Sports in brief . . .

Tailgate party offered by boosters
    The Caribou Athletic Boosters will host a tailgate party and youth soccer festival during the Caribou-Presque Isle boys soccer doubleheader Saturday at Caribou High School.     The event will start at 1 p.m. and will last through halftime of the varsity game. The boys’ junior varsity and varsity games are set for Friday, beginning at 1 p.m. with the JVs. The varsity game has a 3 p.m. scheduled start. There is no charge for admittance to the games.
    Traditional tailgate party food will be offered, including hot dogs and hamburgers, sausages and peppers, homemade French fries and homemade doughboys.
    Beginning at 2 p.m. on the upper soccer field, a soccer skills carnival will be held for children in grade 8 and younger, with prizes awarded.
    Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Caribou Athletic Boosters to help athletic projects at the school.
    For more information, contact the athletic office at CHS at 493-4274 or David Sleeper at 551-8473.
Soccer academy offering Europe tour in April
    Plans are now finalized for the Dutch Soccer Academy’s April 2009 tour of Italy.
    The tour will be held April 16-24, 2009. The cost is $2,800, which includes round trip air fare from Boston to Rome, bus transportation from Aroostook County to Boston, hotel accommodations, two meals daily, sight seeing tours, tickets to a professional match, three friendly matches with Italian teams, professional training with a licensed Italian instructor and a DSA uniform and training jacket.
    Those interested should download a player information form off the DSA website (www.dutchsocceracademy.com) and send it to DSA Euro Tours, 99 Lynn Drive, Caribou, ME 04736 along with a $100 serious intent deposit.
    The remainder of the payment schedule is as follows: payment one, $600, due Oct. 20; payment two, $700, due Dec. 10; payment three, $700, due Feb. 10, 2009; and payment four, $700, due March 15, 2009.
    In the event that too many students sign up, preference will be given to DSA students and upperclassmen.
    A complete tour itinerary is also available to view on the DSA website. Contact Robbie or Tammy Krul at 492-1147 for more information.
Fat Tire Festival slated for Saturday
    PRESQUE ISLE – Fall foliage, good food, skill-testing single-track trails, and heart-pounding mountain bike races and tours are in store for participants in the second annual The Aroostook Medical Center/Nordic Heritage Center Fat Tire Festival Saturday.
    Originally scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28 but canceled due to heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Kyle, organizers and volunteers have crafted a condensed version of the event. According to event director Chad McPherson, the one-day itinerary features many of the same activities.
    “The races, the bike rodeo, the trail tours…it’s all still in (the schedule),” said McPherson. “Even the local bike shops and food vendors have committed to being here. We’re looking forward to putting on a great event.”
    Taking place on the trails of the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, activities will be centered on cross-country and downhill races for novice, intermediate and expert riders. Volunteers will lead guided tours of the trails, while a bike rodeo and the center’s terrain park will be open throughout the day.         The NHC lodge, which is open to the public from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and includes kitchen facilities, restrooms, shower rooms, and a sauna, will serve as the hub of the events.
    For more information, or to register, please visit www.nordicheritagecenter.org.