The Mapleton Lions Club Auction will be held at the Lions Hall at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, June 10.
Members have solicited nearly 300 items, gift certificates and services that will be auctioned to benefit the club’s charities. The items collected range from restaurant gift certificates to oil changes, a portable gas grill, hot air balloon rides, bags of potato chips, loaves of bread and various services.
All of the auction items are listed or pictured online at greggauctions.com. Click on Mapleton Lions Auction and “Enter Auction” to see the catalog of items.
This auction is one of the club’s two largest fundraising events and collects about 30 percent of the club’s annual income.
Cash donations are always welcome and any member will accept support for the Lions’ projects. Club auctioneers will be Matt Gregg and Ron Leonard.
Pre-auction dinner
From 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., the Pine and Spurs Riding Club will host a delicious public roast turkey dinner at the Mapleton Lions Hall before the start of the auction. The dinner, consisting of roast turkey with all the fixings, will be served by volunteers of the riding club.
Everyone is encouraged to come out and have a good time, while supporting this annual fundraising evening for both clubs.
Memorial Day
The Mapleton Lions Club hosted the 2023 Mapleton Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony.
Wendell Hudson, local resident and veteran, speaks at the Mapleton Memorial Day remembrance ceremony about the cost there is to protecting our freedom. For him, it is important to show respect for armed forces service members who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect members of their units as well as their desire to protect our freedoms. (Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
The Club began the annual parade nearly 30 years ago and has held one every year, shine or rain, missing only the pandemic year. Members are honored to host the parade and the remembrance ceremony on behalf of Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill.
The Presque Isle Middle School Band marched in the Mapleton Lions Club Memorial Day parade. The band has marched in every parade since the Lions Club started Memorial Day activities 30 years ago. (Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
As always, the parade stepped off promptly at 2 p.m. The Maine State Police and Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office led the parade as they have for many years. Veterans represented the Marine Corps League. The Mapleton-Chapman-Castle Hill Fire Department was well represented with firefighters marching ahead of the fleet of firefighting vehicles.
The Presque Isle Middle School Band marched and played as they have since the club began hosting the parade. Leading the band were Patrick Bragdon, Presque Isle High School band director, and John Brabant, Presque Isle Middle School band director.
The Remembrance Ceremony was held at the Veterans Memorial Monument at Mapleton Elementary School. Veteran Wendell Hudson spoke. Pastor Nathan Gardiner of the West Chapman Advent Christian Church offered the invocation and benediction prayers. Wendell Hudson did double duty by singing the Star-Spangled Banner. As he sang the national anthem, Lions Steve Hanning and Tim Graham, assisted by Sabine Welles-Pucket and Carlyn Buck, raised the American and state of Maine Flags.
The Mapleton Memorial Day remembrance ceremony includes laying of the wreaths on the veteran monuments to honor those who lost their lives in service to America. Placing the wreaths are, from left, Aaron Buzza, John Hoffses and Tristan Woodworth, members of the Mapleton Fire Department. As they prepare to salute those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms, Hoffses explains the importance of the ceremony to Sophie Hoffses, his daughter, who is the Department’s mascot this year. (Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
The laying of the memorial wreaths at the monument was conducted by members of the Mapleton Fire Department. The ceremony closed with the playing of taps by Presque Isle Middle School students Annabelle Johnson and Megan Wood, which coincided with the 3 p.m. playing of Taps Across America.
Terry Sandusky is the Star-Herald correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.
