BIDDEFORD — The city will long remember their accomplishments and during the La Kermesse Festival events on Friday evening, the inaugural Biddeford Hall of Fame class will take its rightful place in history.
Samuel L. Cohen will be among the inaugural inductees on the Biddeford Hall of Fame. COURTESY PHOTO
In announcing the creation of the Hall of Fame earlier this year, Diane Cyr, president of the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center, said that this honor recognizes outstanding individuals in the community spanning almost 400 years of time and history in the city.
Inductees will receive a recognition plaque and will be included on a perpetual plaque that will be displayed at Biddeford City Hall. Criteria for the honor specified that a recipient be a Biddeford citizen or a non-resident who made a who made a difference in the quality of life in Biddeford and/or the rest of the world.
A ceremony to honor the new inductees will be held on the La Kermesse grounds at St. Louis Field at 8 p.m. Friday in the large event tent.
Living Hall of Fame recipients will ride in a special vehicle during the annual La Kermesse Parade.
“We are very excited to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of those connected with the community. It’s important to remember where we came from and how far we can go,” Cyr said. “It’s great to be able to share some of the stories, the people and events, that make Biddeford what it is today, a better place to live and work, with the community and relatives of those being honored.”
Cyr said that the Hall of Fame is proud to have attendees and relatives from all over the country on hand for tonights’s induction, some visiting from as far away as Montana.
“With 400-plus years of excellent nominees to choose from, the selection process was difficult,” she said. “More than 30 people were nominated this year, as a result of their work ethic, talents, perseverance and accomplishments. Of those, eight were chosen, and they will be featured prominently at Biddeford City Hall.”
It is hoped that the creation of the Biddeford Hall of Fame will be a source of civic pride for future generations of residents here.
“This award is a perfect way to put a spotlight on people who have made deep contributions to our community,” said Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant. “It could be the talented mill workers who came here from Turkey and Albania and used their ingenuity to create cloth known around the world for its quality. It could be the Native Americans who were here in the beginning and helped so many Europeans flourish. It could be women who were the matriarchs of their family and helped inspire a new generation of Biddeford.”
Hall of Fame inductees or their family were notified of their selection earlier this month.
Not all of this inaugural group of inductees are known, but one will be the late Samuel L. Cohen, a native of Biddeford who created the Samuel L Cohen Foundation that awards grants in Arts and Culture, Civic and Community, Education, Health and Human Services and Jewish Culture and Traditions.
Cyr said that immediately after the induction ceremony, there will be a reception for family, friends and others at the BCHC tent.
“Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center will have a presence at the La Kermesse Festival for the entire weekend,” she said. “Supporters of BCHC will be there for those interested in learning more about BCHC and their other programs serving the community.”
The nonprofit Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center was launched in January and is intended to serve as a vital connector between all of the groups in the community.
“Its intention as a coalition is to become a place where partner organizations can learn about each other and create synergies around Biddeford’s culture, history and heritage,” Cyr said.
She said that the mission of the center is to celebrate, preserve, share and teach the culture, heritage, diversity and history of Biddeford, its people and surrounding communities and hopes to instill pride in the city of Biddeford and its people by preserving, sharing and teaching its stories, culture, history and artifacts.
— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
