Houlton Rotary

Chuck Daly

New member inducted into Rotary on April 25th….Chuck Daly with Scott White.

Rotary Youth Exchange at Rotary

On Monday, March 7th, Kim Levesque presented a photo program to the Houlton Rotary Club of her trip to the Netherlands .  During the summer of 2010, Kim was a Rotary exchange student and visited Amsterdam and Paris during her exchange.  She told of the things she saw, what she did, the food she ate and many more exciting things during her trip.  At the end of the presentation, she thanked the Rotarians for the opportunity of this trip…..she will never forget it!!!

Pictured left to right:
Dana Delano, Student Exchange Chairman
Kim Levesque, 2010 Exchange Student
Abby Kinens, 2011 Exchange Student
Ally Carmichael, 2011 Exchange Student

Tim Crowley from NMCC

Tim Crowley, President of Northern Maine Community College, spoke at a recent meeting of the Houlton Rotary Club.  Tim advised the Rotarians of programs available now and what programs are in the works.  The nursing program is now huge and will only continue to grow as healthcare needs will always need to be addressed.  Occupational therapy, medical coding, home care, information technology and alternative energy are just some of the new programs that may be developed.  Tim said there is new focus from the federal and state governments to address rural education in moving kids forward to get ready for the workforce of our future.

Pictured left to right:  (Photo by Michael Clark)
Otis Smith
Tim Crowley, NMCC Pres.
Scott White, Rotary Club Pres.

Carriages of Acadia

At a recent meeting of the Houlton Rotary Club, Mike Carpenter told the Rotarians about the “Carriages of Acadia”.  Mike and his daughter, Emily, operate the horse-drawn carriage tours of Acadia National Park’s carriage roads.

Mike is a living example of “I have a dream.”  His dad was a blacksmith, so he grew up with horses.  In 1989, he went to Acadia and saw the stables and from then on, went every year.  In 2007, Mike saw an ad looking for someone to run the operation starting in 2008.  On October 2, he got the contract for the next 10 years.  In 2009, Emily graduated from UMO and joined him in the running of the business.

In 2010, they carried nearly 20,000 people over the 50 miles of beautiful carriage roads that wind through the hills and vistas of Acadia.  The tours have become very popular with people near and far.  For five months a year, Mike’s  weekends are filled with playing with his horses and making money in a majestic place working with his daughter….his dream is fulfilled.

Pictured left to right:  Craig Bean, Rotarian; Mike Carpenter.

Photo by Michael Clark

12-27-2010 Meeting Canceled

Due to the weather the Houlton Rotary meeting for Monday, December 27, 2010 has been canceled.  See you next Monday!

Andrew Plant Speaks About Grass Pellets

Andrew Plant, an educator from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, visited Houlton Rotary on December 20th. Andrew has spent the past two years researching how perennial grasses and straw left from grain rotations can be turned into pellet fuel. His research has shown that these low-maintenance and waste crops developed on marginal or fallow farmland in Central and Northern Maine can be compressed into fuel pellets and used as an energy source. With grass pellets as a viable biofuel, local farmers have a new cash crop that does not displace current food production. Moreover, Mainers have additional means produced in our own backyards to reduce energy costs. Andrew and Michael Bilodeau, director of UMaine’s Process Development Center, are carrying out a biomass engineered fuel project using $1.65 million provided by the Maine Technology Asset Fund. Over the next four years, the project will fully examine the development and commercialization of grass pellets.

Auction Starts Tonight!

The 55th Rotary Auction starts tonight!  Monday, November 22, 2010.  Please be sure to tune in to Houlton Channel 13 or WHOU 100.1 FM for over $60,000 of merchandise!  6 PM to 10:30 PM.

55th Annual Auction

The 55^th Annual Houlton Rotary Radio & TV Auction will take place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, November 22^nd, 23^rd, and 24^th.  The event will air from 6:00-10:30pm each night on WHOU Radio 100.1 FM and on Houlton Cable Channel 13. The auction is held at Watson Hall at the Episcopal Church on Main Street and the public is welcome to attend.

The auction is the major annual fundraiser for the Houlton Rotary Club.  A supplement detailing the auction items for each half hour, special items, phone numbers and store room hours appeared in the November 17^th issue of the Houlton Pioneer Times.  The supplement sponsor for this year is Madigan Home Health Care.  The information is also available on the Internet at www.houltonrotary.org.  There will be links from the web site to view the auction live on the Internet.  Details will be provided on the site.  This year’s on-line sponsor is Houlton Water Company.

