FOR YOUR HEALTH – Pandemic Depression: Genetic Insight May Help Treatment

You don’t have to live with depression. An increasingly popular test may help your doctor make a more informed treatment decision.

(NAPSI)—Social isolation during the pandemic may pose a mental health threat for those already at risk for COVID-19—people over age 65.

As doctors treat more senior patients for depression, an increasingly popular genetic test may inform their treatment decisions. The GeneSight test (www.genesight.com) provides information about how your genes may impact how you metabolize and respond to certain depression medications.

Innovative solutions for mental health conditions are important. As the pandemic and its resulting isolation wears on, many are struggling with their mental health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, loneliness can be associated with higher rates of depression.

“When I first experienced depression, it happened all of a sudden,” shared Doreen, a wife, mother of three grown children, and retiree. “It was like a cloud happened in my head.”

Symptoms of depression can include changes in sleep or eating patterns, decreased energy, difficulty concentrating or a lack of motivation.

Doreen saw her doctor, who prescribed a depression medication but it didn’t alleviate her symptoms.

“I began to see one doctor, then another, to help deal with my depression,” said Doreen. Her doctors “tried many, many different medications and none seemed to work. Finally, my heart doctor said, ‘Doreen, I’ve heard about this gene test, I think it might help you.’”

Her doctor was referring to the GeneSight test.

The test is a simple cheek swab, ordered by a healthcare provider who can prescribe medications. A patient can take the test at home or in the doctor’s office.

Using a patient’s unique DNA, the GeneSight test informs doctors about potential gene-drug interactions. The report provides information about which depression medications may require dose adjustments, may be less likely to work, or may have an increased risk of side effects based on a patient’s genetic makeup.

The GeneSight test helped Doreen’s doctor to make an informed treatment decision; she was prescribed a new medication.

“That’s when my life started to change. I got back to smiling, being happy and laughing again. I got back to being me,” Doreen said.

Post-pandemic life will likely never be the same. If depression is one of the unanticipated consequences, treatment is important.

People struggling with depression can ask their doctor about the GeneSight test. To learn more, visit www.GeneSight.com.

KV tourism council awards sponsorship to Mid-Maine Chamber

Kimberly Lindlof

The Kennebec Valley Tourism Council (KVTC) has awarded Sponsorship Support funds in the amount of $2,500 to the MERGEFIELD Business Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce for the MERGEFIELD Project Taste of Waterville. This funding will assist in the growth of tourism in Maine’s Kennebec Valley and produce a positive economic impact on the region.

The Chamber received one of six sponsorships awarded as part of the 2020 KVTC marketing partnership program. In total, the 2020 KVTC sponsorship support application requests reached nearly $17,500. The organization was able to fully fund all regional sponsorships to its members this year. KVTC is excited to award local organizations who are helping KVTC promote the Maine’s Kennebec Valley Region as a destination place with their own marketing initiatives.

Mid-Maine Chamber President & CEO Kimberly Lindlof said she greatly appreciates the support of the Kennebec Valley Tourism Council. Kim added, “This grant will assist in allowing us to continue the long tradition of the Taste of Waterville event and to further grow tourism in the central Maine region. The Taste draws large numbers of residents and visitors, showcasing the rich diversity of the area through demonstrations, music/entertainment and food. This year’s event will take place at Head of Falls and will focus on ethnic culture and cuisine, tying into the state’s Bicentennial celebration.”

“KVTC is excited to be able to support local organizations with our 2020 partnership program. These sponsorships help provide funding for key marketing elements including advertising, printing, branding and more,” says Tanya Griffeth, executive director of the KVTC. “This year has been difficult for our signature events, with many events canceled and/or had to change their strategy; we are happy to say all but one is scheduled to take place. These funds are dedicated to support marketing efforts in some of the more rural areas in Maine. While established events can rely on word-of-mouth and brand awareness to help drive attendance, new events and destinations have quite a bit of ground to cover to pull visitors from neighboring regions.”

