Bowdoin freshmen make County trek

Photo by Karen Donato
BOWDOIN STUDENTS VISIT COUNTY – Ten Bowdoin College freshmen and two upperclassmen spent several days in Aroostook County this past week. While here they volunteered at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum in Littleton and picked potatoes at the Stewart Farm on Route 1 in Presque Isle. From left in front are, Louisa Dias, Jasmine Bailey and Natalie Clark. Second row, Maddie Sutton-Smith, Phil Cuddeback and Sophie Daigle. Third row, Divya Hoon, Maximus Blomgren and Miko Lim. In back, Brad Bainum, Dan Lipkowitz and Jeff Cvartas.
By Karen Donato
Special to the Pioneer Times
    LITTLETON — The volunteers at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum hosted 10 Bowdoin College freshmen and two upperclassmen as they participated in their freshmen pre-orientation program for the new school year. This is the fifth year that Dr. Allen Delong, a native of Monticello has led a group to his home territory.
    Before leaving Brunswick the students had selected a variety of interesting destinations throughout the state, but then were randomly chosen for each trip offered by the college. While here in the area the students camp out at the Meduxnekeag Snowmobile Club in Littleton and enjoy swimming in nearby, Cary Lake.
    Upon their arrival at the museum, Delong’s father Walter, a museum tour guide joined me in showing the students around the facility and explaining the life of farm families in this part of Maine.
    Once here the students spent part of each day doing volunteer work at the agricultural museum. This year they readied an area in front of the flag pole for a memorial garden, secured labels to some display items and did a variety of housekeeping jobs in preparation for the annual classic car and truck show that was held at the museum over the weekend.
    On Friday a few of the students visited Houlton High School to speak with the 2011 senior class, answering questions about college applications and the interview process.
    Later that day the entire group traveled to Presque Isle to pick potatoes at the Dan Stewart farm located on U.S. Route 1. This is the second year that Stewart has hosted the group. This was the highlight of the trip as the students received first-hand knowledge of the challenges the small farmer faces and the hard work that farmers endure most every day to grow fresh produce for the customer.
    The students admitted they had never thought much about the process of growing food. Most of the students live in urban areas away from farmland. The students picked more than two dozen barrels for Stewart and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Upon their departure Stewart loaded the Bowdoin van with bags of potatoes, fresh corn and other vegetables for their evening meal back in Littleton.
    After their potato picking venture they toured the city, stopping for an ice cream treat at the Houlton Farms Dairy Bar. Before returning to Littleton they visited the McCrum farm in Mars Hill. Bob Lunney, one of the owners gave them a first hand look at the modern potato harvesting equipment and demonstrated this self-contained machine that does it all. They climbed aboard and got a close up view of the process.
 Students participating in this year’s program were from the states of Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C. and the Philippines.
    Before leaving to begin their year at Bowdoin the students shared their impressions of their trip. Here are some of their comments:
    “The Aroostook service trip I went on was enriching and opened my eyes to many new things. I got to experience the importance of local history at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum; I also now understand and appreciate the hardships of a small, local farmer. I had an amazing time and can’t wait to visit again,” said Phil Cuddeback of Pennsylvania.
    Divya Hoon, from New Jersey said, “Coming from a large, urban city, I found my visit to the Agricultural Museum and potato farm to be highly informative and showed me a completely different lifestyle than I had been exposed to before.”
    “Learning about the process of farming potatoes was enlightening. I can now truly appreciate the dedication that each farmer has and the deep passion for farming in Aroostook County that has transcended generations,” said Daniel Lipkowitz of New Jersey.
    Miko Lim from Manila, Philippines said, “Coming up to Aroostook, Maine was a very interesting experience for me. Living on the other side of the world, learning about the lifestyles of the farmers here and their past was very educational.
    Sophie Daigle of Burlington, Vt. said, “This trip was a learning experience. Not only did I learn how to harvest potatoes, but I also learned about the importance of knowing where your food comes from; buying locally and I was introduced to the beauty of farming.”
    A sentiment many of us “locals” live every day and take for granted.