"Arms" Labbe named Citizen of the Year by Fort Kent Chamber

FORT KENT - During a snowstorm that dumped seven-and-a-half inches of snow on Fort Kent, the Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce honored Ellery "Arms" Labbe with the "Citizen of the Year" award and a standing ovation from the audience at the Chamber's annual dinner.

ARMS AROUND 'ARMS' - After Ellery 'Arms' Labbe received the Citizen of the Year Award at the Greater Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce Dinner, family members surrounded him with hugs, smiles, and tears. - Daigle image

George Dumond presented the award to Labbe with a nod to his participation in the infamous Lions' Club calendar of nearly nude men, a reference to his having been "a good pitcher", from which his nickname originates, and with a description of Labbe's extensive life-long service record to the community.  This includes many years as a member of the Lions Club and as a recurring character in the Lions Show, maintenance of a successful Main Street business, and his current membership drive for the Senior Citizen's Center, in which he has increased their membership from 147 to over 800 in four years.

Labbe expressed regret that his wife, because of medical reasons, was unable to attend the dinner that evening, told an anecdote about moving to Fort Kent from his Wallagrass birthplace when he was 17 years old, and accepted the award with obvious gratitude.

He said, "Only in Fort Kent could I have lived life the way I lived."

SISTERS - Venette King and Burnette Bowker enjoying the evening. - Daigle image

The evening was brimming with many other awards, recognitions and firsts.  Some of these included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announcement that a record of 1.15 inches of precipitation had fallen and melted on the day of the dinner, Rita Cannan's retirement as race director for the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race and the appointment of Beurmond Banville to that position after the 20th anniversary of the races this year.

Michael Reed of Portland, Maine State President of FairPoint Communications, a key sponsor and supporter of the Can-Am Crown races, was the special presentation keynote speaker.

LONGEVITY AWARD - The Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce awarded Lakeview Restaurant the Longevity Award. Here the Derosier sisters are accepting the award for the Lakeview. Someone in the audience shouted, 'We love you Dick and Carol!' in reference to the restaurant's owners. - Daigle image

He said last year was the first year he'd been to the races, but said, "I was really impressed with how the whole thing was run."

Fort Kent Town Manager Don Guimond, who spoke on behalf of the legislators who were unable to make it to the dinner due to the weather, praised the people of Fort Kent for their support of the Can-Am Crown over the last 20 years of racing.

He said, "The Can-Am Crown is Fort Kent. The event has provided significant publicity... and further development for the can-do spirit we are known for."

"Neither the Can-Am Crown nor the town would survive without the volunteers."  He also praised the bonds of friendship the dogsled races have fostered, and which have helped to make the races a success.

FAMILY BUSINESS - Members of the Paradis family accept the Business of the Year award on behalf of Shop n' Save supermarkets. - Daigle image

Beurmond Banville said the races "put Fort Kent on the international map of recognition", and described a memory from the first days of the races in 1993 when organizers were going door-to-door on Main Street collecting donations for the $10,000 purse by hand.  Fifteen inches of snow fell in the first 24 hours of the race and then the temperatures dropped to -35 degrees below 0, Banville recalled.

"People have given their heart and soul [to the races].  They come year after year because of the way they are received and cared for here."

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - Luke Lajoie, owner of GEIPC, accepts his award. - Daigle image

He said the event has brought many government officials to Fort Kent, and that "this is always a good thing if these people learn where Fort Kent is."

Later in the evening, the animated audience burst into laughter and cheers at Guimond's quip that the difference between a business person and a politician was that "a business person drives all the way up here in a snowstorm and a politician uses a snowstorm as an excuse not to show up."

Cannan said, "For 20 years, I have witnessed the growth of the Can-Am Crown by leaps and bounds. This is all due to the community that we live in."

HUGS - Chamber president Kay Paradis hugs her mentor Rita Cannan in one of the evening's touching moments. - Daigle image.

She added, "This project brought so much experience to this community, but what it did for me personally surpasses all. What a gratifying experience. Fort Kent made me what I am."

Mark Morneault, MC for the event, said in response, "Fort Kent is partly what it is because of you."

The Chamber of Commerce presented Rita Cannan with the President's award, the Lakeview Restaurant with the Longevity award, Heidi Carter with the Ingenuity award, Paradis Shop-N-Save with the Business of the Year award, GEIPC with the Small Business of the Year award, Roger's Sport Center with the Betterment award, and Kay Paradis with the Past President award.