Midnight Madness brings masses to downtown

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Grass skirts, flower leis and tropical music took center stage Tuesday evening as the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce held its 25th annual Midnight Madness celebration.
    “This being my first one, it (the event) completely exceeded my expectations,” said Jane Torres, executive director for the chamber. “The crowd was fantastic and everyone really seemed to be having a great time.”
    An estimated 3,700 people attended the event, Torres said. Midnight Madness has evolved over the years from originally a sale-only shopping event with bargains increasing in value as the evening wore on, to today’s festivity that features more of a street fair vibe with sidewalk vendors, music, car shows and food booths.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
MIDNIGHT MADNESS — Mike Beals, owner of Beal’s Variety on Main Street in Houlton, sports a Hawaiian lei to get into the spirit of Midnight Madness July 3.
    About 50 retail merchants participated in Midnight Madness this year, opening their doors with sales to the public. The sales were not limited to only those merchants downtown, as a number of businesses on the North Road participated. Each business was encouraged to decorate or dress up based on the theme of the event. Label Shoppers in the North Road Shopping Plaza won first place in the Business Spirit contest.
    “The people judging said when they walked into the store there was a very festive atmosphere,” Torres said. “They had a tiki hut set up around the cash registers with ‘tiki-sweeties.’ It was a lot of fun.”
    Market Square in downtown Houlton is partially closed to vehicle traffic for the evening, allowing bargain hunters to roam freely through the streets. Secondary events, such as a performance by McGill’s Community Band in Monument Park, street vendors and musical performances in Market Square have been added through the years.
    Torres said since this was her first Midnight Madness event as the chamber director, she saw a number of things she wants to add for next year.
    “I’d like to see even more outdoor vendors,” she said. “Having vendors from the community market really worked well. They were very happy to be part of the whole thing. If we can get more of them to come for next year, it will just add even more to the festivities.”
    She added having more live music, featuring greater variety, is another consideration.
    Torres said she heard from a number of businesses expressing their gratitude for the chamber’s help in bringing people into their stores. One of the more popular attractions for business owners and customers, Torres said, was the live remote broadcast with WHOU earlier in the day. The remote set the tone for the evening’s specials for the night.
    The chamber’s strawberry shortcake booth was another popular attraction, with nearly 300 shortcakes sold. Doughboys from Sadie’s Bakery were another big draw, with lines into the street for much of the evening.
    Tim “the tuneman” Humphrey entertained the masses with his DJ skills in Market Square, while McGill’s Community Band drew scores of people to Monument Park. The local band “Crossroads” also performed near the Houlton Lodge of Elks. High School student Cameron Clark was another popular attraction downtown as he performed a number of juggling acts.