Bids will start rolling in next Monday on more than $97,000 worth of merchandise during the 70th Annual Houlton Rotary Radio, TV and Internet Auction.
Starting on Monday, Nov, 24, bidders will compete for hundreds of items, including three-night specials such as a 2025 CF Moto C Force 400 four-wheeler, a 4-foot by 20-foot Eastern Township dock with cedar deck and a Basakahegen camp series log package.
There are also plenty of smaller items such as a 20-pound bag of Caribou Russets from Treelane Farms or a 4.5 ounce box of maple candy from Spring Break Maple and Honey. Not to mention each night’s 70th caller will win $70 in Chamber Bucks.
“I’m continually blown away by the way this community shows up for the Rotary Auction,” said Auction Chairwoman Johanna Johnston. “The support we receive allows us to keep giving back in meaningful ways, and it’s an honor to help carry this tradition forward.”
The Rotary’s largest annual fundraiser, the auction started in 1956 and as technology improved so did the opportunities to bid on the items donated from local businesses and residents.
This year’s auction will fund several major projects including a pavilion at the Houlton Elementary School playground, a new ice edger for John Millar Civic Center, portable bleachers for the Houlton Fair Association, an ice shack for Witt’s End Wilderness Veteran’s Community and assistance for the Breaking Ground Memory Garden.
Funds will also be used for a book collection; audio books at Cary Library and to assist the American Legion and the Olympia Leaders Program as well as other projects including Backpacks For Kids, Dollars For Scholars, Rotary Youth Exchange, Student Recognition Day and Salvation Army.
The auction is broadcast each night at 6 p.m. on WHOU Radio 100.1 FM, televised on both Spectrum Cable Channel 1302 and Pioneer Cable channel 402 and live streamed on the Rotary Clubs’ website and Facebook page.
The public is welcome to attend the live auction at Watson Hall at the Episcopal Church on Main Street.
There will be 10 20-minute bidding periods each evening, with the first one running from 6 to 6:20 p.m. The last period runs from 9 to 9:20 p.m., according to Rotarian Nancy Ketch.
On Monday and Tuesday evenings, the 10 minutes from 9:20 to 9:30 p.m. will be used exclusively to take bids for the nightly specials and three-night specials. Wednesday evening’s bidding has an extra 10 minutes from 9:30 to 9:40 p.m. when bids will be taken exclusively for the three-night specials.
Successful bidder lists will be posted on the club’s web site. Items can be picked up at the storeroom located at Watson Hall, 116 Main St., behind the Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Houlton. Organizers encourage winning bidders to bring a list of their items for reconciliation with the master list as well as a list of any pledged donations, Ketch said.
The storeroom closes at 5 p.m. on the days the auction is underway. The storeroom phone number is 207-538-1968.
A supplement detailing the auction items for each 20-minute period, special items, phone numbers, storeroom hours and other information is in the Nov. 19 issue of The County. The information is also available on the Internet at www.houltonrotary.org . There will be links on the web site to view the auction live on the Internet.
Bids can be made for any items by calling the Rotary Auction room at 207- 538-1537.
