Color Presque Isle Raises Thousands of Dollars For Arts Center Project [PHOTOS]

The first-ever Color Presque Isle 5K was a resounding success.  That’s the word from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Wintergreen Arts Center, who co-hosted the popular event on a sunny Saturday in August.

Attracting more than 400 participants, Color Presque Isle raised more than $11,000 for the development of the Northern Maine Center for the Cultural Arts.

“Everything about this event has been just amazing, from the huge number of people who turned out to participate, to the many sponsors and volunteers who helped us to pull it all off, to the incredible amount of money we were able to raise for the Arts right here in Aroostook County,” said Wendy Gilman-Zubrick, executive director of Wintergreen Arts Center.

Color Presque Isle was the first major fundraiser for the proposed Northern Maine Center for the Cultural Arts. The plan is to transform 149 State Street in Presque Isle into the region's very first center dedicated to the visual arts, with the Wintergreen Arts Center on the first floor, UMPI's Downtown Art Gallery on the second floor, and UMPI's Art Studio Space on the third floor. For more details about the project, visit www.umpi.edu/nmcca

The Color Presque Isle 5K took place on Aug. 24, featuring waves of fun-loving people of all ages, dressed in white, running from Riverside Park to the University campus and back again. Along the way, volunteers at six different color stations showered colored powder on participants, creating a vivid spectacle.

The course included several water stop areas. Local musicians, including Jo and the Moonlighters and Mawita'jig E'pijig (Gathering of Women, the Micmac drumming group), played music along the course and volunteers with megaphones shouted encouragement to the runners and walkers.  TAMC employees were on hand at the finish line to provide participants with water and healthy snacks.

Throughout the morning, family-friendly events were underway at Riverside Park. The Maine Jump provided inflatables and the Wintergreen crew hosted children’s activities such as face painting, glitter tattoos and caricatures.

“There was so much color and so many smiles—it was just a wonderful day,” Gilman-Zubrick said.

Event sponsors included MMG Insurance, McCain Foods, Huber Engineered Woods, Cary Medical Center, Katahdin Trust Company, JoyFit, After the Bell, TAMC, Social Envy Image and Event Consulting, ReMax, Transformations Ministries, Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee, BalanceBPO and The Maine Jump.