President's Message
Hello for those that do not know me, my name is Mark Caron, President of M L Caron Electric Ltd. We were established in 1997. We employ an average of 8 people. We are an electrical contracting company that has done many small and large projects throughout the Rainy River district. In 2008, we also acquired another business called Bud’s Electric Motors which has been in business for almost 40 years. We are proud to be operating a business in the Town of Fort Frances.
Over the past year I have been pleased to play a major role in organizing community events and making Fort Frances flourish into an even happier place to live and get involved. I am glad to see our community’s enthusiasm to every event that takes place throughout the year.
This year has been a very productive year filled with events that have brought joy and excitement to many businesses, as well as everyone in the community of all ages.
The beginning of the year started out with a bang in February with our 15th annual Rainy River District Business awards which rewarded local businesses for their excellence in the past year.
On April 29th to 30th, we hosted the annual Fort Frances Home and Leisure show, which showcased many older businesses in our area as well as a few new businesses. The Tradeshow is still an excellent way to inform locals as well as tourists about our local businesses, how they work, and new products available.
Fort Frances also hosted its first “Strong-man” competition this year with a great turn out. The competition was tough but one man, Luke Skaarup, of Fort Frances had the advantage over everyone else.
In the beginning of summer, businesses of Downtown Fort Frances created a weekly event called Market Thursdays. Every Thursday, local businesses downtown would advertise their products outside of their stores with discount prices to raise business with consumers. Market Thursdays was a huge success for their starting year. We hope to see it all again next year.
There was much debate on whether or not Fort Frances would be celebrating Canada Day this year, but thanks to the Fort Frances Fun in the Sun Committee, they made it happen. The Canada Day festivities were uncertain at the beginning of the year, but thanks to financial sponsors and the Committee not giving up, we were able to enjoy the hot weather, musical entertainment and just relax underneath the fireworks.
On July 2nd, Fort Frances and International Falls hosted the annual International Tug-Of-War. The event symbolizes how our two communities work together in unity. Last year the International Falls had won the competition, but we got the rope right back this year.
Mid-way though summer, between, July 18th and 23rd, the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship took place bringing in many tourists from all over Canada as well as the United States. The event also included “Quest for the Best” where new talent and Quest veterans competed for the win.
2011 may almost be over, but there is still many community events coming up between now and December. The Fort Frances Great Canadian Chilli Cook-off for example, is coming in October. We expect many to show their delicious cooking skills and have a great time.
With so much going on, I am pleased to be a part of it all and I am looking forward to seeing you at these many events for the years to come. I believe our great attitude towards others, whether it is locals or tourists, makes our town strong, courteous, and just an overall fun place to live. I will continue to help everyone enjoy the community and do all in my power to keep our town strong.
President
Mark Caron