PHILLIPS – The Phillips Area Community Center is excited to announce a fundraising raffle leading up to the total eclipse on April 8, 2024.
The PACC will be raffling off a stunning quilted wall hanging made by Nelda Warkentin, which has been exhibited across the country from Maine to Alaska. Titled ‘Turning Point’, the guilt was made in 2004 and valued at $1,700 at that time. The quilt is machine pieced and stitched, measures 50 inches by 70 inches, and is comprised of several layers of acrylic painted silk, with quilt batting and a canvas backing.
Raffle tickets are available from PACC members or locally in Phillips and Madrid at Dark Star Fabrics, Sandy River Cash Fuel, Bear Belly’s Tap and Table, The Local Bull, and the Phillips Public Library. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5, and the PACC aims to raise $2,000 towards putting a layer of hot top pavement around the main entrance of the PACC building. This improvement over the current gravel/dirt dooryard will make the building much more accessible in mud season and inclement weather.
The quilt has previously been exhibited in the Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia PA; Shelburne Farm in Vermont; Mesa Arts Center, Mesa AZ; Artique Gallery, Anchorage AK; Anchorage Museum at Rasmussen Center, Anchorage AK; Emery Arts Center, Farmington ME. For more information on the artist, visit www.neldawarkentin.com
The winner of the raffle will be drawn at the PACC’s solar eclipse event on April 8, at 1 p.m.
This event, which is open to all and designed to be kid-friendly, will include a potluck lunch at 12 p.m., easy listening music, and a space to visit with the community and observe the eclipse.
On April 8, the PACC will open the doors at 11 a.m.; a potluck lunch will be served at 12 p.m.; the raffle winner will be announced at 1 p.m.; and the partial eclipse is expected to start at 2:22 p.m., with approximately 20 seconds of totality at 3:31 p.m., and the partial eclipse ending at 4:33 p.m.
Lois and Gary Hall of Wilton will play easy listening music for an hour or so during the afternoon.
NASA-recommended eclipse glasses will be available for sale in adult and children’s sizes at $3 per pair. You do not have to attend the entire PACC event to purchase eclipse glasses, but an adult must be present to sign a liability waiver.
Winona Davenport, one of the PACC members and organizers of this event, said that she remembers the last total eclipse in this area, which was in 1963. “Everything gets dark,” she said, “so dark that you can’t see the person standing next to you. And it gets cold. You can feel it getting colder as it gets darker and closer to totality.”
“Everything changes,” she said. “I want kids to be able to experience that.”
The PACC is working on more fun, family-friendly events surrounding the April 8 eclipse, and more information will be available in the near future.
For more information contact Winona Davenport at 207-639-4296.
The PACC is located at 21 Depot Street in Phillips. The April 8 Eclipse event is sponsored by Pike Industries, Inc. and underwritten by Central Maine Crane, Dark Star Fabrics, Mike and Ginny Auger, Eastman Park, Bear Belly’s Tap and Table, Saviello’s EPCS LLC, and Mike Soboleski.
