Spotlight on: St. John Valley
View of St. John River from Edmundston, New Brunswick toward Frenchville, ME (credit: Daniel Picard)
The St. John Valley in Aroostook County is an area rich in history and culture. When I visited it two years ago for the second time in my life, I saw rural lawns mowed in straight rows, houses painted perfectly, and window boxes full of flowers. Fields of grass, clover, potatoes, and broccoli were everywhere. The landscape spoke of an idyllic life with a shared pride in community, and the people I met reflected this, too.
The MHC has always had programming in the St. John Valley, from a children’s literature seminar last year in Fort Kent to many New Books, New Readers adult literacy groups to several grants awarded to, among other projects, the development of a cultural tour (“Voici the Valley”). And recently, we’ve had Let’s Talk About It library-based reading and discussion groups.
The Long Lake Library in St. Agatha is a two-year-old facility. Like the town’s active historical society, the Long Lake Library is an important resource for this small lakeside town’s close-knit community. Thanks to a grant from the Maine Charity Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, the MHC was able to offer a Let’s Talk About It program (always free, with lent books included) to this library. Initially, the librarian hesitated, unsure of whether she could draw a large enough group of participants. As it turned out, the group numbered 22, which is close to the maximum that Let’s Talk About It recommends. The librarian wrote to us:
We just experienced another very special session of “Defining Wilderness, Defining Maine” with the Chamberlain Farm. We had 22 people attend and following [a] press release in the St. John Valley Times, we had a guide come to be part of our session and two children who vacation in the area of Chamberlain Lake. They were very excited when they came to the library and saw the Chamberlain book. Their presence added to the knowledge and possibilities of what is happening there even to this day. One lady just called to express her enthusiasm about last nights meeting. This program is so well received that we will have to do something as a follow-up. How long do we have to wait before we can reapply? If the other sessions are as well attended it will mean that we truly hit a winner with this subject.
A week after we heard from the librarian, a participant from that program told me: “It is transformative, really – I’m meeting all sorts of people I normally wouldn’t meet. Talking about large and complex issues in a constructive, relaxed atmosphere. I can’t stress how important this program is to the community – not only to libraries. I think it’s a very powerful program.”
The MHC is proud to serve communities like St. Agatha where a program like Let’s Talk About It is making a difference.
