Week of October 8, 2020
Historic alewife restoration initiative hits another milestone
Six dams in six years — that was the goal, says Matt Streeter, project manager for the China Lake Alewife Restoration Initiative, and it’s a goal they are likely to meet — and maybe even surpass. The team invited me down to Box Mill Dam, behind the Olde Mill, in Vassalboro, to view their progress on the new fishway currently under construction. Once complete, it will be another milestone on the way to opening up migratory fish passage into China Lake for the first time in nearly two centuries. [941 words] by Eric W. Austin
Your Local News
Final plans for transfer station upgrade come before board
VASSALBORO — Vassalboro selectmen heard a variety of matters, some with potential costs, at their Oct. 1 meeting, including near-final plans for a redesign of the transfer station, junkyard and auto hobbyists’ permits, the fire department’s repeater problem and the future of the town’s Conservation Commission…
Kringleville 2020: The Magic like no other season
WATERVILLE — A message from Mrs. Claus to our Kringleville, Maine, USA, friends: Santa has been watching the greater Waterville area with great focus to help your 2020 season have more nice than naughty during this unprecedented season. You have pulled together in your Christmas-spirited community to ensure that local businesses and neighbors are making it through these uncertain times…
Branch Mills Grange to host chicken & dumpling drive-up
PALERMO — The Branch Mills Grange will host a chicken and dumplings and pie drive-up on Saturday, October 17, from 4 – 6 p.m., for $7 per serving. Pre-orders (optional) can be place from October 10 – 16, at 5 p.m., by calling Grange Master Ann Bako and (207) 445-2707. The grange is located on Branch Mills Rd., at the China/Palermo line…
Guided tour of Arnold expedition to Great Carry Place Portage Trail planned
CENTRAL ME — The Arnold Expedition Historical Society will be offering a combination walking and vehicle tour of the Great Carrying Portage Trail, Sunday, October 11, 2020, rain or shine. This date coincides with the Benedict Arnold’s army’s march across the portage 245 years ago. October 11 is also the date Colonel Arnold arrived at the entrance to the portage trail…
A beautiful scene of the season (photo)
PALERMO — Ashley Wills, of Palermo, photographed this beautiful fall scene on September 30, on the west side of Sheepscot Lake, in Palermo…
Whitefield Lions to donate art supplies
WHITEFIELD — The Whitefield Lions Club will be donating to the local school’s art departments this fall. Due to Covid-19 the WLC was not able to conduct their annual Peace Poster Contest held every October. Every year each of the schools which include Windsor, Jefferson, Whitefield and Chelsea Elementary participates in the contest through their art department…
Fall foliage report: Peak conditions occurring in most of Maine
CENTRAL ME — This week’s Fall Foliage Report from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry (DACF) reports peak and slightly beyond peak conditions for this upcoming weekend in northern, western, and central Maine. Coastal and southern regions are displaying moderate color changes (less than 50 percent color change)…
Are you ready for ranked-choice voting
To mark the ballot for your first-choice candidate – the person who you would most like to see win the office – simply fill in the oval next to their name in the “1st Choice” column. If you wish to rank some or all of the remaining candidates in order of your preference, you may do so, or you can choose to vote for only your first choice…
Save money on your shipping costs
(NAPSI)—Your company can get money from a surprising source: the Post Office. That’s because the U.S. Postal Service now has a program that gives credits to registered businesses that use Click-N-Ship® services. As of August 1, 2020, businesses can earn these credits when they buy Priority Mail® and Priority Mail Express® products. The credits can then be used toward future purchases of the products, using Click-N-Ship…
Efficiency Maine parking and pole lighting saves energy at outdoor locations
(NAPSI)—Your company can get money from a surprising source: the Post Office. That’s because the U.S. Postal Service now has a program that gives credits to registered businesses that use Click-N-Ship® services. As of August 1, 2020, businesses can earn these credits when they buy Priority Mail® and Priority Mail Express® products. The credits can then be used toward future purchases of the products, using Click-N-Ship…
LETTERS: Supports local candidates
from Donald D. Pauley (China) — I have been a voter in the town of China for 62 years and served on every board, elective and appointed except the planning board, from 1962 until 1982. During those years, and all the years since, those who served their town as participants as firefighters have always had my deepest admiration. They are on call 24/7, all the while knowing they are in potential danger…
