2014 World Acadian Congress to Receive a Commemorative License Plate from the State of Maine

The 2014 World Acadian Congress will be honored by the state of Maine with a commemorative license plate to mark the event.

The World Acadian Congress is held every five years in the regions that once belonged to the Acadians - Aroostook County, the counties of Victoria, Restigouche and Madawaska in New Brunswick.

‘We are thrilled that the State will move forward with the production of a commemorative license plate to support our efforts to bring this huge economic and cultural development activity to our part of the world,’ said Jason Parent, Maine international president for the 2014 CMA. ‘It will provide both wonderful visibility, as well as a needed source of funding to support the hundreds of events that will take place in Maine alone during the CMA.’

The state government said that the last time the state has issued a commemorative plate was in 1976 during the United States Bicentennial.

The CMA draws more than 50,000 visitors from 44 different countries and has an economic impact that exceeds $50 million. The event will begin on August 8, 2014, followed by events throughout the week.

A commemorative license plate is different than the official license plates issued by the state to support various causes such as agriculture, the University of Maine, and breast cancer, among others.  It does not have any numbers/letters on its face and cannot replace the legally issued plates.

However, the state legislature voted to allow the commemorative plate to be placed over the legal license plate on the front of a vehicle.

The CMA plate is currently in production, but state officials and CMA event organizers plan on unveiling the plate at a press conference later this month or the beginning of December. The state will have more than 6,000 plates to sell before the holiday season.