IN THE OPEN: Emily Poulin, of South China, photographed this toad last fall.
END OF SUMMER: Jayne Winters, of South China, caught this Hermit Thrush while singing last fall.
ALL MINE!: Pat Clark, of Palermo, snapped this Baltimore Oriole at a feeder last August.
Colbyn’s lemonade stand. (contributed photo)
When Jessica Norton felt ill late last month, her son Colbyn Cole’s inner superhero sprung into action bringing her whatever he thought would make her feel better.
Colbyn’s heroic nature revved into high gear when he knew he had to call his grandma to tell her that his mom was really sick. True super heroes know when they need to call in for back ups. “Nana” Julie Norton flew in from Florida to watch the house and the rest of the family, when her daughter spent a few days in the hospital. Julie Norton explained, “I’ve never seen my daughter this sick before.”
When Jessica’s Facebook friends asked her if she needed anything once she returned home, Jessica replied back that she just needed help to make Colbyn’s 9th birthday really special this year because he didn’t have a party last year because of the Covid precautions. “Nana” Julie saw this posting and got the idea of throwing a drive-by parade in honor of Colbyn’s birthday because a party was still out of the question this year. The big question was how could this be pulled together with less than two weeks notice? Perhaps there’s a superhero within every grandmother, too? Julie began posting an event on Facebook for April 3, called Colbyn’s Beep-Beep Birthday, asking for participants to drive vehicles in the parade.
Another important part of this story is Colbyn had established a lemonade stand called Colby Cole’s Cold Lemonade, where the family had met people in town. This is where Julie met Carl Chapman, safety officer for the Albion Fire Department and an avid biker. Carl agreed to post the event on the several biker sites he follows, including Motorcycle Riders of Maine, but he wasn’t sure what response they would get, “most of the guys hadn’t gotten their bikes out of storage yet.”
Colbyn with biker Carl and “Nana” Julie.
(contributed photo)
The word of the parade touched a soft spot in people’s hearts and the posting went from area biker Facebook pages to Jeep club page to the Penobscot Valley 4-wheel drive club all the way from Hampden. Stephen Marois, from Riding Steel, shared the event on his biker page as well. The Albion Fire Chief of the Red Knights Chapter 13 and the Kennebec Sheriff Department enthusiastically agreed to participate.
Until the day of the event, Julie didn’t know how far and wide her request went out. She, Carl and another biker arrived at Dixon’s Country Market, the meeting place for the parade, a half hour before the event. No one was there.
A Kennebec Sheriff Department vehicle pulled into the parking lot, so Julie went up to ask if they were there for the parade. To her surprise, they said “yes” and were discussing the route. Then, the vehicles started rolling in, some even decorated for a birthday parade. There were motorcycles, fresh out of winter storage. There were eight to ten complete strangers in Jeeps, Colbyn’s favorite vehicle. There were Bob and Polly Matthews with Kevin Napilitano from the Penobscot Valley 4-wheel drive club. The Albion Fire Department made a dramatic appearance as they joined the parade with an engine, rescue and brush trucks. At the end of the parade, the Kennebec officers presented Colbyn with a Challenge Coin and made him an honorary deputy.
Julie Norton and the rest of her family were overwhelmed by the community support to create a birthday celebration for a nine-year-old that he will never likely forget. Julie remarked, “I’m telling you, I didn’t know what to say. It was absolutely amazing how a community pulled together on a drop of a hat.”
This unofficial, impromptu event in Albion, Maine, reminds us that good deeds are contagious and stir the inner hero within ourselves. If you are looking for more inspiration, drop by Colbyn Cole’s Cold Lemonade stand on good weather days after his school work is complete, at 192 Benton Road, Albion.
The Erskine gym with 3,544 cereal boxes set up like dominos. (photo by Blais Photography)
Responding to a challenge issued by the Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) students of Cony High School, in Augusta, to their peers at Erskine Academy, in South China, the school exceeded the 1,000 box challenge, raising 3,544 boxes of cereal for its local food pantries.
Given only two weeks (one while the school was operating fully remote), Erskine’s goal of 1,334 boxes of cereal (one more than Cony High’s recorded total) was more than doubled. On Monday, April 5, cereal boxes were lined up to create a domino-effect spiral beginning at the headmaster’s desk, running through the school and to the gym. The live-streamed release event took over nine minutes from start to finish.
