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CARIBOU, Maine — With the COVID-19 pandemic putting life on hold for people across the world, America’s most northeastern city is adapting by canceling some events such as the City Wide Yard Sale, rethinking other popular events and figuring out safe activities that respect social distancing in the meantime.
Caribou Marketing and Events Director Christina Kane-Gibson said the city is holding off on putting out any information about the city’s popular Thursdays on Sweden series of events, during which a portion of Sweden Street is closed off for live music, food, family activities and vendors. These events typically bring in more than 1,000 people.
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The city is still planning out the popular summer series and plenty of work is taking place behind the scenes, but at this point any announcements are being held off until there is definitive information indicating it will be safe to host the gatherings.
“I think Thursdays on Sweden will be more important than ever for us as a community after all of this,” Kane-Gibson said. “And we definitely will do something when we can.”
The Caribou Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifying event, is set to celebrate its 5th year this September. Kane-Gibson said that while it will likely be safe to host the event, there may be a conflict as Boston moved its race to the weekend before Caribou’s. As a result, the city is providing refunds to runners already signed up if this conflicts with plans to go to Boston.
Like with Thursdays on Sweden, city staff are meeting via the Zoom conferencing app to plan the marathon, but are not releasing any information until it is certain that the event can happen.
The city has also been planning a large event to celebrate Maine’s bicentennial, which would coincide with the Aroostook Band of Micmacs Mawiomi of the Tribes, and also feature nods to all of the unique cultures within Caribou and Aroostook County.
With the bicentennial celebration planned for mid-August, Kane-Gibson said she hopes it will be able to happen without any cancellations.
In the meantime, the city is adapting by creating events that promote social distancing while still making the community feel a bit less isolated. Kane-Gibson said Caribou recently was inspired by local parents to start a Teddy bear hunt, in which people will put Teddy bears in their windows for others to track down on their way to essential errands.
More information about the Teddy bear hunt, including a map and list of participating residents and businesses, is available via the city’s official Facebook page.
Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan emphasized that this should only be done while conducting essential errands. And while residents are encouraged to get out and take walks, the city is asking people not to hunt for Teddy bears in large groups.
“We are absolutely all in this together and we will still have our moments to come together as a community. We just need to be patient right now,” Kane-Gibson said.
