BANGOR — A couple of dozen people found escape from Sunday’s sweltering heat by buying Christmas ornaments and celebrity pictures at an auction to benefit the Eastern Maine AIDS Network.

Items ranging from a copy of Elvis’ last will and testament to collectible figurines were sold for a few dollars to $100. The money raised by the nearly four hours of feverish buying at the Bangor Motor Inn will benefit the network’s education and outreach efforts.

The sixth annual auction was expected to raise more than $6,000, said the network’s executive director, Denis Cranson. Last year, the auction raised $6,300, and Cranson hoped to raise even more with Sunday’s sale. More than $2,400 worth of merchandise already had been sold over the Internet.

The network, which serves Penobscot, Piscataquis and Aroostook counties, offers support groups, medicine and transportation to people with AIDS, and free or reduced-priced HIV testing to people who fear they might have the disease. It also offers educational programs about preventing AIDS to schools and other community organizations.

The annual auction is the network’s major fund-raiser for the year.

Deb Carney of Searsport comes to the auction every year. This year she left with a bag full of superhero photos and handmade cloth cows to decorate the guest bedroom and cover the vacuum cleaner.

“It’s great fun,” she said. “You never know what you’re going to buy.”

Mike Gordon of Lewiston was proud of his bargains — a photo of hockey great Gordie Howe and a pair of white socks autographed by John Ratzenberger who played mailman Cliff on TV’s “Cheers.”

Gordon also won a flurry of feverish bidding for a trivia card autographed by former Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie. He paid $28.

Many items didn’t fetch so much money. A copy of Humphrey Bogart’s last will and testament went for $2. Elvis’ brought $3, and Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia’s went for $5.

Donna Hall of Green Lake said she came to show her support for work to stop the spread of AIDS. And she left with a signed photo of folk singer Joan Baez — for $5.