Chamber preparing for ‘Bid of Christmas’ auction

By Ed Pierce

Amber Rankine has only been the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce since October but she’s about to take part in one of the chamber’s most popular annual events, the “Bid of Christmas” auction.

A toy John Deere mini tractor will be part of
the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of
Commerce's 'Bid of Christmas' auction
for this year. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

This year’s holiday chamber gathering will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Rustler’s Steakhouse, 61 Tandberg Trail in Windham and will include festive holiday food, a cash bar, live music, shopping and both a live auction and a silent auction of prizes donated to the chamber for the event.

Rankine said anyone can participate and bid for items in the chamber’s live online auction which runs from Dec. 6 to Dec. 13. Auction items for the online auction may be viewed online by visiting BID of Christmas Online Auction.

“We are expecting to auction off around 70 to 80 items and that is combined with the live/silent and online auctions together,” Rankine said. “Money raised from the auction goes toward the support of other events that we contribute to during the course of the year as well as for our Feed the Need Campaign.”

Feed the Need is funded by the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce Charitable Trust and benefits local food pantries in the communities of Casco, Gray, Naples, New Gloucester, Raymond, Sebago, Standish and Windham.

This will be the first time that Rustler’s steakhouse will host the chamber’s annual holiday event.

“Rustlers, the hosting location, is stellar. The auction, the people, the vendors, the food, it's all an amazing experience,” Rankine said. “It's a networking event but with lots of holiday cheer and laughs. It's one of the few times a year we can all collectively come together and appreciate what we do for one another as a community.”

About 75 people are expected to attend the holiday chamber gathering at Rustler’s and that’s in line with previous chamber events in December. The “Bid of Christmas” auction has proven its worth over the years since its inception and has helped raise thousands for chamber activities and charitable causes.

“My primary goal for this year is to foster a sense of unity and collaboration among local businesses, community members, and stakeholders,” Rankine said. “Of course, I would love to see us hit financial benchmarks for subsequent years but that's not what is most important. It's truly a great way for the chamber to honor, recognize and showcase our amazing businesses through auction contributions to the locals, visitors, and business partners that join in on the event.”

The “Bid of Christmas” auctions are sponsored by the chamber, Ruster’s Steakhouse, M&T Bank, Fielding’ Oil & Propane Company, Paul’s Boutique and Maine State Credit Union.

Some of the items up for auction so far include gift cards to Natural Beauty Day Spa; a gift certificate for a one-hour private pickleball lesson at The Woodlands Club; a gift bag from On the Docks; a gift card for Bob’s Seafood; a gift certificate for a free exam at Lake Region Animal Hospital; a holiday table decoration from Willow Tree Primitive Shop; a gift card from Erik’’s Church; a set of Tick Tweezers from Mainely Ticks; a gift card for Sportsman’s Kitchen and Keg; a gift card for Aroma Joe’s; a gift certificate for a two-hour set of live music with Doc and Dave; and a gift card for Rustler’s steakhouse. More items are expected to be added soon.

People are welcome to attend the live “Bid of Christmas” auction in person at Rustler’s or participate in the online auction by bidding on items through Bidding Owl at BID of Christmas Online Auction <