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, September 17, 2020

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice September 10, 2020. If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-C M.R.S.A. §3-804.

2020-196 – Estate of GILMAN REO DUBOIS, late of Pittsfield, Me deceased. Jimmy J. Dubois, 31528 Sagecrest Drive, Lake Elsinore, CA 92532 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-200 – Estate of ALVIN J. McNEILL, late of Embden, Me deceased. Nancy K. Nye, 380 Moulton Road, Embden, Me 04958 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-112 – Estate of RICHARD ALLEN SIROIS, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. Rosalie Sirois Perkins, 2 Kennedy Drive, Freeport, Maine 04032 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-201 – Estate of JACQUELINE G. REDMOND, late of Bingham, Me deceased. Charlene Fournier, 11 Nadeau Street, Jackman, Me 04945 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-207 – Estate of IRENE L. SIKET, late of Madison Me deceased. Arthur J. Siket, 1068 Lincrona Street, Corona, CA 92882 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-209 – Estate of SYLVIA GAUTHIER, LATE OF Madison, Me deceased. Doris Cook, 43 Thomas Street, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-211 – Estate of CHARLES F. PRICE, late of Anson, Me deceased. Helen P Buzzell, PO Box 206, Anson, Me 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-212 – Estate of ARTHUR M. NELSON, late of Canaan, Me deceased. Tara M. Savage, 800 Main Street, Canaan, Me 04924 and Corey N. Nelson, 800 Main Street, Canaan, Me 04924 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2020-214 – Estate of IAN HOLMWOOD, late of Starks, Me deceased. Nathan Blair, 198 Morrill Road, Winslow, Me 04901 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-215 – Estate of RUTH WHITE KING, late of Madison, Me deceased. KerryAnn Davis, 37 Lakewood Road, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-217 – Estate of BARBARA ANNE LETTIERI-LUCE, late of Starks, Me deceased. Dale E. Luce, PO Box 102, Anson, Me 04912 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-218 – Estate of JOSPEH R. CIANCHETTE, JR., late of Detroit, Me deceased. James A. Cianchette, 175 Franklin Street, Pittsfield, Me 04967 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-219 – Estate of SHARON A. FLANDERS, late of Athens, Me deceased. Valerie D. Brown, 42 Buzzell Road, Athens, Me 04912 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-222 – Estate of GEORGE E. BOYLAN, late of Solon, Me deceased. Mary E. Farrar, 29 West Road, Solon, Me 04979 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-225 – Estate of HARRIS C. MERRILL, late of Anson, Me deceased. Valerie E. Burbank, 1813 Long Falls Dam Road, Lexington, Twp, Me 04961 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-228 – Estate of LINDA S. BELMAIN, late of Pittsfield, Me deceased. Jessica J. Belmain, 170 Tropical Fish Road, Canaan, Maine 04924 and Karen S. Belmain, 157 Sibley Pond Road, Pittsfield, Maine 04967 appointed Personal Representatives.

2020-229 – Estate of MARIE ANNE BOUDREAU, late of Jackman, Me deceased. Doreen A. Andrews, 364 Darling Road, Hudson, Me 04449 and James L. Boudreau, 609 Long Pond Road, Long Pond Tvsp 04945 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2020-230 – Estate of RONALD A. HARTFORD, II., late of Cambridge, Me deceased. Linda Mae Deangelis Hartford, 90 Gooseflat Road, Cambridge, Maine 04923 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-231 – Estate of KEN SYLVIA, late of St. Albans, Me deceased. Ryan D. Sylvia, 401 Bigelow Road, St. Albans, Me 04971 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-233 – Estate of RACHEL A. PAQUET, late of Smithfield, Me 04978 deceased. Gregory V. Paquet, 1125 East Pond Road, Smithfield, Me 04978 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-234 – Estate of JOHN J. FANNING SR., late of Westford, Mass 01886 deceased. Mark C. Fanning, 47 Beard Road, New Boston, NH 03070 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on Sept 10, 2020 & Sept 17, 2020
Dated: September 4, 2020
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(9/17)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 COURT ST.
SOMERSET, ss
SKOWHEGAN, ME
PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates or change of name. These matters will be heard at 1 p.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be October 7, 2020. The requested appointments or name changes may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-C MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2020-174 – Estate of BRIANA COLLEEN KIMBALL.. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Briana Colleen, 24 Jackson Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 requesting her name be changed to Briana Colleen McFadden-Kimball for reasons set forth therein.

