Happy New Year! The new Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce has hit the ground running and, thanks to a very active board of directors, was able in just two short months to transform the Chamber from a city department to an entity of its own. So when the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2014, we were ready for business.
The year of 2013 was a rebuilding year for the Chamber and much progress was made in developing the kind of Chamber that our members need us to be. The foundation we built allowed us to begin a new chapter and a new year in a great position for success in the years ahead.
It is also renewal season for our members and it is very rewarding that our efforts have paid off as membership renewal is off to a fast start and pour in every day. We are so grateful that our members are speaking in such a way that tells us we are on the right track and heading in the right direction.
The cold weather and early (compared to recent years) and heavy snowfall does not slow down the pace of life around here. David Sleeper said it well in his weekly Sleeper’s e-mail blast:
“I went to the Caribou vs. Houlton basketball game last night expecting to see a small crowd with temps hovering at 20 below zero at game time. Instead, there was a near capacity crowd out supporting our student athletes. I guess you could say we are just accustomed to this kind of weather!”
The season also does not stop the momentum gained around here from our summer and fall of fun downtown. Mark your calendar for February 8 and 9 as we are busily preparing our next downtown adventure: “Caribou Downtown Ski Festival” featuring the Maine State Ski Sprints and Aroostook Youth Ski Festival. That’s right, there will be skiing right downtown on Sweden Street and a snow festival in the downtown mall parking lot!
Posters will soon be going up all over the area with more details and more will be coming here next week in the Aroostook Republican. just to give you a few bits of information to make you get your long johns ready for the event, the Public Works Department and Soderberg Construction will actually be bringing snow into the Downtown Mall and to Sweden Street beginning in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
The Downtown Mall parking lot will feature snow hills and fun for children and food and other venders. And Sweden Street will be set up for ski sprints! The middle schools will be having their meet right downtown and then there will be sprints set up for the youngsters and then the Maine State Ski Sprint will take place from 2 to 4 p.m.. The fun starts at 9 a.m. with registration and the festival in the Downtown Mall will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The following day (Sunday, the 9th), the 39th annual Henry Anderson Ski DAG will take place at the Caribou Country Club ski trails with registration at 9 a.m. and racing begins at 10. Age divisions: 12 and under; 13-15; 16-19; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60-69; 70-79; 80 & over.
There is a registration fee for both the Maine State Ski Sprints and the Ski DAG, but children under 18 can race for free. More details to come, but put the dates on your calendar. It’s going to be a blast!
Hey, have you ever gone to a restaurant and were just blown away by the service of the waitperson? Perhaps you have gone into a grocery or convenience or other type of store and had your day made by the smile, efficiency and the personality of the worker you dealt with there. Or maybe a mechanic or car salesman made your experience a great one. Maybe you were touched by the service of a health worker who made your or a loved one’s ordeal that much better.
The truth is that there are good people all around us every day that we interact with. Despite their level of pay or long hours and personal ordeals, these people rise above and are angels in our everyday lives.
The Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce and the Aroostook Republican have teamed up to recognize these service workers that make our local lives that much better. The newspaper and your Chamber will start a monthly service worker award and the public is our nominating body. Here is what you do: Either go to our website at cariboumaine.com and fill out a nominating form found in the Popular Forms link or call me at 498-6156 and nominate someone you either dealt with that day who brightened your world or someone who always provides that very special customer service that is always appreciated.
The newspaper and I will then select a Service Worker of the Month Award with a story in the paper and on our Facebook page. Good service should be noticed and rewarded. Let’s make this happen!
The new Northern Maine Snowmobile Trail Map is available. I will be distributing some around town and will keep a supply here at the Chamber. The new map is a joint venture of the Aroostook Chamber of Commerce of which I am a member and visitaroostook.com.
All the best, folks, for a bright and better new year in 2014!
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or e-mail him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
