Issue for December 1, 2022
Parade of Lights returns after two-year hiatus
After two years, the beloved Parade of Lights was back! This annual event has drawn thousands of families for many years and serves as a fun and festive kickoff to the holiday season. The Children’s Discovery Museum was excited to collaborate with the town of Winslow and the city Waterville to host this wonderful event. The museum is working to create a brand-new play space for Central Maine. While they anxiously wait to open the doors of their new location, they are excited to coordinate such a wonderful event for the community… by Amarinda Keys
Town News
Chadwick chosen as select board chairman
CHINA – Four China Select Board members began their Nov. 21 meeting by electing Wayne Chadwick board chairman and Janet Preston secretary. Both votes were unanimous (with Blane Casey absent). Chadwick succeeds Ronald Breton, who did not run for re-election to the board…
Deadline approaches for TIF requests
CHINA – The deadline for China organizations to apply for 2023-24 money from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund is Dec. 31, 2022. That’s a Saturday, a TIF Committee member observed as the Nov. 14 meeting wound down…
Officials disagree on need for solventless hash application
CHINA – China Planning Board members spent their Nov. 22 meeting discussing procedural issues. The longest discussion was over cancelation of the scheduled public hearing on Bryan Mason’s application to convert a shipping container on his property at 1144 Route 3 to a solventless hash lab…
Town trucks ready and waiting for snow
WINDSOR – The Windsor Select Board was informed at its November 7 meeting, by Road Supervisor Keith Hall, that the trucks are ready and waiting for the snow to come. He also reported that his search for prices to install heated headlights on the equipment would be around $750. In other road related business, Town Manager Theresa Haskell was informed by the Maine Department of Transportation that Route 105, from Augusta to Somerville, is scheduled for repairs in 2023…
Planners have one application on agenda
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro Planning Board members have one application on their Dec. 6 agenda, before they continue discussion of adding a section regulating commercial solar developments to the town’s Site Review Ordinance…
The Remembrance Tree
Help us decorate the tree and at the same time remember a loved one. For only $10 a ball, you can commemorate a love one who has passed. Mail your donation and the names of your remembered loved ones to The Town Line, PO Box 89, South China, ME 04358. Deadline is Friday, December 16!
Local happenings
Cub Scouts present donation to legion
VASSALBORO – On November 21, the Webelos of Vassalboro Cub Scout Pack #410, on behalf of the entire pack, met with Jim Kilbride who is the Adjutant of American Legion Post #126, in Vassalboro…
Veterans honored at Northern Light
WATERVILLE – On Veterans day, November 11, 2022, resident veterans were honored at Northern Light Continuing Care, Lakewood, in a special ceremony…
Scout leaders complete training
BELGRADE – Scout leaders completed training courses during the weekend of October 22 at Camp Bomazeen, in Belgrade. Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) Training and the Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) were the two courses offered…
Scouting for Food
CENTRAL ME – Scouts in Kennebec Valley District, which includes Somerset, Kennebec, Franklin, Lincoln and Knox Counties, are taking time during the holiday season to help other people through the annual Scouting for Food Drive…
PHOTO: 2022-23 Lawrence High School girls varsity basketball team
FAIRFIELD – Team photo of Lawrence High School girls varsity basketball team, by Central Maine Photography…
PHOTO: New rankings at Huard’s Martial Arts
FAIRFIELD – Congratulations to the following students who earned new rankings at Huard’s Martial Arts, in Winslow, on Saturday, November 12, by Central Maine Photography…
PHOTO: Winslow Cub Scouts visit fire house
WINSLOW – On November 5, 2022, the Winslow Cub Scout Pack #445 had the opportunity to explore the Winslow Fire Station and learn about firefighters with firefighter Lieutenant Adam Burgess and firefighter Shawn Stetson…
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “As God is my witness, I’ll never go hungry again.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is December 7, 2022…
Local author’s novel gets “stellar” review
by Roy E. Perry – Set in Waterville, Maine, Lucy’s in the Neighborhood, by David M. Carew, is an intriguing and stellar whodunit—a thoroughly enjoyable read…
New book by Waterville author gets rave reviews
