Holiday spirit fills Corinna town office

CORINNA – Upon entering most town offices in Maine, visitors usually see a table holding the permit books, a bulletin board filled with fliers and announcements, and sometimes a scattering of recycling and waste bins.

During the Christmas holidays, there might be a string of cards, a few red bows and a small countertop tree.

A major exception, however, is the Corinna town office.

A bit of magic has transformed the historic Levi Stewart Library building in downtown Corinna as the Christmas spirit recently swooped into every nook and cranny of the three-story building, built in the 1800s.

“We have such a love and respect for this building,” Town Clerk Michelle Dumoulin said this week. “We are going to do as many community events as possible here, and, of course, we began with Christmas.

“It is all about restoring the community’s spirit,” she said.

That spirit can’t help but be lifted by walking through the Levi Stewart building.

There are 76 candles in the building’s windows.

There are 43 wreaths and swags looped along the original wainscoting, dressing up the oak stair railings.

Nineteen Christmas trees are reflected in the highly polished wood floors or sit before fireplaces or on antique mantels.

And was that the town manager, dressed in top hat, ruffled shirt and black wool coat? Yes, it was – and there goes the town clerk, in a Victorian bonnet and cloak.

Even the maintenance man is singing as he polishes the floors.

The lights, the trees and the costumes are ushering in a new year in Corinna, one in which the town wants the Levi Stewart building to be the heart of the community.

Already this fall, the local theater group has presented a play on the second-floor stage.

Earlier this month, the building rang with the sounds of bell ringers, and a tree-lighting ceremony was held with more than 200 local children.

“The key to success is surrounding yourself with good people,” Town Manager Dalton Mullis said. Much of the town office staff has been hired this year, and Mullis came on board in late summer.

“When we have this attitude and express it this way, the entire community catches on,” Mullis said. “We can see their attitude changing because of what they are encountering on the way in. This building is offering a sense of celebration, and it is affecting our own attitudes.”

“I love coming to work,” said Sandra Kerr, deputy town clerk. “I feel like I walked into where I belong when I walk in here. The town of Corinna is like a family.”

No money was appropriated for Corinna’s Christmas decorations, but Mullis accepted donations and volunteer help. The electricity costs only $1.67 more a day to run all the lights, including the lighted Christmas tree and garlands outside the hall.

Many of the desks and tables are original to the building and have been restored and kept in near-perfect shape.

“We pay a lot of attention to detail here,” Mullis said. “This is a treasured building of treasures.”