2020-175 – Estate of EMILY KATHERINE DIX, Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Emily Katherine Dix, 6 Conifer Lane, Skowhegan, Me 04976 requesting her name be changed to Emily Katherine Fox for reasons set forth therein.

2020-181 – Estate of COBURN TRAVIS ROBERTS, JR., Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Coburn Travis Roberts Jr., 3 Mary Street, Apt 6, Skowhegan, ME 04976 requesting his name be changed to Gwenyth Grey Raven for reasons set forth therein.

2020-190 – Estate of KIMBERLY ANNE ESTRELA GARCIA. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Kimberly Anne Estrela Garcia, 864 Norridgewock Road, Fairfield, Me 04937 requesting her name be changed to Kimberly Anne Estrela Garcia Walker for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: 9/14/2020
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(9/24)

I’M JUST CURIOUS – Survival: reason to celebrate

by Debbie Walker

This move into the camper has held a few surprises for me. Recently, I was going through some boxes I must have packed a couple years ago and forgot. In going through this one box I found some of dad’s things. I found a piece that someone must have shared with dad but I can’t find it on the internet (keeping in mind I am not an expert) and I have no reason to believe he wrote this. I enjoyed reading it and hope you do too:

For All Those Born Before 1945

We are survivors! Consider the changes we have witnessed:

We were born before television, penicillin, polio shots, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees, and the PILL.

We were born before credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ballpoint pens, before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip dry clothes … and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and then lived together. How quaint can you be?

In our time, closets were for clothes, not for “coming out of,” Bunnies were small rabbits and were not Volkswagens. Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne; and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along well with our cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, our Outer Space was the back of the Riviera Theater.

We were born before house husbands’, gay rights, computer dating, duel careers and commuter marriages. We were before day-care centers, group therapy and nursing homes. We never heard of FM Radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word or food processors, and guys wearing earrings. For us, time sharing meant togetherness. . . not computers or condominiums; a “chip” meant a piece of wood; hardware meant hardware and software wasn’t even a word.

In 1940, “made in Japan” meant junk and the term “making out” referred to how you did on your exam. Pizzas, “McDonalds” and instant coffee were unheard of.

We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10 cent stores, where you bought things for five and 10 cents. Sanders or Wilsons sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime. For one nickel you could ride a streetcar, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. You could buy a Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? A pity too because gas was only $.11 a gallon.

In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable, Grass was mowed, Coke was a cold drink and Pot was something you cooked in. Rock Music was Grandma’s lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the principal’s office.

We were certainly not before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change; we made do with what we had. And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a baby! No wonder we were so confused and there is such a generation gap today! BUT WE SURVIVED! Good reason to CELEBRATE . . .

I’m just curious what you thought of all this. Contact me with questions or comments at DebbieWalker@townline.org. I am looking forward to them! Thanks for reading enjoy your week.

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Films: Road Kill: A Love Story & others

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Road Kill: A Love Story

starring Erika Hoveland, Brandon Culp, Cain Perry etc.; available for free viewing on Amazon Prime; directed by Raphael Maria Buechel; 2014.

Erika Hoveland

The movie Road Kill: A Love Story, was completed by 2014 but took until this year to achieve world wide distribution.

It stars Brandon Culp as the mute Mitch who works in a small town car wash; Erika Hoveland as Taryn who moves into the village to open a taxidermy shop, and has a hunger for true love along with a huge thirst for blood; and Cain Perry as Mitch’s brother, Joe, who’s also the local sheriff, an alcoholic drinking too often on the job parked by the side of the road in a squad car, talks often to Madge the dispatcher (their dialog providing some of the funnier moments in the film) and has a girlfriend who’s a psychiatrist.