by Jeanne Marquis – When you discover the compelling combination of a haunting mystery, unexpected plot twists and romantic conflict, you know this is a story that needs to be written. That was exactly what author Michelle E. Shores, of Waterville, thought when she stumbled across the Nelly Butler ghost hauntings of Franklin, Maine. This spark of an idea grew into the novel, The Gathering Room – A Tale of Nelly Butler…
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Jefferson Medical College grads – Part 2 (new)
CENTRAL ME HISTORY – As promised last week, this week’s article will feature random information about three more central Kennebec Valley doctors with degrees from Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia. Their names were Cyrus Kendrick, Class of 1850, who practiced in Litchfield; James E. Tuell, Class of 1884, who practiced in Augusta and who started this topic; and Lewis King Austin, Class of 1894, who practiced, at least briefly, in Waterville… by Mary Grow [1513 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Jefferson Medical College – Part 1 (new)
AUGUSTA HISTORY – Your writer recognized a question, probably unanswerable, left over from last week’s mention of Dr. James Tuell, of Augusta. Why had he chosen to attend Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, when Maine had a medical school at Bowdoin, founded in 1820, and there was one at Dartmouth, and numerous others closer than Philadelphia?… by Mary Grow [1923 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Augusta fires & fire departments – Part 4
AUGUSTA HISTORY – Charles W. Ricker was Augusta’s chief engineer for more than a decade, starting in 1893. In the city’s annual report for the fiscal years that ended March 1, 1894, Mayor Charles A. Milliken wrote: “I think politics should be eliminated from this department. The present chief engineer is a competent man and I think should be retained… by Mary Grow [1949 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Augusta fires & fire departments – Part 3
AUGUSTA HISTORY – After the April 12, 1861, southern attack on Fort Sumter started the Civil War, James North’s Augusta history focused on the local contribution to and effects of the war. He did not neglect other events, however, including fires and firefighting. Early on, he combined the two topics, describing the patriotic parade on Thursday, April 18, 1861, that was led by the Augusta Band, with the Pacific Fire Engine Company next in line… by Mary Grow [1886 words]
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Erskine Academy’s Winter Concert 
CHINA — Erskine Academy’s Winter Concert will be on Wednesday, December 7, at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. The snow date is December 17.. and many other local events (including lots of area Christmas events)!
Obituaries
WINDSOR – Katherine A. (Ballard) Reay, 71, passed away at the Captain Lewis Residence, on Thursday, November 17, 2022, following a lengthy illness. Kathy was born January 1, 1951, in Lincoln, the daughter of the late Donald Ballard, Sr. and Barbara (Conant) Ballard… and remembering 10 others.
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, December 14, 2022
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: No Winner
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Christmas is quickly sneaking up on us, and as everyone knows, it is the day that Santa Claus comes down the chimney bearing gifts. And, we also know, Santa arrives at your house in a sleigh powered by eight flying “reindeer.” So, what are reindeer?…
I’M JUST CURIOUS
by Debbie Walker | Merry Christmas!! What does that have to do with all those birds in the song “The 12 Days of Christmas”? What’s the story behind that? Well, I just read about all this in, yes, The Farmer’s Almanac newsletter…
VETERANS CORNER
by Gary Kennedy | Most of us are taking a sigh of relief; the mid-term election, with all its turmoil and anxiety, has come to an end or has it? There have been gains and losses for all parties. There are those that will talk about the result for a few weeks, then plans will be made for the next political battle…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) | The holidays are right around the corner and sending your mail and packages with the U.S. Postal Service has never been easier or more reliable. With a little planning and the right tools, you can ensure that the perfect gift reaches everyone on your list…
LIFE ON THE PLAINS
by Roland D. Hallee | This week we’re going to continue with our look at Life on the Plains during the winter, that we first took a look at two weeks ago. Besides the hard work of shoveling the driveway following every snowstorm – lots of nor’easters – we had a good time playing in the white stuff…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) first met Mary Todd (1818-1882) at a formal dance in Springfield, Illinois, in late 1839 where he had been practicing law for two years, while she had just recently moved in with an older sister from their home state of Kentucky…