AARP SCAM ALERT: National Cyber Security Month

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October is National Cyber Security Month and there are three keys to staying safe online: Own it, Secure it, and Protect it. The “it” is your digital profile – the personal things about yourself that you put online. Living in the digital age means putting a lot of personal information online like your home address, where you work, family members, and much more. Keeping that information safe requires a bit of work. First, you need to own it by understanding what you’re putting out there (such as what you’re posting on social media). Next, you have to secure it with strong passwords or using a password manager and enabling two-step authentication where available. Lastly, you need to protect it by staying current with the latest security updates on your devices and using Public Wi-Fi safely. Learn more at staysafeonline.org.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 to report a scam or get help if you’ve fallen victim.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Growing your local restaurant

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by Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

There is nothing like a small local restaurant. A place with charm and history. A place that people remember going to with their parents when they were little. Or taking that first date for an ice cream soda while sitting at their soda fountain. We all have fond memories of a place like that. But unfortunately, that’s all we have “fond memories,” because these kinds of places are being run out of business by the big chain restaurants. The places that can afford to stay open seven days a week from mid-morning to very late at night. The places that buy their food in bulk, so they get the best prices. Those places that can afford multi-million dollar advertising campaigns showing their succulent lobsters and juicy steaks and bright red spaghetti and meatballs, all you can eat specials at prices that would drive the little guy out of the business.

But in our hearts, we love the little guy. She’s our neighbor, you went to high school and played football with him. And now it saddens you to see the business growing dark because they just cannot compete any longer.

Sad but true, but hey, there is hope, this does not have to be. There are ways to fight back if you own a small local restaurant. The big guys do have some disadvantages and it is up to the small family owned business to take advantage of those weakness.

Instead of meekly going into the good night of extinction there are things you can do right now to not only make your restaurant survive, but thrive as well.

Here then are ten ways to make your restaurant thrive in this era of the giant, impersonal food boxes of chain restaurants.

  • Be personal. The big guys can’t, you can. When customers come in treat them like old friends, even if some of them are new customers. Make them feel welcome. Everyone likes the feeling of belonging, make your customers feel like they belong
  • Spruce up the place. Chances are if your restaurant has been around for 30 years, your restaurant might look the part. It’s amazing what some paint, recovered booths and varnished tables and good lighting can do to improve the look of a restaurant.
  • Use your locality to your advantage. You have been here forever. This is your town. You went to school with many of your customers and potential customers. Use that familiarity to your advantage. Display photos showing what the town was years past and how it has changed. Support the local organizations from the school teams to the local churches and synagogues. Budget for this. A small donation to a local church’s silent auction will be remember and appreciated by their members.
  • Come up with some special dishes, entrees that are area favorites. I can guarantee that no box chain restaurant is going to serve boiled dinner, or beans and franks, or red hot dogs, or fresh seafood like a local restaurant.
  • Advertise: You don’t have to spend a lot of money on advertising, but you do have to do it. A small changing ad in the newspaper. Or better yet a local radio station. Or even better yet start your own newsletter complete with coupons. And speaking of coupons, how about a loyalty program to keep those customers coming in on their way to that special reward!

I’ve run out of space for this time. But no worries, I’ll pick this up next time when we’ll talk about the one secret that will guarantee the success of your local neighborhood place for years to come. Stay tuned and we’ll continue to show you how to grow your local restaurant business.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Can we foretell the upcoming winter?

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Annual cicada photographed by Jayne Winters, of South China, taken last summer at her camp on Sebec Lake.

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Well, we’re coming up on the middle of October, and time to take a look at what Mother Nature has provided to us in regards to a preview of the upcoming winter.

Brrrr! Dread the thought!

During the summer and fall, our little critters, and even our vegetation, provides us with a glimpse of what we may be in store come the winter months.

Now, let’s make it clear. All of the following are according to farmers’ folklore. I looked up the word “lore” in the dictionary, and this is what I came up with: “All the knowledge of a particular group or having to do with a particular subject, especially that of a traditional nature.” Apparently, these are the result of many years of farmers keeping track of conditions involving their fields and crops.

First, it’s the old wives tale about the beloved onion. The lore goes that if an onion is difficult to peel, it is a sign of an impending harsh winter. If the onion peels easily, we can expect a milder winter. Notice I said, “milder.”

