CARIBOU, Maine — The city of Caribou plans to host its own spin on a storytelling festival, where cultures throughout the region can come together and share their histories, as part of Maine’s 200th anniversary celebration.
The Maine Bicentennial Commission is officially endorsing the event and recently awarded the city with a $7,500 grant to help organize the festival, which will take place on Aug. 14 and 15 in downtown Caribou.
City officials dubbed the event “The Story of Caribou.” Caribou Marketing and Events Coordinator Christina Kane-Gibson said it will be the city’s first storytelling festival and that it will coincide with the Aroostook Band of Micmacs Mawiomi of Tribes.
The city is also working with Kathryn Olmstead, former editor of Echoes magazine, a long-running publication that featured in-depth pieces on regional cultures.
“We are going to work with the Micmac tribe to highlight their event along with our event,” she said, adding that Micmac Cultural Director John Dennis has been invited to share stories of the tribe’s history during the city’s event.
The Mawiomi of Tribes is slated for Aug. 14-16 on 214 Doyle Road in Caribou, while “The Story of Caribou” will primarily occur on a main stage in Lyndon Square, next to the city’s Caribou statue, and feature children’s events in the Caribou Public Library.
While a permanent schedule is not available, Kane-Gibson said the event will feature several speakers telling historical stories on the main stage on Friday and that Saturday will focus on cultures.
Saturday will feature “Caribou Talks” on the main stage with former Echoes Magazine staff, which Kane-Gibson said will closely resemble “Ted Talks.”
On Saturday afternoon, the stage will open up to art presentations, storytelling through art, dance and theater.
“We’re also working on having different tours around town that will be separate from the downtown events,” she said.
Leading up to the event, Kane-Gibson said the city will focus on media promotion and also record videos from speakers who may be anxious about speaking on stage.
The city is also shooting videos to help promote the event and is currently working on establishing a method of live streaming both “The Story of Caribou” and Mawiomi of Tribes.
“We have an inflatable screen we’re hoping to bring out that will be separate from the main stage,” she said. “A lot of this will be interactive. We’re working on putting together cultural displays and bringing some drumming groups from the Mawiomi. Some speakers will go on stage individually and we’ll also have panel discussions. We’re also hoping to have some open mic time where people may feel inspired to tell the story of how their family came to Caribou.”
Kane-Gibson said initial inspiration came from Caribou City Manager Dennis Marker, who lived in Utah with his family prior to moving to Caribou.
“He was familiar with storytelling events in Utah and saw how successful they could be, not just as a fun event but as a way of recording history and bringing people together,” she said. “It really is a great way to bond the community.”
She said none of this would be possible if it weren’t for a dedicated team of about 10 people helping the city orchestrate the event.
“We have a really good team working on this,” said Kane-Gibson. “They know the history of Caribou like you wouldn’t believe and are helping us find really good speakers with interesting stories. Every time we have a meeting, we keep adding ideas.”
In addition to celebrating local Native American culture, the event will highlight all cultures with history in the region, which Kane-Gibson said includes Acadian, Lebanese, Swedish and Irish cultures.
If “The Story of Caribou” is successful, the events coordinator said she would like to see future iterations of the event in the coming years.
Anyone interested in sharing their stories, either through video or a speech on the main stage, is welcome to contact Kane-Gibson at 207-493-5319.
“It’s going to be all encompassing,” she said. “We want everyone’s story to be told.”
