PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce honored community members and businesses during its annual awards ceremony Thursday.
More than 200 packed the Northern Maine Community College gym for the event.
During the year the chamber hosted 15 events, including the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, Oktoberfest and the Holiday Light parade, and participated in 25 other community events, said Mary Kate Barbosa, immediate past president and recipient of the Director of the Year Award.
Barbosa presented the President’s Award to Arthur and Cecile Wood of Presque Isle.
“It’s an honor to stand before you today and introduce Santa and Mrs. Claus,” she said. “Every year they’re just a shining star at the Holiday Light Parade. They’ve worked very hard to create something meaningful for the community.”
The Woods have portrayed the Clauses for decades during the annual parade, spending countless hours building and decorating their own floats, Barbosa said. They don elaborate costumes and stay in character throughout the event as they greet children during setup and along the parade route.
The Woods were grateful for the award and happy that all their children were able to attend: Linda, Arthur Jr. and Brian. This past year they met an incredible number of people at the parade, Linda Wood said.
“We never expected anything like this,” Arthur Wood said. “We do it for the kids. Every year when we get done, we start thinking about the next year.”
Fort Fairfield Town Manager Tim Goff presented the Citizen of the Year Award to Mike Greenlaw, an electrician who owns his own company. He so dislikes the limelight that he decided not to attend the dinner, Goff said.
Greenlaw simply steps in and does things, including rewiring school signs, installing an outside light near the library entrance, fixing the town clock and building extension cords for holiday lighting.
Goff said he learned just how big Greenlaw’s heart is when a tragic fire last fall killed three members of a local family, leaving a young man alone.
“Mike called the town office and said, ‘If this young man needs a place to live, he’s got a place at my house,’” Goff said. “Mike, you’re the reason why Aroostook County is more than just a place.”
Greenlaw’s sister, Michelle Lee, nephew, Isaac Lee, and employee Avery Cormier accepted the award on Greenlaw’s behalf. His sister read a message from him expressing thanks.
Ignite Presque Isle was named Business of the Year for Economic Impact. CEO LeRae Kinney has shepherded Ignite PI through many stages, said presenter Cathy Beaulieu, a member of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Committee and owner of Wilder’s Jewelry.
“Ignite PI did a lot to turn the tide of our downtown,” Bealieu said. “LeRae came out of the education field because she wanted a new challenge. With the restaurant, renovations, all of it, she held on to a vision.”
Downtown revitalization means giving people a reason to come downtown, not just once but repeatedly, Kinney said. She credited staff with creating ways to draw people in, such as trivia nights at Rodney’s at 436 Main, the opening of The Lounge on Saturdays and murder mystery dinner theater evenings.
Staff are continually working on leadership and other training and are all ServSafe certified, she said.
“Good things are happening, and we’re doing our best to showcase just how amazing Presque Isle is,” Kinney said. “We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what we can become.”
Sharon Campbell of Presque Isle presented the Aroostook Agency on Aging with the Business of the Year for Community Impact Award. The agency works hard to meet the needs of Aroostook’s older people through many programs, like Friendly Neighbors and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, she said.
Staff also help arrange home care and were a great help during her mother’s last years, treating her with respect and becoming an extended family, Campbell said.
“My mother passed away at 100 1/2 years old, just before Christmas, living in her own home just the way she wanted,” Campbell said. “They made her feel important and that she mattered. That, my friends, is community impact.”
Joy Barresi Saucier, executive director of the Presque Isle-based agency, and Barbara Robertson, board president, accepted the award.
The recognition reflects the collaboration between the community, donors, volunteers and staff, Barresi Saucier said. The agency employs about 100 staff members and works with nearly 150 volunteers.
“It’s about creating a stronger community where all of us can age in place with grace and dignity,” she said.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Kevin McCartney of Caribou, retired professor of geology at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, co-owner with wife Kate of Caribou’s Old Iron Inn, and past president of the Northern Maine Fair.
Ray Rice, University of Maine at Presque Isle president, talked about McCartney’s considerable academic achievements, including many publications and Fulbright stints in Poland and India.
McCartney loves the community and is leaving a legacy of service that will last for many years, said Lynwood Winslow, Northern Maine Fair Association president.
Winslow and Rice acknowledged McCartney’s passion for information learning, which came to fruition in the Maine Solar System model and the incredibly successful Li’l Farmers at the Fair interactive exhibit.
McCartney recounted how he and Kate arrived in Aroostook County in 1988 with uncertain futures and $10 to their name. Right away, people embraced them, he said.
He has been grateful for the chance to teach his students, to run the inn with Kate, and to work with community members and fellow Rotarians. But he is most proud of being asked to be president of the fair, especially since he doesn’t come from farming heritage and has never sat on a tractor.
“Maybe you need an outsider’s voice to tell you you have something incredible here,” he said. “Everything we have ever wanted to do, we have done with your help. Thank you.”
