This year has been a year of adjustments. All of our best-laid plans have been redrawn, rethought and reimagined to happen in a safe, socially-distanced way. This hit home as our major community fundraiser that raised over $24,000 for three local organizations last year had to be postponed. Yet over the last five days, we’ve totally reimagined it, and have created the Midcoast Tree Auction that we’re really, really excited about and we think you’ll love it too.
But first, I need to explain what happened to the Midcoast Tree Festival that was due to start this Friday. Our businesses, our event sponsors and our citizens deserve to know why this event had to be replaced with the Auction. The overriding reason we postponed is that we couldn’t, in good conscience, have an in-person event with COVID-19 cases spiking.
But could we do the event online, like another tree festival in the state is doing? This question was asked a lot, and I gave the answer I had received: No we cannot.
Here’s an exhaustive timeline, but it’s important you know when we reached out.
– On Oct. 14, I was first notified we couldn’t do online ticket sales in a return phone call.
– On Oct. 21, it was reiterated in an e-mail with cited statute.
– On Oct. 27, we drafted, and sent, a letter to state leadership asking to allow online ticket sales during COVID.
– On Nov. 2, we sent a Sun Journal article to the state asking why another tree festival was allowed to do online ticket sales.
– On Nov. 5, when we submitted our license paperwork in person, we were told we couldn’t do online ticket sales. When we mentioned another festival doing it, we were told no one can.
– On Nov. 6, the other tree festival posted on Facebook “they had been working with the State of Maine to determine the best direction” and they would not do any in-person events, but their raffle would be completely online.
– On Nov. 6, we asked the state about this post and were told via e-mail the other festival had been spoken to “and advised them the ticket sales must be person to person.”
– On Nov. 9, our license was approved.
– On Nov. 10, with COVID cases spiking, the committee decided to postpone the Midcoast Tree Festival, as an in-person event would not be safe.
– On Nov. 12, we announced the MTF postponement to the public.
– On Nov. 16, two days ago, we found out the other festival indeed is allowed to do online ticket sales. It’s too late for us to pull all the things together we would need to for this weekend, so we’ll stay with our new Auction idea.
Disappointed is not the word for this emotion. Maybe we were the victim of bad timing and the decision just got made Monday. Maybe the other festival didn’t know they were approved weeks ago when they began to promote online ticket sales- maybe they were only hoping they would get approved. Then again, their Nov. 6 Facebook post did say “we have been working with the State of Maine”…”
This seems incredibly unfair.
I don’t share this as sour grapes. I share this because I need all of my businesses, and the great supporters of our festival, to know that we did everything right, everything by the book, to try and get this approved. We asked repeatedly. Repeatedly, we were told no.
We genuinely hope the other festival has great success with online ticket sales — we think you will do outstanding with it — congrats on getting it approved. We just wish we would’ve known in time, so we could have done that too.
The good news is, apparently the rules for online raffles has changed. I haven’t seen any protocols, but with non-profits struggling right now, this is an awesome avenue that every non-profit in the State should explore, according to the precedent made with this decision. Take advantage while it exists to fundraise for your organization.
Now….onto the Midcoast Tree Auction!
The Midcoast Tree Auction, is a 100% online auction that will be held Dec. 4-12, and we need you to help us spread the word. Two and a half weeks is not a lot of time, so please help get this great news out there. We think this event will have some of the same business impacts as last year’s festival when over $9,000 in gift cards for local businesses and were raffled off and over $12,000. We don’t anticipate it will be as big this year, but still very, very impactful during a much needed time for businesses.
So how does it work? The Midcoast Tree Festival team is running this event, so every update and post will still be on our heavily-followed Midcoast Tree Festival Facebook page. You can also get updates on the Chamber’s website at www.midcoastmaine.com The auction doesn’t go live until Friday, Dec. 4, but the MTF Facebook page will highlight some of the items leading up to it.
Bidders will go online and browse the items and bid. There are three types of items: Deluxe Items, Classic Items and Wreaths. Most auction lots will be bundles of gifts and each auction lot must contain a tree/wreath or a depiction of a tree (to keep a little bit with the Midcoast Tree Festival theme). Items will have opening bids at approximately 40% of total value, meaning a bundle of two $50 gift cards, valued at $100 dollars, will start at $40.
The auction will run until Dec. 12. There is so much more to tell you. The Secret Santa piece is incredible! The Wreath fundraiser is wonderful! Check out next week’s column when we dive into it even more. Businesses looking to donate contact the chamber, and continue to read The Times Record for more likely updates.
Cory R. King is the executive director of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber.
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