By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
As was the way with many details pertaining to Caribou’s 2009 Sesquicentennial Celebration, securing the clocks purchased by the 150th Celebration Committee, as part of the Community Message Board (recently dedicated to the city), Murphy’s Law reared its head once again.
Aroostook Republican photo/ Barb Scott
Members of Caribou’s 2009 150th Committee recently dedicated Caribou’s Community Message Board to the city. The gift, the result of funds left over from the 2009 Sesquicentennial year-long celebration, contains a plaque (donated by Robert Mockler) and reminds residents and visitors alike that the message board was dedicated to the city by the members of Caribou’s 150th Celebration Committee. At left, from front, are: Debbie Sirois, Dr. Phil Turner, Kathy Mazzuchelli, Angela Swanberg, Kirsten Albair and John Swanberg (standing in back). On the right side of the message board are, left, from front: JoAnn Cyr, Barbara Collins, Dot Wakem and Ellen Corrow. In back are David Sleeper and Robert White.
To back up a bit, at the end of the very successful and exciting Sesquicentennial year-long events, the 150th Committee, having paid all its invoices, had an amount of funds remaining in the account. Following a number of meetings and after receiving suggestions and requests for funds from different community organizations, 150th Committee members decided what they really wanted to do was to give the city of Caribou a gift (a birthday gift, if you will), but something that would stand as a reminder of the 150th celebration, of Caribou’s strength and to give back to the citizens who supported the Sesquicentennial events — by buying the historical book, by supporting the events through their attendance and by donating time and money to these events.
“We wanted to give back to the community,” stated John Swanberg, who chaired the 2009 150th Committee. “With this message board and the plaque which adorns it, it sustains the memory of Caribou’s recent birthday celebration and at the same time keeps residents up to date with what’s going on within their community.
The Community Message Board is an estimated 14 feet tall with the back-to-back digital signs being 4-feet by 8-feet. The messages that appear on the board are submitted to and approved by Kathy Mazzuchelli, director of Caribou Parks and Recreation. The message system is wired into the Caribou Recreation and Wellness Center on Bennett Drive.
“We (committee) discussed a variety of possible locations for this board and finally decided that Bennett Drive was the most logical spot, being the busiest stretch of road in Caribou. Having the board and clocks on both sides made sense being visible to traffic going in both directions,” Swanberg added.
Aroostook Republican photo/Barb Scott
Caribou’s newly erected Community Message Board was gifted to the city by the 2009 Sesquicentennial Committee members.
Another consideration the committee members spent time on was having the design of the board, fit both the community and what is represented. Even though the board is operated digitally, a high-tech, neo-modern design would have been out of place in the city and in front of the brick-built recreation center.
Now, back to Murphy’s Law. In order to save approximately $600 regarding the purchase and shipping of the two clocks originating in Massachusetts, Swanberg and David Sleeper (also a 150th committee member) decided that they would make the trip themselves and pick up the clocks.
“David and I agreed that we would leave at 5 a.m., allowing us time to stop in Boston to visit with his son, who attends Harvard,” said Swanberg. “David said according to his GPS system, that 97 West Street in Medford, Mass. was only four miles away from where his son was and that if we planned to leave Boston by 1:30 we would arrive in plenty of time to pick up the clocks at the manufacturer (which closed at 3 p.m.). “
“So we struck out in my nine-year-old pick up,” laughed Swanberg, “we left on time, stopped in Boston, left there as agreed but when we reached 97 West Street, which proved to be a residential area in Medford, we found ourselves in front of not a factory, but rather a three-story tenement house.”
“After calling his son and having him check on the address of the manufacturer, David realized the address was 97 but in Westfield, 30 miles away.
Thirty miles isn’t far, but considering the two had to backtrack, go though a tunnel and get back on the Mass. turnpike, time was certainly not in their favor. “We arrived at the shipping department at 2:55 p.m.,” said Swanberg. “We went in and caught people just getting ready to close up for the day, told them who we were and what we had come for. I had thrown a couple of blankets in my truck to cover the clocks with, having little idea how they would be packed. As we were proceeding to take the clocks outside, a woman with a camera appeared — she just happened to be the owner of the company. She helped make sure the two 42-inch clocks were secured in the truck on pallets, protected by blankets — she wanted to make sure those clocks traveled safely to Caribou. David and I arrived home at 11:30 that night.”
All messages submitted to run on the Community Message Board must contain language within the realms of good taste. Announcements for events sponsored by non-profit organizations, schools and other community announcements will be considered.
Kathy Mazzuchelli has also announced that for a determined fee the message board may also be used to announce birthdays, anniversaries, graduation congratulations, retirements, weddings and births. “We also invite individuals to post marriage proposals on the community message board,” stated Mazzuchelli, “and — we will even post the acceptance or rejection for no charge.”
A $20 fee will be charge in categories including birthday, anniversary, graduation, retirement, weddings and births. The marriage proposal, which will read: person’s name — will you marry me? will be $50.
For more information on placing an announcement on Caribou’s Community Message Board contact the Recreation and Wellness Center at 493-4233.
The message board will help keep “Community in the Community’”— watch for your favorite events and be a part of them.