Each year, a major project or projects are funded by the Rotary Auction in addition to their many other charities.  The major projects for the 2010 auction are contributing to the Northern Maine Soap Box Derby for construction of a new building at the top of Derby Hill, contributing to Cary Library for a digital archiving project for older issues of the Houlton Pioneer Times and supporting the Riverfront Park.  Other projects that will benefit from auction proceeds are the Dollars For Scholars, Rotary Youth Exchange, Student Recognition Day and the Salvation Army.

The auction will feature a list of items for bid on each half hour (6:00-10:30 – 9 half hours per night).  Items on the half hours generally range up to $100.  Bidding on these items is only accepted during their individual half hours with the high bidder being awarded the item at the close of the half hour’s bidding.  Corporate sponsors for each night of this year’s auction are Crawford Homes, First Wind and Elm Tree Diner/Elm Tree North.

Nightly special items generally ranging between $100 and $300 are also featured.  These items may be bid on throughout a given night.  Successful bidders at the close of each night will be awarded these items.  The nightly special items include a leather jacket, coffee brewer, golf lessons, a ladder, a handcrafted children’s table with 2 chairs, sunglasses, a helmet with electric shield, half a pig, an iPod Touch, area rugs, bikes, a quilt, an art supply package, a wooden rustic bed frame, fire wood, a Colbert Report package including autographed photo, advertising packages, gift certificates and a variety of other items.

There are also 3-night special items, which will be featured throughout the auction and this year range up to $11,800.  The 3-night specials this year include a 18′X24′ camp package from Ward Log Homes, a student built playhouse, a pellet stove, a Bison pump, snow blowers, chainsaws, hardwood flooring, an entertainment center, a computer work station, a Soap Box Derby car kit, a Suzuki helmet, an ice auger, fencing, area rugs, a settee combo, a 9 piece queen-size comforter ensemble, LSL lumber, a man’s watch, 100 gallons of fuel oil, a kayak, sanding & refinishing of a hardwood floor and a Boy & the Boot picture.  The successful bidders at the close of bidding on Wednesday evening will be awarded these items.

The retail value of the items donated by area businesses and individuals is nearly $60,000 and add-on items are still coming in.  Add-on items can be contributed by contacting a Rotarian.  For this year’s auction, the retail values for all items as listed in the auction supplement have been rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Bids can be made for any items by calling the Rotary Auction room at 521-0086.  Those outside the local area but in state may call toll free at 1-866-239-3914.  The Rotary Club is asking bidders to make minimum bids of at least 50% of the listed value for the items.  Some items may carry a higher minimum, which will be indicated in the supplement.  Bids will be taken in whole dollar increments to assist programming and tracking of bids.

Individuals calling in give the Rotarian on the phone the item number they are bidding on and the amount of their bid along with their name and phone number.  The bids are then posted on a board.  They are subsequently taken to the on-air auctioneers who will read the bids and indicate if they are high, low or even.  The auction room is located in Watson Hall and the public is welcome to visit.   Bids can be placed from the auction room until 3 minutes before the close of each half hour.  No bids are accepted from the auction room after the 3-minute bell has been rung.

Successful bidders can pick up their items at the auction storeroom sponsored this year by the Katahdin Valley Health Center.  The storeroom is also located at Watson Hall in the Episcopal Church on Main Street.  The storeroom is open daily during the auction from 9:00am to 10:00pm and is open the three days following the auction.  Specific hours are listed in the auction supplement.  All items should be picked up by the close of the storeroom on Saturday, November 27^th at 1:00pm.  The storeroom phone number is 521-2979.

Members of the local Rotary club run all aspects of the auction including serving as on-air auctioneers.  The Rotarian auctioneer schedule is as follows: Monday, 6:00, Scott Dionne & Scott White; 6:30, Paul Adams & Marguerite Lawler; 7:00, Tammie Mulvey & Andy Mooers; 7:30, Joyce Fitzpatrick & Matt Nightingale; 8:00, Dana Delano & Jon McLaughlin; 8:30, Torrey Sylvester & Forrest Barnes; 9:00, Tony Bowers & Chris Anderson; 9:30, John Tribou & Elizabeth Dulin; 10:00, Ryan Bushey & Steve Nelson; Tuesday, 6:00, Tammie Mulvey & Fred Grant; 6:30, Tony Bowers & Elizabeth Dulin; 7:00, Marguerite Lawler & Max Lynds; 7:30, Matt Nightingale & Andy Mooers; 8:00, Tom Moakler & Tammie Mulvey; 8:30, Jon McLaughlin & Dana Delano; 9:00, Scott Dionne & Scott White; 9:30, Torrey Sylvester & Forrest Barnes; 10:00, John Tribou & guest auctioneer Joe Fagnant; Wednesday, 6:00, Tom Moakler & Elizabeth Dulin; 6:30, Tammie Mulvey & Tony Bowers; 7:00, Torrie Sylvester & Forrest Barnes; 7:30, Elizabeth Dulin & Jim Brown; 8:00, Andy Mooers & Jon McLaughlin; 8:30, Frank Thompson & Fred Grant; 9:00, Dana Delano & Lori Weston; 9:30, Butch Asselin & Ryan Bushey; 10:00, Scott White & Scott Dionne.

