The plans are in place and we excitedly wait Friday, Dec. 6 for our first Caribou Snowman Parade and the wonderful ongoing tradition of Santa’s Workshop at the Caribou Wellness Center. The parade is at 6 p.m. and will travel from the downtown mall parking lot, up High Street and to the Caribou Wellness Center. The parade will culminate in the return of Santa to Caribou as he is escorted to the Wellness Center.
That same evening at the Caribou Wellness Center, there will be the Recreation Department’s annual gingerbread house decorating program. You must be pre-registered for a gingerbread house, so call 493-4224 for details.
In another room at the Wellness Center, the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce will host several events. There will be ornament scratch decorating, reindeer feed bags, gingerbread cookie decorating and more! Each child will receive a gift bag with small fun stuff and of course, Santa will hold court by the fireplace. A door prize will be drawn for one lucky child from three categories, 3 and under, 4-6 years of age and age 7 and up. Bring your camera for that Santa photo op!
A recent post of mine to our Facebook page elicited a lot of positive response. I thought I should share it with readers of the Aroostook Republican as well:
“One of the first phone calls I received on the job last November was from a woman who said the “Shop Locally” on our street sign was a joke as there was no place to shop. That was the first clue I had at what I was in for here on the job. The truth is that there are lots of local options for your holiday shopping this season.
What options? Check it out:
• Works of Heart (124 Bennett Dr): Locally made Amish furniture, all Made in Maine crafted items. More.
• Brambleberry Market (25 Sweden St): Bibles, home decor and more.
• Monica’s Scandinavian Gift Ship (176 Sweden St): Troll Beads, home decor, large Christmas shop and more.
• County QuickStop (907 Presque Isle Rd): Caribou and local souvenirs, gifts and more.
• Sleepers (99 Lyndon St): Clothing and footwear and more.
• Plourde Furniture (150 Bennett Dr): Home furnishings, home decor and more.
• Sullivan’s Floor Covering (1140 Presque Isle Rd): Window treatments, rugs and flooring and more.
• The Cubby (40 Sweden St): Thrift store. You never know what hidden treasures you’ll find there!
• Expect More Dollar Store (57 Sweden St): Stocking stuffer’s paradise.
• S.W. Collins Company (6 Washburn St): Tools, home furnishings, hardware and more.
• Caribou Country Club (728 Sweden Rd): Golf equipment, gift certificates.
• Crown Equipment (323 Sweden St): Garden tractors, snow blowers, and more.
• County Wide Vacuum (829 Main St): Vacuums!
• Phil’s Florist & Greenhouses (358 Washburn Rd): Flowers, antiques, home decor and furnishings and more.
• Noyes Flower and Plant Shoppe (11 Franklin St): Flowers, plants, home decor and more.
• How about a gift subscription to Echoes Magazine, Discover Maine Magazine or the Aroostook Republican.
• Freme’s Jewelry (14 Sweden St): Jewelry and more.
• Had a great year? There is Gagnon’s Auto & RV Sales Inc. and Griffeth Ford Lincoln Mercury. If not a car, how about a gift certificate for an oil change or tune-up?
• New tires would work at Hogan Tire or Highway Tire Inc.
• How about some dance classes from The Maine Dance Academy? What a great gift idea!
• Sherwin-Williams (118 Bennett Dr): Paint and painting equipment and supplies.
• OfficeMax (84 Access Hwy): Office furniture and more.
Other ideas:
• A gift of a night out at Reno’s Family Restaurant or the Par & Grill. Gift certificates from Burger King, McDonalds, Tim Hortons or Subway. An escape for a day or weekend at Old Iron Inn, Caribou Inn & Convention Center, Crown Park Inn or Russell’s Motel.
• How about a pair of eyeglasses or contacts at Caribou Eyecare or Family Eyecare?
• How about a martial arts class at The Caribou School of Martial Arts?
• How about the gift of the Internet at Gene’s Electronics?
• How about a stove or wood pellets at The County Stove Shop (1154 Presque Isle Rd)?
And I have not even mentioned non-Chamber members all over town. If anybody says you cannot shop in Caribou, he or she needs to look again.”
Normally, I do not allow comments from businesses that are not members of the Chamber. After all, membership has its perks. But in the spirit of the season and because it supported my thesis, I let them hop on to the post. Now it is my job to get them to join! But in that same spirit, here are some of those comments to round out your holiday shopping ideas right here in Caribou:
“Brian Violette: Get a remote car starter at Advanced Electronics! I can help with Pelletier installed remote starters too!”
“Dottie Mcduffie: And how @ some unique and funky recycled gifts from 2nd hand Rose?”
“Spud Speedway: Haney’s Building Specialties for New appliances, floor coverings, cabinets, and household furniture! As an example: a 5pc kids bedroom set is only $599!”
“Darick Williams: Interested in enjoying an evening riding around Aroostook County admiring twinkling Christmas lights, a girls’ shopping trip to Bangor this holiday season, or transportation for your annual Christmas party? Ask us how we can help make your Christmas season even more spectacular! Aroostook Limousines “The Premier Limousine Choice For Northern Maine.”
“Jennifer Bubar Plourde: Don’t forget gift certificates to Napolis!”
“Sonya Rossignol Theriault: Cindy’s Sub Shop has gift certificates for great food. Homemade soups, stews, daily specials, sandwiches made fresh to order and a cooler full of sweetness.”
“Keith Brown: We have tropical fish for sale at Caribou Cabins”
So you see, there are LOTS of places to spend your holiday dollars right here at home.
The future of the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce will be discussed at the next City Council meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25. If you support the work of the Chamber or are interested either way in the outcome, please let your thoughts be heard and attend.
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or e-mail him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
