If success can be measured by smiles on the faces of children, then this past weekend was a rousing success. The Chamber kicked off Caribou Cares About Kids weekend with its annual Tie-Dye Extravaganza at the Caribou Wellness Center. Over 500 kids enjoyed making fancy T-shirts, creating artistic foam boards, making bracelets and necklaces, playing Twister, bouncing in the Mickey bounce house, playing Jenga and dancing and playing with the ever-entertaining Tim the Tuneman.
The Aroostook Republican/Northeast Publishing crew barbecued some delicious hotdogs and provided bottles of water. And they did so through some downpours of rain. Kiwanis had its annual Strawberry Shortcake special and there was even an ice cream truck that was well attended.
Volunteers from Loring Job Corps did a fantastic job during that event and helped with set up and break down. And I cannot say enough about the staff of the Caribou Parks & Recreation Department. They are just fabulous people with never-ending smiles and patience.
We were worried about the parade as thunderstorms rolled through all day. But by 3 o’clock in the afternoon, they cleared out and we had a wonderful parade with much more participation from the community than the year before. It was great!
We gave out three awards to four parade participants. Cary Medical Center won, “Best of Parade” for their amazing entry. Sleeper’s and the Caribou city employees tied for the “Best Use of Theme” award and The Maine Veterans’ Home won the “Best Spirit” award.
From all accounts, Saturday was also a great day with events sponsored by the Caribou Parks & Recreation Department, Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services in Teague Park for Family Fun Day and at the Wellness Center for Teen Night. Also Spud Speedway hosted a special benefits race for two great causes. It was a fantastic couple of days!
Much thanks goes to the amazing Kim Jones of Cary Medical Center, Kathy Mazzuchelli and Gary Marquis and their terrific crew at the Caribou Parks & Recreation Department, the Caribou Police and Fire and Ambulance departments, Loring Job Corps, The Aroostook Republican, Kiwanis, Dana Corbin of Paradis’ Shop ‘n Save and Pines Health Services (for donating sanitary gloves) and our sponsors: Gallagher Insurance Agency, Cary Medical Center, Pines Health Services and Spud Speedway. And special thanks go to those who participated in the weekend events and marched in the parade. This is why we love our area!
A very special Thursdays on Sweden occurs this week as it corresponds to the World Acadian Congress. Coming all the way from Louisiana, the band, La Recolte, will be performing along with the usual great food, vendors and fun all around. You can’t miss this one!
Did You Know?
If you have been following along with my “Did You Know” feature, I have been outlining all of the things we accomplish for the area as an organization. There will be more to come. But this week’s “Did You Know?” is this: Did you know that we accomplish all the things I have outlined on a mere $70,000 budget? And believe me, a good chunk of that is paying me! So with very meager means, the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce accomplishes so much for the area and we are proud of our progress and of staying on our shoestring budget!
Have a great week and I’ll see you Thursday night!
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or email him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
