BANGOR – The first annual March of Dimes Dinner Auction will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Elks Club on the Odlin Road in Bangor. The evening kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction, cash bar and dinner.

The live auction begins at 7:30 p.m. John Cheney will be the main auctioneer along with celebrity guest, Paul Kostacopoulos, baseball coach at the University of Maine at Orono.

The buffet will feature dishes by chefs from Thistle’s, Pilots Grill, Captain Nick’s, Geaghan’s, Margarita’s, Bugaboo Creek, Oriental Jade, Momma Baldacci’s, Sea Dog, JB Parkers, Weathervane and Pizzeria Uno.

Several outstanding items will be auctioned, including a Las Vegas getaway for two, a fun weekend in Portland for two, a Duke University T-shirt autographed by Coach Mike Krzyzewski and University of Maine men’s basketball tickets. The basketball tickets include a seat on the bench, and attending a reception after the game.

For information, call Nicole Philbrook at 945-9431 or Gene Staffiere at 989-3376.

For the third consecutive year, the Maine State Chapter of the March of Dimes has received a major, national award. At a recent ceremony, the March of Dimes National Office recognized the Maine Chapter with its Chapter of the Year Award for Program Services in 2001 for small chapters, for the second year in a row.

The Maine Chapter also received Chapter of the Year honors for Public Affairs in 1999.

The award is given annually to chapters who best meet the criteria established by the national office, to recognize their excellence and achievement in the fight to save babies.

It is the foundation’s highest recognition for excellence in program services, and honors chapters that demonstrate leadership in their mission-driven, volunteer-led, community-based activities. This year the emphasis was on promoting the March of Dimes Folic Acid Campaign.