among the five Salato children who grew up in Cayuga, the children of Pete and Estelle Salato. Dan is the baby of the family.

“We can't appreciate enough what they did for us. He's got a lot of friends,” said Dan's wife, Debbie.

The two met eight years ago and were married August 11 at Emerson Park in an informal ceremony. And the reasons she married Dan are why so many turned out Saturday.

“He's a very kind, compassionate, loving person,” she said.