BELGRADE – The Pineland Fiddlers, a touring ensemble of children age 8-14 who play traditional fiddle music from Maine and Canada, are sponsoring an auction at the Village Inn in Belgrade on Nov. 12 with auctioneer John Gawler. About $6,000 in goods and services will be auctioned off, including gift certificates from businesses all over western and central Maine, art and artisan products, furniture, food and baked goods, gift items, tickets for sporting, theatrical and musical performances, and vouchers for outdoor adventures and sports facilities.

Pineland Fiddlers will perform at the auction at the Village Inn at 5:30 p.m. to raise money to send the group to study and perform in Ireland in June 2009. Proceeds from the auction will help send the Pineland Fiddlers to Ireland, “the land of great fiddling,” to study with Irish master fiddlers, explore the roots of New England’s traditional music, develop new repertoire and share their own Maine- and Quebec-based repertoire at music festivals and other venues in Ireland.

All of the young fiddlers are students of Ellen Gawler, one of Maine’s most highly respected fiddlers, and most also study classical violin at the Pineland Suzuki School. They perform widely throughout the state and their big, lively fiddle-orchestra sound has impressed crowds at venues such as the Chocolate Church in Bath, the Common Ground Fair, the L.L. Bean concert series, Johnson Hall Live, the Franco-American Heritage Center and the Kingfield POPS.

The Pineland Fiddlers were invited to play in Turkmenistan this past summer, have traveled twice to Quebec City to perform and study with traditional Quebecois fiddlers, and have released two CDs.

“We are incredibly grateful to all the businesses and individuals, from central and southern Maine all the way through to Franklin County, who have so generously donated products and services to help make this event a success,” said Ellen Gawler, Director of the Pineland Fiddlers. “Fiddling has thrived for hundreds of years in Ireland and most of the fiddling that we do in the new world has its roots there. I am looking forward to seeing the effect that our journey to this magical place will have on these budding young musicians,” she said.

The event includes a silent auction and happy hour at 5:30 p.m., dinner and an auction at 7:30. There will be a 50/50 raffle and, of course, the fiddlers will play. Tickets are $20, and are available at the door. The evening promises to be a great time with fine foods, music, laughter – and lots of bargains.

For more information, call Stephanie Parker at 933-2767, or visit the Pineland Fiddlers’ Web site at www.pinelandfiddlers.org.