SALEM – When the Mt. Abram High School coaches, players and parents planned the fundraiser last December, they wanted to have the money in time to install lights on the field for the 2007 soccer season. No one expected they would raise $23,000 and secure donations in labor and materials in time to have the lights in place for this season.

“It’s been astounding,” boys coach Darren Allen said Thursday as the last lights were put in place. He and girls coach Marc Keller, both in their sixth year with the Roadrunners, approached parents and the Booster Club about getting lights for the field and the Light the Mountain Committee was formed.

“I had been bending Marc’s ear about lighting the field because we had lights when I coached at Windham High School,” Allen said. “Ninety-five percent of our home games were played underneath the lights.

“When you’ve got a game at 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon, nobody can come to the games. Our program has been successful for the last three or four years, and when you’ve got a premier match up, you’ve only got 30 people in the stands. And then the junior varsity team plays after, and there’s not adequate sunlight.”

Most junior varsity games will start at 5 p.m., and varsity will follow at 7 p.m. this season. Five of the seven scheduled home games will be under the lights.

“The kids won’t have to rush and get out of class early,” Allen said. “Last year, our October games started at 2 o’clock because of sunlight and referee availability.”

Chris Burbank of Burbank Excavation has a daughter on the soccer team and donated his services to get the lights in place.

“It benefits the kids because the parents who can’t get out of work at 3 (p.m.) to watch a game will be able to make it to the games,” he said.

Several other businesses and individuals have also donated whatever they can. The majority who donated have children on the team, and others just have an interest in the high school and its students.

Mike Carleton of Integrity Electric also has children who play soccer and donated several hours, designing the layout of the lights and doing much of the legwork.

“Everything to do with electricity, he’s done it,” Allen said.

Superintendent Quenten Clark used his small backhoe to do some digging on the project and George Gould dug trenches. USA Concrete donated concrete, and On Target Utility also donated labor. The largest monetary donation, $5,000, came from the Booster Club. The Light the Mountain Committee also secured grants and private donations. Fundraisers included T-shirt sales, for which Simple T’s made a donation, a Bob Marley concert, fuel raffle and lobster raffle. Businesses also purchased sponsor signs that line the fence around the field.

Because of the position of the light poles, the baseball field had to be moved, and Bob Thorndike excavated and smoothed the new field.