Presque Isle sports-recreation show draws hundreds

PRESQUE ISLE – Cool temperatures and scattered frost over the weekend set the perfect stage for the inaugural Aroostook County Fall and Winter Sports and Recreation Show, which by Sunday afternoon had drawn more than 1,200 people to The Forum.

Officials with Northern Maine Community College said Sunday that the fete, which was sponsored and coordinated by the NMCC Foundation and took place over the weekend, was a success.

“Attendance has been good,” Jason Parent, NMCC’s director of development and college relations, said Sunday afternoon. “We had about 1,000 people come through here on Saturday, and we’ve had a couple hundred so far today.”

The fair catered to outdoor enthusiasts interested in fall and winter sports such as hunting, all-terrain vehicle riding, skiing and snowmobiling, as well as those who are interested in taking up such a fall or winter pursuit.

Approximately 40 vendors included businesses, organizations and NMCC student groups. A wealth of items – including lines of shiny snowmobiles, puffy winter apparel and sleek equipment – were on display.

On Sunday, crowds checked out the wide variety of merchandise while picking up brochures on hunter safety, healthful living and various fitness and recreation facilities in the area.

Cheri Ouellette, an accessory specialist for Home Interiors and Gifts who operates Celebrations by Cheri in Presque Isle, said that crowds had been “steady” throughout the weekend and that business had been going “very well.”

Employees of the Maine Military Authority provided Humvee rides for show attendees in honor and recognition of the 10th anniversary of the authority’s startup at the Loring Commerce Center.

The Presque Isle Minor Hockey League’s booth was a popular spot. It had a goal cage set up so both children and adults could take shots at the target and see how fast the puck traveled. Young men in hockey jerseys crowded around the goal cage on Sunday afternoon, firing pucks into the net with a “whoosh” and checking to see who had the most powerful swing.

The Maine Winter Sports Center, in partnership with volunteers from the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle and the 10th Mountain Division Center in Fort Kent, had a booth that allowed participants to experience what it is like to be a biathlete by zeroing in on a target with a laser gun.

That booth also drew crowds throughout the weekend.

“We’ve had a wide variety of people who wanted to try out the laser gun,” said Russell Currier, a biathlete who trains at the MWSC. “We’ve seen some people who are pretty good shots.”

Mark Shea, community development director for the MWSC, said that staffers were urging those who came to the booth to “really experience” what it is like to be a biathlete before taking aim at the target with the laser gun.

“We’ve been telling people to go do a few laps around The Forum and then come back and take a shot at the target,” he said with a grin. “So far, no one has taken us up on that challenge.”