So far this summer, I have noticed that onions have been relatively easy to peel. My wife and I eat lots of onions, so this is more than just a small sample size.

Hornets nest in tree

Next comes those dreaded hornets and wasps. Farmers’ folklore has it that ground hives signify a low snowfall. Well, we went through this a couple of weeks ago when I told of the problem we had at camp this fall with yellow jacket hives in the ground. We had at least four that we knew about this summer, when action had to be taken to alleviate the problem.

However, during our close-down weekend at camp, we were again pestered with a multitude of yellow jackets, indicating there was another hive nearby. We never found it.

Yellow jackets ground nest

Contributing to that theory is the hornets nest I saw last week. A nest, the size of a honeydew melon, hung on a branch, low on a tree, probably about six feet or so off the ground. Not very high for a hornets nest.

With so many nests in the ground and the one hanging low on a tree branch, that, supposedly, indicates low snowfall. Wouldn’t mind that, even if I do have the snowblower tuned up and ready to go.

Another sign that the impending winter will be on the mild side has a little bit of controversy.

The wooly bear caterpillar. That darling, little fuzzy insect that usually comes out in mid-September. I have seen only a few, but they all have been on the highway, where I can’t get a really good look at them.

I did see one last weekend at camp, and the results were not favorable. However, there is another side to that story.

Now, I am sure everyone has heard the myth that the length of the rust-colored band on a wooly bear tells of how severe or mild the winter. If the rust-colored band dominates the body, it will be a mild winter.

Banded Wooly Bear Caterpillar

The wooly bear I saw measured 1-5/8 inches long. An inch of that length was black, while the rust-colored band measured only 5/8-inch. That’s telling me the winter will be a little on the bad side. However, other people have told me the wooly bears they have seen were predominantly rust-colored. I hope mine was the flunky of the wooly bears.

Finally, the cicadae. That is the green, grasshopper-looking insect that buzzes during the hot, steamy, humid days of July. Farmers’ folklore has it that the first killing frost of the season will occur 90 days following the first sound of the cicadae, after the full moon. The first time we heard the cicadae this summer was on July 26. Count out 90 days, that brings us to October 26. With the full moon happening on October 28, you can expect the first heavy frost to take place after that date.

Now, just for giggles, let’s throw in the Farmers Almanac. According to them, the first sight of snow should come around mid-November, but only as flurries. Through December, it is calling for some wet snow and rain, with some wintery mix. They do predict a white Christmas. But again, no serious snowfalls. Their first significant snow event is predicted during the second week of January 2020.

Do we dare look any further?

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Which player holds the NFL record for most points scored in a single game.

Answer can be found here.

SOLON & BEYOND: Remembering Flagstaff, Dead River & Bigelow

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, my friends. Don’t worry be happy!

Last week I was so happy to have had lots of e-mails sent to me with recent news. Just checked my e-mails and nothing of interest there for this week. It has surprised me greatly, that there are so many people who have never heard of Flagstaff, Dead River and Bigelow being flooded out by Central Maine Power Co back in 1949!

Have been trying to get all my old history of the event together and came across an old clipping from Central Maine Newspapers dated June 6, 2002, with the headline, “Make Flagstaff Lake a certain stop, History only one reason to visit area.” This story was written by M.J. Kaniuka. There is a picture stating that “A view of Flagstaff Lake from the causeway in Stratton. The 26-mile long lake was formed more than 50 years ago by flooding three communities. History only one reason to visit area.

“When travelers on Route 27 first view Flagstaff Lake, in Stratton, from the causeway just beyond Stratton, their typical reaction is, “What is this?” For Flagstaff Lake, a seemingly endless puddle, looks like no other body of water in Maine. Yet it is the centerpiece of a story that encompass the Revolutionary War, progress in mid-century America and evolving ideas of outdoor recreation.”

Flagstaff Lake is a man-made lake, approximately three miles wide and 26 miles long. “Its banks really recede in a drought,” said Forrest Bonney, regional fisheries biologist.

The lake was created in 1949 by Central Maine Power Company as a water storage facility for Long Falls Dam, “progress” in controlling the flood-prone Dead River. Subsequently, the lake submerged three communities: Flagstaff, Bigelow and Dead River.

