Auction to highlight garden show

BANGOR – “Going, going, gone!” That will be the call of veteran charity event auctioneer Tom Cavanaugh as bidders vie for any one of many items featured during the Bangor Garden Show Saturday Night “Live” Auction at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at the Bangor Civic Center. The Bangor Garden Show will be held Friday-Sunday, April 8-10.

“I am overwhelmed with the generosity of the vendors, landscapers and the community businesses and organizations that have contributed to the auction,” said Judi Perkins, executive director for Keep Bangor Beautiful and the Bangor Garden Show.

More than 100 merchandise and gift certificates geared toward outdoor recreation, gardening and landscaping are waiting for bids, said Cindy Cavanaugh, chairwoman of the Bangor Garden Show. From an 8-foot by 18-foot composite deck, bronzed sculptures and framed prints to floral arrangements, hand-painted mailboxes and gift items, there’s sure to be “just the thing” for home and garden. Visa and MasterCard will be accepted.

Auction preview starts at 5:30 p.m., with the gavel sounding the call to auction at 6:30 p.m.

Cavanaugh, who owns Best Bib & Tucker with his wife, Cindy, will instruct participants on the “how to” of placing a bid and auction etiquette.

Perkins describes the auction “as the hot fudge on a sundae” event of the Garden Show. “It is sure to be a hoot,” she said.

Proceeds will benefit beautification and recycling-related projects, and the Garden Show’s Ellen Louise Payson Landscape Horticulture Scholarship given to a University of Maine student who demonstrates outstanding skill in landscape horticulture design at the annual Bangor Garden Show.

A complete roster listing auction items in the order in which they’ll be sold will be made available at the auction preview. In the meantime, the ever-growing list of auction items is posted at www.bangor

gardenshow.com.

General admission tickets are available for purchase at the Bangor Civic Center and Auditorium doors only. Tickets are $8, $3 students. Children under 5 are admitted free. The show runs 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 10.

To obtain highlights of the 15th annual Bangor Garden Show programs and activities, visit www.bangorgardenshow.com.