Winterfest 2012 festivities this weekend
MARS HILL NEWS
by Tomi Henderson
Plans for the 12th annual Mars Hill and Blaine Winterfest are under way for March 9-11.
Activities planned include: at CAHS, Friday night – 5:30-7 p.m., turkey dinner ($5) by Mars Hill Rotary Club; 6-7 p.m., MH vs. Easton Grades 1 and 2 basketball ($1); CAHS State Champion Cheerleaders will perform; 7-8 p.m. Women’s Alumni Basketball, 8-9 p.m. Men’s Alumni Basketball.
Saturday at CAHS – 6-9 a.m., St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast ($4); 9 a.m., Cribbage Tournament($5); 9 a.m.-noon, Penny Carnival ($5 admission) by Spanish Club; also Methodist Women’s Bake Sale, Cookie Bake Off (contact Joy at 429-9823), Cake Walk and Face Painting. Cow Chip Bingo at 10 a.m. ($5) by Anatomy Class. At 10:30 a.m., the FFA will be selling hotdogs, homemade fries and soda for $4.50, 12:30-3 p.m. BINGO.
Saturday events at Big Rock: 10 a.m. Dog Sled Rides; 2 p.m. Human Slalom; 4 p.m. South Star Triple Chair open until 8 p.m.; 4:30 p.m. Kardboard Klassic ($5); 5 p.m. Hot Chicken Sandwich or Spaghetti Supper ($8); 5:30 p.m. Snowmakers Race (teams of four) Dual Slalom format – Race Your Friends; 7:30 p.m. Torchlight Parade; 8:30 p.m. fireworks.
Saturday evening will feature an adult dance from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at the Community Center with Wally and the Virginians ($10 per person).
Sunday event at Big Rock: 10 a.m. Youth Ski Race ($15).
Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. will offer a hotdog roast at Townsend’s camp on route 76A, sponsored by the Central Aroostook Snowmobile Club.
A flyer with a full schedule of events is available at various places around town.
Community Cupboard raffle
The Mars Hill Community Cupboard food pantry is holding its annual grocery gift card raffle on March 9-10. Two $50 Mars Hill IGA gift certificates are being raffled off to two lucky winners. Tickets will be on sale Friday, March 9, at the Mars Hill IGA and Saturday, March 10, during Winterfest at the Central Aroostook Jr./Sr High School. Tickets are one for $1 and six for $5. Winners will be drawn at Winterfest.
Rotary Club
The Mars Hill Rotary Club met Tuesday morning, Feb. 28, at the Aroostook Health Center. The special speaker was Scott Thompson, director of the Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle.
The first state park in Maine, Aroostook State Park was founded in 1939 and consists of 907 acres. It encompasses Quoggy Jo Mountain and abuts Echo Lake. There are 30 campsites that are visited by around 3,000 campers each year.
There are activities happening at the park throughout the year, from fishing, camping, canoeing, snowshoeing, hiking and more. There are 15 miles of trails in the park and on abutting properties.
Special seasonal activities include a birding festival and a haunted woods walk that usually sees around 1,500 people over the two nights it’s operated. The recent Winter Fun Day saw 750 people enjoying sledding, cross country skiing and more.
The park hopes to be an economic force in the County and welcomes visitors from near and far. For more information, contact scott.p.thompson@maine.gov.
AHC events
Upcoming events for the week of March 7-13 at the Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill include: Wednesday – the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Wii Bowling for Staff and Residents at 9 a.m., Residents Council at 10 a.m. and Crossword Puzzles at 1:30 p.m.; Thursday has the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Bingo at 9:30 a.m., Horse Racing at 1:30 p.m. and the Bridgewater Free Baptist at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, March 9, will have Moving to Music at 9:30 p.m., Card Games at 1:30 p.m. and Moving to Music at 2:45 p.m.; Saturday has Bingo with Velma at 1:30 p.m. and the APC Church Service at 3 p.m.; Sunday is a free day – but remember to turn your clocks ahead before you go to bed; Monday will feature Coffee Chat at 9:30 a.m., Moving to Music at 9:45 a.m., Karaoke with Larry at 1:30 p.m. and Gospel Group at 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, March 13, will have the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Bingo at 9:30 a.m., Card Games at 1:30 p.m. and Moving to Music at 2:45 p.m. All of these activities are subject to change. If you would like to volunteer to help with any of these activities, contact Connie or Vicki at 768-4915.
Plan ahead for Soccer Camp
The Mars Hill Recreation Department has teamed up with Challenger Sports to host a week-long British Soccer Camp during the week of July 16-20 at the Central Aroostook High School Soccer Fields in Mars Hill.
The camp will run Monday through Friday and is open to students ages 6 to 18. The camp will be more than a week of drills and skills. In addition to taking part in a daily regimen of foot skill development, technical and tactical practices and daily tournament-style plays, each child will also be treated to a rich cultural experience and lessons on respect, responsibility, integrity, leadership and sportsmanship.
Camp hours will be 9 a.m. to noon daily for ages 6 to 11 at a cost of $117. Hours for players from ages 12 to 18 will be from 5-8 p.m. daily at a cost of $117. Space is limited, so sign up early. For more information or to sign up for camp, visit www.challengersports.com, or contact Dave Collins at 429-8429 or by e-mail at marshillrec@hotmail.com.
Bridgewater Historical Association
There will be a meeting of the Bridgewater Historical Association on Monday, March 12, at the Civic Center in Bridgewater at 7 p.m. The main purpose for the meeting will be the election of officers. For more information, call Jann Votaw, BHA president, at 425-7901.
Tomi Henderson is the correspondent for Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater and Westfield. She can be reached at 429-9126 or e-mail tomihen@yahoo.com.
