by Mary Grow The story of Ebenezer Farwell Maine, including to some extent small inland towns like Vassalboro, was more heavily involved in the international slave trade than many residents realize, both before and after slave-trading was made illegal in the United States in 1808. Dr. Kate McMahon, Museum Specialist at the Center for the […]
by Mary Grow China’s municipal elections for members of the select board, planning board and budget committee will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. Nomination papers are now available at the town office; Friday, Sept. 8, is the deadline for returning signed papers to be on the local ballot. Select board members are elected from the […]
by Mary Grow China Broadband Committee (CBC) members held a short meeting Aug. 10, primarily to approve a request to select board members before that board’s Aug. 14 meeting. CBC members’ focus is on applying for a state grant through the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) to extend and improve internet service to China residents. They […]
by Mary Grow China transfer station committee members continued to discuss rude behavior by a few users of China’s transfer station at their Aug. 8 meeting. Committee chairman Paul Lucas witnessed one instance. He was 30 yards away, but could plainly hear a man who was “yelling” at station manager Tom Maraggio. “I couldn’t believe […]
by Mary Grow China Planning Board members finished review of the proposed town solar ordinance at their Aug. 8 meeting, so co-chairman Toni Wall could send it to select board members before that board’s Aug. 14 meeting. Wall said she would also forward recommended amendments to the Planning Board Ordinance. Voters could be asked to […]
Discuss holding in-person town meetings, pre-pandemic by Mary Grow China select board members faced a long and varied agenda for their Aug. 14 meeting. They settled some items and postponed others for more discussion. They unanimously approved the appointment of Zachary Gosselin, of China, as the new codes enforcement officer and health officer. Town Manager […]
by Mary Grow Band music Another type of music in the central Kennebec Valley from early days of European settlement was band music. It was often, but especially in later years not inevitably, associated with military organizations; and like other forms of music, got limited attention in most local histories. * * * * * * James North, in his […]
by Mary Grow By their Aug. 1 meeting, Vassalboro Planning Board members had much more information on the application they postponed at their July meeting, from town records and from the applicant. Peter Tomasz applied for an addition to his year-round home on Three Mile Pond. After discussion, board members unanimously denied his application, because […]
by Mary Grow Composers, dancing In his Music and Musicians of Maine, George Thornton Edwards’ list of “principal musical centers in Maine” in the late 18th and early 19th centuries included the Augusta-Hallowell-Gardiner complex, China and “some of the towns in the Kennebec Valley,” in addition to Portland and other, mostly coastal or more southern, […]
by Mary Grow A long, well-attended, amicable and informative July 31 discussion of the boat landing in South China Village revealed a lot of overlapping issues and a variety of opinions. Several of the almost two dozen residents who spoke criticized the present landing, at the foot of the dirt road named Town Landing Road […]