Immediately following the domino event, students and staff delivered the cereal to food pantries in China, Vassalboro, Chelsea, Whitefield, Jefferson, Windsor, and Palermo, the sending communities to Erskine Academy. The school then challenged two JMG program schools, Skowhegan Area HighSchool and Mt. View High School, in Thorndike, to keep the charitable momentum going with their cereal drives.
Though led by Erskine’s students and faculty, the campaign became a broader community event supported substantially by families, area middle schools, alumni, and many area businesses and organizations.
(photo by Blais Photography)
About this accomplishment, Headmaster Michael McQuarrie says, “The Cereal Box Challenge was for a great cause and was presented to us at a time when we need each other, especially when it comes to being nourished — body, heart, and spirit. We thank Cony High’s JMG students for inspiring the Erskine community with a little friendly competition, and through it, Erskine’s values of stewardship, leadership, and relationships were evident. The work ethic, inspiration, and idealism of our young people are humbling and heartening.”
Known for its philanthropic spirit, in 2016, Erskine was a WGME13/Fox23’s School Spirit Champion for having raised nearly 85,000 pounds of food for distribution by Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. In 2018, Erskine repeated its efforts to win the School Spirit Tournament of Champions, raising a record 196,696 pounds of food. “We engaged with our rural Central Maine communities to provide a critical community service — fighting hunger in Maine,” said McQuarrie.
Erskine Academy is profoundly grateful to its friends for supporting this effort, including: BAC-40 Maple Products, B&B Septic Service, Chadwick’s Craft Spirits, Central Church, Oxley Express 3/31, PyroCity Maine, Roddy’s Redemption, Whitfield Lyons Club, JMG Corp, South China Hannaford, Tobey’s Market, and these area middle schools — Whitefield, Vassalboro, Palermo, Jefferson, and China.
Photo: corpuschristimaine.org/notre-dame
Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Parish, which includes Notre Dame church, in Waterville, and St. John the Baptist church, in Winslow, has announced a change in its Mass schedule.
Beginning Saturday, May 1, 2021, there will be four weekend Masses. On Saturday, there will be only one Mass, at 4 p.m., at Notre Dame church. On Sunday, May 2, Masses will be held at 7:30 a.m. at St. John, 9 a.m. at Notre Dame, and 10:30 a.m. at St. John.
Weekday Masses will occur at Notre Dame on Monday and Wednesday, at 12:15 p.m., and at St. John on Tuesday and Thursday, at 8 a.m. There will be no Mass on Friday.
This is not a short term change, but a permanent one as, going forward, Corpus Christi Parish will be served by one priest, Rev. Daniel Baillargeon.
Maine’s ranking worsens in number of incidentsWith an estimated 90 million dogs living in U.S. households, accidents are bound to happen. Most dogs will never bite, but it is important to remember that any dog CAN bite regardless of breed or type. In 2020, State Farm paid $157 million as a result of 3,186 dog bite and injury claims. Over the past decade, State Farm paid more than $1.1 billion for dog-related injury claims.
Maine was ranked #39 in 2020 in number of State Farm dog bite claims, with an average pay out of $24,000 per claim. This is a decline from the state’s #45 ranking for 2019. The top three states for 2020 dog bite claims are California, Illinois and Ohio, respectively.
The highest month for number of claims and amount paid for those claims was at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown. In March 2020, State Farm paid over $19 million for 320 injury claims. Dogs were picking up on their owners’ stress and increased activity in the home, such as children being home from school and adults working from home, resulting in negative behavior because of anxiety.
“Children make up more than 50% of all dog bite victims and the highest risk group in children are ages 5-9 years old,” says Augusta State Farm Agent Dennis Keller. “The elderly and home service people, like mail carriers, are also high on the list of frequent dog bite victims. Being bitten or attacked by a dog can leave physical and emotional scars. For the dog, it can be a death sentence.”
State Farm claim numbers include dog bites, as well as dog-related injuries. This can involve injuries resulting from a dog jumping on a person, and knocking a person down or off a bicycle. A person can also be injured because they were afraid of the possibility of a dog attacking, such as falling down stairs while backing away from a dog.
State Farm is one of the few insurance companies in the country that does not refuse insurance based on the breed of dog someone owns. “We recognize that, under the right circumstances, any dog might bite,” says Dennis. “That is why we encourage people to be responsible pet owners and educate the public, especially children, on how to safely approach a dog.”
