Help: life in Caribou?

[mainebrokerman]

i'd also add, caribou, like much of the area is inhabited by french canadiens, and many still speak in a broken english/french
dialec-
in past generations, the parents or grandparents spoke french, the kids went to school, but was told not to speak french in school

the natives, will often speak french to one another if they see each other in public..

maineguy is right about being more independent businesses than chains, I know of one grocery store called sleepers, right off rte one
that is a family owned business, the great great grandfather was an immigrant, that peddled groceries door to door from a horse and carriage, then he built a small store before WW1 and from that small store they have expanded and generations have worked there ever since, if you go into the store owners office, you can see pictures thru the years-very interesting,

caribou is big sky country wide open fields, starry nights, unspoiled, dead silence at night, it also is a farming area- maine use to harvest more potatoes than idaho- this area was a farming mecca.
when kids go to school, within so many weeks, they get "harvest-time" im not sure how many days/weeks it is, but it was time designated that kids would help with the potato picking harvest
even tho much of the farming is mechanized today, the "harvest" tradition continues (last I knew)

when the towns have parades- it consists of many old/antique farm machinery
I attended a parade in a town outside caribou (called washburn) and it was very interesting- a lot of old farm machinery


caribou and the area was/in traditionally comprised of french-catholics you drive around the surrounding areas, and most little towns have at least one church.
this was the social gathering center of many towns-think of little house on the prairie-where they was mostly farmers-but on sunday they'd get on there "sundays" best" and go to church

if you look at statistics, (on paper) median income isnt very high-but if you go visit the area and drive around, one thing will strike you- the home owners do a heck of a job, with the lawns, they look neat and clean
like maineguy says, no shady areas at all.

the people are very decent for the most part, this time of yr, when its cold- if you drive to a convenience store, you will see all the cars outside, still running to keep warm-with absolutely no fear no one is going to steal them

also one quirky thing i saw in caribou, (i cant remember but i almost think caribou was the town most likely to snow- in the whole country)
in the wintertime-because roads cut thru vast open fields, I saw something i've never seen before, they will actually plow the fields parallel , and 30 yards or so, off the road-this prevents snow drifting over the roads (in high winds)

also, the first time I ever heard a road being "closed" was in caribou, when there is a blizzard.
I got caught in a blizzard once- visibility was nil,,the cars slowed, and put on there flashers, so drivers behind them could see them better and stay on the road


there are certain foods that sell in caribou and surrounding communities, that you dont see much anywhere else in maine
I think it's a french heritage thing-but again, thats the area- "creton" is an item you will see most grocery stores sell-it is a sort of pork spread you put on toast or crackers, for most it is an acquired taste
I've seen stores in caribou and nearby presque-isle make this
also,corned pork is another item I've seen the sleeper's store make around dandelion green season-

caribou, like many towns in maine, has a lot of seniors in high school "wanting to get away" to see the world-leave for jobs, go to colleges outside of the area if they can- or find jobs outside the area-
if you go back a couple generations, you will see large families-8-15 kids- kids were cheap labor on the farm

many leave, but many come back.

it's not unusual to see a moose in the caribou area, drivers get to know where they have to be cautious, particularly at night-

the old-timers I've talked to that lived in caribou, are very interesting, I always like to ask how it was growing up, what was there first car, etc. (if i get a chance)
most will say it was a struggle- large families, "make do with what they had" strict parents, they were poor, but there were always others poorer-they didnt complain, - often parents had to work many jobs to get by-older kids had to take care of younger kids, teenage boys had to work to help the family, and they were very very frugal-
some folks might be pretty well off today, but you'd never know it- no one "flaunts" if they got money, or doing well