Despite ‘lighter schedule,’ Mapleton Daze a go
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
MAPLETON — Mark Twain once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The same can be said of Mapleton Daze.
Despite some glaring omissions from the events schedule including the town parade, the 24th annual Mapleton Daze will begin Thursday, June 28 and run through Sunday, July 1.
“Last year’s Mapleton Daze committee members retired so there was a need for new volunteers, and folks have stepped forward,” said Terry Sandusky, Mapleton Daze spokesman. “All of the Friday evening events are intact. Everything that was previously done on Friday evening will continue.
“We describe it as Family and Friends Night because what it’s really all about is a gathering of folks at the chicken barbecue and they hang on for the entertainment and activities. It’s neighbors and friends — people coming back for the weekend — visiting,” he said. “In many respects Friday night is the highlight of the weekend for a lot of folks and we’re happy that will continue. There will be activities for kids including a bike raffle, music for the adults, a movie night and then a fireworks display. We were fortunate enough — through the committee putting on a benefit spaghetti supper — to raise enough money to fill in the gap that we had to pay for the fireworks.”
Recognizing that while some will be disappointed there won’t be a parade this year, Sandusky said they “just didn’t have enough volunteers to step forward to pull that off.”
“Saturday is where things really scale back,” he said. “Saturday’s a very light day with just two major activities going on — the Haystack Historical Society’s pie and ice cream sale and the big, all-class Mapleton High School reunion that night.
“Things will wrap up Sunday with our standard activities including a sunrise service at the gazebo, breakfast at the Mapleton Diner which will feature the Mapleton Ladies Extension serving as the wait staff, and the Jerry Dow and Merlyn Buck Memorial Walk,” said Sandusky. “Those guys were two of a handful of people who dreamed up Mapleton Daze and the walk is done in their memory and the money raised goes to the alumni scholarship fund.”
The summer festival, which is sponsored by the Mapleton Lions Club, kicks off Thursday evening with the Woodie Waddell Memorial Cribbage Tournament at the Lions Hall.
“With the exception of the parade and the Saturday morning children’s events,” said Sandusky, “Mapleton Daze is pretty much intact. It’s lighter than it’s been in the past, but we just needed a few more volunteers to get those other activities going. Maybe we’ll have more people help out next year.”
Sandusky encourages Mapleton residents, as well as townspeople from the surrounding communities, to come out and support the events.
“Mapleton Daze is an opportunity to have good fun with your neighbors and friends in the tri-town area,” he said. “Many people bring their grandkids to the historical society’s museum and show them pictures and tell them the history of the town, so there’s an educational component, too. It’s just enjoyable, small-town fun.”
The schedule of events for this year’s Mapleton Daze is as follows:
Thursday, June 28
7 p.m. Woodie Waddell Memorial Cribbage Tournament at the Lions Hall. There is a $5 entry fee. Bring board and cards, if possible. Doubles and singles are both welcome.
Friday, June 29
Family and Friends Night
5 p.m. Festivities begin at Mapleton Elementary School. Register for the Mapleton Daze Fun Run at 4:30 p.m. The Mapleton Lions Club will hold its chicken barbecue. Cost is $8 per person. The Methodist Women’s Group will be selling pie and coffee, Methodist Youth Group (baked potatoes), Baptist Women’s Group (ice cream), Youth Hockey (snow cones and hot dogs), and the University of Maine at Presque Isle Abused Women in the Workplace group (lemonade). Music will be provided by Wendell Hudson and Friends. There will also be a dunking booth and jumping castles.
7 p.m. Outdoor Family Movie.
9 p.m. Fireworks behind the school.
There will also be a drawing for children’s bicycles.
Saturday, June 30
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Haystack Historical Society pie and ice cream sale.
6 p.m. Mapleton High School Reunion Dinner.
Sunday, July 1
7 a.m. Sunrise Service with Pastor Nathan Gardiner at the gazebo.
7-10 a.m. Mapleton Ladies Extension Fund-raising Breakfast at Mapleton Diner.
9 a.m. Jerry Dow and Merlyn Buck Memorial Walk starting at the Mapleton Lions Hall.
For more information, contact Darcy McBay at the Mapleton Diner.
