RUMFORD – Joan Everett of Hanover said she always discovers something new when she attends the River Valley Expo.
“I just like to look around. The River Valley has done a good job showing what they have,” she said, as hundreds of like-minded people milled around her.
Nancy Conley agrees.
She sat at the Roberts Chiropractic booth enjoying a hand-massage given by Dr. Angella Roberts of Rumford.
“I didn’t know about this,” Conley said, as Dr. Roberts gently massaged her hand with some aromatic creams.
That was the point of the third annual event sponsored by the River Valley Growth Council and the River Valley Chamber of Commerce. More than 150 booths and displays were set up by area businesses, nonprofit organizations and municipalities.
“This puts the River Valley on the map,” said Rosie Bradley, co-chairwoman of the event. “People do not really know of all the businesses and services there are available here.”
The $10,000 investment and eight months of preparation are well-worth the exposure the region’s businesses and services receive, she said.
“This is the event this region needs,” she said. She said about a dozen new businesses or organizations took advantage of the expo this year.
St. Athanasius and St. John School was one of them.
“We want to let people know that our school is alive and well,” said Judy O’Neil, parent of two children who attend the parochial school. This year, enrollment has grown to more than 100 pupils from prekindergarten to eighth grade, thanks in part to the expansion of the pre-K program, said O’Neil.
Also new this year was a display by the Mahoosuc Land Trust of Bethel.
Ginger Kelly was telling people about the importance of supporting the land trust’s plan to preserve Rumford’s Whitecap Mountain.
“Most people know about our plans and most have been supportive,” she said.
The success of the project may lie in whether November’s Lands for Maine’s Future bond issues passes.
Higher gas prices are prompting many more inquiries than usual about the services offered by Western Maine Transportation, said Glenn Gordon, director of the nonprofit organization.
His group has set up an informational display each year of the expo.
“People have a lot more questions, and there is more demand for transportation because of gas prices,” he said.
Any funds raised from the expo, after paying expenses, go toward economic-development projects sponsored by the growth council and chamber, Bradley said.
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