Become a member: An open letter to our readers
Dear Reader: For the past 32 years, The Town Line has pledged a mission statement to “create a vibrant rural community connecting our towns, organizations and individuals through communication, education and public dialogue.” It’s all part of The Town Line’s mission to be a positive force in our community…
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Trolleys (New)
MAINE HISTORY — Not long after finishing the piece about street railways that appeared in The Town Line, Sept. 10, this writer came across a small paperback book published in 1955. Written by O. R. (Osmond Richard) Cummings, it is titled Toonervilles of Maine The Pine Tree State. (The title refers to Fontaine Fox’s comic strip called Toonerville Folks that Wikipedia says first appeared in the Chicago Post in 1908 and last appeared in 1955… by Mary Grow [1608 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Transportation: roads
MAINE HISTORY — Previous articles have discussed transportation by water and overland by railroads, local and long-distance. This article discusses aspects of the evolution of roads and travel over them. Laying out roads was a major task for local governments in the late 18th and early 19th centuries… by Mary Grow [1877 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Railway transportation
MAINE HISTORY — Although the narrow-gauge railroad that was built inland from Wiscasset starting in 1894 never reached either Québec (its first name was the Wiscasset and Québec) or Waterville or Farmington (later it was the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington), as the WW&F it was an integral part of towns along its route. Reminiscences from Palermo include the WW&F… by Mary Grow [2155 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington
MAINE HISTORY — When railroads first began operating in the United States, different companies used different gauges (width between the tracks). “Standard gauge” ranged from four feet eight-and-a-half inches (imported from Britain, used by the Baltimore & Ohio and Boston & Albany lines, among others) to six feet (used by the Erie and the Lackawanna, among others), and was not definitely established at four feet eight-and-a-half inches until after the Civil War… [1735 words] by Mary Grow
Obituaries
FAIRFIELD – Clifford Stowers passed away on Sunday, September 27, 2020. He was born May 10, 1923, in Andover, Massachusetts, the son of Dr. Nathaniel and Anna Stowers… and remembering 11 others.
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Friday, October 9, 2020
Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Retail Therapy Boutique in Waterville! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!
Previous winner: Phyllis Quimby, Windsor.
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | I know I’ve written about gray squirrels in the past, but, I have to tell you about the two in particular that have made their home in my backyard. High in a tree, overlooking the garage, sits a large squirrels’ nest where these two reside. You rarely see them together, but when you do, it’s a comedy act rivaled by none…
GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
by Dan Beaulieu | My mother always says there is a way, no matter what the challenge, no matter how steep the hill you have to climb, there is always a way. And that is pretty much what we all face in these dark times of COVID-19. We have to find a way to not only survive, but to keep our businesses growing…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | After the failure of his 1st Symphony in 1897, Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) had a nervous breakdown that lasted three years, with a loss of confidence in himself as a composer. Relief finally came when he submitted to three months of hypnosis under the supervision of Dr. Nicolai Dahl…
I’M JUST CURIOUS
by Debbie Walker | I have been reading again (or still)! Hope you don’t mind. The first one is titled Thee Onderful Werld ov Wirds. The best I can do for the name of the author is it came from a little book titled Moments for Grandparents, from Robert Strand. I hope it makes you smile. (Figure out the title yet)…
SOLON & BEYOND
by Marilyn Rogers-Bull | Will begin this week with more Solon School News! Food Facts: We are pleased to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students again this year under the district’s community eligibility program. Students can buy milk or juice for snack or to go with a cold lunch if they wish to for 30 cents…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) — Contrary to popular belief, migraine is not just a bad headache. It’s a serious, often incapacitating, neurological disease. In addition to serious pain, migraine can also cause nausea or vomiting, as well as sensitivity to light, sounds and smell…