The tragic story of Father Rasle at Kennebec Historical Society

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“Go and set the world on fire,” was St. Ignatius of Loyola’s famous call to the Jesuits to preach the gospel to the far corners of the world. Fr. Sebastian Rasle followed the call of his order’s founder and left France in 1689 to give his life to caring for the souls of native Americans. This he did for 30 years in a small mission village amidst the Abenaki people far up the Kennebec River. The village was called Narantsouack (i.e. Norridgewock.)

Death of Father Sebastian Rale of the Society of Jesus, an 1856 lithograph

But this peaceful mission was not to last. In those few decades, Fr. Rasle’s little village got caught in a blaze of controversy that ended in the mission being burned by a Massachusetts militia and its pastor being shot. Joseph Moreshead, a seminarian for the Roman Catholic diocese of Portland, will discuss the origins of this conflict between Fr. Rasle, the New England colonists, and the Abenaki people and how competing interests among the three parties led to such a tragic end.

Joseph Moreshead is a native of South Portland, and a current student at the Catholic University of America, studying to be a Catholic priest in Maine. A graduate of Cheverus High School and Fordham University, Moreshead was educated for eight years by Jesuits like Fr. Rasle. After extensive research on the Jesuit Relations, he led a pilgrimage to Fr. Rasle’s grave last August. He holds a bachelor of arts in philosophy and classical language.

The Kennebec Historical Society’s May Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place on Wednesday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m., at St. Mary’s Church located at 41 Western Avenue in Augusta.

Chelsea’s Rick Danforth named TOPS head

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Rick Danforth

TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds SensiblySM), the original weight-loss support and wellness education organization founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1948, and headquarterd there, recently announced that Rick Danforth, of Chelsea, has been named president. Danforth, who replaces Barb Cady, TOPS president since 2005, has been serving as the TOPS State Coordinator for Maine since 2011.

Danforth, who will be the first male president of TOPS, joined a chapter in Maine in 2003 weighing 321 pounds. “I’ve struggled all my life with obesity and tried many programs. I came to TOPS through my wife and decided to join her at a meeting,” he said. “It took me a couple of meetings to realize this is where I needed to be. There was no phoniness in the chapter and no promises that I was going to have instant success. It was real people struggling with real life issues and I could wrap my arms around that.”

In his first year, Danforth lost more than 100 pounds, earning a place in the TOPS Century Club. “I knew I had to lose the weight for me because I wanted to live longer and enjoy time with my eight grandsons,” he said.

Earlier this year, Danforth, who received a bachelor of arts degree in microbiology in 1980 from the University of Maine at Farmington, stepped down as the Quality Assurance Officer/Laboratory Program Advisor/Bioterrorism Officer for the state of Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, where he had worked since November of 1999. Prior to that, he worked as a microbiologist for MaineGeneral Medical Center for more than 19 years. He has also served as a selectman in the town of Chelsea for the past 25 years.

Working as a scientist assisted him in losing weight. “Specializing in microbiology, we deal in black and white. Working with the TOPS group, I used the same principles–keep it simple,” Danforth said. “Two basic principles of portion control and increasing physical activity were really what I needed.”

As his weight-loss journey requires constant perseverance, the support of the group has kept Danforth involved in the organization. “I stay with TOPS because I’ve learned over the years that when I’ve gained back some weight that I cannot do it alone,” he said. “Life sometimes wears you down and the best thing that can pick you up is the support of a friend. I’ve learned it is OK to take time for yourself by being more active and help others, so they can help you. I’m not afraid to ask for the help I need or to reach out to others in TOPS. We’re here to support each other.”

Marti Stevens’ dream come true: a gem in our community

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by Katie Ouilette

Marti Stevens

People do have dreams that come true.

My dad, a shoe-cutter, had dreams of owning his own hardware store, and finally opened Henry’s Hardware, on Chestnut St., in Skowhegan. The late Herb Paradis dreamed of having a television program, and that became a reality on a local broadcasting station.

Now, I thought I knew Marti Stevens well. She had a dream that so many made fun of, but thank heaven she made her dream come true.

