Everybody Loves Raymond, ME grows in popularity - By Michelle Libby

On a perfect summer day in Raymond, community members and tourists stopped by the Mill Street Park to sample the wares and listen to the sounds from the New England Jazz Band at the second annual Everyone Loves Raymond, ME day. Organizers worked on the event throughout the year to plan for the affair. Although there were some grumblings, the event was fun for those who attended.

“I think it was a huge success. We had visions of torrential rain all day, but we lucked out. The weather was perfect!” said one of the organizers, Nick Hardy. 

A community parade kicked off the day with pockets of community members dotting the route. The grand marshal was Wayne Holmquist and his wife Anita. Wayne was one of the co-founders of the Raymond Revitalization Committee, which came up with the idea for the festival. Some parade officials rode in convertibles donated by Macdonald Motors for the occasion. 

“I was thrilled to see so many young families and children at the event,” said Hardy. After the parade, the Sheri Gagnon Park on Mill Street was the gathering place featuring local businesses and crafters, food vendors dishing out grilled corn, cotton candy and snow cones. There was also a dunk tank and a few games. 

Representative Mike McClellan joined in the fun by getting dunked. “This is very nice. A nice group of people,” he said. He was excited for an event that showcases Raymond, a town he raised his children in and is proud of, he said. 

“Many of the people I spoke with enjoyed themselves. It was nice to see the community involvement that we are trying to build come together, including all the participants and volunteer efforts,” said one committee member.

“I would like to thank all the help and volunteers that made our event a great success,” said chairperson Carrie Colby. “The band was a great success and a donation from Frank who won them in an auction and donated to our event,” she added. 

“I thought having the New England Jazz Band was a huge plus,” said Hardy. “A huge thank you to our tireless leader Carrie Colby for making the second annual Everybody Loves Raymond Day a huge success.”

The committee will meet September 8 at 8 a.m. at the Village Donut Shop on Route 302 for a review of the event. Going forward the