Recapping Hometown Holidays
On Dec. 7 various towns in Piscataquis County celebrated the wonder of Christmas. This year the Hometown Holidays (HTH) schedule included Dover-Foxcroft, Monson, Guilford and Milo.
Executive Director Denise Buzzelli of the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce was not sure where to begin in the earliest stages of planning, “This is my first Christmas season as director, and the thought of planning a county-wide event was a little intimidating to me, but in mid-October I received an e-mail from Janet Sawyer of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council about putting together a committee and having our first HTH meeting. Everything started there (thank you Janet!)”.
Buzzelli sent out e-mails to all Chamber members asking for volunteers to be part of the committee. The HTH committee consisted of those who responded; in addition to Buzzelli, Sawyer, Jody Arno, Trisha Smith of Riverside Florist, Deb Boyd of the PRYMCA, Angela Bonacasa of the Center Theatre, Lisa Kingsbury and Andy VanEss of the Piscataquis Public Health Council, Pastor Reeni Cipullo of the Guilford United Methodist Church, and Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Jack Clukey
Buzzelli collaborated with Dover-Foxcroft, Milo, Monson and Guilford on the planning, created master schedules and promoted the events through the elementary schools and the newspaper. The master schedule was also placed on the Chamber’s website and Facebook as “save the date” posts helped to spread the word.
“It was wonderful to see everything come together, to see the people in our communities working for something and enjoying the outcome,” she said. “It would have been impossible to make it happen without our volunteers, sponsors and town managers.”
Milo’s day began at the town hall, with a buffet breakfast with Santa, followed by a Christmas fair and beef stew luncheon at the United Methodist Church. The children enjoyed crafts and refreshments throughout the day, followed by a lights parade, tree lighting and caroling. They held a cookie decorating and house lighting contest, ending with a bonfire and skating.
Monson had a Kris Kringle Craft Fair and gingerbread house contest at the Monson gym, where the Monson Jammers came to entertain the attendees and of course Santa, who made an appearance in the early afternoon.
In Guilford, the tree was (again) donated by Hall’s Christmas Trees, and set up by the town crew with John Douglass’ (R.A. Thomas Logging) assistance. It was decorated by Brian Woodworth with the help of Clint Rohdin and his bucket truck. Paul Zimmerman of the Red Maple Inn brought a stepladder and helped Town Manager Tom Goulette. More lights were added to the tree this year and it now has around 3,300 bulbs on it.
“The PCSS Chorus did a great job caroling and (the high school) gave away a lot of cocoa and treats. The town wreaths were all up and working and Forget Me Not Flowers made and donated the bows for the wreaths and all the wreaths that adorn the downtown bridge. Santa Claus and the Mrs. were right on time, the tree lighting went well, but even with the bonfire …. it was cold!,” Goulette said.
Dover-Foxcroft was bustling with activity. The day began at the Congregational church with a Kris Kringle Koffee. Throughout the day, many business owners in town opened their doors to the public for special events. Bob’s Sugarhouse held a Christmas open house and also celebrated Bob’s birthday with an all-day celebration. Will’s Shop ‘n Save brought in author Daniel Linden for a book signing, and all the books were sold. Foxcroft Agway opened up the crafting outpost room for children to come in and make a reindeer craft and gift for Santa, and generously provided all the materials and the instruction needed.
At the Center Theatre, Mrs. Claus stayed busy helping children write letters to Santa. She even brought her cousin along to help out (thank you Sherry Buzzelli said). After letters were written and collected, a story was told and the children enjoyed “The Polar Express” shown for free by the theatre. The Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society held a “Holiday Exploration”. Lincoln Street was partially closed off for horse and carriage rides, and Modern Image Salon offered hot cocoa and sweets for those waiting for the next ride. Central Maine Railroad was open, giving kids a fun place to go after the movie ended. On Main Street, enthusiastic carolers could be heard, and Christmas music rang through town thanks to Dave’s World.
In the Union Square Mall, Sawyer and the PCEDC held the “Imagine Tour”. Bob Robinson agreed to offer the space to the Dover Cove Farmers Market for the day, giving the community an opportunity to “imagine” what it would be like to have a business in the now-empty spaces. The space at Mr. Paperback was also open where homemade treats were available for purchase and visitors could enjoy live music.
“The doors were open from 12-6 p.m., and the community seemed very receptive, everyone enjoyed it”, Buzzelli said.
Preparing the fire station was the responsibility of Jody Arno, who worked tirelessly throughout the day so that it would be ready for Santa’s arrival. Foxcroft Academy students and Key Club members were there to assist her, and the result was amazing. Before the day’s end, hundreds of children and parents came through the station’s doors to meet Santa.
The Homecoming Committee set up a food table and offered treats, consisting of donated baked goods from the community and homemade soup from Foxbrook Variety. Generous donations from local families and Rowell’s Garage made it possible to offer everything from hot chocolate and cider to hot dogs, corn chowder to cookies and brownies. Proceeds will be applied to the Shiretown Homecoming Celebration in August 2014. Camden National Bank kindly donated popcorn for the event, and the PRYMCA co-sponsored a craft table for the children to enjoy.
The Festival of Lights parade began promptly at 5 p.m. at Foxcroft Academy, Santa and Mrs. Clause bravely faced the cold at the top of a fire truck, and traveled down West Main Street to the fire station where they exited onto a ladder to the eager children awaiting his arrival. There was a countdown, and with a twinkle in his eye, Santa touched the tip of his nose, pointed to the tree and lit it up. It was a magical moment. Buzzelli explains, “All the work and planning that went into this, to see the look on the children’s faces in that wonder-filled moment was priceless, it made it worth it all.”
“I personally want to thank Jody Arno,” Buzzelli said. “She worked on this with all of her heart and was an enormous help to me.” She continued, “This was a huge undertaking, and there were so many involved in making it wonderful, to all of you who gave time, money and support, you know who you are, thank you! My heart is truly grateful that I am fortunate enough to work in a county where Christmas is celebrated without apology.”
The Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank the committee and all those who worked to make this a successful, wonderful family event in Piscataquis County.