The next year CMP received permission from the Legislature under the government’s right of eminent domain to buy property as it become available. Over the years CMP bought land and buildings and moved some homes and razed others. Eventually, CMP also clear cut 18,000 acres of woodland. Wildfires took care of many of the stumps and other debris that remained.

By 1949 only 30 adults and their families were left to be moved. That summer the Flagstaff and Dead River cemeteries were relocated to a site on Route 27 beside the newly-built Flagstaff Memorial Church. CMP erected the church to replace the town’s Congregational Church that they flooded. Stained glass windows from the Congregational Church were removed and installed in the chapel.

Today a memorial marker beside the chapel refers to much earlier events. In the fall of 1775 Col. Benedict Arnold passed through the region on his ill-fated march to Québec. He had left the Kennebec River below Caratunk to cut across the wilderness and reach the Height of Land, the dividing line between Maine and Québec.

To avoid the twists and turns of the meandering Dead River, Arnold and about 1,100 men, portaged their bateaux and dwindling supplies through the uninhabited Maine wilderness. They suffered incredible hardships with few or no trails to follow, rough and wet terrain, bad weather, fatigue, accidents and illness. Finally they reached the camp of an Indian named Natanis. Here Arnold erected a flag, an act that gave the town of Flagstaff its name.

The historical marker on Route 27 commemorates the event, but states that “the actual spot is now under water.”

Not far from the marker is the Arnold Trail turnout. Here another marker memorializes Col. Timothy Bigelow, an officer with Arnold and an eight-year military veteran . Bigelow reputedly climbed to the top of a nearby mountain to view the countryside and if possible, to see Québec. Today the mountain range bears his name.”

The Bingham Country Jammers! Bingham Grange Hall, first and third Sundays of each month. Open Mic from 1 – 4 p.m., Acoustic Only. Potluck To Tickle Me Appetite! Bring a hot or cold dish. Salads, desserts, cakes or pies! Price Range: 1 oz. of Gold. Also – Grange sponsored kitchen will be open. Hot dogs, burgers, and coffee. Entrance by donation to help with costs. Directions to 23 Meadow Street, Bingham, off Main Street (Rt. 201); Turn right on Meadow Street, across from Camden National Bank. The Grange is fourth building on the right, on the corner of Milford Avenue. Host: Ralph Van Dyke and MC : Bill Messer.

There was more to the above article, but want to save room for Percy’s memoir; hope you enjoyed reading about past history.

And now for Percy’s memoir, it was one I used back in 2008. Cultivating Friends: Sow a word of praise today, Plant a kindness-seed, Listen to a troubled friend, Help someone in need. Compliment a weary soul too fatigued to try; Shine forth rays of hope on all, Comfort those who cry. Scatter deeds of love each day, plant each row with care; Sprinkle joy along your way, soak each one in prayer. Ask the Lord to bless each one, and one day you’ll reap a harvestful of loving friends to cherish and to keep. (words by Connie Hinnen.)

Give Us Your Best Shot! Thursday, October 10, 2019

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To submit a photo for this section, please visit our contact page or email us at townline@fairpoint.net!

RARE SIGHT: Logan Parker, of Palermo, spotted this unique crow in Augusta.

REMINDER: Emily T. Poulin, of South China, captured this snowflake in flight last winter. Just a reminder of what is coming.

YUMMY!: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, snapped this loon enjoying dinner.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Summertime Living is Easy with Plant-Based Butter-ed Foods

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(NAPSI)—From blueberry pies with flaky buttery crusts to grilled buttered corn on the cob, summer is filled with delicious foods that bring people together. Now summertime eating is getting a makeover by swapping that pat, dab or dollop of regular dairy butter with dairy-free Plant Butter.

The trend toward plant-based eating has become a full-fledged food movement! With prominent foodies—chefs, celebrities, and authors—sharing their personal stories of switching to plant-based diets for taste, health, and better-for-the-environment reasons, more and more consumers are embracing delicious, nutritious foods derived from plants.

What’s a plant-based diet? It’s focused on foods mostly made from plants—not just vegetables and fruits, but also nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and beans. Plant-based diets also tend to be healthier because they are rich in fiber, good fats and added nutritionals, like vitamins.

