On September 19th at 8am, the “doors” will open to our Annual Chamber online and live auction, which will first take place on the Internet at www.BiddingforGood.com/PBRCCAuction. We already have a catalog of over 175 items, valued at over $36,000! New items are being added on a daily basis.

The online auction bidding will run from September 19 at 8am through October 10 at 9pm, with about 100 items heading to a live auction on Friday, October 14 at the Rockland Elks Lodge, located at 210 Rankin Street in Rockland. At the live event, there will be auction items, cash raffle prizes (6 – $100 cash raffles), a 50/50 cash raffle, raffle items, cash bar and a concession stand. Bruce & Becky Gamage will be our auctioneer team.

We have some exciting getaway packages at Midcoast inns and hotels, including the following:

• Sleep Inn, Dine Out Package – Granite Inn - The Sleep Inn, Dine Out Package, offered non-holiday/event Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday nights November, 2011 through May, 2012, includes a progressive dinner at three restaurants with a specially created tasting menu, featuring signature selections prepared from locally grown or homemade ingredients.

• Lobsters, Lighthouses & Luxury Package 2012 – Captain Lindsey House Inn - It’s a close tie between lobsters and lighthouses as to which holds more appeal for guests of the Historic Inns of Rockland. Luckily, they’ve made sure there’s no need to choose. Celebrate Maine Lighthouse Week in June 2012 (third week) by taking advantage of the Historic Inns of Rockland’s Lobsters, Lighthouses & Luxury package.

• Pies on Parade 2012 Package – Berry Manor Inn - January 23, 2012 marks National Pie Day, according to the American Pie Council. Because nothing tops a cold winter day like a warm piece of pie, the Historic Inns of Rockland will celebrate pie with the 8th Annual Pies On Parade, Inn-to-Inn Pie Tour on January 22, 2012, 1:00-5:00pm (rain, snow or shine!).

• Festival of Lights Package 2011 – LimeRock Inn - Kick off your holiday season with Rockland’s Festival of Lights and a stay at the LimeRock Inn with an overnight stay Thanksgiving weekend.

In addition, we have many overnight stays and getaways located from Lincolnville and Monhegan Island, Maine down to as Boston, Massachusetts:

• Two night stay at Bay Leaf Cottages & Bistro in Lincolnville

• One week lodging for four at The Village at Rockport in Rockport

• Overnight stay at the Samoset Resort in Rockport

• Overnight stay at the Island Inn on Monhegan Island

• Overnight stay at the Craignair Inn in Spruce Head

• Two nights lodging at Claddagh Motel in Rockport

• Overnight stay at Weskeag Inn in South Thomaston

• Overnight stay at Cedar Crest Inn in Camden

• Two night stay at Camden Riverhouse Hotel & Inn in Camden

• Two night stay at Glen Cove Inn & Suites in Rockport

• Two night stay at Hampton Inn & Suites in Thomaston

• Two night stay at Tidewater Motel on Vinalhaven

• One night stay at ~Ripples~ Inn at the Harbor in Rockland

• One night stay at Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf in Boston

The featured item this year at the auction is a FISHER HT Series snowplow from Fisher Engineering, valued at $5240! Thank you to Fisher Engineering for your generosity again this year, we really appreciate your support. The FISHER HT Series snowplow is engineered for today's half-ton trucks, providing all the features you expect from FISHER in a standard-duty snowplow. The HT Series feature's FISHER'S Minute Mount 2 On/Off system, INTENSIFIREHalogen headlamps and the original FISHER trip edge design. Based in Rockland, Maine, dedication to quality and service has been a FISHER tradition for more than 60 years. Through the years their plows have earned a solid reputation for reliability and strength - among residential and commercial plowers. Blade width, 7’, 6” (no substitutions will be permitted).

Thank you to our sponsors: Fisher Engineering, Gamage Antiques, Bangor Metro/Maine Ahead, The Coastal Journal, The Country Inn@Camden/Rockport, The Free Press, Maine Home + Design/Maine magazine, Mainebiz, The UPS Store and VillageSoup/The Herald Gazette.

Thank you to our $100 Cash Raffle prize donors: Bruce Gamage – Gamage Antiques, James W. Brannan, Mike Jones – Camden National Bank, Rolf Winters – Knowlton Moving & Storage Corp. and Kevin Waters – Penobscot Island Air.

The live auction items will be clearly identified on the web site and absentee bidding will be available for those that cannot attend the live event.

Members of the public can also participate by going to www.BiddingforGood.com/PBRCCAuction. Using software provided by BiddingForGood Inc., an organization with a focus on serving non-profit organizations, and thanks to the generosity of donors, the chamber will be continuing to assemble an exciting catalog of auction items over the next few weeks.

Items up for bid include business services, artwork, unique experiences, travel, lodging packages, dining, recreational activities, gift baskets, train rides, boat trips, festival tickets, landscaping supplies and much, much more.

Money raised by the auction will go towards supporting the many community and business initiatives of the Chamber in making the area a great place to live and do business. These initiatives include:

Marketing & public relations

Economic development

Publications, including the Maine Discovery Coast Magazine and Chamber Business (newsletter)

Government & public affairs

Maintaining & building our membership and volunteer base

Operating annual events

Education initiatives

Everyone is welcome to browse, shop, or just drop by and sign our guest book to show their support for our auction at www.BiddingforGood.com/PBRCCAuction.

Donations are being accepted from now through September – simply log on to the site and click on the “Donate Now” button or you can call the Chamber with your donation. Users can also contribute to the auction’s success by using the “Tell A Friend” button on the website.

For more information about getting involved, contact Shari Closter, Director of Operations, at the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 508, One Park Drive, Rockland, ME 04841; 207-596-0376, ext. 22; or shari@therealmaine.com; www.TheRealMaine.com; www.visitcamden.com.