The Gala will take place from 8 to 11 p.m. this Friday at the Pepperell Center at 40 Main St. in Biddeford. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the City Clerks Offices in both Saco and Biddeford, as well as at the Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce. Folks can also order tickets online at eventbrite.com/e/biddeford-saco-mayoral-gala-and-fundraiser-tickets-38056714658.
Featured at the gala this year will be libations from several of the cities’ craft breweries, distilleries and wine bars, including Banded Horn, Barreled Souls, Dirigo Brewing Company, Uncorked Wine Bar and Round Turn Distillery. Saco’s the Chef & Gardener will provide various hors d’oeuvres and Biddeford’s Sweetcream Dairy will be on hand to offer ice cream for those feeling their inner sweet tooth.
Those present will also be treated to live music throughout the night from the Easy Money Band and Freddie Dame Jr.
Food, drinks and community-company aside, the night will act as a platform for Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant and Saco Mayor Ron Michaud to honor the cities’ most active volunteer and difference maker. This year, they will recognize community volunteer Jim Godbout of Saco.
Godbout, a contractor and owner of Godbout Plumbing and Heating, was instrumental in orchestrating the renovation made to Biddeford’s Waterhouse Field that took place after the field was temporarily shut down due to safety concerns. He provided in-kind services to the community, saving the city general contracting fees, and made it possible for the Tigers Varsity Football team to play each of the their home games on the historical field this year.
In a phone call, Godbout said a few finishing touches still need to made at the field, even though the Tigers football team has been playing there since their first home game of the season. These final pieces include installing the field’s bleachers, which will be carried out next week, and constructing the press tower.
“We’re constructing the press tower right now for the press box,” Godbout said. “I have kids from the Center of Technology rebuilding the press box that sits on the ground because we’ll be lifting that up onto a major structure with a crane after it’s completed.”
For 20 years, Godbout has worked with kids at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology in the building and mechanical trades program.
“Most uniquely, we build a house, whether it be modular or a remodel. We take over properties that were defunct in the city and work with the students and the business community to rebuild these homes, put them back on the tax map and create a project for these kids to learn by,” Godbout said.
Furthermore, Godbout has been a key player in raising drug abuse awareness among teens through the Red Ribbon Committee and Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club. He and other members of the Rotary Club have carried out a program designed to create awareness over drug use and encourage healthy decisions for Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach students.
“This is going to be our third year,” Godbout said. “I challenged our Rotarian Club about three years ago to help make a difference in the opioid epidemic and we felt that our best measures would be to adopt prevention measures that we could help fund, as well as the mentoring and development of curriculum.”
Godbout added that he appreciates the recognition he will receive at the gala, but the real reward lies in helping individuals make strides in the community.
“Awards don’t mean a whole lot to me,” Godbout said laughing. “I do it for the people in our community, especially the young and old.”
Regardless, Godbout’s contributions to Saco and Biddeford are difficult to downplay.
“Jim gives back, over and over, to both cities. henever he sees a need that he can address, he is there,” Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant said in an interview. “Not only is he there, but he will bring his friends and family along with them. Jim is a doer, an innovator, and a friend to many on both sides of the river. He makes our communities a better place in which to live, to work, and to play.”
— Staff Writer Ryder Schumacher can be reached at 282-1535, or via email at rschumacher@journaltribune.com.
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