Plant-based foods are showing-up in grocery stores across the country—including the dairy aisle. Like Country Crock® Plant Butter—a dairy-free, plant-based butter that tastes like dairy butter. It’s made from plant-based oils and features avocado oil, olive oil, or almond oil in sticks and tubs. It’s gluten-free, kosher, and is suitable for vegan diets as it’s stamped “Certified Plant Based” through the Plant Based Foods Association.

So what about a dessert to round out that summer BBQ? A berry swirl butter cake made with Country Crock® Plant Butter is easy to make and delicious. It is sure to stir up some talk when folks find out it’s made with Country Crock’s dairy-free Plant Butter! Try more recipes on www.countrycrock.com.

Berry Swirl Butter Cake

Makes: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 cup (2 sticks) Country Crock® Plant Butter, softened (you can use Country Crock® Plant Butter with Olive Oil, Avocado Oil or Almond Oil)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ cup seedless raspberry jam

1.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan and line with parchment allowing extra to hang over the sides. Grease parchment.

2.) Beat Country Crock® Plant Butter with sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3.) Beat in eggs, one at a time, then milk and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder and beat on low speed just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4.) Stir jam until smooth. (If jam is thick, microwave 20 seconds then stir until smooth). Drop dollops of jam all over the top of cake and use a knife to swirl the jam through the surface.

5.) Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before lifting cake out of the pan to cool completely.

Learn More

For more facts, tips and recipes, go to www.countrycrock.com.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS — Beating the big guys: As hard as it seems, it can be done

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

So far, we have talked about service businesses where the company goes to the customer’s home to provide their services from landscaping, to plumbing, to home repairs, to cleaning services. However, these are not the only types of small businesses there are. So, for the next few weeks we are going to switch it up a bit and talk about small on-site businesses such as restaurants, independent hardware stores, clothing stores, fashion salons. The kind of businesses where the customers come to your establishment to do business.

Over the past several decades to successfully own and operate one of these businesses has been more then challenging, to some it has been devastating to say the least. How can you can you compete against the big guys? How can you be open the same hours as Walmart? How can you keep the same inventory as Lowe’s and The Home Depot? How can you provide the same prices as Staples or how can you stay open as many hours as Ruby Tuesday’s and seven days a week to boot? The answer is pretty simple, you can’t. You cannot beat these companies at their own game.

That being said what is the alternative? What are you going to do to become so outstanding that you will not only survive in a marketplace dominated by the huge and intimidating nationals? Look, it’s not easy, but it can be done. It will take hard work, perseverance, dedication, super customer service, and most of all creativity, but it can be done.

For the next few weeks we are going to dedicate this column to small businesses, focusing on strategies and tactics that each of them can undertake to be successful. Next week we’ll talk about small restaurants, then retail stores, the week after that hardware stores. Please note dear reader if you have a specific business that is not covered in these columns but would like some advice on how you can not only survive but thrive in this marketplace, please drop me an email and the address below and I’ll be more than happy to accommodate your needs.

To set us up for this series let’s begin by focusing on some of the things that the big guys can’t do. Being big is not always so beautiful. And to exemplify that here are some of the things the big guys cannot do:

  • They cannot get personal.
  • They cannot treat their customers as individuals.
  • They don’t have to help every customer individually.
  • They can’t sell like a small retail business can. Example: buy a suit at Kohl’s versus buying a suit at your local tailor, who will give you the best service and the better fitting suit?
  • They cannot be flexible. All company policies come from headquarters thousands of miles away which handcuffs the local affiliate when he tries to be flexible with the local clientale.
  • They can’t take part in community activities, everything has to be approved at headquarters which is thousands of miles away. Ever try to get a donation for your church’s silent auction from one of the giants? Good luck with that.
  • And one more, they don’t have a heart. They are not flesh and blood, they are a bureaucratic institution.

Gee I’m almost starting to feel bad for these giants. Not! But you get the idea, although it feels like they might have all the advantages, it’s not necessarily true, is it? Think about it, being small can be beautiful.

Check in next time when we talk about growing your restaurant business.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Wandering Nanas on the river

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by Debbie Walker

The weekend of September 8 and 9 was a busy one for the Wandering Nanas; the eighth was Nana Dee’s 80th birthday! In my way of thinking the 80th should be celebrated, I call it a significant number.

