Latest News

NR13069

The University of Maine at Fort Kent and the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce will combine forces for their respective Homecoming and Scarecrow Festival celebrations for the weekend of September 13, 14, and 15 in Fort Kent.

The three, fun-filled days will feature many events, including a Saturday kid's fun day, soccer and volleyball games, and the popular Homecoming/Scarecrow Festival parade.

In preparation of the upcoming festivities, area businesses are encouraged to decorate their business with a “Scarecrow Festival” theme in the front of their building. Your imagination is the only limitation! The more color in town the better. Businesses may join the decorating contest by contacting the Chamber office at 834-5354 for an application and return to the office by Wednesday, September 11 before 3 p.m. Judging will be done by a panel of three and points will be based on the following, spirit, creativity, color scheme, theme, and dress. Judging will take place on Friday, September 13. Winners will be announced at the Riverside Park Dance on Saturday, September 14 at 8 p.m.

New this year, the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce will host a Community-Wide Yard Sale. Sign-up and sell your stuff. Just fill out the application form by contacting the Chamber office. A fee of $10 will include your published address, on a map, which will be available through the office. Deadline for submission on the map is Friday, September 6 before 3 p.m. You also may request by e-mail: seefkme@fairpoint.net

Friday, September 13

The UMFK Homecoming with a kick-off at 11 a.m. with a presentation by UMFK professor and alumnus, Dr. Bruno Hicks (´80). Dr. Hicks will speak on alternative energy policy in the Grindle conference room, located in Cyr Hall. The presentation is sponsored by the UMFK Fall Environmental Studies Speaker Series and is free and open to the public. For more information on the presentation, please contact Dave Hobbins at 834-7614.

Beginning at 4 p.m., UMFK will sponsor wagon rides by John Babin, from St. Agatha, and owner of Flat Mountain Horse Ranch. The wagon rides will begin on the UMFK quad and ride through the Town of Fort Kent. The rides will be offered until 7 p.m.

Later on that evening, at 7 p.m., the UMFK Student Activities will host Comedian Krazy Jake at the UMFK Fox Auditorium. General Admission is $15. Tickets may be purchased at Paradis Shop n' Save in Fort Kent and Madawaska, the UMFK Student Affairs office, or by calling 834-7678. The first 200 UMFK students with proper ID may attend free. The proceeds benefit the UMFK Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

The Lady Bengal's Volleyball home game against the University of Maine at Machias Lady Clippers will begin at 7 p.m. at the Sports Center.

As a part of the annual “Homecoming” activities the brothers of Rho and the sisters of Kappa Rho have planned a few special events to tie into this year's festivities at UMFK. Kappa Delta Phi established Rho chapter at UMFK in the spring of 1966, and many things have happened since then. The brothers are looking to reunite with alumni from years past.

Kappa Rho was re-established in 1985 and has seen a renewed focus on campus during the past few years. They look forward to reconnecting with alumni, new and old. Spouses and significant others may attend all events, with exception to the alumni meetings.

Saturday, September 14

The day begins with a Kappa Delta Phi and Kappa Delta Phi NAS Breakfast at Rock's Diner at 8:30 a.m.

Starting at 9 a.m., the UMFK alumni will take on the University of Maine at Presque Isle alumni at a soccer game on the UMFK Alumni Memorial Field.

Also at 9 a.m. and continuing until 3 p.m., will be the 4th Annual Classic & Custom Car Show. The event will be located on the UMFK campus, near the Old Model School and the large parking lot in front of Blake Library. The event will feature on-site vendors, face painting by Gert Thibodeau, music by L-CUBE DJ Services, and much more, in addition to more than 100 spectacular antique vehicles.

UMFK invites all classic and custom vehicle owners from the area to bring their cars, trucks, motorcycles, or sport utility vehicles to campus to display them. Various community organizations will have booths set up at the show. Do not forget your chair or blanket. The classic and custom car show is sponsored by Valley Motors of Fort Kent. Valley Motors will judge the vehicle entries and award trophy prizes. There are nine categories, including Muscle Car 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place; Classic Car 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place; Custom truck 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place; Classic truck 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place; Most Factory Original Entry; People's Choice Muscle Car; People's Choice Classic Car; People's Choice Truck; and People's Choice Motorcycle. All participants will need to register the morning of the car show. For more information, please contact UMFK at 834-7557.

The annual Scarecrow Festival/Homecoming Parade will step off at 11 a.m. from the Court House on Market Street to Main Streets up to Pleasant Street to the UMFK President's residence, Acadia House, where plaques will be presented. Please continue to the Community High School parking lot to unload. The parade line-up will be at the Fort Kent Courthouse from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. Plaques will be awarded in several categories, including the most creative, best musical, best non-profit, best business entry, judges' choice, and best antique vehicle. The parade will have its customary “scarecrow” theme, and new this year, it will include a “Northern Maine's logging heritage” theme. It is not too late to sign-up for the parade, by contacting UMFK at 834-7557. Please note that the parade will not go through downtown Fort Kent.

Kappa Delta Phi and Kappa Delta Phi NAS will conduct a food drive during the parade to benefit the local food pantry. Alumni are invited to join the parade entry in the Courthouse parking lot on Market Street at 10:30 a.m. Please wear your letters.

The Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce will host a “Family Fun Day” from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Riverside Park. There will be games for the entire family. Events include a bouncy house and various games. A variety of food vendors and crafters will be on-site. For more information please contact the Chamber office at 834-5354.

Back on the UMFK campus, an Art Talk/Demonstration by Joan H. Lee will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Blake Library. Joan Lee invites you to stop by the library and chat a bit while she works on a recent project. “I'm not sure yet which one it will be -- illumination, watercolor, or perhaps a drawing. There might be a piece of paper and some pencils so that you can join me and ask questions while we both work.” Joan is looking forward to it. It is free and open to the public.

You may stop by the gallery to view the exhibit “Open Windows” by Joan H. Lee, which will be on display through Friday, September 27, 2013.

“This exhibit is, as it were, an invitation to you to step into my studio for a brief visit, see how I work, what I do -- what goes on to a home somewhere "out there" and what hangs around my drawing board or easel for a while before stepping out into the world from which all my ideas come,” says Lee.

For more information on viewing hours, please contact Gallery Curator Sofia Birden at 834-7527.

Kappa Delta Phi and Kappa Delta Phi NAS will hold its alumni meeting at 2 p.m. Everyone will meet in the Bengal's Lair, located in Cyr Hall.

Beginning at 4 p.m. the Fort Kent Lion's Club will hold a pig roast at its Lion Pavillion, located at the Fort Kent Riverside Park. The cost per plate for adults is $10 and $5 per plate for children under 10. A beer garden also will be on-site.

Then at 6 p.m., Fort Kent Lion's Club will host its annual ‘Golf Ball Drop.' Raffle tickets are $20 each or 3 for $50. Tickets can be purchased from any Fort Kent Lion's club member. The $2,000 in cash prizes are as follows: 1st Prize - hole in one, $1000 (shared if more than one winner); 2nd Prize - closest to the pin, $500; 3rd Prize - 2nd closest to the pin, $300; 4th Prize - farthest from the pin, $200. The evening's live entertainment will begin at 7 p.m. by Boomer-Ang, who will perform until 10 p.m.

During the evening, UMFK and the Alumni Association will host its annual Alumni & Friends Banquet. This year's banquet will honor the classes of 1943, 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, and 2003.

The Alumni Association will bestow honors on Outstanding Alumni Award recipient Donald Raymond (Class of 1975); Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient Justin Dubois (Class of 2005); and, Outstanding Future Alumni Award recipient Sierra A. Daigle (Class of 2014).

The social begins at 6 p.m. in the Bengal's Lair. The banquet and ceremony follows at 7 p.m. in Nowland Hall. The banquet is open to the entire UMFK community, and to the general public. Tickets are priced at $20 per person. Purchase your ticket today though the UMFK Alumni Affairs office, located at the Madawaska House on Pleasant Street, or reserve your ticket, by calling 834-7557.

At 9 p.m. on Crocker Beach, there will be a bonfire sponsored by Kappa Delta Phi and Kappa Delta Phi NAS.

Live entertainment by Tennessee Haze will begin at 9 p.m. at Bee Jay's Tavern.

Sunday, September 15

On Sunday, September 15, the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce will host the “America's First Mile 20-Mile Bike Tour and Children's 5K Lollipop Race.” Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Fort Kent Town office. Race starts at 10:30 a.m. Fee for adults is $20; Children pay $8; and family rate is $30. Register early by calling the Chamber office at 834-5354. T-shirts will be given to the first 20 adults and first 20 children registered.

From 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Fort Kent Senior Center will hold a harvest luncheon. For more information on the cost, contact Irvin Roy at 834-3844.

At 11 a.m., you will see the lady soccer team of UMFK in action on Alumni Memorial Field against Maine Maritime Academy. The Bengal men will take on Maine Maritime Academy at 2 p.m. GO BENGALS!!!!

Beginning at 12:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. the Lady Bengal's volleyball team will go against the University of Maine at Machias Lady Clippers at the Sports Center.

During the Homecoming weekend, the travelling exhibition, “From Board to Board: Architecture of Acadian Houses from Early Acadia until the 19th Century,” a bilingual exhibition that showcases the Acadian tradition of construction that has been passed down through generations, is on display the Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes of the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

The 22-board exhibition includes well-researched and well-illustrated display panels on Acadian architecture, including the Laurent Cyr house from St. Basile, New Brunswick, which was built in the 1850s. The exhibition is on loan from the Musée acadien de l'Université de Moncton.

“From Board to Board” will be on display at the Acadian Archives through December 23. The Archives is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Archives are located at the end of the small parking lot to the right of Blake Library.

For further information about the “From Board to Board” exhibition, please contact the Acadian Archives at 834-7535.

To view an updated schedule of the Homecoming weekend events, please go to: https://www.umfk.edu/alumni/homecoming/

For further information about UMFK's Homecoming events, contact Susan Tardie in the Alumni Affairs office at 834-7557 or by e-mail: susan.tardie@maine.edu

For further information about Scarecrow Festival events, contact the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce office at 834-5354 or by e-mail: seefkme@fairpoint.net