Marvelous ‘Mania’ and scam signals
Walkabout: PI
Happenings in the Star City
A jingle in the air…
The nights are clear and brisk, cozy scarves and gloves are unearthed from storage — and it’s time once again for the Star City’s night of nostalgia to herald the holidays.
This Friday, Nov. 20, the 16th annual Main Street Mania takes place from 6-10 p.m., when a number of merchants will join in to offer extended hours and specials throughout the evening.
A project of the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee (PIDRC), the event is an effort to get people out and about, in the holiday spirit — and buying locally.
“We encourage everyone to go down and support the local businesses. Without their support, we couldn’t have the downtown,” declared Mandy Pooler of B.R. Smith Associates, a member of the promotions subcommittee of the PIDRC. “We’re working very hard with things like Main Street Mania and Music in the Park to liven up the downtown.”
Pooler credited Cathy Beaulieu, owner of Wilder’s Jewelry, with spearheading the holiday shopping night. “She organizes it on behalf of the DRC,” Pooler said. “She makes the whole evening tick.”
Ariana Patterson of Wilder’s is helping to organize this year’s Mania, and described it as the downtown’s way of trying to get ahead of the Black Friday shopping frenzy while letting people shop leisurely and have fun in the process.
“Many of the merchants mark that evening as their most successful night of the year,” she said. “It really is a big boost to shopping local and shopping downtown. We have never had the evening not be a great success.”
Of course, the evening offers a social time as well, as shoppers wander the downtown area, mingle, share laughter and catch up with folks they might not have seen since last season.
“We hear from ladies every year that it’s something they mark on their calendars as an annual event,” Patterson added. “They go out to dinner and then they shop. Of course, we pray for it to be a 30-degree evening with gently falling snow — but people come out when it’s 20 below or in the pouring rain. They always make it out.”
Patterson said 12 establishments, the most in recent years, will be in on the fun.
Participating merchants are: Bike, Board & Ski; Country Collectibles; Governor’s Restaurant; Hand Me Down Antiques; Merchants on the Corner; Mojo Outdoor Sports; Morning Star Art and Framing; Northern Athletic Supply; Pat’s Pizza; Wilder’s; KMH Music; and Cardsmart.
Tech scam alert
The Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce has warned of a recent scam. Executive assistant Lynnette Frederick indicated the office received a call from Kansas “from an elderly woman who was scammed by a company called Reprar, who claims to be located on Hillside Street in Presque Isle.”
The caller told the woman her computer had been compromised and tried to solicit payment over the phone for repairs. The number was later tracked to India.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office lists so-called “computer fix” tricks as among the ongoing scams to watch out for. These usually involve someone calling to inform the consumer that their computer has serious technological problems that must be repaired.
“The fraudsters want you to give them remote access to your computer,” the AG website’s Consumer Information section cites. “By doing so you give them free reign to your personal information … and they will probably lock your computer and ask for a ransom in order to get the code to unlock it.”
What to do if you get such a call? Hang up — and never allow anyone you don’t know to access your computer. Visit www.maine.gov/ag/consumer for more details.
Editor’s Note: Inspired by suggestions from our readers, this column is our collection of some of the latest occurrences and observations around town.
