Issue for February 12, 2026
A familiar building, a fresh start, Nash’s Café and Gym
On a busy morning at the old Farrington’s building, on Legion Memorial Drive, the first thing you notice is that it feels alive again. That might sound like a small thing, but longtime South China residents know this isn’t just any address. Over the decades, the building has played more than one role in town life. For many years it was home to the Farrington’s clothing outlet – the kind of store that became part of the seasonal rhythm of the community, especially for anyone who remembers back-to-school shopping in the 1970s or ‘80s. Now, the space has entered a new chapter: fully renovated, reimagined, and once again built around something towns need more than ever – a place to gather… by Eric W. Austin
Town News
Town manager gives prelim on 2026-27 budget
CHINA – China Budget Committee members joined select board members at the beginning of their Feb. 9 meeting to hear Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood’s preliminary presentation on the proposed 2026-27 municipal budget…
Select board begins review of municipal budget
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro select board members began review of the 2026-27 municipal budget at a workshop, held the afternoon of Feb. 3. Public Works Director Brian Lajoie and Fire Chief Walker Thompson discussed their preliminarily-proposed budgets…
Planners continue talks on ordinance updates
VASSALBORO – At their Feb. 3 meeting, Vassalboro Planning Board members continued discussing revisions and updates to town ordinances, with four members of Cub Scout Pack #410 and accompanying adults in the audience…
Committee meets to review options at Lombard Dam Rd. facility
VASSALBORO – Three Vassalboro Transfer Station Task Force members, Transfer Station Manager Adam Daoust and Town Manager Aaron Miller met Feb. 5 to review four options for rearranging the Lombard Dam Road disposal facility. They chose two plans to forward to Jeff Senders, head of Senders science, engineering & construction, of Camden, for cost estimates…
Scouts Sunday well attended in Vassalboro
VASSALBORO – Scouts Sunday was well attended at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC) on February 8 by Scouts, their family members, guests and church members. Annual Scouting Sundays honor the anniversary of Boy Scouts USA which was founded on February 8, 1910, and coincidentally the Vassalboro Scouts #410 was chartered exactly 56 years ago… by Dale Potter-Clark
Introducing Cara Kent to our readers
VASSALBORO – My name is Cara Kent. I’m a member of the Vassalboro Cemetery and the Secretary for the Maine Old Cemetery Association, MOCA. My interest in cemeteries began in 1969 while wandering in the woods on my family’s property in New Jersey. My love of history, especially New England history – grew a little later in life…
Collecting for children
MADISON – In observance of April as Children and Youth Month, American Legion Auxiliary Tardiff-Belanger Unit #39 Madison is collecting items for Foster Children (infants to teenagers) in the Department of Health & Human Services System (DHHS). Items will be collected until the end of March and then will be delivered to DHHS in April…
HealthReach welcomes new Clinician, Heather Stevens, FNP
MADISON – This March, staff at the Madison Area Health Center are happy to welcome Heather Stevens, FNP, to their professional healthcare team…
An open letter to our readers
At The Town Line, we aren’t just reporting news—we’re telling the stories that shape our community. Written by locals, for locals, our paper reflects the heart and soul of central Maine. We exist because of you, our readers and local businesses, and we believe that when our community thrives, so does The Town Line. But times are tough for local newspapers…
Audrey Mihm named to president’s list at Miami University
SIDNEY – Audrey Mihm, from Sidney, was named to the Miami University fall 2025 President’s list, in Oxford, Ohio.
Jasmyne Mills named to dean’s list
AUGUSTA – Jasmyne Mills, a member of the Class of 2027, from Augusta, has been named to the Fall 2025 Dean’s List at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts.
Erin Kalback earns Fall 2025 dean’s list honor
OAKLAND – Erin Kalback, of Oakland, has been named to the Fall 2025 dean’s list at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Colby Corson named to dean’s list at Plymouth State University
OAKLAND – Colby Corson, of Oakland, has been named to the Plymouth State University dean’s list for the Fall 2025 semester, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Corson is majoring in Exercise and Sport Physiology at Plymouth State.
Kaitlin Morrison named to Springfield College dean’s list
WINSLOW – Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts, has named Kaitlin Morrison, from Winslow, to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the 2025 fall semester. Morrison has a primary major of Communication Science & Disorders.
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Griffin Brown named to The College of Charleston president’s list
OAKLAND – Griffin Brown, of Oakland, was among more than 2,050 students named to the College of Charleston Fall 2025 President’s List, in Charleston, South Carolina. Brown is majoring in Mathematics.
Two area students on URI dean’s list
CENTRAL ME – The University of Rhode Island, in Kingston, Rhode Island, is pleased to announce that several area students have been named to its fall 2025 dean’s list. Among them are Gavin Murphy, of Winslow, and Maddie Yakimchick, of Waterville.
