PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Aroostook County community has supported Northern Maine Community College for 50 years, and to thank them, the campus has invited those supporters to visit during an open house this Friday, Sept. 9.
The public is invited to the “County’s College” on Friday from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. for a day filled with activity. Campus tours will begin at 9 a.m. and run through 3 p.m. and offer community members the opportunity to see the classrooms and labs in action.
“This is our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to the countless number of individuals who have supported our work over the years,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “We are inviting people to stop by and join us as we mark the first 50 years of NMCC and look ahead to the second half of our first century.”
Aside from touring the campus, community members will be able to check out more than a dozen local vendors participating in a Harvest Bazaar in the outdoor area in front of the gymnasium. The event, co-sponsored by Cary Medical Center, runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and will feature healthy food samples, fresh produce and other items offered by local farmers, arts and crafts, and other items for purchase.
A free barbecue lunch from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. is among the highlights of the daylong celebration. Music at that event will be provided by the Presque Isle Middle School Jazz Band. The lunch and concert will be held under a tent in front of the college gymnasium.
At 1 p.m. a series of activities and entertainment that extends until 10 p.m. that evening under the tent gets under way. The first performance will feature the piano stylings of musician Jeremy Hale of Caribou.
Following Hale at 2 p.m. will be an hour-long demonstration of the Latin workout/dance craze Zumba. The 3-4 p.m. slot will provide an opportunity for members of the campus and community to demonstrate their vocal ability in an hour devoted to karaoke.
At 4 p.m., the Moon Dance Studio Cloggers will be featured under the tent, followed by an hour-long open mic at 5 p.m. for campus and community members to take the stage and showcase their talent playing an instrument, telling jokes, singing or some other hidden or not-so-hidden talent.
A performance by singer/musician Dan Rooney will get under way at 6 p.m. and run through 8 p.m. The day’s events will wind down with music from over the decades played by disc jockey Bob Collins, NMCC’s automotive collision repair instructor.
Activities will continue on Saturday, Sept. 10 beginning at 11 a.m. with a brunch and pep rally. The meal will be served from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Edmunds Conference Center. Cost for the meal is $7 per person.
The pep rally, complete with activities for the crowd courtesy of “Tim the Tune Man,” will start just prior to the 1 p.m. soccer match between the NMCC Falcons and a team of NMCC alumni soccer players. The featured soccer match will kick off immediately following the pep rally.
Saturday evening brings with it the highlight event of NMCC’s 50th anniversary celebration. The 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Silent Auction is expected to draw upwards of 400 people to the campus gymnasium for an evening of dinner, dancing and celebrating the college’s rich heritage.
The festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with The Aroostook Medical Center Social. TAMC is the platinum level sponsor for the NMCC 50th Anniversary Gala along with Aramark, NMCC’s campus dining services provider, who is sponsoring the meal that will follow the TAMC reception.
Among the highlights of the evening will be the honoring of NMCC’s constellation of “50 Shining Stars,” featuring one alumni from each of the graduating classes, as well as three community members who have played a key role in the development of the college.
Once all of the “50 Shining Stars” have been presented with their honors, the well-known area band “Common Crossing” will perform for attendees to enjoy a night of dancing. The band is led by NMCC alumnus Brian Mosher of Presque Isle, who is one of the evening’s Star honorees.
The celebratory event will serve not only to mark the occasion of five decades of service by “The County’s College,” but proceeds from the evening will benefit the NMCC Foundation, which provides scholarship and other assistance to students attending the institution and also funds instructional technology and other purchases for the college annually. Funds raised through the silent auction, coordinated by the NMCC Alumni and Friends Organization, will go toward future activities hosted by that organization.
For more information on the NMCC 50th Anniversary/Homecoming weekend, call the NMCC Foundation Office at (207) 760-1188 or e-mail info@nmcc.edu.
