By Mark Putnam
Staff Writer
CARIBOU, Maine — Students spilled out of their classrooms early Thursday and into the field behind Hilltop Elementary School to celebrate a new school year with family and friends. The occasion was Harvest Hoedown, a longstanding tradition at the Caribou school, which draws inspiration and energy from the region’s rich agricultural heritage and fun and games connected to the community’s deep rural roots. Stations, especially intended to educate and entertain, were set up behind the school, each based on a harvest-related theme. They included, among others, potato picking, an apple cider press, pumpkin painting, looking for treasure in the leaf pile, a hay bale ridden obstacle course and food and music that reinforced the agricultural theme.
“The Hoedown came from a desire to celebrate our harvest tradition,” said first-grade teacher Marty Belanger, who organized this year’s event. “We also wanted to invite parents to come to school early in the year to participate in a fun activity.” Unfortunately, she added, there are fewer family farms in 2013 than when the parents and teachers were young.
With help from Hilltop staff and extra volunteers from the Caribou Wellness Center, high school girls varsity soccer team, Maine Agri-Women and others, this year’s event drew several hundred participants and left many smiles and rosy cheeks on adults and kids alike.
“I saw lots of happy faces and heard exclamations of excitement, but also just visiting amongst friends and neighbors — part of our goal is to build school/community relationships,” Belanger said.
She thanked teachers who helped with pre-teaching, supervision and cleanup, as well as school cooks who baked up potatoes from Bouchard Farms for everyone to sample.
Belanger was pleased with this year’s Harvest Hoedown and looks forward to many more. “We tried to include activities for the children that would be fun, active, and be outside!”
