BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 19, 2023
The Houlton Parks and Recreation Advisory Board rejected the gift of a proposed meditative walking path for downtown’s Riverfront Park. The labyrinth is not a good fit to represent the park, the board said. Now the project’s fate rests with the town council. Houlton attorney Dick Rhoda, the project’s creator, believed America’s Peace Labyrinth would be a place to bridge divides as more people from other cultures and religions move to Maine. He wanted to give it to the town in memory of his father, Leslie Rhoda, who dedicated much of his life to serving the Houlton community. Rhoda believed it was approved, but councilor Eileen McLaughlin expressed concerns about labyrinths as depicted in recent horror films. Often confused with mazes designed to trick people, labyrinths are easy circular walking paths designed to help a person release worries and tensions while they walk.