FORT KENT, Maine —The 33rd annual Tour de la Vallee held Saturday, Aug. 26, was the biggest yet, drawing in 135 participants and raising $31,300 for the Edgar J. Paradis Cancer Fund.
The event was hosted by Northern Maine Medical Center. Unlike past events it featured family activities at Fort Kent’s Riverside Park after participants finished, ranging from face painting and an obstacle course in addition to live music, a beer garden and food vendors.
It also allowed for more methods of transportation, with ATVs and motorcycles added to the existing options of biking, walking and running.
Vanesa Pelletier, a project manager at NMMC, said they wanted to expand the event this year to combat low turnout over the past decade. This inspired organizers to host a larger event.
According to NMMC Executive Secretary Claire Landry, the tour’s primary organizer, this was the biggest event yet. Landry said they had 53 walkers and runners, 41 bikers, 16 motorcycles, and 25 ATVs involved.
“The fun family event was very well received,” she said. “Children especially enjoyed the birdhouse painting, face painting and various games. The hot dog food truck was kept very busy.”
The event ended with the announcement that Heidi Michaud won the e-bike raffle.
The Edgar J. Paradis Cancer fund was established in 1978 as a way to help families with travel and lodging expenses when visiting a loved one who is being treated in a distant hospital. It was named after the late St. John Valley resident Guy Paradis, who had erythroleukemia and received treatment in Portland. This left him feeling alone and isolated from friends and family, which inspired the cancer fund, according to information on the fund.
And the Tour de la Vallee was later established as an annual fundraiser for the Edgar J. Paradis Cancer Fund.
“We’d like to thank all the organizers of the event, the sponsors, the vendors, the participants, all who purchased raffle tickets, and all who donated to the event,” Landry said.