Strikingly interesting opening scenes include a man stuck at night on the side of the road with his broken down car, a truck pulling up with a woman driving it and ambiguity as to whether or not help has arrived. Then daylight ensues with Mitch arriving at the car wash and having a practical joke played on him by his co-workers. The fast food joint across the street has three women employees who seem to be goofing off, one of them developing a growing attraction to Mitch while her colleagues urge her to do something about it. Neither establishment is doing much business – just another lazy day in a small town on a hot summer day.

Taryn drives up to the car wash in a pickup truck and recruits Mitch for some heavy lifting back at her address. Needless to say, the film keeps getting more interesting; at this point, I refuse to provide any more spoilers, commend everyone who was involved in the film down to the tiniest detail, and, noting a certain resemblance to the American gothic style of the Coen brothers, applaud its otherwise superlative individuality.

A 5 star viewing experience!

Two more films:

Frozen Ground

starring Nicholas Cage, John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens; 2013 and available on Netflix.

Nicolas Cage

John Cusack

Frozen Ground is based on the true story of Alaska serial killer Robert Hansen and the joint collaboration of an investigator and one woman who escaped being murdered by him while in captivity. It was a well-done suspense film; two qualities in particular stood out: driving around in a winter blizzard after nightfall, which make winters in Maine seem like a summer picnic, and the woman’s close encounter with a mild-mannered bull moose on a city street.

Vanessa Hudgens

Seven Deaths of Maria Callas

starring Marina Abramovic and Willem Dafoe; available online for free viewing until October 7.

The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas was seen live earlier this month at the Bavarian State Opera House, in Munich, Germany, and by myself and others around the world on-line after several months of delays, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the fruit of a 60-year fascination with operatic soprano Maria Callas (1923-1977) that began when performance artist/actress/director Marina Abramovic first heard the singer on her grandmother’s kitchen radio at her farm in Yugoslavia.

She read, studied, listened to and absorbed every last detail on the singer’s art and life. She identified her own obsessions with those of her idol in which life and art become one and the same and at risk to one’s health and life (the wikipedia pieces on both women are good places to start for more about them.).

The play features Abramovic portraying Callas moving around the stage and on her deathbed, and Willem Dafoe as a stalking lover/adversary. Callas was quite famous for her brilliant singing/acting of death scenes from operas by Bellini, Bizet, Donizetti, Puccini and Verdi and a different soprano and actress performs each one. Abramovic’s voice is heard commenting on life, love, art, death etc. on tape while neither she nor Dafoe are ever seen speaking.

One of the arias, Un Bel Di (One Fine Day) is from Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, which takes place in early 1900’s Nagasaki, Japan. In light of what happened there and at Hiroshima in early August 1945, figures in hazmat suits are moving around while that aria is being sung.

At the conclusion of Seven Deaths, Callas’s own recording of the Bellini aria is heard.

Marko Nikodijevic composed incidental music for the production while Yoel Gamzou conducted the orchestra.

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington

1894 Forney.

by Mary Grow

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. The war emphasized the need for interconnected rail transportation; the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869.

In addition to the standard gauge, there were “narrow-gauge” railroads. According to Ernest Marriner’s Kennebec Yesterdays, a narrow-gauge line could have tracks anywhere from two feet to three-and-a-half feet apart.

Maine, Marriner wrote, was the state with the most narrow-gauge railroads. Linwood Moody wrote a generously illustrated book about them, published in 1959 and entitled The Maine Two-Footers. How many there were depends on when they were counted, because, as with the standard-gauge lines, companies consolidated. Moody is certain, however, that the central Kennebec Valley hosted two: the Kennebec Central, with which he fell in love as a child of 10 or 11, and the one remembered locally as the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington.

