MADAWASKA, Maine — Madawaska raised more than $180,000 for renovations to its Bicentennial Park during a radiothon and telethon Thursday.
The radiothon and two-hour telethon were held at Madawaska Middle High School and featured live music from seven bands.
It is the first time the town has held a telethon in more than 50 years. The innovative fundraiser raised nearly all of the $200,000 renovation cost, and will allow the town to finish the project without raising taxes.
The park updates will include amphitheater seating, a new gazebo and electricity hookups for musicians and food trucks. The telethon helped the town maintain momentum from ongoing revitalization efforts including work on the mid-town plaza, a new international bridge, and upcoming street improvements through the Maine Department of Transportation’s Village Partnership Initiative.
The radiothon was hosted by Channel X Radio and the telethon was produced by the town’s local access Channel 16 WOWL and livestreamed on YouTube. Jason Parent, executive director and chief executive officer of the Aroostook County Action Program, hosted.
The fundraiser idea came from Madawaska resident Jane Carter, whose brother held a telethon for the Acadian Festival back in the 1970s.
“My brother has been gone for quite a few years,” she said. “One day I got up in the morning and had the idea of doing the same thing.”
She pitched the idea to Town Manager David Daigle before June, which is usually when the town works on its budget and holds its annual town meeting. She said Daigle confirmed in late June that they could move forward with the telethon and radiothon. Carter then reached out to Parent.
“And then we got everyone on board,” she said. “And these guys have all done a super job of planning all of this. And thank God we had Jason [Parent] on board; he really knew what we needed to do because he’s so involved with the ACAP telethon.”
As the doors opened for the telethon Thursday, Daigle said they had received about $16,000 in donations just through phone calls to the radio telethon.
“That is pretty good for a small community,” he said. “I am very excited about it. We’re hopeful.”
The town also received a total of $120,000 in large donations from businesses with Acadia Federal Credit Union and NorState Federal Credit Union each donating $40,000 and Katahdin Trust Co. and United Insurance each donating $20,000.
Altogether, the town netted pledges and appropriations totaling $181,423, Daigle said Thursday night.
Most of the donations are coming from residents and businesses in Madawaska and northern Maine, with a few in New Brunswick, he said. But one donation came from far away in Texas. Daigle said the donor from Texas had only briefly visited the town, but it left a lasting impression.
The average donation was around $100 per person, Daigle said.
Near the end of the telethon, Parent and Daigle commended Madawaska Administrative Assistant Denise Duperre for her work in promoting and coordinating the fundraiser. Daigle also commended St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Jessica Blalock for helping to coordinate business donations and working behind the scenes to make the event happen.
Blalock said everyone behind the scenes helped ensure the event ran smoothly.
“It kind of all fell together,” she said. “It’s about finding the right people who can bring a little bit of everything.”
Several dozen people worked to make the telethon happen. Select Board Chair Jason Boucher handled sound mixing for the live bands, and students recorded vignettes, or short videos, that were played during the event.
“It was an experiential learning experience for the students,” Daigle said. “We decided it was important to involve them.”
Carter, who is also a longtime Madawaska resident, has heard plenty of positive feedback from the community about this project.
“Everyone’s very excited about it,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