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Alexis Alcott named to University of Alabama Fall 2025 President’s List
WINDSOR – Alexis Alcott, of Windsor, was named to The University of Alabama Presidents List for Fall Semester 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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Local happenings
EVENTS: 7th annual ice fishing derby slated for February 15
CHINA — The China Four Seasons Club (CFSC) and the China Village Volunteer Fire Department announce the 7th Annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby, taking place Sunday, February 15, 2026, during Maine’s Free Fishing Weekend…
EVENTS: Lincoln County Historical Assn. offers heritage craft workshops
LINCOLN COUNTY — Lincoln County Historical Association offers three opportunities to banish the mid-winter blues with tutorials on crafts from earlier times. Participants will learn the elements of basketmaking, paste paper decoration, and calligraphy in afternoon workshops at the Second Congregational Church, in Newcastle on March 1, 15, and 29 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m…
EVENTS: Cabin Fever quilt show and luncheon at VUMC
VASSALBORO — A “Cabin Fever Quilt Show and Luncheon” will be held in Vassalboro on Saturday, February 14 (storm date February 21), at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC), 614 Main Street.. “What better way to spend a mid-winter Saturday than taking in a display of beautiful new and vintage quilts,” said one of the event coordinators, Dale Potter-Clark…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: China Lake ice fishing derby
CHINA – The China Four Seasons Club and the China Village Volunteer Fire Department will be holding the 7th annual China Lake ice fishing derby on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Fireworks will take place on Saturday, February 14, 6:15 p.m. at the north end of the lake. For more info, www.chinafourseasons.org… and many other local events!
Obituaries
CHINA – Ryan Michael Page, 48, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, February 2, 2026. Ryan was a long-time resident of Maine, growing up in Windsor and graduating in 1995 from Erskine Academy, in South China, before enlisting…
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to The Maine Film Center, in Waterville: “I’ll have what she’s having.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is March 4, 2026.
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: The Smileys of Vassalboro (new)
VASSALBORO HISTORY — Wander around in the Quaker cemetery, at Oak Grove, in Vassalboro, and you’ll find two small gravestones marking where Daniel and Phebe Smiley rest. Daniel was born in 1796 in Sidney, just four years after Sidney split from Vassalborough, Maine. Vassalborough was the spelling when the town was incorporated in 1771. The shortened use of Vassalboro was adopted in 1818… by Cara Kent
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Agriculture and organizations – Part 4
CENTRAL HISTORY — The following article concludes (at least for now) the discussion of early agriculture in Vassalboro and moves eastward to Palermo. The focus in Vassalboro this week is on livestock. Readers will note this week’s article is even more discursive than usual, as your writer came across a variety of slightly-related topics that intrigued her… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Agriculture – Part 3
VASSALBORO HISTORY — Until Jan. 30, 1792, Vassalboro, on the east side of the Kennebec River, included Sidney, on the west side. A partial summary of Sidney’s early agricultural history was the topic of last week’s article in this subseries; this week’s article will concentrate on the area that remained Vassalboro… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Agriculture – Part 2
SIDNEY HISTORY — Last week’s article discussed the beginnings of European settlers’ agriculture in central Kennebec County, drawing heavily from Samuel L. Boardman’s chapter in Henry Kingsbury’s 1892 county history… by Mary Grow
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Over the years, many different species of birds have been coming to our backyard feeders at home. I compare the situation with the Alfred Hitchcock thriller film, The Birds. Well, I have another chapter in that episode. I have noticed recently the high number of crows, or ravens, that have been hanging around my house. Just the other day, I saw seven of them sitting in my pine trees in the backyard. They are huge birds…
GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
by Dan Beaulieu | Oh, that dreaded word “CHANGE.” I have seen companies go out of business, rather than change. I have seen people suffer from all kinds of physical ailments, rather than change. I have seen companies fail because they don’t want to change…
MAINE-LY GARDENING
by Jude Hsiang | Of the many species of pines found around the world, most of them in the Northern Hemisphere, the four that are native to Maine are also found across wider areas of the U.S. and Canada. The last two columns covered the white, red, jack, and pitch pines we find all over the state…
THE BEST VIEW
by Norma Best Boucher | 1965 – I was home in Maine on Christmas vacation during my freshman year at college. My high school girlfriends and I were in Jackie’s bedroom just as we had been for previous years discussing our loves, our hates, and our lives. I was the only one going to college out-of-state. The others were going to school together at the state university or studying locally…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | I have recently viewed five movies, four of them centered on the CIA, one on a K9 unit in the Los Angeles Police Department. Aaron Eckhart stars in three of the movies, two of them relating to the CIA and the other as a LAPD K9 unit policeman. First the two releases without Eckhart…
QUINN MINUTE
by Rix Quinn | Millions celebrate February 14 by giving flowers, candy, and cards to express romantic love. And some buy presents for their spouses, too…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) | The American Red Cross has declared a severe blood shortage after the national supply fell by about 35 percent in the past month – a crisis fueled by a surge in flu cases and winter storms disrupting blood drives. Hospitals already strained by flu-related admissions are now being forced to triage critical blood products, putting trauma victims, mothers in childbirth, and patients with cancer or sickle cell disease at serious risk…