Houlton Rotary Club collecting auction items

With lots of hard work on the part of members of the Houlton Rotary Club and the generous contributions of local business owners and individuals, the 49th annual Rotary Radio TV Auction should continue to be as successful as it has in the past.

Auction Chairman Bob Aucoin told me this week the goal is to raise $40,000 during the event, which runs from Monday, Nov. 22, through Wednesday, Nov. 24, on WAGM-TV (Channel 8) and local cable Channel 10.

Rotarians are now in the process of gathering items for the auction, which is the club’s major fund-raiser.

Aucoin said proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum’s project of constructing a building to house its antique farm equipment, to install a scoreboard for Hodgdon High School and to assist with the Rotary’s Dollars for Scholars program, as well as continuing the club’s support of other local groups and organizations serving young and old alike.

Anyone willing to donate an item, or items, to the auction can do so by calling Aucoin at 532-3098, or Rotary President Melinda Logie at 532-2291.

Baked goods and crafts would be particularly welcome and, as we approach the date of the fund-raiser, we’ll be sure to remind you to tune in and place your bids to help your community.

On behalf of Abnaki Girl Scout Council, Communication Director Cathy Brown invites women to inquire about its Women Working speaker series, which begins Thursday, Oct. 14, and concludes with a presentation by motivational speaker Susan Arledge on Thursday, Nov. 4.

The four-speaker series is $8 per session or $27 for the series.

For more information or to register, visit www.abnakigsc.org, call Brown at (800) 464-3858 or 989-7474, or e-mail cbrown@abnakigsc.org.

The 10th annual Central Maine Buddy Walk is 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at Cascade Park on State Street in Bangor.

Developed by the National Down Syndrome Society to promote acceptance and inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome, the event welcomes people of all ages to share in a meaningful, fun-filled afternoon.

When you arrive at 1 p.m., you will be greeted by face-painter Wendy Brown. You can enjoy a barbecue lunch courtesy of Unicel, Brookside Bar & Grill, Hannaford, TBA, Precision Auto, B&L Auto, Pepsi-Cola Bottling, Coca-Cola Bottling and Garelick Farms.

At 1:15 p.m., Julie Monroe will sing for you, and at 2 p.m., the walk begins from Cascade Park to the Gingerbread House on State Street.

At 2:45 p.m., Kevin Duplissie will entertain you with balloons and stories. You also can enjoy the ups and downs of a Bounce House, thanks to Grand Rental Station.

For more information about this event, or to make a donation, call Michelle Harmon, 478-1274.

Maine first lady Karen Baldacci is the March of Dimes State Prematurity Campaign honorary chairwoman.

She will be joining members of the University of Maine coaching staff for the 3rd annual March of Dimes Dinner-Auction at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Bangor Elks Lodge on Odlin Road.

Ten of the area’s top restaurants will be represented at the event, which benefits the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.

The mission of the foundation is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. The current focus of the March of Dimes is premature birth.

To purchase tickets, you can register online at www.marchofdimes.com/maine/, or by calling either (800) 287-6346 or 989-3376.

Remember King’s Department Store on Union Street in Bangor?

I do, and I still miss it!

Well, two former employees, Bea Kingsbury and Linda Dwelley, are planning another reunion for anyone who ever worked at the store, and they invite all of you to join them for the event that “promises to be much bigger than the first one,” they wrote.

The reunion is 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at Happy China Buffet on Stillwater Avenue in Bangor.

“We would love to see everyone and renew old friendships,” they wrote. “We hope to see you there. It will be so nice to see all our old co-workers.”

For more information, call Kingsbury at 942-0624, or Dwelley at 947-2227.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.