June 9 proclaimed TAMC Day
Parade, community picnic planned to celebrate 100 years
Photo courtesy of The Aroostook Medical Center
PROCLAMATION PRESENTED — An official proclamation signed by Gov. Paul LePage designating Saturday, June 9 as TAMC Day in Maine was presented May 24 by members of the Aroostook County Legislative Delegation to TAMC officials and staff. Pictured are, from left, front row: Rep. Peter Edgecomb (R-Caribou), Rep. Bernard Ayotte (R-Caswell), Rep. Alexander Willette (R-Mapleton) and Rep. Michael Willette (R-Presque Isle) presenting the proclamation to Sylvia Getman, TAMC president and chief executive officer; Gene Lynch and Steve St. Pierre, TAMC board members, as several of the hospital’s employees look on. The June 9 celebration will include a parade and community barbecue.
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has proclaimed Saturday, June 9 as TAMC Day in Maine to recognize the first century of service by The Aroostook Medical Center to the state — particularly northern Maine — and to kick off the health care provider’s next 100 years.
LePage signed the proclamation in advance of the celebratory day planned by the city of Presque Isle, the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce and TAMC. He joined along with the Presque Isle City Council and Aroostook County Commissioners who had previously declared June 9 TAMC Day in the city and county, respectively.
The presentation of the official document signed by LePage, which extended the special statewide designation, was made May 24 by members of the Aroostook County Legislative Delegation to TAMC President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Getman. It will be officially read, along with the other two proclamations, on the steps of the Presque Isle City Hall — the former site of Presque Isle General Hospital (a forerunner of TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital) — at the kick off of the upcoming TAMC Day celebrations.
“TAMC is a vitally important organization that provides top quality health care services throughout our region and is also a key force in the economy of our region. I was so pleased to join with my legislative colleagues from throughout The County in voicing my support and encouragement to the governor and his staff to support the June 9 TAMC Day designation for the entire state of Maine,” said Rep. Michael Willette (R-Presque Isle).
Willette and his son, Rep. Alex Willette (R-Mapleton), were instrumental in helping get the proclamation signed.
The statewide designation of TAMC Day sets the stage for a huge celebration planned by TAMC in partnership with the city and chamber. Activity gets under way just before 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9 with words of welcome by officials from all three entities and the reading of the proclamations on the City Hall steps.
From there, beginning at 11 a.m., the parade will head south on Second Street to Church Street, then on to Main Street and through the heart of downtown Presque Isle before turning onto Academy Street up to TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital.
At the end of the parade route, a community picnic featuring a free barbecue, children’s games and amusements, horse-drawn wagon rides, and entertainment and fun for the entire family will get under way and run until 2 p.m. at the hospital. The general public is invited and encouraged to join in both the parade and community picnic.
“This is a most significant milestone not only for us as an organization, but for the entire Aroostook County community,” said Getman. “We are so pleased at the great support we consistently receive from throughout the area, and are most grateful for the high level of support that is being extended to us at the local, regional and statewide level as we partner with so many entities to celebrate a century of what started as Presque Isle’s first public hospital and has since grown to become the region’s most comprehensive provider of health care services and northern Maine’s largest employer.”
In addition to the downtown TAMC Day parade, free barbecue and numerous activities at the hospital, the weekend of June 9 will also feature the largest-ever Citywide Yard Sale hosted by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce. Chamber officials agreed to push the event back by one weekend to coincide with TAMC Day to create a festive atmosphere citywide and draw more people to the community for the weekend activity.
Aside from encouraging individuals to join in the fun, organizers are also asking area residents, businesses and organizations to sign up to be a part of the parade, post-parade picnic, and yard sale event. Parade entry forms, applications for booth space for community groups interested in hosting fun activities and games on-site at the community picnic, sign-up sheets for a community talent show at the picnic, and registration forms for the Citywide Yard Sale are all available by contacting the chamber of commerce at 764-6561 or by e-mailing info@centralaroostookchamber.com.
