The Mapleton Lions Club hosted the 2025 Mapleton Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony. This year Memorial Day was sunny and beautiful at start of the parade and through the remembrance ceremony.
The club began the annual parade approximately 30 years ago and has held one every year, shine or rain, missing only the pandemic year. The creator of the Mapleton Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony was the late Lion Calvin Woods.
Woods always said, “The soldiers marched and fought regardless of the weather. They fought in sun as well as the coldest cold and wettest of rain storms, and so this parade will march in the rain or shine as well.” The club feels honored to host the parade and ceremony on behalf of Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill.
(Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
Additionally, the Lions fundraised the money needed to create the permanent granite monument at Mapleton Elementary School. This monument lists all the names of local residents from the three towns who served in the military during the time of war. The monument replaced the small glass case that had a partial list of those who served from Mapleton. That glass case was fragile and frequently damaged in the winter by snow flying from the snowplows passing near the display.
The Mapleton-Castle Hill-Chapman Volunteer Fire Department led the parade and controlled the traffic at both ends of the parade route. The department was well represented with their firefighters marching ahead of their fleet of firefighting vehicles and drivers.
There were several pageant queens and princesses in the parade from Mapleton, Mars Hill, Presque Isle, Mars Hill and the Maine Potato queens. There were antique cars, horses and riders and the Mapleton Daze Committee. The club thanks all of the folks who braved the rainy skies to come and make this parade special.
The remembrance ceremony followed at the veterans memorial monument at Mapleton Elementary School. Speaking at the ceremony was veteran Wendell Hudson of Castle Hill. Michael Ireland, associate pastor of the Mapleton United Baptist Church, offered the invocation and benediction. Ireland served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Mapleton Lion Jake Graham sang the Star-Spangled Banner as Lions Steve Hanning, Memorial Day program chair, Rick Fowler, club president, Adam Nicak and Liam McCartney raised the American and state of Maine flags.
The laying of the memorial wreaths at the monument was conducted by members of the Mapleton Fire Department. The playing of taps by Presque Isle Middle School students Grayson Blackstone and Charlotte Wardwell coincided with the Taps Across America.
The Mapleton Lions Club thanks all who participated in the parade and ceremony.
Baptist Park registration
Registration for the 92nd year of summer fun and Christian camping experiences at Baptist Park has opened. Baptist Park will be offering many activities this summer for children and youth ages 4-18 as well as families and adults of all ages.
The largest part of the Baptist Park program of activities is the day and overnight camping. Day camping will be available for two age groups, Puddle Jumpers, ages 4-6, and Growing Up Adventures, ages 6-8.
Weeklong overnight camping will consist of three age groups: Mountain Climbers, ages 9-11, Outdoor Adventure, ages 13-18 and Maxed Out Adventure, ages 11-14. For specific details regarding the camping programs, visit Baptistpark.net.
Flight Camp for youth ages 14-18 offers an introduction to aviation with a Christian emphasis. Campers learn about the fundamentals of flight and will take actual flights during the week. They will also be introduced to the wide variety of careers in aviation through guest speakers and field trips.
Mapleton Daze
Mapleton Daze 2025 is June 23-29. See the full schedule at the Mapleton Daze Facebook page.
Terry Sandusky is the Star-Herald correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.
