CARIBOU, Maine — With the winter ski season in full swing it was time for Caribou to host this year’s Caribou Downtown Ski Festival. The festival spanned both Saturday and Sunday, as winter athletes came out early and in bunches. They arrived to find only a few hours earlier Sweden Street and the North Mall parking lot had been transformed into a ski village of slopes and tracks, turning the site into a snowy paradise for young skiers. Downtown Caribou’s normal traffic flow was replaced by a snow covered intersection of travelers taking a slightly different mode of transportation.
The festival was organized and sponsored by the Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center, and also included a number of co-sponsors and volunteers from Cary Medical Center, Boreal Outdoor Club, Caribou Rotary, the Kiwanis Club and many others that braved the elements to help make the festival a welcome event.
“We had a great response from businesses and service clubs. F.A. Peabody welcomed visitors with hot drinks, Brambleberry Market welcomed others with hot cider.” said Kathy Mazzuchelli, head of the Caribou Parks and Recreation Dept. “The American Legion offered drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers and even a restroom. The Rotary Club of Caribou also provided concessions both outside and inside the race headquarters and the Cub Scouts set up games for the youngsters while they came inside to warm up.”
Saturday marked the opening of the festival with a full day of races and events designed for the younger generation of skiers. Across from the parking lot, Sweden Street was converted into a racing venue where over 80 Nordic skiers from Ashland, Caribou, Presque Isle, Fort Kent and Union 122 had two attempts to clock the fastest speed possible. festival officials used radar guns to determine each age group’s fastest cross-country skiers.
The event was a chance for the competitive youth to not only test their speed, but also claim bragging rights as the fastest skier of the day. Earning first-place honors for boys was Max Bartley, of Presque Isle, while Hope Shea from Caribou, was the fastest girl. There was also a team sprint, in which Caribou claimed top honors for both boys and girls.
Skiers, sponsors and business owners were joined by spectators from all over Aroostook County, who came to offer their support during the winter celebration, spotlighting Caribou’s Nordic heritage. The festival also had a unique special dedication this year, as Mazzuchelli mentioned. She pointed out the festival had been planned for a while, but with the news of local Olympian Russell Currier qualifying for the biathlon event, there was little doubt as to who this year’s festival would be honoring.
Those who came and endured the wind and cold were clearly excited to celebrate the region’s rich winter history. However, a large number showed up in hopes to watch the 26-year-old Stockholm native compete in Sochi. Currier was set to make his Olympic debut early in the morning, drawing a crowd of friends and supporters to the festival. The group made their way in from the cold and packed into the Options RTO store on Sweden Street where they gathered around a group of four television screens. Here, they waited patiently for Currier to take to the track.
About 50 of Currier’s fans were able to pile into the store to watch as he finished 61st overall in his first event. He finished the event with four costly penalties on his way to a time of 26:56.5. The penalties Currier received caused him to miss the cut for Monday’s sprint race by one place, as only the top 60 earned a spot. Despite such a narrow defeat the local fans were not at all discouraged. Some mentioned it was likely just nerves that would affect almost anyone performing for the first time on such a grand stage.
Currier started his ski career attending the very same Caribou Ski Festival and has quickly become a Maine winter sports hero. The gathering of community members was fitting for Currier’s debut, as many people in attendance had either grown up with Currier, or had children who did. Others may have never met Currier, but simply wanted to show their appreciation and express the great deal of pride the community feels for the County biathlete.
“The fan support was outstanding, as many people flocked into Options where we had set up a live stream of his race. The buzz downtown Saturday was about Russell and most fans were just extremely happy at the fact he made it to the Winter Games,” said Mazzuchelli. “We also told many youngsters that this was the same type of event Russell competed in as a youngster, so if they worked hard they might be able to achieve their goals, as well.”
The excitement in Sochi was happening thousands of miles away, but the morning Currier made his initial appearance in the Winter Games, the 26-year-old Stockholm native was cheered on like the hometown hero he has become. It was a rare chance for many who were able to watch Russell and witness the culmination of years of dedication that allowed him to reach the pinnacle for winter athletes.
