ECHOES magazine collection

Kathryn Olmstead is a native of Battle Creek, Michigan. She earned a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a masters of arts in English and education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She taught English and journalism in Wisconsin and New Hampshire before moving to Maine in 1974. After moving to Maine, Kathryn taught journalism at the University of Maine at Orono for 25 years, the last 6 of which she served as associate dean in the college of liberal arts and sciences. She also served as a past editor of the Aroostook Republican and News and has served on boards of Maine Public (Broadcasting), the National Resources Council of Maine, and the Caribou Public Library among others. Kathryn was a co-founder as well as editor and designer of ECHOES: Rediscover community magazine. In 2018 she was inducted into the Maine Press Association fall of Fame.

Olmstead has published three books: Flight to Freedom: War through the eyes of a child, The Story of Philomena Keller Baker (2013), True North: Finding the Essence of Aroostook (2020), and Stories of Aroostook: The Best of Echoes Magazine (2020). In addition to these books, she has published a number of articles in journals and newspapers as well as contributed chapters in a couple of books. She currently resides in Aroostook County.

Information from: True North.” Islandport Press. Accessed on 2025-03-12 from https://www.islandportpress.com/product-page/true-north?srsltid=AfmBOorx23WKad4iQ275gkQM4uVsTUPhaq2BoD9s7oZCzGFiHktzMBqu

Kathryn Olmtead”. UMaine Communication and Journalism page. Accessed on 2025-03-12 from https://cmj.umaine.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-emeriti/kathryn-olmstead/

The Can-Am Crown is a series of three sled dog races that start and finish in Fort Kent, Maine. The three races run for 30, 100, & 250 miles respectively with predetermined rest stations along the way. “The Can-Am Crown organization was founded on October 16, 1992 as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Maine. It was established to provide a mid-distance sled dog race to a growing community of mushers from throughout the international region and to enhance the region's image as a travel destination. The Can-Am Crown 250 has rapidly gained popularity as the longest sled dog race in the eastern United States.” Since starting in 1992, the races have gained popularity with racers traveling from all over North America to compete and drawing international volunteers and spectators, with the exception of 2021 when the races weren’t able to be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic and 2024 when a lack of snow and unusually warm weather caused the race to be cancelled last minute. The 250 mile race is a qualifier for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. The Can-Am is held in February-March each year.

Information from: “Race History.” Can-Am Crown website. Accessed on 2023-06-06 from https://can-am-crown.net/about/history.php

The World Acadian Congress/Congres Mondial Acadian (WAC/CMA) is an international event held every five years since 1994 reflecting diversity and vitality of the Acadian and Cajun culture. Its mission is to bring together the Acadian diaspora from around the world through a series of family reunions, conferences and events taking place over a two-week period. Its creator was André Boudreau in 1994.

The fifth Congress was held along the Canada–United States border; co-hosted by Maine's Aroostook County in the United States and its neighboring counties in Canada (Témiscouata in Quebec, and Victoria, Madawaska and Restigouche Counties in New Brunswick). The 2014 World Acadian Congress took place from August 8 to 24, 2014. The theme was Acadia of the Lands and Forests / L’Acadie des terres et forêts.

The three major events for the World Acadian Congress were: 1) opening ceremonies held in northwestern New Brunswick on August 8, 2014; 2) the Acadian National Holiday celebrated in Maine (USA) on August 15; 3) the closing ceremonies held in Témiscouata, Quebec, on August 24. The Congress President was Émilien Nadeau and the general director was Léo-Paul Charest.