History

Guidelines for the

The Boston Post Cane tradition was established in 1909 by Edwin Grozier, Editor and Publisher of the Boston Post Newspaper. On August 2, 1909 in letters sent to 700 l Boards of Selectmen of towns in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, Grozier asked them to be trustees of the 700 ebony, gold topped canes that he had contracted to be made during the previous year. A special cane was presented to the Board of Selectmen in 431 towns in New England who responded to the letter, to be presented as an honor to each town’s oldest resident. The recipient held the honor as long as he/she lived (or moved from the town). Upon his or her death (or move) the cane would be awarded to the next oldest resident. A stipulation in the letter was that the Cane would belong to the town and not the resident who received it.

To provide for preservation and public awareness of the tradition and protection of the cane from loss or damage, the Board of Selectpersons for the Town of Belgrade, Maine hereby establishes the following protocol for the selection of the Eldest Belgrade Citizen and the rightful holder of said title and for the appropriate recognition of said citizen.

Eligibility and Selection:

The holder of the Cane must be 90 years old or older and must reside in the Town of Belgrade for at least the last 25 years. If a situation arises where these conditions cannot be met, the Board of Selectpersons may modify these requirement by a majority vote at their next regularly scheduled meeting.

The term ‘resident’ refers to a person who has physically resided at a fixed, permanent and principal home in the town.

The Selectpersons recognize that numerous individuals establish residency in our town late in life, but otherwise may not be engaged as residents of the Town of Belgrade, and thus cannot hold the title. Therefore, the determination of who the eldest citizen is shall be made by the Town Clerk. Furthermore, the Selectpersons recognize that the eldest citizen may not wish to receive the title and therefore asserts that in such cases the recognition will be made to the next eldest citizen that wishes to hold the title.

Method to Search for Oldest Resident:

The Town Clerk shall cause to be placed a notice in the local newspaper (and in other locations where official notices are placed) announcing the search for nominations for the title of Belgrade’s Eldest Citizen from among those residents who are at least 90 years older and have been a resident of the town for at least the last 25 years.

All nominations must be received in the Town Clerk’s Office 30 days from the date of the posting of the notice. The search may also include an informal survey, voter registration, general public knowledge, and inquiries to nursing homes, civic groups, and churches or by nomination from family or friends. A nomination form may be obtained from the Town Clerk’s Office or on-line at www.belgrademaine.com.

Presentation:

The Chairperson of the Town of Belgrade Board of Selectpersons or his/her designee shall bestow the title of “Eldest Citizen” upon the selectee and present him/her with a plaque and lapel pin signifying the honor and shall cause the name of the honoree to be inscribed on a plaque to be displayed along with the original Boston Post Cane at the Town of Belgrade municipal Office. There shall also be certificates awarded honoring those residents who are 90 years old or older and meet the residency requirements who were nominated but were not the oldest citizen.

The location of the presentation will be determined according to the circumstances of the honoree.

The recipient will retain this honor as long as the individual lives even though another resident may become eligible. The Town Clerk’s Office must be notified if the recipient of the Boston Post Cane dies or otherwise refuses or returns the honor. At that time the Town Clerk shall determine the new oldest resident of Town of Belgrade.

If the decision is made to no longer display the Boston Post Cane at the Town Office, it would be placed in the custody of the Town of Belgrade Historian.

Given under our hands, this 3rd day of February 2009.

Melanie Jewell, Chairperson
Richard W. Damren Jr., Vice-Chairperson
Richard J. Carey, Selectperson
Christopher W. Merrow, Selectperson
Daniel Newman, Selectperson

TOWN OF BELGRADE, MAINE

BOSTON POST CANE ELDEST CITIZEN

NOMINATION FORM

Name of Nominee:	____________________________________________________________
Nominee’s address:	____________________________________________________________
	____________________________________________________________
	____________________________________________________________
Nominee’s Date of Birth:	____________________________________________________________
Telephone Number:	____________________________________________________________
	Year Nominee became a resident of the Town of Belgrade: _________
Please attach supporting documentation when submitting form.
Name of Person Making Nomination:	____________________________________________________________
Telephone Number:	____________________________________________________________
Address:	____________________________________________________________
	____________________________________________________________
E-mail Address:	____________________________________________________________

Please forward completed form and attachments to:

Town of Belgrade
Office of the Town Clerk
Boston Post Cane
6 Manchester Road
Belgrade, Maine 04917
Telephone: 207-495-2258
Fax: 207-495-2742

Privacy Statement - Mission Statement - Values Statement - Company Profile - Press Releases - Contact Us

Hometown Catalogs - Maineiac Ultimate Jokes and Games - Hometown USA - Hometown Canada