Maine products lobby Congress > Display used to rally support for Rural Partnership Bill

Maine products did some lobbying in Washington last week when the Eastern Maine Development Corp. took a display of Maine-made goods to Capitol Hill.

The purpose of the trip was to convince congressmen that the Rural Partnership Bill, which was debated last week in the House of Representatives, should be approved. The bill, which subsequently gained House approval, will help economic-development efforts in places like eastern Maine by providing more loans for companies located in rural areas.

The display of products made two appearances in Washington. The first was at the National Association of Development Organization’s Rural Products Exhibition and Congressional Reception. Maine Sen. George J. Mitchell was one of the hosts for the event.

The exhibition gave Michael Aube, EMDC’s president, a chance to talk with congressional leaders and to emphasize the importance of federal programs on rural communities and businesses.

“The display showed that rural companies can be players in the economy,” Aube said. “The new legislation will allow for more development of infrastructure in rural areas.”

Aube said that the EMDC counseled about 1,400 small Maine companies last year. Making the rest of the country more aware of some of the products they make can only help all of the companies, Aube said.

The Maine display also was shown at a meeting of the Maine State Society.

On Thursday morning, the display was in place back at EMDC headquarters in Bangor for the local media to see.

The display featured a colorful 8-by-10-foot backdrop for a shelf full of Maine goods. The featured selection was evidence of the diversity of enterprise taking place in rural Maine.

There were wooden bookends, a pull toy and a moose from the Playmill of Maine in Dover-Foxcroft. There was a bird feeder from The Mark Kuzio Collection in Belfast. Several scarves manufactured by Dunlap Weavers on Mount Desert Island also were featured.

Food products were the most numerous in the display. The food offerings included jugs of Mount Desert spring water, maple cornbread muffin mix from Morgan’s Mills in East Union, buttermilk spice cake mix from Fiddler’s Green Farm in Belfast, canned blueberries processed by Maine Wild Blueberries in Machias, Simply Pure Organic Baby Food, a jar of pickled beets from Downeast Natural in Bangor, jam bottled by Whistling Wings Farm in Biddeford, and assorted dairy products from Hancock County Creamery in Ellsworth.

Other goods included a variety of cheeses from State of Maine Cheese in Rockland, white, red and dessert wine from Bartlett’s Maine Estate Winery in Gouldsboro, and jerky bits from Smith’s Log Smokehouse in Brooks.

The senators were offered “giveaways,” including blueberry recipes, blueberry pins, and L.L. Bean key fobs. Company brochures and other printed promotional material also were available for the congressmen.