Marti loved the theater and became part owner of Lakewood after the Denis ownership. Her other love was education. And with those two attributes, she founded the Marti Stevens Learning Center, on the Norridgewock Road, across from MSAD #54 administrative office.

Marti is gone now, but she left us with a jewel.

A phone call to Barry Sites, the director of the Marti Stevens Learning Center for 30 years, initially about his new membership to the Skowhegan Heritage Council, opened the dialogue about the center.

Marti, who lived on Cornville Road, in Skowhegan, at the time, started the learning center in the kitchen of her home when she realized that young girls who became pregnant were not allowed in the local school systems. They earned their GED in Marti’s kitchen, and now these girls are leaders in a number of area towns. They run businesses or have learned the art of administration.

The Marti Stevens Learning Center has done so much for students that have had a “bump in the road” while growing up. Years ago, people laughed at her and her dream, but she made life “good” for so many of them.

One of only two schools of its kind in Maine, the Marti Stevens Learning Center personnel are in touch with and collaborate with guidance counselors in area schools, and by so doing, find the students who “do not fit well with the present public school system.” The learning center and MSAD #74 collaborate in scheduling graduations, so parents don’t have to miss such an important event in their child’s life.

The Marti Stevens Learning Center is being awarded a grant by Somerset Public Health. The theater will be used over a two-year period to develop an interactive improvisational theater program to create awareness surrounding health problems related to adverse childhood experiences. Sometimes children can illustrate an adverse event they experienced in childhood through acting, rather than talking. Because the same can sometimes be exhibited by a child with drawing, and that is why Mrs. Choiniere will soon be joining the Marti Stevens Learning Center and art will be an important part of the curriculum.

Graduates (about 12 a year) are introduced to professionals and trade folk to help them choose a work path for the future. Actually, like all education opportunities, a thought about the future is introduced through a guidance counselor.

The Marti Stevens Learning Center is funded through MSAD #54.

From South Chicago to Cornville, Maine

Marti Stevens, 1939-1993, was an American educator and theater director. Born in South Side Chicago, Illinois, she spent 10 years as a professional director and actress on off-Broadway stages in New York City before relocating to the rural community of Cornville. Both her parents were musicians. She earned a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and a masters degree at City College of New York.

In 1959, she moved to New York City, where she studied acting with professional coaches Uta Hagen and Gene Frankel. Her efforts to pursue a career in the “avant-garde theater of the 1960s” were disappointing. After ten years of work as an off-Broadway director, occasional acting gigs, and work as a teacher and secretary, she gave up big-city life and moved to Cornville.

Waterville to host U12 baseball World Series in 2020

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Photo by Tawni Lively, Central Maine Photography staff

Cal Ripken Commissioners Barry Jordan and Reg Hatfield have announced that Maine will host the first U12 baseball World Series at Purnell Wrigley Field, in Waterville, in 2020.

Photo by Tawni Lively, Central Maine Photography staff

Benton sixth grader accomplished boxer

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Braden Littlefield, 12, of Benton, boxing with Marion Rodriguez. Littlefield was the winner of amateur fight, 101 pound weight class at pro-am night on April 28. (Photo by Central Maine Photography)

Submitted by Mark Huard

Braden Littlefield is a sixth grader at Benton Elementary School and has always played many sports including football and baseball. A year ago Braden started boxing and hasn’t stopped since. He had 12 boxing matches on the amateur circuit where he traveled as far as Virginia with his teammate Cain Shatzer, from Bethel. Littlefield won a bout at this national tournament.

Recently he and his three other teammates featured in the photo (Cain Shatzer, Braden Littlefield, Emma Jones and Quinton Hernandez) traveled to Worcester, Massachusetts, this past Saturday. All four captured Jr. Olympic titles.

Braden Littlefield, right, and Gracien Giroux, of Benton. Photo by Mark Huard)

This group of youth traveled to Canada this year as part of a USA team that competed internationally. Littlefield has captured a New England Silver Gloves championship, along with his teamate Quinton Hernandez, from Old Town, who both moved on to a Regional Championship bout in Herkimer, New York. Littlefield lost a controversial decision to a more experienced New York fighter, and Hernandez won the Regional Silver Gloves Title, but was unable to compete in the nationals due to fracturing his shoulder in the title bout.

