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The Biddeford Athletic Association makes games enjoyable with dedication that's lasted for decades.

By GLENN JORDAN, Staff Writer September 28, 2007

BIDDEFORD — The phone call will come to Jim Butler, president of the Biddeford Athletic Association. On the line will be a representative from a boosters club at another high school.

How do you do it? Can we look at your charter? Can you show us your concessions operation? We'd like to try to duplicate your success.

An energetic fellow with three children in high school, Butler will describe the operation at Waterhouse Field, point out the various buildings and bleachers erected with volunteer labor, and give a tour of the two concession stands -- small restaurants, really -- that bookend the football field.

While the facilities are first-rate and the menu impressive -- care for caramelized onions on that cheeseburger? -- what really sets Biddeford apart from most booster clubs in Maine, what makes it a nearly impossible blueprint to follow, is the people.

"It all has to do with roots," said Don Houde, a 1973 graduate whose son is a junior at Biddeford High. "There are generations of people who have lived here, so you have more ownership in your community."

Houde spoke during the third quarter of Biddeford's 26-6 victory over Sanford High last Friday night. He had just delivered the winning 50/50 number to the press box after spending much of the first half roaming the stands, selling tickets for the fundraising raffle in which the booster club and the winning ticket-holder split the pot.

"The deal is, when I was in high school, other people did this for me," said Houde, 53, a hairstylist in a family business older than he is. "So it's returning a favor."

Houde played defensive end on Biddeford's 1971 Class A state championship team. His son plays soccer. All of the approximately two dozen parents observed working at Friday night's game have children in sports other than football.

The reason for that is twofold. First, it allows football parents to concentrate on the game.

"I figure if somebody's going to volunteer in (lacrosse and soccer) so I can watch my son play," said Wayne McBreairty, sawing slits in sub rolls before the game, "let me work so a football player's parents can watch their kid play."

Second, the income generated from football games helps fund all other sports. According to Athletic Director Dennis Walton, last year the Biddeford football program received only 2 percent of the money doled out by the BAA.

And how much does the BAA dole out? Well, a lot depends on the weather during football games. If two of Biddeford's four scheduled home games are played in cold and rainy conditions, receipts go down. Concession revenues may recover if, say, a good basketball team creates enough interest and excitement to draw hungry fans to games.

"But generally speaking," Butler said, "the Biddeford Athletic Association generates between 55 and 70 thousand dollars of revenue that goes back into the schools."

A sense of duty

More than two hours before game time, Roger Beaupre has finished filling four frialators with grease, so he picks up a butane wand and lights nine burners hidden beneath a pair of smooth gray grills.

"This is for hot dogs," he explained to a visitor. He pointed to a larger grill with five burners that need lighting. "That's mine. I do burgers."

"Hey, Chief," called Butler from the back of the concession stand. "You want to do steak sandwiches tonight?"

Beaupre is called Chief not only because for the past decade he has been the BAA's head cook; he's also in his 27th year as the city's police chief. If you find yourself smelling grilled onions at a church fair, a youth athletic contest or some sort of fundraiser in Biddeford, chances are you'll find Beaupre behind a grill, spatula in hand, bemused smile on his face.

"Before a lot of kids know me as police chief, they know me as The Burger Guy," he said. "I love it. It's my form of relaxation from the pressures of the outside world."

Beaupre also...