The Kennebec Central was the shortest narrow-gauge in Maine. It had five miles of track, from Randolph to the Togus veterans’ home in Chelsea, and ran from July 23, 1890, to June 29, 1929. Wikipedia says Randolph had a small station from which stairs led to the covered bridge crossing the Kennebec River to Gardiner.

1894 Baldwin.

During those 39 years, the railroad used four engines, an 1890 Baldwin and three Portlands built between December 1890 and April 1892. The first two were apparently bought new; the Baldwin was scrapped about 1922 and the first Portland about four years later.

The two later Portlands were second-hand, one acquired about 1922 (to replace the Baldwin) from the Bridgton & Saco River line and the other (no date given; probably 1925 or 1926, as it replaced the first Portland) from the Sandy River line. Moody wrote they both went to the Waterville, Wiscasset & Farmington in the early 1930s, after the Kennebec Central closed and as the WW&F in turn was about to go under.

(The Bridgton & Saco operated from 1883 to 1941. The Sandy River started in 1879 and ran until 1908, when it merged into the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes and ran until the mid-1930s.)

The Kennebec Central engines hauled passenger coaches, open-sided excursion cars, combination passenger and baggage cars, freight cars and coal gondolas. A main purpose of the railroad was to let Civil War veterans get from Togus to Gardiner and their relatives and other visitors from Gardiner to Togus. Both Moody and Wikipedia describe the Sunday afternoon baseball games and concerts that brought crowds of visitors to the veterans’ home grounds.

The railroad’s other use, and probably more dependable income source, was to deliver supplies to Togus, especially the coal that was shipped up the Kennebec to a government-owned facility in Randolph and was used as heating fuel. Therefore, when the government switched the coal-hauling contract to a trucking company, the railroad closed.

Its rolling stock was stored until 1931, when a fire damaged the WW&F engines housed in Wiscasset. Wikipedia says Frank Winter, then the WW&F owner, bought the entire Kennebec Central, brought the engines back into use and sold what trackage and cars he could; the left-overs were carried down the river in the 1936 flood.

The WW&F, also known as the Weak, Weary and Feeble and the Little Wiggler, went through multiple corporate incarnations, according to Moody. It started in Wiscasset because Wiscasset was a major port, and was first chartered in 1854 as the Wiscasset & Québec.

For 40 years, Moody wrote, nobody developed the railroad. In 1894, a group of local entrepreneurs raised funds to start laying track, improving Wiscasset’s docks and connecting the new railroad via a very long trestle across the Sheepscot to the docks and adjoining Maine Central yard.

The railroad’s first engine was an 11-year-old Forney bought from the Sandy River and used to haul work trains with supplies and crews as the line was built. Two Portlands built in November 1894 were the next engines added.

The W&Q tracks went along the Sheepscot River through Sheepscot station, which served Alna, where there was a flag stop, and Sheepscot Village; through Head Tide; past a railroad-owned water tank and gravel pit and across the Sheepscot to Whitefield; thence to North Whitefield and Coopers Mills. Leaving the river, the line continued through Windsor, Weeks Mills, Palermo and China to Albion, which it reached in November 1895.

Moody commented that the typical station was in the countryside a mile or more from the nearest village.

The promoters still had Québec in their vision statements. Moody wrote that tracks were laid from Albion to the point between Burnham and Pittsfield where the W&Q would cross the Maine Central tracks and continue north. In 1897, the Maine Central vetoed the crossing.

Representatives of both lines went to the three-man Maine Railroad Commission. The commissioners ruled that the W&Q could build an overpass; and that while the overpass was being built, the W&Q could install a temporary crossing, called a diamond, if the company could do the job without interfering with Maine Central traffic.

The overpass idea was a non-starter; the ground was too flat.

As Moody told the story, the Maine Central trains, passenger or freight, normally ran about every two hours. W&Q officials hauled in a pre-made diamond and assembled an Italian crew to install it. The foreman waited for the morning Maine Central to go through and signaled the crew to get started. But whoops! here came another Maine Central train. It passed, the crew moved in – and another engine was bearing down on them.