Nana Dee has a Bucket List of activities to enjoy. One of those things was to have an air boat ride. Even though she grew up in Florida she was never in the right place at the right time to have one. Well, Saturday she was in just the right spot.

Saturday afternoon we arrived at River Safaris, in Homosassa, for a Gulf Airboat Ride and Dolphin Quest. The cruise is a 90-minute ride. The river on the Central West Coast of Florida, puts us about one hour south of Gainesville and about one hour north of Tampa.

Captain “Irish” Dave was our guide. He has been running the river for 10 years and definitely knew his way around. He zoomed us through backwaters, estuaries and passed some historic Indian islands. We zoomed through saltwater marshes leading to clear, shallow waters. We saw fish, corals and sponges, birds and ducks.

This cruise was also a Dolphin Quest and it did not fail us! We were able to watch a pod of six dolphins frolic alongside and around us. I even managed to get a few pictures of them as they broke the water’s surface. Did I mention how shallow the gulf is off our coast?

I didn’t think so. The way I have always heard it told is this part of the gulf is not the best for deep sea fishing. The story is that we get deeper by about a foot a mile. So, you would have to go out about 30 miles to get the right depth. What’s always been funny to me is you can go out on a boat, get to a point where you see no land on any horizon. The funny part is you can get off the boat and very possibly walk on the bottom! I have been out a few times scalloping, and the first time was a real shock to me when I got off the boat and stood up. I loved it. I figured if we had boat trouble we could always walk to the shore, except…… I really didn’t want to walk with a shark swimming along side of me! (No sharks sighted this trip.)

We continued to celebrate Dee’s birthday by going out to a sea food dinner that night, five of us ladies. If I told you we were quiet and dignified I would be lying. But we did have fun!

The next day we talked Dee into giving up her afternoon of NASCAR racing on TV, something she rarely misses. We made up some story about needing this or that and we stole her away. While we were gone, family arrived to put together her surprise birthday party. We were all surprised she hadn’t figured anything out, but she truly had not even thought of a party for her. She thought her birthday was over on the eighth. You just never know what is up with this group of family and friends.

I’m just curious if you have ever swam with dolphins. That’s on my bucket list!

Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with any comments or questions. Have a great week!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Glenn Gould

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Glenn Gould

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Glenn Gould

(1932-1982)

Glenn Gould would have been 87 this past September 25 if he had not died of a stroke October 4, 1982, at the age of 50. A world-fa­mous pianist at a rarely achieved level of success as was Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein and Sviatoslav Richter, and still Yuga Wang, Martha Argerich and Murray Peraiha, he was also a man of other gifts – writer, TV personality, documentary film maker, and a character in the truest sense of the word.

My knowledge of him began nearly 60 years ago through a sampler of recently released classical records. It contained Brahms’s very tender 2nd Intermezzo from his Opus 118 set. I have heard other fine performances of this piece but Gould played it with extraordinary dynamics of softness, a sense of structure and of sheer beauty. And it can be heard on youtube.

Gould recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations for Columbia Masterworks in 1956 and it has sold several million copies, becoming one of the 10 or 20 greatest classical recordings of the 20th century; it has similar qualities to the Brahms Intermezzo mentioned earlier in its brilliance. Other favorites of mine would include his recordings of the Beethoven five Piano Concertos and the broadcast from 1962 of the Brahms First Piano Concerto.

Glenn Gould’s interests were very intriguing, both in their limitations and broad-mindedness. When it came to composers, he recorded his favorite Mozart Piano Sonatas but felt that the composer died much too late at 35. He wavered between love and hate of certain works and rejected many of the 19th century composers, especially Chopin.

Barbra Streisand

He disliked most pop music yet loved singers Petula Clark and Barbra Streisand. During the 1960s, he wrote an essay about listening to Petula Clark on pop radio while driving through the Canadian countryside .

As for Streisand, Gould reviewed her LP, Classical Barbara, for the now-extinct High Fidelity magazine in 1976. Streisand also recorded for Columbia and was known to watch his recording sessions through a window.

The pianist’s OCD eccentricities were the stuff of legend:

When rehearsing with conductor George Szell, Gould took so long adjusting his piano seat that the Maestro remarked, “Perhaps if I were to slice 1/16th of an inch off your derriere, Mr. Gould, we could then begin!” Later, Szell commented, “That nut’s a genius!”

