The first Thursdays on Sweden was a blast! All day long we worried about the weather, but the rains held up and despite the chilliness, lots of people came and a good time was had by all. There were old friends and classmates giving hugs, children dancing and rocking out the bounce obstacle, young couples out for a fun evening, families with strollers, teens, and those who are long past their teens in attendance. The band, Common Crossing, was terrific and everyone enjoyed them. The licensed cafe would have done better with warmer weather, but that is coming. The vendors seemed to have a good time. All in all, I was stoked.
The brainchild of Austin Bleess, Thursdays on Sweden was an all-out city effort. The police and fire departments cooked a fantastic barbecue and the police did a great job patrolling the street. The Public Works Department built this fantastic (!) enclosure for the musical acts and contributed their time with barricades and signs. Gary Marquis and Arik Jepson from the Rec. Department were amazing and Kathy Mazzuchelli and Tony Mazzucco were fantastic in planning. Just don’t ask me how many department heads it took to hang three banners. Heh.
We learned a few things we can do better next time (July 11) and we are looking for an even bigger crowd. All in all, it was a great start to a summer-long street event happening downtown in Caribou! Go to our Facebook page to see some pictures from the event.
In other news, the Maine State HOG Rally is now less than three weeks away and the excitement is building. The Chamber promised to complete and print the welcome booklet for the event and that order went to printers, County Qwik Print, last Thursday. As usual, they gave us a great price. Cary Medical Center and Paradis’ Shop ‘N Save have donated water for the events and Cary has also donated the use of two tents for the staging area at the Caribou Inn & Convention Center. Pepsi donated two banners. Much thanks to all.
I had the most wonderful conversation with Mrs. Branscom this week. She is the great-great granddaughter of Elder James Withee, who settled in Caribou in 1859. They are currently the eighth generation of that family still living in town to this day.
I certainly do not want to get into politics, but it sure is a relief to have the budget process for this year finally over and a budget in place. What an arduous task that was. I applaud the entire city’s department heads for doing their best to save the taxpayers as much as possible and also the City Council for coming up with a fair budget considering the times and the situation. I am reasonably happy as a Chamber director and as a taxpayer at how it all turned out.
I just received in the mail issue Number 101 of Echoes Magazine celebrating their 25th year. I have thoroughly enjoyed the magazine since its inception and also appreciate that it has been an outlet and an affirmation for some of my writing over the years. The magazine is having a gathering of readers, writers, photographers, artists, advertisers and volunteers at the University of Maine at Presque Isle Campus Center on July 21. I hope to be there as I am proud to be a tiny part of what has been an important cultural signature of our area.
There will be no column next week. Thursday is July 4, which to me the most important holiday in our country. The Declaration of Independence is the cornerstone for our way of life and our freedom. Then I am taking the day off on Friday to drive down to Portland to meet some baseball writer buddies of mine to join them at a Portland Sea Dogs ballgame at that team’s ballpark. That should be grand fun.
The Gray Memorial United Methodist Church is celebrating its 100th year and as part of the year-long celebration has the following upcoming events: On Wednesday, July 3rd, the church’s annual UMW Pie Sale will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until they are sold out. On Wednesday, July 17th, the church will hold a Prayer & Healing Service at 6 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. On Sunday, July 21st, the church will host Summer Musicale OPUS X at 2 p.m. with refreshments to follow. This event showcases a number of classical instrumentalists and is usually very well attended. On Tuesday, July 23rd, a Life Line Screening event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Interested individuals may register for various screenings by calling 1-800-324-1851. On Saturday, August 10th, they will hold the annual Chicken Barbecue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Until the next time, enjoy the holiday and celebrate its meaning and be sure to mark July 11 on your calendar for our next Thursdays on Sweden event.
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or e-mail him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
