Houlton Rotarians celebrate Christmas early

Diana Hines, Special to The County
5 years ago

HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Rotary Club met for its annual Christmas party and luncheon that features the Christmas Auction on Monday, Dec. 17 at Watson Hall.

Items left over from the Rotary Auction at Thanksgiving time are on the table, plus any gifts donated by club members, some being “mystery gifts.”

Opening the meeting was President Nate Bodenstab who introduced the game of “Heads and Tails” that was led by Rotarian Andy Mooers. Players must add $10 to the kitty to enter to play. Paul Adams won the game and received one half of the funds as the other half went to Cary Library.

There were some great gift items auctioned. Mooers was joined by Rotarians Chris Anderson and Dana Delano who took turns working the auction. A pair of mittens created by the Cyr sisters went for $20; a  book called “Two Are Better Than One” combined with a hand-made butternut bowl created by “MacNan” went for $20; a book about the constellations called “Seeing Stars” combined with a “Santa Stop in Houlton” sign went for $25.

Paul Adams bid $5 for a pair of hedge trimmers and a t-shirt and won the bid. A 25-foot tape measure from S. W. Collins combined with a chimney inspection by Shiretown Stove was won at $20. These were the average bid prices and a couple of items were bid higher.

A painting by Winnie Ireland of Katahdin donated by Torrey Sylvester when he moved to southern Maine netted $55. Another combination of an oil change at Aroostook Autotech and a business card kit raised $45.

The funds raised at this Christmas Auction will go towards the library and the Salvation Army. The meeting set a nice tone for the upcoming holidays and many nice Christmas presents were picked up by members.

The next meeting will take place on Monday Jan. 7, with Corinne Watson speaking about her business “Tiny Homes of Maine.”