PRESQUE ISLE – It’s Aroostook County’s time to shine.

The region will host the 2006 Biathlon Junior World Championship, and as an organizing committee kicks off its initial planning efforts, officials are noting that the event is a major opportunity for the area to show its quality.

The event’s organizing committee announced its membership, explained major plans – such as an educational trip to Finland – and unveiled the official logo for the 2006 world event during its first press conference Monday.

“We’re very excited about this,” event director Tim Doak said Monday.

“All of Aroostook County should be excited about this. It’s an incredible opportunity,” added event manager Melanie Stewart.

The event, which has been held in the United States only one other time, will bring hundreds more athletes and support staff to the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle for a longer time frame than did the 2004 World Cup biathlon event in Fort Kent, Doak said.

The event will be held from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5 in 2006 with approximately 300 athletes competing. About 200 to 300 support staff also will attend.

“This is a pretty significant event in terms of the number of people coming,” Doak said.

It is also significant in terms of money. The event will inject millions of dollars into the local economy, Doak said.

What the area is being asked to give in return is its time. The committee expects that thousands of man-hours will be required to put together and host the event.

So far, about 25 people have volunteered to serve on the organizing committee, and volunteer coordinator Tammy Wheeler said people already have begun calling, expressing interest in helping during the actual event. The committee will continue seeking volunteers as the year continues.

Doak, Stewart and two other committee members – Maine Winter Sports Center liaison Max Saenger and promotion and marketing director Scott Arndt – were on hand to explain their plans for the next year as they prepare for the championship.

The committee will host a town hall-style meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at Slopes in Presque Isle to discuss the event, as well as opportunities it will bring, with the public and area businesses.

In early February, the Nordic Heritage Center will host the racing trials for the U.S. junior biathlon team, Saenger said.

Only a few athletes will win spots on the team, though about 60 young biathletes – about a dozen of them from Aroostook County – are expected to participate in the trials. The organizing committee sees the event as an opportunity both to cheer on local athletes as they pursue world-class competition and to facilitate a “dry run” for the 2006 event, though on a much smaller scale.

In mid-March, a nine-member delegation from the organizing committee will travel to Kontiolahti, Finland, site of the 2005 Biathlon Junior World Championship, to learn how officials there conduct the event. The delegation also will attend because of tradition and a new requirement – representatives will receive the Junior World Championship flag from the host nation to display at the next event.

One project that already has been completed is the design for the event logo. The logo represents the sport of biathlon, the area of the event and the host nation, Arndt said.

The logo features five targets to represent the sport of biathlon, a yellow star to symbolize the region and the colors red, white and blue to represent the United States.

As work progresses, the Maine Winter Sports Center is funding projects and activities until the event starts generating revenues. Doak expects major funding to come from sponsorships and the per-day fee teams will pay to participate in the event. Small events that may be planned later, similar to the film festival held in Fort Kent during the World Cup, also would generate revenues to offset expenses.

But that is something the committee will worry about another day.

Right now, the committee is focusing on what the event means for the area.

Relaying the event’s motto, Stewart broke into a smile.

“This is our time to shine,” she said.

For more information about becoming a volunteer for the event, e-mail volunteer@nordicheritagebiathlon.org.