Dennis offers these tips to help prevent dog bites:
NEVER leave a baby or small child alone with a dog, even if it is a family pet. Children are often bitten by dogs in their own household.
Make sure your pet is socialized so he feels at ease around people and other animals.
Walk and exercise your dog on a leash to keep him healthy and provide mental stimulation.
Regular veterinary visits are essential to regulating the health of your dog. A sick or injured dog is more likely to bite.
Be alert. If someone approaches you and your dog, caution them to wait before petting the dog. Give your pet time to be comfortable with the stranger.
By ryan griffis – originally posted to Flickr as Vidalia Onions, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
The April 25 deadline is approaching quickly to order and send your check in for Vidalia onions. These big beauties will arrive at the Palermo Community Center, on Turner Ridge Road, right around Mothers Day. There isn’t a firm shipping date yet because the onions are still soaking up sunshine and rain down in Georgia, and the farmers have not yet determined the precise day to pick them. You will get the news as soon as we do!
To order, either email pwhitehawk@fairpoint.net or call Connie at 993-2294. Please make your check out to “LCF ” and send it to Living Communities Foundation, P.O. Box 151, Palermo, ME 04354. Each box costs $27.00 for 25 pounds. Shipping costs have gone up, so this is the last year that we can offer these gourmet onions at this price.
Proceeds from this sale benefit the Palermo Community Center, which hosts the Palermo Food Pantry and sponsors the Great ThunderChicken Drum. Your support of these programs and more is highly appreciated. We are doing all we can to make the Community Center and Community Garden a place for everybody to learn and enjoy.
Madison American Legion Auxiliary, front row, left to right, Amy Cody, Irma Fluet, Betty Price, Merrilyn Vieira and Grace Rollins. Back row, Holly Kinney, Pauline Bell, Diane Pinkham, Harriet Bryant, Amy Washburn and Nancy Drew. (contributed photo)
Military Child display (contributed photo)
Members of the Madison American Legion Auxiliary wearing purple conducted the Military Child’s Table Setting Ceremony at their recent meeting. The potted flowering plant symbolizing that a military child may flower and flourish where they are planted.
The hand spade recognizes that they may be transplanted to a new place in the world at a moment’s notice.
Birthday hat and unlit candles, along with the baseball and glove and ballet slippers represent special occasions that are missed.
Family photo depicting a child with his or her uniformed parent/parents demonstrates our country’s strength.
American flag to remind us that families are united in their commitment at home or away.
Victor Grange in Fairfield (photo: facebook.com/victorgrangefairfield)
Victor Grange #56, in Fairfield Center, hosts a drive-through supper from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 24. The meal includes baked beans and hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, rolls or biscuits, desserts and (non-alcoholic) drinks. Cost is $10 per meal, with proceedings to be used for work on the Grange Hall.
Jeanine Deas
Local children’s book author Jeanine Deas will be signing copies of her new book, Twinkle, Twinkle, Where You Are at an appearance at Retail Therapy Consignment Boutique, 270 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, on Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks, social-distancing, and a limited number of customers at any given time will be required. Personally-signed copies of Twinkle, Twinkle Where You Are and the author’s previous book, Anna’s Little Buddy, will be available for $10 each.
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Where You Are is about love and longing,” Jeanine Deas says. “During COVID – and after that – it offers a magical way for children (and adults) to endure times of isolation and separation from family and friends. My desire is that readers will come to understand that when distance, time, or even death separate us physically from those we love, we are always connected through the ever-present energy of our relationship. It’s the ‘TWINKLE’ that gives us hope.”
For more information, please call (207) 213-4600.
The Vassalboro Community School Librarian – Melora Norman – and the Vassalboro Public Library Director – Brian Stanley – have received a grant from the American Library Association – Libraries Transforming Communities – to do a Community Read in Vassalboro.
The Community Read will begin in May and be centered around the Alewife Restoration Initiative, in Vassalboro. The two books chosen are Swimming Home by Maine author Susan Hand Shetterly, and The Alewives’ Tale, by Barbara Brennessel. Both of these books describe similar alewife restoration efforts in Maine and New England. They will be available through checkout at the Vassalboro Puvblic Library and donated to residents of the community in the summer.
Authors of the books and some experts of the Restoration Project will share their expertise via a special series of online presentations in May. Interested individuals throughout the state are welcome to attend these programs. Please check the website for a full list of events and to register.