Cup O’ Joe: What storm?

If there was ever a need to validate just how hearty County folks can be, this past weekend illustrated that point to a tee.
The first case in point came Friday evening, when despite the fact that it was a near blizzard outside, people flocked to Houlton High School to see the Harlem Superstars take on a squad of local “Dream Team” athletes made up of high school students.
    I fully expected to see a half-full gymnasium since snow was falling at a pretty significant clip for much of the afternoon. To my pleasant surprise, the gym was filled to near capacity to watch the comedic antics of the Harlem Superstars, which served as a fundraiser for the Houlton senior class.
On Saturday, after clearing my driveway of snow for what I hope is the final time, I headed over to the Southern Aroostook Trade Show at the Millar Civic Center. Walking around the Civic Center, I was amazed at how many individuals attended and the variety of booths on display.
Naturally, tractors, lawn mowers and RVs were quite popular, but there were many other displays as well. The Houlton Pioneer Times also had a booth at the trade fair and our staff all took turns manning the booth over the weekend.
Nearly every booth had giveaways of some kind, and our booth was no exception. I discovered that people don’t seem to care what you are giving away, as long as they have something they can sign up for and free samples to take.
Our booth featured a drawing for newspaper subscriptions, photo reprints and business cards. More popular though, were the free notepads we gave away. People seem to love having a little tablet to write their grocery lists on, and I can’t blame them. They are pretty handy.
I was also amazed at how many people have their own special way of putting their signup sheet into the box in the hopes their name will be drawn. Many folded the ballot in half in the hopes that it would somehow standout when a hand goes in to retrieve one.
Others folded one small corner of the sheet as if it would stick up like a needle. I don’t know about you, but if I was the one reaching into the box to draw a name and something stuck me, I probably wouldn’t pull that slip out.
Some brought mailing labels to affix to the entry form and I have to admit, that was pretty ingenious. Who wants to fill out 50 or so entry forms when you can just peel and stick? Very clever indeed.
The most interesting form filled out, however, was the individual who when they completed the form, crumpled it up like an old tissue. I asked why they did that and the person responded, “That’s my secret method.” Hey, if it works, go for it.
The inaugural pizza challenge was a big success on Saturday. Despite my constant reminders to the event organizer that I was ready and available if one of the judges fell ill and couldn’t participate, all of the judges showed up and enjoyed slice after slice of tasty pie, while I snapped photos and drooled.
Fortunately, after all of the judges were done sampling, and the winners were announced, the remaining slices of pizza were offered up to the public. I was sure to get a sample (or two) from just about every pizza in the competition.
Pizza is somewhat of a weakness of mine. I partake probably twice a week in a slice at lunchtime from one of the local stores that sell it by the slice. When I first moved back to Houlton, part of the fun was trying all of the various pizza stores to see who had the best offering.
The children’s Pinata contest also drew a good crowd to the stage area. Children lined the stage to take a whack at the beautiful Easter Bunny Pinata created by “Designs by Paula.” I only got hit once by a flying leg that came detached. At least it wasn’t the stick.
Kudos to the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce for a job well done.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.