Next on the schedule was the 10th annual Aroostook Youth Ski Festival, hosted by Boreal Outdoor Club. Skiing youth ages 5-14 were welcome to attend the festival and partake in the exciting races. Boreal worked diligently to transform the North Mall parking lot into a track full of races and games, which the BOC dubbed the “Wild and Winding Terrain Park.” The track began at the top of the hill near Main Street, and circled around the entire parking lot.
Despite Saturday’s races and the competitive spirit each young skier displayed on that first day, it was made clear the day was not about winners and losers. Instead, it was meant to be a celebration of the sport that all ages and skill levels could enjoy.
“Most of the youngsters are just getting the feel for Nordic skiing and will have some great memories of their experiences skiing in downtown Caribou and will hopefully be reminiscent of the years when Caribou’s downtown was a hopping place for winter activities,” said Mazzuchelli. “Although making the U.S. Olympic team is an outstanding achievement, that is not our primary goal. For the younger athletes our goal is to introduce them to the sport while supporting the development of life-long healthy lifestyles.”
According to Mazzuchelli, the trick is not about teaching the younger athletes to win. She makes it clear that it will be more beneficial if health and wellness can be engrained into the area’s culture, just as Nordic skiing has been for years.
“Racing and spandex isn’t for everyone, but being healthy and active is and we want to afford youngsters an opportunity to experience the fun of being on skis,” said Mazzuchelli. “We support them as they move on to skiing for their respective schools and many of the young athletes who did race commented on how fun the sprints were, along with some team relays that occurred later in the day.”
The last scheduled event on Saturday, was a race involving a bit more competition than earlier events. The Maine State Ski Sprints kicked off in the early afternoon, and provided some speedy excitement for spectators who watched intently as the participants vied for the valuable Aroostook Cup #3 points and the title of Maine State Ski Sprint champion. The men’s overall winner in the sprints was Kamran Husain, while the women’s fastest sprint time belonged to Mikaela Paluszek. Both winners reside in Fort Kent.
On Sunday, the “Granddaddy of Aroostook ski races,” as Cary Medical Center called it, took over the action with the 39th annual Henry Anderson Ski Dag. This special event moved the action over to the Caribou ski trails at the Caribou Country Club, where skiers of all ages faced off in a classical-style ski race that honored the late Henry Anderson. Overall winners of the event were Finn Bondeson, for the males, who ended the day with the fastest overall time of 27:31:00 and Sarah Dominick took the top spot for the females with a time of 31:15:00.
“We are happy to continue the longstanding tradition of the Henry Anderson Ski Dag,” said Mazzuchelli. “Mr. Anderson was a premier ski maker and made hundreds of skis for area residents, where Nordic skiing was a mode of transportation for many youngsters years ago in New Sweden, Stockholm and Westmanland.”
Anderson was an avid ski enthusiast, which was certainly not uncommon in Swedish communities. The Swedish population brought their traditions to America, where they used skis for a number of different reasons during the snowy winter months in northern Maine. The fact that skis were in such high demand meant someone would have to make them. Henry Anderson was one person willing to provide this service to the community.
Mazzuchelli went on to explain why it is important for people to remember former community members like Anderson, and the heritage they brought to northern Maine.
“Mr. Anderson’s passion for ski making and Nordic skiing speaks volumes about the character of the people from northern Maine. Historically, the work Mr. Anderson and others like him did, as far as introducing Nordic skiing in the United States, has had long-lasting results and we’re proud to continue that heritage.”
Anderson was able to make hundreds of cross-country skis by hand for both the children and adults of New Sweden. The legend of Anderson’s handmade skis still serve as a testament to the dedication he had for the sport and also his community. Thanks to people like Anderson, the tradition and heritage of his fellow Swedes has been able to survive until this very day. One simply has to visit the Caribou Downtown Ski Festival to recognize the passion for Nordic skiing in northern Maine is as strong now as it’s ever been.
