By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
Anyone who might have traveled around the residential streets near Hilltop Elementary School on Thursday might have wondered if perhaps there was a late season Little League tournament taking place, since the entire roadsides and the parking lot were filled with vehicles. It wasn’t a ballgame but rather the school’s 4th annual Harvest Hoe Down.
On a perfect fall afternoon students, teachers, staff members, parents and community members where all involved in a whirlwind of fall activities from making apple cider, enjoying baked potatoes topped with everything delicious to hayrides, pony rides, and pumpkin painting.
Jane McCall, Hilltop principal stated that the popular event is made possible “Through the generous donations from parents and local businesses. We had four 50-pound bags of potatoes donated by Craig and Kelley Bouchard which were prepared and served to our guests and students by members of the Maine Agri Women organization, these ladies also provided the toppings for the baked potatoes,” she added. “Parents were quick to answer our call to donate bags of apples which were used in the cider press and Goughan’s Farm provided us with a special rate when we purchased the many, many pumpkins the kids hand-painted and the Gerald Turcotte family who brought their miniature ponies so our students could experience a real-live pony ride,” McCall added.
“If it wasn’t for Kathy Mazzuchelli and her staff at the Caribou Recreation and Wellness Center, I don’t know how we would have handled everything that day,” said McCall. “We do most of the planning but Kathy and her crew do at 75 percent of the physical work, everything from setting up the obstacle course to operating the cider press, we can’t thank them enough.”
Of course what’s a hoe down without the proper music? Tunes for the successful, outside afternoon event was provided by Music X-Press.
