Rotary declares partners for 69th auction
Viewers will see technical tweaks, faster pace
PRESQUE ISLE — When the curtain rises on the 69th Annual Presque Isle Rotary Auction Nov. 29, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, regular bidders and viewers will notice some exciting changes Rotarians are introducing this year.
First, the TV auction, which airs live statewide on Time Warner Cable Channel 9, will be more fast-paced than in previous years. Rather than half-hour bidding segments with more than two dozen items, this year’s auction will feature 15-minute blocks with 12 items on each board.
Technology will enhance the “look” of the broadcast, which for the first time will include electronic boards featuring the name/description of an item, along with the item number and value.
Aside from the new visual features of the television broadcast, the reach of the live auction will extend worldwide. It will be simulcast on the internet, in its entirety. Townsquare Media of Presque Isle will host the live webcast of the auction on its Big Country 96.9 website at www.bigcountry969.com.
“Our goal is to make the auction more accessible to a larger audience, and to ensure that those tuning in, either on television across Maine or on the web anywhere around the world, will find it easy to understand what items they can bid on,” said Mandy Pooler-Hall, who will co-chair this year’s auction along with fellow Rotarian Jason Parent.
“The electronic item listing board will make it evident to viewers, on TV or online, what is up for bid during that 15-minute segment, especially if they don’t have access to a printed booklet or it is not convenient for them to access the booklet on the web, especially if they are watching the web simulcast and placing bids,” she said.
Pooler-Hall said in recent years only the auction quote board was streamed live on the web, so having the full broadcast online will enable non-cable subscribers and those outside Maine to have the “full auction experience.”
The event will have a slight change of venue this year, broadcast live from the Red Room at the Northeastland Hotel in downtown Presque Isle. In previous years, the broadcast was live from the hotel’s basement ballroom.
As always, the auction will feature a large number of products and services donated by local businesses and organizations that will be up for bid over the three evenings. More than 600 items, altogether valued at over $50,000, have been solicited by Rotarians and other community volunteers.
Volunteers with the six non-profit partner organizations selected by the Rotary Club have joined in the solicitations and will share in the proceeds. The new partnership arrangement with community groups was introduced this year as part of an overall effort to increase the funds raised, and to provide an even greater platform for the organizations.
“We have been working closely with the six organizations who were selected earlier this year to receive support through the auction,” said Parent. “They have joined in our outreach efforts to area businesses for donations of items that will go up for bid, which has expanded our base and resulted in new donors and items not previously part of our auction.”
The six proceed partners and their respective projects that will benefit include: the Aroostook County Action Program, emergency funds for unmet needs County-wide; Central Aroostook Association, construction of a recreational area and outdoor pavilion; Friends of Aroostook, farming supplies to support Meals on Wheels; The Northern Lighthouse, expansion of its mental health resource library; Pregnancy Care Center, update of prenatal health and parenting education materials; and United Way of Aroostook, expansion of the Dolly’s Imagination Library Program.
“The proceed partners will also be more involved in the auction itself,” Parent said, “with volunteers joining us on each of the three evenings and a greater focus on the six groups during the live broadcasts.”
As in years past, along with the regular auction proceed partners, Rotarians have chosen a special project partner. This year’s special project is Aroostook Football.
Special project partner status annually is funded through a collaborative solicitation of direct community member donations made during the auction. Typically, the goal is to raise between $20,000 and $25,000 for larger community projects. More information on the Aroostook Football project to be funded will be released in the coming weeks.
The club selects partner organization projects based in part on: community benefit, funding needs and availability, and sustainability of the organization’s funding model. Auction proceeds have typically been used for capital or special spending projects rather than ongoing organizational operating funds.
For more information, visit www.PresqueIsleRotary.org or contact any Rotary member.
