Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – With more than $35,000 worth of merchandise up for bid, this year’s 61st annual Presque Isle Rotary Club Radio-TV Auction is bound to have something of interest for all prospective bidders.
Contributed photo
JUST IN TIME FOR WINTER – With snow already on the ground, one lucky bidder at this year’s 61st annual Presque Isle Rotary Club Radio-TV Auction will receive this snow blower – valued at $1,499 – donated by Katahdin Trust Co. and Caron’s Equipment Sales & Service. The annual auction, which helps financially support a number of local charities, will be held Dec. 2-4 from 7-10 p.m. live from the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle. Shown checking out the auction’s highest dollar item are, from left: Nancy Fletcher, auction co-chair; Alton Hartt, Rotary Club president; and Jane Towle, auction co-chair.
The annual event, which helps financially support a number of local charities, will be held Dec. 2-4 from 7-10 p.m. live from the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle.
“Every Rotarian goes to their own place of business, as well as businesses that they work with,” said Jane Towle, auction co-chair. “Everybody has their own set of two, three or four businesses that they solicit, and it all comes together. Many hands make light work for each of us.”
This year’s highest dollar item – valued at $1,499 – is a Toro Power Max 826LE Snow Blower donated by Katahdin Trust Co. and Caron’s Equipment Sales & Service.
Towle said there are a couple of new items this year “that have not been seen in the past.”
One is a gift certificate valued at $700 for a granite hearth pad – donated by Extreme Granite – with the highest bidder’s choice of color.
“That’s a great gift this year because so many people are looking toward installing wood stoves and pellet stoves,” said Towle, “and having it set on a granite hearth can be a beautiful addition to a living room or den. I think that will be a very popular item.”
Another new item is a girl’s four-wheeler.
“It’s a child’s pink camouflage four-wheeler which is really cute,” Towle said. “It would make a great Christmas gift for your favorite little girl.”
The Wildfire WF50-Q2 small four-wheeler – valued at $900 – is being donated by Griffeth Ford and North Street Auto.
“Each year we try to keep things fresh and new,” said Towle, “and typically our donors are very good about that. They’re always coming up with something new that they can offer that keeps the auction exciting and it’s not the same items year after year.
“Although we love the items that come year after year,” she said, “we like to see some new and different items that are pertinent to the times … like the granite hearth and the snow blower.”
Rotary Club President Alton Hartt said money raised from the 61st annual auction will help support a number of organizations including the Presque Isle Fire Department, Special Olympics, Martha and Mary’s Soup Kitchen, Pine Street Elementary School, American Red Cross—Pine Tree Chapter, Presque Isle Police Department, and the Nordic Heritage Sport Club.
“Funds for this event will also help to support many community projects throughout the entire year including the Rotary Scholarship Endowment Fund, youth hockey, World Community Service Projects and countless more,” he said.
This year, the United Way of Aroostook is partnering with the Presque Isle Rotary Club to launch an effort to raise funds to help approximately 300 Aroostook County households get through the winter.
“Keep the County Warm,” a project sponsored by the United Way of Aroostook, is dedicated to keeping northern Maine homes warm by raising money for energy assistance. Grants from the Keep the County Warm Fund are awarded to pay for home energy costs, no matter what type of fuel is used – propane, kerosene, wood, electricity or fuel oil. The grant money will be made available to and distributed by those organizations that offer emergency heating assistance in the region.
With an ambitious target, the United Way of Aroostook and the Presque Isle Rotary Club have set a goal of providing enough funding for 30,000 gallons of heating fuel, translating to approximately $105,000. Also joining in the campaign effort are the Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP), the Area Agency on Aging, and Helping Hands of Aroostook.
Towle said the upcoming auction is a collaborative effort by four groups of people.
“We have over 95 hardworking Rotarians,” she said, “that help bring this all together. We have many very generous business owners who donate these great products for people to bid on, we also have the advertisers … the businesses that advertise in our booklet and on the nights of the auction, and of course we have the viewers. If we don’t have viewers bidding on these items, we can’t make the donations that we do. With the economic times as they are, it’s very important that we help out these organizations.
“These are great gifts,” said Towle. “Gifts and items that everybody can use in everyday life. The auction is a great place to do your Christmas shopping and it’s a way to do a good deed.”
An additional feature of the yearly tradition will be the sixth annual Rotary Art Auction which features local artists, including an artist that will create a unique piece during the auction itself to be available for bid as it is developing before the bidder’s eyes. To see art items and artist biographies, log onto www.umpi.maine.edu/~mccartnk/art08.
The Auction can be heard on Channel X Radio (97.7 FM and 102.3 FM), and seen on Time Warner Cable Channel 9.
“We just found out that Time Warner will be broadcasting the Rotary Auction all across the state,” said Towle, “from Madawaska to Kittery. It used to be very localized, but since Time Warner has absorbed a few different companies such as Adelphia, they are going to be showing our auction throughout the state. We really hope that will bring in more viewers.”
Bidders can call 764-6181 or 1-866-902-2003. Successful bidders will be notified following the last half-hour of each evening.