(Moody thought the whole deal, including the commissioners’ role, smelled of fish. He doubted the railroad promoters seriously planned to continue the line to Québec, or would have prospered if they had; wondered why, if they were serious, they didn’t fight harder against the Maine Central; and believed their stockholders were gypped.)

The result was that as of 1897, the main line of the W&Q ran 43-1/2 miles from Wiscasset to Albion, carrying passengers, mail and freight.

The promoters still promised Québec and, Moody wrote, organized two new companies, the Waterville & Wiscasset to connect Weeks Mills via Vassalboro to Winslow and the Franklin, Somerset & Kennebec to continue through Waterville to Farmington.

In 1898 and 1899 most of the line between Weeks Mills and Winslow was finished. But a vital connection in Farmington to the Sandy River line required crossing a piece of land the Maine Central owned; and the Maine Central refused passage. (Moody wondered why the FS&K wasn’t relocated around the Maine Central lot, and suggested the Sandy River directors were unenthusiastic about the proposed connection.)

The result of this second failure was that the W&Q went bankrupt. In 1900, according to the history on the WW&F’s Alna museum website, Leonard Atwood bought the Wiscasset to Albion and the Weeks Mills to Winslow lines, three engines and 60 or more cars, mostly freight cars. He renamed the line the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railroad, though no one cites evidence he aimed for either Waterville or Farmington.

(An on-line genealogy says Atwood was born in Farmington Falls in 1845, and served two years in the Union navy during the Civil War. His mechanical interests led him to invent elevator machinery that he installed in hotels in the 1870s. After selling his patents to Elisha Graves Otis [founder of the Otis Elevator Company], he moved to Nova Scotia and organized a narrow-gauge railroad south from Yarmouth in the early 1890s, before he became president of the WW&F. He died in 1930.)

By 1902 the WW&F line to Winslow was finished and the new company had a new Forney engine, a new passenger car and a new combination passenger/mail car. In the next few years, as North Vassalboro mills expanded, the Winslow route became the main line. But, Moody wrote, the railroad failed to generate enough income to repay debts, keep up with maintenance and show a profit.

In 1906, W. W. Woolworth Company Vice-President Carson Peck bought the WW&F for $93,000, “after spirited bidding,” the museum’s website says. Peck renamed the company the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway (not Railroad); paid off its debts; and bought three classy engines, a Forney from the Bridgton & Saco and two new Baldwins, one designed for freight and one for passenger cars, that were bigger than any the WW&F had owned before.

For another two decades, Peck and after his death in 1915 his heirs ran a slowly-declining business. The decline was partly because cars and trucks took over passenger and freight movement.

The museum history says after the owners started asking for dividend payments in the early 1920s, maintenance and service began to suffer. The line was discontinued from North Vassalboro north to Winslow, passenger service from Weeks Mills to North Vassalboro ended and Wiscasset to Albion was again the main line.

1922 Portland.

By 1926 the Peck heirs were ready to sell the railway. Local people raised the $60,000 asking price, and, Moody wrote, long-time General Manager Sam Sewell continued to run the business. But with profits small or non-existent and service and maintenance still being cut, in 1930 a Palermo lumberman named Frank Winter was able to buy the company for $6,000 (Moody said there was $5,000 in the till, so Winter actually got it for $1,000).

Winter’s main interest was to keep trains running to ship timber from his land. Moody wrote that maintenance focused on engines (including the defunct Kennebec Central’s), flatcars for lumber and the mail car that generated $9,200 a year.

The final trip on the WW&F was on June 15, 1933, when the remaining useable engine, heading coastward from Albion, left the track in Whitefield and slid down the bank toward the Sheepscot. Engineer Earl Keefe and the other three crewmen were unhurt; they continued to Wiscasset on what the museum history calls a motor railcar.

Winter continued to transport the mail and a postal clerk in a rented truck until October 1933. He did not abandon the idea of selling the railway for another three years, during which vandals and souvenir-hunters damaged stock and buildings. Eventually, most that remained was sold for scrap metal or allowed to fall down.

