The Town of Skowhegan Heritage Council would
like to restart our Towns tradition of recognizing one of our eldest citizens
with the presentation of The Boston Cane. The Boston Post Cane tradition was
established in 1909 by the Boston Post newspaper. A special cane was presented to the Board
of Selectmen in 431 towns in New England, to be presented as an honor
to each town's eldest resident. The recipient held the honor as long as
he/she lived. Upon his or her death the cane would be awarded to the next eldest
resident.
The official cane would belong to the Town
and not the resident who received it in order to provide for the reservation
and public awareness of the tradition and protection of the cane from loss or
damage.
The Heritage Council and the Board of
Selectmen or his or her designee shall present the eldest resident with a certificate,
a replica cane and have their picture taken.
Eligibility and Selection:
The holder of the Boston Cane must be the
eldest known resident and must reside in the Town of Skowhegan. The term
'resident' refers to a person who intends to physically reside at a fixed,
permanent and principal home in the town.
They may also be living in Skowhegan with family or in an assisted
living/nursing facility.
Recognizing that the Town has no formal means
of identifying residents by age, selection of the honoree shall be by the
Board of Selectmen and the Heritage Council.
Method to Search for Oldest Resident:
There shall be a notice posted and publicized
in other ways which are normally seen by the residents. Nominations for
those residents who can prove their age and is currently a resident of Skowhegan,
Maine. All nominations must be received in the Planning Office no later than
February 12, 2018. The nomination may come from family or
friends. A nomination form may be obtained from the Town Planning Office or
E-Mail ckirk@skowhegan.org or by printing it from our web site.
Presentation:
The Skowhegan Heritage Council and Board of
Selectmen or his/her designee shall present Skowhegan’s eldest resident with a
certificate and a replica cane signifying the honor.
The location of the presentation will be
determined according to the circumstances of the honoree.
The recipient will retain this honor as long
as he/she lives even though another resident may become eligible. The Planning
Office must be notified if the recipient of the Boston Post Cane passes or otherwise
refuses or returns the honor. At that time the Heritage Council shall determine
the new eldest resident of Skowhegan, Maine and present the name to the Board
of Selectmen.