He also wore a thick winter coat, scarf, gloves and hat during heat waves in July and August!

 

 

INside the OUTside: Maine Ski Hall of Fame to induct eight new members

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Induction ceremony to be held at Sugarloaf Mountain on October 19

Dan Cassidyby Dan Cassidy

Dave Irons, columnist for the Sun Journal, and chairman of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, has released the names of eight inductees to the class of 2019, who have made the sport of skiing grow. According to Irons, the Hall of Fame was formed to recognize Maine skiers who have gained significant contributions to skiing in Maine. “Since its inaugural banquet in 2003, more than 130 skiers have been inducted, representing every aspect of the sport, competitors, coaches, instructors, founders and pioneers,” he said.

“This year’s induction brings the total to 144 members,” said Theresa Shanahan, executive director of the Ski Museum of Maine. “The Ski Museum is located at 256 Main Street, in downtown Kingfield, and will be open on Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours of the Museum will be given,” she said.

Tickets to the reception and banquet can be purchased by contacting the Ski Museum of Maine at (207) 265-2023.

The eight Inductees include Seth Wescott, Lindsay Ball, Henry Anderson, Leigh Breidenbach, Don Fowler, Billy Chenard, Paul Schipper, and Robert Zinck.

Seth Wescott was a dominant competitor in Snowboard Cross. He was introduced in the 2006 winter games in Torino, Italy. Wescott won that first event and four years later, he was successful in defending his title at the Vancouver Olympics. He will be honored as one of more than 130 skiers into Maine’s Ski Hall of Fame. He also won two silvers in the World Championships along with three silvers and a bronze in the X-Games.

Lindsay Ball is a visually impaired skier who started skiing at age six with Maine Adaptive Sports. In 2011, she competed for Lawrence High School, in Fairfield. She also went on to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in the giant slalom. Lindsay mounted numerous podiums in World Cup and NorAm competition. She has won gold medals in both downhill and giant slalom. She graduated from UMF and is serving as vice president of the Maine Organization of Blind and Athletic Leadership Education.

Henry Anderson carried on the start of Maine tradition of skiing. He was born in New Sweden in 1894, and grew up where skis were used for transportation and later on racing. He made his own skis from 1926 to the early 1930s. He also made XC racing skis for members of the New Sweden Athletic Club and the Caribou and Fort Fairfield ski teams.

Leigh Breidenbach worked her way through the University of Maine at Farmington where she taught skiing at Sunday River. After graduation, she joined the school’s Ski Industry Program under Doc DesRoches and Tom Reynolds where she became part of the program. She is a fully certified Level III PSIA instructor. She has served the Ski Museum of Maine Board.

Don Fowler has demonstrated the love of skiing by being on the mountain every day that he can. He is one of the founders of the Ski Museum of Maine and has donated countless hours as the organization’s clerk and attorney.

He has compiled the complete history of Sugarloaf and helps as an ambassador for the sport.

Billy Chenard carried on a long tradition of highly competitive Nordic skiers coming out of the Chisholm Ski Club. He competitively skied for Rumford High School and was always either at the top of near it. He won the National Junior Nordic Combined title in 1972. He developed the cross country trails at Sugarloaf and the Balsams that were recognized by racers as being the best layouts in the East.

Paul Schipper a legendary skier at Sugarloaf Mountain is well known throughout the country and the world. It all began during the 1981 ski season when he realized that he had not missed a day on the slopes. That was the beginning of “the streak.”

From age 57 in 1981 until 2005, Shipper skied every day that Sugarloaf was open. As a retired airline pilot he was a keen weather observer and reported to Chip Carey in the marketing department. He used the streak to get as much publicity for the resort.

Robert Zinck got his start with the Chisholm Ski Club and developed into an all around athlete. His specialty was ski jumping. He jumped wherever he could at places like Black Mountain, in Rumford, the Swan’s Corner Gould Jumps, in Bethel, the Big Nansen,in Berlin, and all over New England.

Zinck had victories including 1972 Class A High School title, 1973 Maine and New England Class A Jumping crowns, 1974 Junior Nationals and many other championships. This led to his being named to the U.S. National team in 1976-1977.

According to Shanahan, this year’s special guest is Bill Green of Bill Green’s Maine. He is scheduled to honor some of the inductees.