skijoring event. Skjor is a Norwegian word meaning
ski driving. Last year’s Can Am Crown Sled Dog Race
in Fort Kent included a skijoring event where a crosscountry skier was connected to one or more sled dogs
and ran the course on skis. But, donning skis and being
harnessed to a horse and rider and then being hauled
down the hill at the beginning of Ft. Fairfield’s Main
Street does not sound like a good time to me. While
it was probably fun to watch, I would not want to be
a competitor. Apparently the winner of the race was
determined by whoever was left standing at the bottom
of the hill. Imagine the insurance liability for such an
event if it were held today.
The carnival was not all athletic events, however. Every
merchant in town, from department and grocery stores,
car dealers, boarding homes and restaurants, was involved
in some way. The local car dealers held an automobile
show each day where they showed off their cars and sold
raffle tickets. The prize? A brand new Chevrolet. Peter
Christensen was the winner of the car in 1937. Stores
held dollar day sales and supplied prizes for winners. The
boarding houses and restaurants were filled to capacity
each day of the carnival. One restaurant reported serving
over 1000 meals in a single day. There was even a
model home on display on Fisher Street. Everyone who
visited the model home was eligible for a door prize,
as was advertised, “some lucky housewife will win a
Westinghouse mixer.” The highlight of the carnival was
the Snow Ball where Maine’s Governor Lewis Barrows
crowned the 1937 Snow Queen, Miss Sylvia Russell.
Following the coronation, attendees of the ball danced
the night away to the music of Starr Marshall and his
NBC Band from the Palorama Club in New York City.
As with many events in Aroostook County, winter
carnivals of this scale faded away. While we still have
athletic events, carnivals, and snow sculpting contests
in the winter, there is nothing as grand as the winter
carnivals of the thirties. In fact, 1937 was the last year of
carnivals of this scale. When roads were more frequently
plowed and traveling became easier, people no longer
needed the distractions of a winter carnival to survive the
harsh county winter and the festivities eventually faded
away. It is truly sad that we no longer come together
to celebrate and mingle as our ancestors did. Although
the County still has festivals, especially in the summer,
the focus of these festivals is more on making money
than on celebrating our heritage and enjoying time with
our neighbors. For something like the winter carnival
of 1937, I might even make that nasty trek through the
snow from my house to the garage.
WINTER 2016
13