MADAWASKA, Maine — The founder of the only park in the world dedicated to long-distance motorcycling, located in northern Aroostook County, recently received a prestigious award for his support and promotion of cross-country motorcycle adventures.
Joe LaChance, 77, who founded Four Corners Park in Madawaska, said he was humbled to receive the 2022 Southern California Motorcycle Association Legacy Award.
“Have you ever been in an airplane and they throw you off without a parachute? It was like that, wow,” LaChance said of receiving the award.
Four Corners Park is named for its location in the most northeastern town in the United States. Motorcyclists tour the four corners of the country, which also include San Ysidro, California; Blaine, Washington; and Key West, Florida. Motorcyclists who complete the intercontinental journey within 21 days receive a Four Corners Award, recognized by the motorcycling community. The Madawaska park welcomes about 4,000 visitors each year.
The park also is one of the Four Corners of Maine.
Members of the Southern California Motorcycle Association board traveled from all over the United States to Madawaska to present the award to LaChance on Friday, Aug. 5.
Despite its name, the club is no longer based in California where it began in 1960, and now sports 600 members from countries throughout the world. The group has bestowed the Legacy Award to only 12 people in its history, including LaChance.
LaChance, who said he has been a motorcycle enthusiast since he was 20 years old, first conceived the Four Corners Park in 2000 as a way to draw motorcycle tourism to the small northern Maine town.
The park was established in 2008 with the support of community members through donations and volunteer efforts spearheaded by LaChance.
California Club board member Charles Lamb of Virginia said he has visited Madawaska about 20 times on his motorcycle over the years. Lamb, who became friends with LaChance through the motorcycling community, was also a major contributor to the construction of Four Corners Park.
“It’s a beautiful destination that brings people into town and kind of celebrates long distance motorcycle riding,” Lamb said.
People from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Africa make the trip to Four Corners Park specifically to visit one of the four corners of the country, Lamb said.
Since the park’s inception, LaChance and his wife, Diane LaChance, have expanded Four Corners Park to include a visitors center, parking lot and features designed for photo opportunities.
Among these is Mr. Knucklehead, a hollow fiberglass moose-shaped structure named after a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine.
The LaChances first met at a biker party 37 years ago.
“He wanted a woman who loved motorcycles, and I wanted a man who loved motorcycles. We had that much in common to begin with and soon realized we have a lot more than motorcycles in common, believe me. We have the same values,” Diane LaChance said.
A retired accountant originally from Edmundston, New Brunswick, Diane LaChance serves as treasurer of the non-profit Four Corners Park Association, for which her husband acts as president.
They spend most of their summers overseeing the park and have a camera in their home so they can see when new visitors arrive there and greet them in person.
LaChance describes her husband as kind, funny, generous and passionate when it comes to work. He owned LaChance apartments while working as a machine tender on Machine No. 4 for the former Fraser Paper Co., now Twin Rivers Paper in Madawaska.
Aroostook County administrator Ryan D. Pelletier got to know the LaChances while he served as Madawaska town manager.
“Joe is one of the nicest people I got to know in Madawaska during my time there,” Pelletier said. “He was also one of the first people to introduce themselves to me as he wanted to get my signature for the Four Corners Award that is given to all finishers of the Four Corners Tour. He and Diane are and have been pillars in the community for decades. I am so happy for him to be recognized and congratulate him on this prestigious award.”
The LaChances were named business people of the year in 1988 and Joe LaChance was named 1997 Greater Madawaska Citizen of the Year.
Although thankful to receive his latest award, Joe LaChance does not see what all the fuss is about.
“I’m just a regular citizen from Madawaska with a motorcycle,” he said.
