Miscommunication causes irritation for Community Day organizers

By Elizabeth Prata Salvetti

New Gloucester--During a Community Day update at the August 12 Selectmen meeting, Selectmen Stephanie Bryan displayed some irritation at a problem that arose after an apparent miscommunication involving the Directors of Fiddlehead Center for the Arts.

Community Day is scheduled for October 19, at the newly named New Gloucester Fairgrounds (formerly Trotters Park). Last year, there was a road race as part of the events, and the race’s entry fee proceeds went to the Community Day Committee. This year, in what Bryan called “unauthorized action,” the Fiddlehead Directors went ahead and scheduled a road race for the same day as Community Day, at Pineland which is on the other side of Town from the Fairgrounds, where the Town-sponsored Community Day will be held. 3,000 flyers promoting the race were printed, and at the bottom of the notice it stated that that checks should be made payable to “Fiddlehead Center for the Arts.” Some of the posters had already been distributed.

“No one from the Recreation Committee, Selectmen, or Community Day Committee was consulted about this. We are all for Fiddlehead, but it’s not fair to other organizations to have Fiddlehead profit. We can’t pick and choose. Everyone should profit.” She also was concerned about having two sites for Community Day.

Community Day Organizer Scott Doyle was asked if Community Day date could be changed. “We’ve been spreading the word since March that the date is October 19. At this point we would lose performers we have asked to be there.”
The Fiddlehead Directors had also made a request that Rescue personnel be available at the race site in case medical attention was needed for the racers.

Chief Tupper said to the Selectmen that Fire and Rescue personnel would be committed to helping at Community Day with educational demonstrations, a fund-raising barbecue, and event set-up and take-down. “Our resources are stretched pretty thin,” said Chief Bruce Tupper. “We start at 6 a.m. and leave at 9 p.m. Our resources are dedicated to the event,” he said. There would be no question that they would answer a call if needed at any location in New Gloucester during the Community Day festivities, but Tupper made it clear that there would not be enough personnel to station more at another location during the same day as the town-sponsored event.

Selectmen Chair Steve Libby said that Town equipment and volunteers were already scheduled at Community Day but the Fiddlehead Directors could have a private EMT at their event.

It was decided that the race organizers would put up signs at the Pineland race site directing people to the Community Day event in order to avoid confusion for those who may have seen the poster, that the flyers be redistributed with the new information on them, and any references to New Gloucester’s Community Day on the race posters be removed.