Next: what the railroad that didn’t get to Québec did for the central Kennebec Valley area; and what’s left in 2020.

Main sources

Marriner, Ernest , Kennebec Yesterdays (1954).
Moody, Linwood W., The Maine Two-footers: The Story of the two-foot gauge railroads of Maine (1959).
Websites, miscellaneous.

Chamber leadership luncheon set for Sept. 30

Zachary Fowler (photo credit: www.fowlersmakeryandmischief.com)

Enjoy a fabulous lunch and share an entertaining and informative presentation by outdoor enthusiast Zachary Fowler. Zach will share the survival skills he utilized to maintain an 87-day existence in the deep woods of Patagonia, alone, with only a dozen tools and supplies at his disposal. He will share tips and anectdotes, detailing his month’s-long adventure.

Outdoorsman and YouTube Creator Zachary Fowler is a Vermont native who moved to Maine to become a wooden boat builder. Although building classic wooden boats was a passion and a skill, Zach’s real love was always for the outdoors. This would be expressed by his years of providing for his family, occupying an off-grid Yurt -style home, and living a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Fowler’s enthusiasm for the outdoors and strong work ethic was proven when he applied for, participated in and won, History Channel’s challenge show Alone, where he survived for 87 days in Patagonia, eating only 63 fish and 2 birds. After winning the show, Fowler chose to start his own YouTube channel, Fowler’s Makery and Mischief, where he could reach an expanded audience and share his appreciation and knowledge of the great outdoors.

To register for this event please email Cindy@midmainechamber.com or call 873.3315.

Cost for the Leadership Luncheon is $20 per person for members; $25 at the door and for non-members. Lunch is included with the reservation.

Out of concern for the safety of attendees, registration at this indoor event will be limited to a maximum of 50 persons. Tables and seating will also be spaced out, and a plated lunch will be served. Masks are requested to be worn for registration, and until seated; hand sanitizer will be provided.

The Leadership Luncheons are sponsored by Kennebec Savings Bank.

AARP OUTREACH: AARP Maine spotlights importance of older voters

by Lori Parham, AARP Maine State Director

You may recollect that AARP Maine recently launched “Protect Voters 50+,” a non-partisan voter engagement campaign to support and protect Mainers 50+ as they vote in the November election. In addition to providing information about safe voting options, AARP is tracking key races and candidates’ positions on issues that matter to older voters such as protecting Social Security and Medicare, bringing down healthcare costs and strengthening the economy. These issues can affect the entire family and we hope you know that you can count on AARP here in Maine and across the country to fight on behalf of our members on these critical matters.

Last week, AARP Maine released new polling results as part of an effort to deliver non-partisan election resources to Maine voters. The polling data focused on the US Senate, Presidential and second Congressional District races. There is no doubt that voters 50+ carry a lot of weight in the upcoming elections! In fact, our surveys of Maine and other battleground states show voters 65+ could very well decide the election. Despite deep partisan division, older voters are united when it comes to health and financial security concerns.

First of all, AARP’s polling results show that:

• Maine’s U.S. Senate race is a statistical dead heat among voters age 50+.
• Former Vice President Joe Biden has a double-digit lead over President Donald Trump.
• Incumbent Democratic Congressman Jared Golden leads Republican challenger, Dale
Crafts, by 13-points in Maine’s Second Congressional District. Interestingly, Golden’s lead is due to his 24-point margin among voters 50+.

Just this week AARP Maine released additional data, this time highlighting issues of concern to Maine voters 50-plus and their families. It is clear that Social Security and Medicare are incredibly important to older Mainers, with at least 80% listing each issue as extremely or very important to deciding their vote for U.S. Senate. Also, overwhelming majorities would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports protecting Medicare, allowing Medicare to negotiate Rx prices, and protecting Social Security from cuts.

