The Caribou Downtown Ski Festival and Ski Sprints was a very successful event! The Chamber only went to meetings and handled advertising, vendors and public relations. The real stars were all the organizations and businesses who put everything together and made the day one to remember. Let’s just say that a lot of work and planning went into the event and that work and planning paid off for another great area event!
We are very pleased to announce that the Rotary Club of Caribou is the newest member of the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce. This is a very proud announcement because of the Rotary Club’s long tradition of fellowship and outreach to the community. Club members’ helping hands have been all over the community with the soup kitchen, the new ski building at the high school, the fight to end polio worldwide and a host of other works over the years. Welcome!
Another business will be joining us this week, but I cannot announce it yet. The Chamber is growing!
The Maine Winter Sports Center is undergoing a highly challenging time in their history. The Libra Foundation, one of the organization’s main sources of funding has dried up and the organization is now in need of a great amount of charitable help. This organization has truly been one of the best things to ever happen to The County and to Maine and our local racers that grew up in the system are now competing on the world stage at the Olympics testifies to that. If you would like to help, go to their website at mainewcs.org or call them at 492-1444 to see how you can help.
Mark Feb. 28 and March 1 on your calendars because that will be Grand Mènage weekend. What is Grand Mènage? Our French community use that expression for spring cleaning and what it means is a city-wide clearance sale from many of our great retailers in the community. We will even have a map like the city-wide yard sale map so you can plan your route around the area. Stay tuned for participating businesses!
It is amazing how many businesses in the area are celebrating special anniversaries in 2014! Of course, the granddaddy of them all, S.W.Collins Company, is celebrating its 170th anniversary. Holy smokes! Sleepers is celebrating 100 years in 2014 and that is amazing too. The store will be holding special events all year long to celebrate. What an amazing accomplishment and milestone!
Cary Medical Center is celebrating its 90th year. Highway Tire is celebrating its 50th year, which is a very cool milestone. And The Maine Dance Academy is celebrating its 20th year.
I am sure there are more that I am forgetting, but this just goes to show the kind of businesses we have in this area that have survived and thrived and given back to the community despite harsh economic swings. It makes me very proud to sit in this seat and try my best to serve them.
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or email him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
