Photo by Karen Donato
BOWDOIN VISITORS — The Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum welcomed ten Bowdoin College students this past week. This is the seventh year the students have participated in a volunteer program sponsored by the college as part of freshmen orientation. They also volunteered for Catholic Charities in Monticello. From left in front are: Marcus Wright, Kelsey Scarlett, May Kim, Theresa Faller, Jack McGuire and Eduardo Jaramillo. In back from left, Brian Mullin, Michael Thaibinh, Marina Affo and Jonathan Gruber.
By Karen Donato
Special to the Pioneer Times
LITTLETON — Eight years ago, former resident and Bowdoin College faculty member, Allen Delong contacted the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum in Littleton to see if the volunteers would be interested in hosting a group of freshmen students from the college in Brunswick. At the time, Delong’s dad, the late Walter Delong was a tour guide. The volunteers were excited to have these young students come to Aroostook County and help out with a variety of jobs that needed to be done around the museum facility. The program was so successful that it has continued now for eight years.
During these past several years, students have not only helped with cleaning, but have painted equipment and the trim on some of the buildings, but also spread pea stone, mulched flower beds and around trees, swept the pavement, set up a Facebook page and set tables for upcoming public suppers.
The students arrive on a Wednesday afternoon and stop at the museum for an introduction to personnel, followed by a tour and history of the farming way of life experienced in Aroostook County. The students have stayed at the Littleton Snowmobile Club, the Monticello Fish and Game and most recently the Wilderness Pines Campground at Conroy Lake in Monticello. The college sends the students with groceries and they prepare most of their own meals. The group travels with two upper classmen and one adviser. They come from all across the United States and sometimes foreign countries.
After the first couple of years the program expanded to not only include work at the museum, but time to explore other parts of The County. Students have visited the McCrum potato farm in Mars Hill, picked potatoes for Dan Stewart in Presque Isle, learned first-hand how to make a potato basket, visited the wind farm located on Mars Hill Mountain and most recently toured and worked at the Presque Isle High School Farm. In 2012, a second group of students was added to the Aroostook County trip, so while one group worked in the Littleton area the other volunteered at the Presque Isle farm.
In the evenings the students explored downtown Houlton, sampling candy from Uncle Willy’s and ice-cream from Houlton Farms Dairy, as well as the unique architecture of the Market Square and the history of the Boy and the Boot statue.
Several of the students shared their impressions of our community before they left Saturday to begin their first year at college.
Marcus Wright of Raleigh, N.C. said, “In spite of its vast size, Aroostook county maintains a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Before coming here, I had never encountered such enthusiasm for potato farming. The way of life the agrarian practice inspired is still evident and can be easily observed at the Southern Aroostook Agriculture Museum, where the spirit of the potato and all it has done for the community permeates the various and interesting displays. I am thankful to the people of Bowdoin and Aroostook County for making this such a wonderful experience.”
Michael Thaibinh from Houston said, “We met so many helpful, kind people in our time in Aroostook County. It was a real treat working with the local organizations. The dedication of the volunteers at the Agricultural Museum and the Catholic Charities inspired us to try our hardest and we felt the strong history and sense of community of the region, as well as the tides of change moving through the county.”
Kelsey Scartlett from Ewing, N.J. said, “I love what I’ve seen at the museum. The way the county of Aroostook gave back by submitting antique items, really moved me and interested me. My favorite part was taking the tour and learning the history.”
May Kim, a Bowdoin sophomore and group leader from Los Angeles said, “It was such a treat to lead this group of amazing Bowdoin students around Aroostook County. Our experiences working with the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, Catholic Charities and the high school farm has been unforgettable.”