Also part of the annual auction is the Boy & the Boot Endowment Program. Individuals may call in during the auction to pledge a Boy & the Boot statue.  The pledge represents a $1,000 contribution to the endowment fund of the Houlton Regional Health Services Foundation, which benefits local healthcare.  Some businesses also offer payroll deduction programs for the pledges.  At the completion of the pledge, the contributor receives a limited edition pewter replica of the Boy with the Leaking Boot Statue.

Another giving opportunity is being offered again this year.  Individuals will be able to call in during the auction to sponsor an auditorium seat to help provide new seating for the Houlton Community Arts Center project.  One seat can be sponsored for a $300 pledge.  Two seats can be sponsored by a $550 pledge ($275 each).  Three seats or more can be pledged at $250 each.  All sponsors will be recognized by name plaques on the seats and a recognition plaque in the facility.

In addition, $500 worth of #2 fuel oil donated by Dead River Company will be given away during the auction.  Tickets for the fuel oil are available from any Rotarian and will be available at the auction.  Tickets are $1.00 each or books of 6 for $5.00.  The fuel oil will be delivered anywhere within the Houlton-Patten Dead River district.  The drawing will be held during the final night of the auction

The Houlton Rotary Club extends its thanks to all of the generous businesses and individuals who contributed items to this year’s auction and encourage the public to call in and enjoy the auction by bidding on the many items available.

Further information on the Rotary Radio & TV Auction is available by contacting auction chair Scott Dionne, club president Scott White or any member of the Houlton Rotary Club.

Rotarians Learn About Excellence in Education

Excellence in education…..Where are we? How do we get to it? What does it mean for Maine and its future?

These are the questions being asked and Yellow brought the answers to members of the Houlton Rotary Club at one of their recent meetings. Yellow is Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer at Bangor Saving Bank. He was born and raised in Saint Albans and is a product of Maine public schools. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is one of only three individuals ever selected to deliver both the undergraduate and graduate addresses at Harvard Commencement. From 1999 to 2003, Yellow served as Director of Special Projects and External Affairs for the Maine Department of Education. He is active in a number of volunteer and public service efforts, including chairing the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education.

Yellow stressed that education is our future…..for jobs and for life. We need to refocus and set the bar higher, providing an excellent education for everyone no matter of economic status. Presently, Maine has a lower proportion of degree holders in its workforce than any New England state, and that is the chief reason why we have the lowest incomes in the region. Quality education means jobs. Mainers need to get education back on the radar as an important issue. In Maine today, we have pockets of excellence. Communities need to find out why these pockets are doing better, set up models and work with educators. Communities need to stay positive saying that it can be done by engaging everyone—educators, parents, organizations, etc.—on a common issue. Measurable goals need to be set and everyone needs to be held accountable in achieving the goals. Time is our ally…..changes will not be made overnight. We will be working through the next decade to achieve the goals. He challenges everyone to get involved and together, Mainers can remodel our educational system. A successful educational system can prepare Maine’s economy for future challenges by giving every Mainer the knowledge and skills they need for college, career, citizenship and life.

Pictured left to right:

Chris Nickerson, Rotarian; Yellow Light Breen, guest speaker; Darryl Scott White, Rotary Club President.

Houlton Little League – Rotary Champs!

At a recent meeting of the Houlton Rotary Club, Rotarian Moose Karnes presented the club with the Rotary Little League 9-10 year-old trophy for the year 2010. This is the first time that Moose has been a coach for Little League since he played in the league, it is the first time that the team went 16-0, and it is the first year on the new Rotary field. Moose was on the Rotary team that won back in 1956 & 1957. Several Rotarians have played on the Rotary team.

Darryl "Scott" White and Moose Karnes