Fall, Winter Expo draws thousands

    PRESQUE ISLE – More than 2,500 community members from across The County and western New Brunswick attended the Fall and Winter Expo sponsored by the Northern Maine Community College Foundation and WAGM-TV at The Forum Sept. 26-27. Organizers and participants alike considered the event a great success.
    “Our thanks goes out to all of those who attended this year’s Fall & Winter Expo,” said Vicki Smith, NMCC Foundation board member and chair of the organizing committee. “We are also very pleased with the support we have had from the various vendors throughout the region, as it is the interesting products and services that they display which generates so much interest by the public in attending this show. The partnership with WAGM-TV has been a key factor in a successful Expo over the past couple of years; their sales team does a great job in lining up all of the various vendors.”
    With the wide variety of vendors present, the show offered something for everyone. Vendors ranged from businesses that offer solutions to keeping you warm during the winter months to ones that sell indoor or outdoor “toys” such as snowmobiles and electronic gadgets to keep us entertained when the snow flies. Several non-profit organizations were also on hand featuring fall and winter activities, such as Aroostook Football and Presque Isle Youth Hockey.
    Attendees could purchase a variety of locally made items and watch local artists at work through a collaboration of several small businesses in the “Made in Aroostook” section. They could also go for a free Humvee ride courtesy of the Maine Military Authority. A bouncy house, hands-on activities through the Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum, and a small floor hockey area provided lots of fun for the kids.
    Also featured on Saturday at the Expo was a Community Health Fair put on by seniors in Northern Maine Community College’s nursing and medical assisting programs. They provided information on more than a dozen topics, including seasonal and H1N1 influenza, frostbite prevention and treatment, winter sports safety, and fall and winter driving safety.
    While a large number of prizes were given out throughout the weekend courtesy of the various vendors, the Fall and Winter Expo featured several significant door prizes. Winners included Jennifer Edgecomb of Presque Isle, the pellet stove donated by The County Stove Shop; Louise Saucier of Fort Fairfield, the snow blower donated by Aroostook Door & Window; Bev Gramour of Presque Isle, four NASCAR tickets to Loudon, N.H. courtesy of LeVasseur’s NAPA Auto and Truck Parts; Laurie Boucher of Chapman and Donnie Hewitt of Wade, three cords of wood each donated by Caron’s Lawn & Property Maintenance; and 56 lucky individuals won a Trollbead from Country Collectibles, as four winners were selected every hour throughout the two-day event. Two area community members also won a flat screen television, courtesy of WAGM-TV.
    “The 2009 Fall & Winter Expo was a great success; the vendors and attendees were very pleased with the show and had nothing but positive things to say. We have vendors already signing up for next year’s show – that says a lot all by itself,” said Kelly Landeen, WAGM-TV sales manager. “WAGM looks forward to continuing the partnership with the Northern Maine Community College Foundation to put on the Fall and Winter Expo for 2010.”