HOULTON, Maine — A regional cultural effort is underway in the greater Houlton area and interested organizations and individuals are invited to get involved. An informational meeting will be held Monday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. at the Houlton Higher Education Center.
A Regional Creative Council is being formed to develop an inventory of creative and cultural assets for the area, which includes southern Aroostook County, along with the communities of northern Penobscot and northern Washington counties.
According to Nancy Ketch, one of the organizers, the Creative Council is working to develop an inventory of these cultural assets for the region including landmarks, museums, attractions, artisans, events, trails and historic venues. The group’s goal is to develop a cultural plan that will assist in branding and marketing the region as a cultural destination and potentially applying for grants through the Maine Arts Commission’s Creative Communities = Economic Development Program.
“The meeting on Sept. 21 is an opportunity to join the discussion about the Regional Creative Council and to learn how to be represented and involved in the direction of this effort,” Ketch said.
Any organization, business, venue or individual involved or interested in cultural or creative endeavors is encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about the effort. Invitation letters have been sent to all municipalities in the region as well as numerous organizations, businesses and individuals to get the word out about the upcoming session.
Agencies currently involved in this effort are the Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Program, Cary Library, Houlton Community Arts Center, Houlton Higher Education Center and the town of Houlton.
All those interested are welcome to attend the meeting. Registration is requested, however, to ensure appropriate space is available for the group. Those interested in attending the meeting or receiving more information on this cultural effort can contact Nancy Ketch at 532-7111 orcomm.development@houlton-maine.com, Linda Faucher at Cary Library at 532-1302 or faucherl@cary.lib.me.us or Tracy Rockwell at the Houlton Higher Education Center at 521-3100 or tracy.rockwell@maine.edu.
Those interested, but unable to attend the meeting can also notify Ketch, Faucher or Rockwell to be put on the distribution list for updates, information and notification of future meetings.
