Issue for July 3, 2025
Fundraising to help VCS grads attend MSSM
Last academic year, a Vassalboro Community School graduate named Judson Smith was a freshman at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone. Smith is glad he was able to attend the specialized residential high school (see the Jan. 9, 2025, issue of The Town Line, p. 2, for an interview with Smith midway through the year)…. by Mary Grow
Mid-Maine Chamber announces Bill and Joan Alfond Family scholarship winner
Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce announces the 2025 Bill and Joan Alfond Family Scholarship Award winner. Sadie Williams of Waterville was selected as the scholarship recipient from a field of applicants….
Town News
Vassalboro Selectboard to appoint board/committee members July 17
VASSALBORO –The Town of Vassalboro has various committees, boards and commissions that work diligently and generously and give their time and talents to promote the future of the Town. Are you interested in becoming more involved?…
Planners approve new proposed ordinance on transmission lines
CHINA – At their June 24 meeting, China Planning Board members unanimously accepted the first draft of a proposed new ordinance titled “High Impact Electric Transmission Lines and Corridor Ordinance”…
COMMUNITY COMMENTARY: A swift and thoughtful decision
from Tory Stark (China resident) — In a swift and thoughtful decision, the Town of China’s Select Board voted to sign a quitclaim deed resolving a decades-old land title issue involving The Landing. This action formally concludes a 30-year saga tied to the old Route 202 right-of-way — a long-standing confusion that had cast uncertainty over local land records and stalled potential investment…
Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic
CENTRAL ME — First Place Gross Team Score (Quirion Inc.): Jared Rossignol, Steve Hunt, Adam Haskell, and Brad Stout…
Gregory Bard earns high rank of Eagle Scout
SIDNEY — Fewer than one of every youth who dons a Scout uniform will attain the Eagle Scout rank. Gregory Bard, of Troop# 401, in Sidney, managed to soar to that height and a ceremony was held in his honor at the former St John Catholic School, in Winslow, where he was presented this significant recognition… by Dan Allarie
Internship or exploitation? Attorney warns young of summer red flags
CENTRAL ME — As thousands of students and recent grads across Maine take on summer internships, nationally recognized attorney Brian Chase of Bisnar Chase is sounding the alarm: some internships aren’t stepping stones – they’re legal minefields in disguise…
HealthReach welcomes new clinician, Sharon Lopez FNP
BELGRADE — This July, staff of the Belgrade Regional Health Center are happy to welcome Sharon Lopez, FNP, to their professional healthcare team…
Psychosocial Support Services at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care
AUGUSTA — A key improvement of the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care expansion is having the space for a true one-stop-shop for psychosocial support, with staff now co-located, offering a full range of support to patients and families…
Area students named to dean’s list at Cedarville University
SIDNEY/CHINA — Area students at Cedarville University, in Cedarville, Ohio, have been named to the dean’s list for the Spring 2025 semester. They include Catherine Estes, of Sidney, and Josette Gilman, of China.
Plymouth State University announces dean’s list
CENTRAL ME — Plymouth State University, in Plymouth, New Hampshire, recognizes students who made the dean’s list for the Spring 2025 semester. They include Colby Corson, Exercise and Sport Physiology major, and Sidney Hatch, Social Work major, both of Oakland…
Local residents graduate from Hamilton College
CENTRAL ME — The following local residents received Bachelor of Arts degrees from Hamilton College, in Clinton, New York, on Sunday, May 25, in a commencement ceremony…
Local Students Win Awards at Hamilton College Class & Charter Day
CENTRAL ME — Hamilton College’s annual Class & Charter Day took place on May 13, in Clinton, New York. Established in 1950, the event combines the traditional Class Day celebrating the end of classes with a commemoration of the granting of the College’s charter on May 26, 1812. The following local residents were among the award winners…
Local students named to University of Rhode Island dean’s list
CENTRAL ME — The University of Rhode Island, in Kingston, Rhode Island, announces that several area students have been named to its Spring 2025 dean’s list. Among them are: Gavin Murphy, of Winslow, Tucker Pieh, of Rome, Danica Serdjenian, and Maddie Yakimchick, both of Waterville…
Local happenings
EVENTS: Chadwick Cemetery Association annual meeting
CHINA — The Chadwick Hill Cemetery Association will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 4 p.m., at the South China Community Church, 246 Village St., South China. New members are welcome.All interested parties are invited to attend. For more information contact Jeff Zimmerman at 445-4000.
EVENTS: Maine’s most alluring movie makes its Waterville premiere
WATERVILLE — A Peace of Forest, the first feature length wildlife movie filmed in Maine, has been screening to sell out audiences, and will make its Waterville premiere at The Playhouse at Waterville Station, from July 11 thru July 20, 2025.
EVENTS: Make the world brighter for patients by giving blood
CENTRAL ME — Upcoming blood donation opportunities June 24-July 14 Kennebec County…
EVENTS: Winslow library hosts summer kick-off event
WINSLOW — The Winslow Public Library will host its first summer reading kick-off party since 2019, as it launches a slew of new engaging programming for children, teens and adults, headed by its new programming staff…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Tea party in Palermo
PALERMO – American Legion Auxiliary Post #163 is holding a tea party, on Sunday, July 20, 2025, 1 – 3 p.m., at the post home, 33 Veterans Way, Palermo. There is limited seating, so the first 25 people to RSVP will be granted a seat. The cost will be $30 per person, which will include all the amenities of an afternoon tea tradition. Please email ALAPost163Palermo@gmail.com to reserve your place”… and many other local events!
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: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is July 10, 2025.
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Early land titles (new)
KV HISTORY — The lawyers discussed in this series earlier this spring were undoubtedly important in the lives of European settlers in the central Kennebec Valley. Before the lawyers, and equally if not more important, were another group of professional men: the surveyors… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville City Hall
WATERVILLE HISTORY — This article will return to the history of a series of buildings, more cheerful than the Augusta jail(s) described in the June 5 story: Waterville’s town hall that became a city hall that was – and still is – combined with a large gathering space called an opera house… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: More China lawyers
CHINA HISTORY — The Greeleys or Greelys were early settlers in Branch Mills, the village on the west branch of the Sheepscot River shared between China and its eastern neighbor, Palermo. The China bicentennial history says Jacob Greely was a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to China after 1782… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Augusta jail
AUGUSTA HISTORY — Before proceeding to the history of the Augusta jail, your writer wants to clarify a sentence from last week’s article. It referenced Wikipedia’s statement that after Augusta became a city (instead of a town) in 1849, “Its early city offices were in the Opera House, and meetings took place in Winthrop Hall”… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 17, 2025
Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Hannaford Supermarket! 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: STILL NO WINNER!
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | For some reason, this year, I am getting more and more questions about poison ivy. Where is it? What does it look like? What do you do about it and how do you treat it?…
THE BEST VIEW
by Norma Best Boucher | I locked up my car and walked to the sidewalk leading to the thrift shop. When I looked up, the child’s eyes met mine. We both smiled…
MAINE-LY GARDENING
by Jude Hsiang | Beans are so easy to grow. The littlest gardeners can plant them and see them come up quickly. There are so many varieties and ways to serve them that it’s no wonder that lots of gardeners grow several types: for eating freshly picked through the season; freezing or canning for winter; or storing as dry beans for soups and other favorite meals…
QUINN MINUTE
by Rix Quinn | I left my office job early last Thursday to beat the freeway rush. As I walked to my parking garage, an old man staggered into me…