The Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce a new member on our rolls this week. Caribou Trading Post Pawn Shop has joined and we welcome them! Owned by Tina and Tony Disy and located on 9 Water Street in Caribou, the business has really been set in order and is an attractive space with a logical way to display its merchandise. The Caribou Trading Post Pawn Shop offers pawns and also sell: clothing, jewelry, tools, stereos, rustic items, guitars, amps, Xbox 360 and PSP2 games and much more. The business has been added to our website and was featured on our Facebook page.
Thursdays on Sweden should be a lot of fun this coming Thursday (June 26) from 6-9. Hopefully, the weather will be good and we can have the event downtown. Wait, William, where is your optimism? It will be downtown and the weather will be good!
Anyway, this week it is 1950s and ‘60s Retro Night. Not only will Music Xpress provide my favorite music of all time, but we encourage people to dress in that retro cool look. How about you men get your serious Elvis duckbill going? I guarantee people will be dancing in the street and good food and great vendors will be everywhere.
The Acadian Congress is providing an Export Conference in Fort Kent in August. We are contacting businesses who would benefit from learning more about doing business with Canadian entities. If your business would be interested in attending, please call Austin Bleess at the city office or Brian Doyle of the Maine State Department of Economic and Community Development at 624-9807.
Have you ever been to Bennington, Vermont? It is a town in Vermont that reminded me a lot of Caribou. It is a mix of rural and downtown but is about a hundred years older and it has a little higher population than our area. But there are more similarities than differences.
One of the things I loved when I visited there is that nearly every house that had some age to it and other historical buildings had a small placard by the road of the history of the structure including the people, the year and any other significant fact.
I understand that every community is different, but you all know that I love our local history. I believe there are only two houses in this area that even have the date of construction on the house itself. I am proud of this area’s history. The history is a big reason for what kind of people are here today.
So here is my idea. Why doesn’t a group, whether formal or informal work with me to make a list of historic buildings in our area and create a bunch of these placards? We could work with the property owners to display the placards. In my capacity at the Chamber, I don’t have the time or budget to take on such a project, but perhaps we can find a sponsor or benefactor to help us.
I did a walking tour for the Sesquicentennial that I believe is still available at the Caribou Public Library. That could be a starting point.
Here is why I think such a project would not only be cool, but be important. First, it gives points of interest to visitors to the area. I know I walked around Bennington all day to read every placard! And I stopped at some stores along the way to do so! Secondly, it would instill pride in who we are as an area and a people. And lastly, while our leadership is rightly focusing on the future by making a better today, perspective can be gained by looking at our past.
Our area and city fathers and mothers of the past were remarkably resilient and creative people that carved this place out of the wilderness. We could learn a lot from them and we should celebrate them!
Okay, that’s my pitch. Is anyone with me?
One last note: I will be away for two weeks visiting my elderly mother. The office will mostly be closed but will be open sporadically (Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and Friday for sure the first week) by volunteers. For vendor forms for Thursdays, Caribou Cares For Kids parade registrations, go to our website and the Popular Forms link. Send the vendor forms via fax to the Caribou Recreation Department at 493-4225 or drop them by there. The parade forms can be mailed here and I will collect them when I return.
I will be monitoring my phone messages and my e-mail if you need me in an important way. I’ll see you when I get back!
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or email him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
