Three central Aroostook County communities are preparing to light up their Main Streets with bright floats and holiday spirit through a series of light parades in early December.
Presque Isle, Limestone and Fort Fairfield will each host their annual parades in the first two weekends of the month, kicking off a busy holiday season for local events.
Presque Isle
The action begins with the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Light Parade in Presque Isle on Saturday, Dec. 6. Now in its 36th year, the parade is one of the oldest in the state and a winter staple in The County’s largest city.
The parade begins at 6 p.m. from the University of Maine at Presque Isle campus, continuing down Main Street to the far entrance of the North Street Plaza. Lineup begins at 4:30 p.m.
“As December rolls in, the lights just start to make you feel like Christmas is coming,” chamber Executive Director LaNiece Sirois said. “From a community perspective, it’s fun to ooh and ahh and look at these folks that actually enter a float. They put so much work into it to make it as spectacular as they can.”
More than 50 entrants are expected this year, a similar turnout to recent years, Sirois said. Judges will give awards to five floats, crowning a parade champion, the best business, best non-profit, best general float and best youth float.
“I’m a commentator and I absolutely love doing that job because it gives me a chance to showcase the business communities, which is what my passion is as an executive director of a chamber,” Sirois said. “To get a chance to brag about them right there while they’re driving by is an absolute joy.”
Sirois asks the public not to park along Main Street in front of the Aroostook Agency on Aging, whose parking lot is reserved for the elderly and those with disabilities.
Limestone
The next day, Sunday, Dec. 7, the Limestone SnowHawks will put on the town’s Christmas Parade.
The parade has a decades-long history in Limestone, but this will be the first year it’s run by the SnowHawks, the local snowmobile club. The club took it over from the Limestone Chamber of Commerce because the chamber had a lack of volunteers, SnowHawks President Chris King said.
“I never really say no to anything, so we just jumped on it,” King said. “I’ve just been making phone calls every day and just trying to build it back up to the way it used to be back in the day when we were kids.”
King said he remembered the parade being bigger when he was a child, and attributed its decline to “people being busy.”
The parade had 15 entries registered by Tuesday afternoon, King said, with more expected to come later in the week. It begins at 5:30 p.m. from Limestone Community School. The lineup starts at 5 p.m.
The parade is preceded by town’s Christmas tree lighting, hosted by the chamber, and meet and greets with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
“You can meet new people, support the community and people’s efforts for putting the floats together and enjoy seeing the lights,” King said. “It’s a good memory to have as you grow up and look back on things.”
Fort Fairfield
The following Saturday, Dec. 13, Fort Fairfield will host its fourth annual light parade.
The event, a joint venture between the Fort Fairfield Quality of Place Council, police and recreation departments, began as a way to lift spirits amid the financial troubles the town faced several years ago, Police Chief Matt Cummings said. It has now morphed into a familiar tradition in the Canadian border community.
“Our light parade has continued to grow from year to year, and we continue to encourage people to sign up and fill the streets of Fort Fairfield for a few hours of fun,” Cummings said.
The parade will start at 4:30 p.m. After it concludes, the town is offering free cookies and hot chocolate, along with visits with Santa Claus, at its community center.
