Issue for January 29, 2026
Scouts to be honored in Vassalboro on Scouting Sunday
Scouting Sunday is February 8, when Vassalboro BSA Scouting Troop #410 and Pack #410 will take part in the 10 a.m. worship service at their hosting organization, the Vassalboro United Methodist Church, at 614 Main Street. The public is invited to attend the special service and the lunch and time of fellowship that will immediately follow… by Dale Potter-Clark
Town News
Select board awards mowing contract for 2026
CHINA – In a 10-minute Jan. 27 meeting (postponed from the usual Monday evening due to snow), China select board members approved the usual bi-weekly bill payments and made three other decisions…
Select board asked to consider two articles for VSD at June town meeting
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro select board members began their Jan. 22 meeting with two presentations and a public hearing…
LETTERS: Act upon your faith for peace
from Vassalboro Friends Meeting — The Vassalboro Friends Meeting (Quakers) has been, like many faith communities, holding prayer and offering support for people who are stressed by the US government behaviors toward immigrants and foreign countries…
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: “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is February 4, 2026.
Louisa Barnhart speaks about Asian trip
CHINA – Guest speaker Louisa Barnhart had a ready answer Sunday afternoon, Jan. 18, when an audience member at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library asked her the favorite part of her Asian trip last November. “The camels in Mongolia,” she replied. The camels were two-humped Bactrian camels, and Barnhart got to ride one, seated between the humps. “Very comfortable,” she said… by Mary Grow
Town of Oakland launches facade improvement grant program
OAKLAND – The Town of Oakland is launching the Oakland Façade and Downtown Improvement Grant Program (OFDIG) to support a more vibrant, welcoming, and economically resilient downtown. The program will provide funding to local business and property owners for exterior building improvements that enhance Oakland’s commercial corridors and strengthen downtown appeal…
William Dudley achieves rank of Eagle Scout
SIDNEY – William R. Dudley, of Sidney, son of Joel and Kellie Dudley, was presented the Eagle Scout award during a special ceremony held in his honor at the James H. Bean Elementary School, in Oakland. The location is fitting as Dudley’s Eagle Scout project had several benefits for the school including building an outdoor classroom and a bridge… by Chuck Mahaleris
Area students named to Fall 2025 dean’s honor list at Cedarville University
CENTRAL ME – Three area students at Cedarville University, in Cedarville, Ohio, have been named to the dean’s honor list for the Fall 2025 semester. They are Zachary Craig, of Benton, Diana Estes, of Sidney, and Josette Gilman, of China.
Local happenings
EVENTS: Whitefield art night
WHITEFIELD — The Whitefield Library’s First Friday Art night will be held Friday, February 6, at 6 p.m., featuring Rachel Roberge. Rachel is a local artist who works mostly in acrylic, although recently she has begun an exploration into watercolor…
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…
EVENTS: Chamber to sponsor Maine Civics Bee
WATERVILLE — In 2026, the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce will host the first-ever Maine State Civics Bee, taking place at Colby College, in Waterville. This event is part of a nationwide initiative happening in all 50 states and is designed to celebrate and strengthen civic knowledge among middle school students as the country enters the 250th anniversary of the United States…
EVENTS: Skijor coming to Bangor in January
BANGOR — Saturday, January 31, find your way to an exciting day of skijor at the Hollywood Casino Raceway, in Bangor. Skijoring is an exhilarating winter sport in which a horse and rider tows a skier or snowboarder who navigates 1,000 feet down a track of gates, jumps and collects rings along the way as fast as they can…
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
VASSALBORO – Michael Carl Poulin, 80, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at home in his sleep. He had long been living with heart problems. He was fortunate in having spent the prior two weeks celebrating the holidays with extended family and longtime friends…
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Agriculture – Part 3 (new)
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
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Agriculture – Intro to a new subtopic
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — In Henry Kingsbury’s 1892 history of Kennebec County, Samuel L. Boardman wrote the chapter on agriculture and livestock, from the first European farmers to the 1890s. He began with one of the flourishes that help make Kingsbury’s work vivid and entertaining, calling the agricultural history “one of incident, importance and influence” and explaining… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: China town reports – Part 4
CHINA HISTORY — The warrant for the March 19, 1900, China town meeting, printed at the end of the 1899-1900 town report, had 27 articles. The first 14 were elections of town officials (done in a single article in March 1897, readers may remember from last week). Selectmen, town clerk, treasurer and others were unquestioned, but voters decided whether to elect a superintendent of schools or a road commissioner before choosing someone for either position… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
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: Mary Jane Vigue, Winslow
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Huhhhh! It’s time again to bundle up and make my trek through the snow fields of center Vassalboro in search of my old friend, Woodrow Charles. As folklore goes, Woody is a weather prognosticating groundhog. With Groundhog Day coming on February 2, I always visit him a little early to give our readers a head start on the possibilities of the weather for the next couple of months…
MAINE-LY GARDENING
by Jude Hsiang | The Pine family has over 200 members worldwide, over 60 in North America, and 4 that are native to Maine. The family includes other species such as spruces and firs and other plants important economically as well as establishing rich ecosystems…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | Richard Wagner (1813-1883) threw himself for two to three years with such intensity into the composition of Tannhauser that it almost destroyed his health. The result, however, was an opera, admittedly long-winded yet loaded with beautiful music and the typical Wagnerian subject matter of sacrificial heroism and the spiritual redemption of love for a beautiful woman…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) | New Year’s resolutions often focus on health, finances, and fitness, but quitting tobacco might be the one change that unlocks them all. According to recent research, nearly four in five New Year’s goals involve improving health. Other perennial favorites include things like having a better financial outlook and being more active…