Sunday, July 21 was a sizzler, but guests at Lincoln County Historical Association’s (LCHA) annual Kermess gala were treated to gentle breezes from the Kennebec River. The annual dinner and auction, held on the grounds of the historic Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, raises a significant portion of the organization’s budget.

 

Now in its fourth year, the Kermess (Dutch for an outdoor festival to raise funds for charity) includes an auction of cakes and an auction of experiences. As LCHA volunteers Linda Pope and Claudia Sortwell artfully showcased a dozen sumptuous cakes, expertly baked and generously donated by members of the LCHA community, Kaja Veilleux of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries used his skills and good humor to encourage some extraordinary bids, all for a good cause.

 

Lucky bidders for the auction of experiences can now enjoy vacation cottages, river trips, an overnight package in Portland, a spa day, a rafting trip, and more. When the auction was over, Ryan LaRochelle, chair of LCHA’s committee to plan events for the Maine State Bicentennial, gave a brief overview of some of the events that will take place and invited the guests to join his committee. Veilleux lost no time in encouraging the audience to pledge funds for this cause, and they obliged.

 

The theme for this year’s Kermess was Latin Rhythms. Guests may have felt they had been transported to a steamy south of the border locale as they strolled the grounds to classical guitar music by Jeff Rojo and enjoyed a dinner of Spanish paella prepared by Red Plate Catering of Damariscotta.

 

LCHA is grateful to all the volunteers and to the individual and corporate members of the community for their enthusiastic participation in the 2019 Kermess. Primary sponsor of the event was Ames True Value Hardware & Supply in Wiscasset.