While we can all likely agree that the 2020 election promises to be like no other, one thing is clear: Candidates who want to win in 2020 must talk about the issues that matter to voters 50+. They must also talk about how Mainers can vote safely from home or in-person. According to the AARP Maine survey, a majority of Maine voters 50+ plan on voting on Election Day in person, but a significant share will vote by absentee ballot. This is especially true among voters aged 65+ who are significantly more likely to vote absentee this year due to the coronavirus. You can view the full results of the survey at www.aarp.org/me.

AARP Maine is dedicated to making sure you and your family have all the information you need to vote safely on November 3. That is an integral part of “Protect Voters 50+.” Whether you’re planning to vote in person or by absentee ballot here in Maine, we want to make sure your ballot arrives on time and that you feel safe if you choose to go to your local polling place. Please visit www.aarp.org/mainevotes to make your plan and be ready for Election Day.

Remember: It’s your voice, and that’s what counts.

Deputy clerk of the year

Kelly Grotton, town of China deputy clerk, received the prestigious award of Deputy Clerk of the Year from the Maine Town & City Clerks Association, on September 15. (contributed photo)

Mid-Maine Chamber golf winners announced

photo: Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce

Central Maine’s most prize-laden golf tournament fundraiser was held safely and under clear skies on August 18 at the Waterville Country Club. Thirty-four teams took part in the shotgun start scramble.

Nearly 50 businesses provided sponsorships or in-kind donations for the tournament.

“We were overwhelmed with the participation in this year’s event – one of only a few of our major fundraisers we have been able to hold, due to gathering restrictions,” said Kim Lindlof, president & CEO of Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce. “We were also happy that the weather cooperated, with a beautiful day of sunshine and an enjoyable day for all involved.”

Prize Winners:

Summer Sizzler BBQ Package: Chuck Thomas, Standard Waterproofing.
50/50 Winner: Patty MacDougall and Terry Townsend, Northern Light Health.
First Place Gross Team Score: Pepsi Co. – Tony Dessent, Derek Footman, Chris Low, Roger Williams.
Second Place Gross Team Score: Goodwill Hinckley/Mid-Maine Marine – Garret Prelgovisk, Toby Labun, Scott McManaman, Rob Moody.
Third Place Gross Team Score: Sodexo – Evan Avasthi, TJ Whalen, Eli Spaulding.
First Place Net Team Score: Northern Light Health – Patty MacDougall, Marie Dickinson, Sandra Gould, Jeanne Paradis.
Second Place Net Team Score: Legacy Home Improvements – Richard Sutter Jr., Robbie Sutter, Eric Allen, Jared Miler.
Third Place Net Team Score: AT&T – Owen Smith, Tom Moutinho, Jay Nutting, Jeremy Payne.
Closest to the Pin – Hole #2: Male: Roger Williams – Pepsi Co.; Female: Sandy Gould – Northern Light Health.
Closest to the Pin – Hole #6: Male: Scott Nielsen – Sheridan; Female: Sarah Dexter -The Warehouse.
Closest to the Pin – Hole #13: Male: Chris Low – Pepsi Co.; Female: No winner.
Closest to the Pin – Hole #16: Male: Matt Loubier – Central Maine Motors; Female: Sara Barry – Northern Light Inland Hospital.
Longest Drive Winners: Male: Steve Hayden – Seacoast Security; Female: Sawyer Boulette – Alfond Youth & Community Center.
Straightest Drive Winners: Male: John Jabar II – The Warehouse; Females: Brenda Peatfield – Fred’s Coffee; Marie Dickinson – Northern Light Health.
Highest Team Score: Nicholson, Michaud & Co.: Derek Gervais, Jessica Giandrea, Marcus Hall, Karl Foss.
Chairman of the Chamber Golf Classic Committee, Rick Whalen added, “We would like to thank all of the area businesses for their participation – whether with posting a team, providing volunteers or in-kind donations, or being a sponsor. Your support makes this a successful fundraiser.”

The Mid-Maine Chamber Golf Classic is made possible by major sponsors Central Maine Power and Maine State Credit Union.