All four of these young boxers train together several times a week at Cugno Boxing Gym, in Lewiston. All of the fighters travel quite a distance to train at this gym. Emma Jones is the only local youth coming out of Auburn. They find various meeting spots, but travel and remain a team. They all spire to go as far as they can in the sport which includes fighting as many bouts as they can to gain ring experience.

These young boxers have many older and more experienced boxers in the gym that they look up to, including Breanna Ingalls, who recently joined the U.S. Coast Guard. They all fight under the name Cugno Boxing, for Glenn Cugno, who is a professional boxer that trained with Joe Gamache Sr. at the Lewiston Armory for over 30 years. Cugno took over the gym but remains coaching with Joe Gamache Sr. Coaches Dan Escobar and Scott Frost making up the rest of the coaching staff. Cugno and the rest of the coaches donate any time they have outside of their full time jobs to help these kids stay on a positive path and reach their dreams.

PAGES in TIME – Palermo Christian Church: 50-year history

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“Palermo Christian Church, Inc., Palermo Christian Church, Inc.” The lawyer who helped fill out the papers for incorporation emphasized the word “Inc.” every time he came to that word. As he did the legal work, we wonder what went through his mind?

Palermo Christian Church.

The early people:

As a Belfast lawyer he wouldn’t know the past history of God working in Palermo. He had never heard William Overlock, a minister from Washington, preach revival services at the old school house on the Valley Road where Grace Blanchard taught Sunday School. He didn’t know of the efforts of Annie Tibbets or Elina Turner in establishing a Sunday School at the old school house in East Palermo. If he traveled Old Route 3 he might have seen the Second Baptist Church at Greely Corner or the Branch Mills Union Church, but he may not have known what went on inside the four walls of these two churches, nor would he have known of the ministries carried on inside the First Baptist Church, the Methodist Church or the North Palermo Baptist Fellowship.

We wonder what he would have thought of the impact of student pastors such as Rev. English, Rev. Felts or Wally Bradley from Gordon College. He would not know of the support the community received from people in other communities. Rev. Talcott, a native of Connecticut, visited Lake St. George and preached in town during the summer. George Duff drove over from Morrill and Horace Moffatt from Belfast to fill vacant pulpits. He would not have known of the people who helped shape the spiritual values of people in our community; people like Harold Nutter, Carl and Eleanor Howes, Elmer Hellmout, Howard Hutchings, Barbara Rozell, George Davis, Winifred Reynolds, Eric Wiggin and others.

Another church in town?

North Palermo Church.

He may have wondered if a small community like Palermo needed another church. The attendance at the existing churches was very low and another church would not seem practical. The first twelve charter members could have answered that question for him. Their initial purpose was not to compete with the other churches, but to consolidate the believers into one church. They were not interested in starting a fourth church, but of making the three churches into one. As all the existing churches were small in number and all held similar doctrinal beliefs, it seemed prudent to work together rather than apart. It was unfortunate that in the first years of the church, there were no church buildings adequate to meet the physical needs of the growing congregation. In North Palermo, for example, about 75 Sunday School students were crowded into four classes, one of which met in the Ladies Aid House and three others which studied in separate corners of the small sanctuary. All the church buildings had an adequate sanctuary, but lacked Sunday School space, running water and modern toilet facilities. When one factors in the historical significance of the buildings and legal questions that arose at that time, it was obvious to this group of people that a new building was needed.

The Building:

One could see the hand of God working in those early years. The Rossie Construction Company leased the land that the Palermo Christian Church now sits on from Steve and Ann Childs. They brought in fill and gravel to make a parking lot for their big trucks. The vacant lot, including the ready-made parking lot, were donated to the church by the Childs in 1969. The early years were a time of great sacrifice for many. After borrowing $12,000 to start the building and another $3000 to finish it, people went to work. Herbert Dyer supervised the construction and families gave up weeknights and weekends to work on the building. The community pitched in to help. Boy Scout Troup 222 under the supervision of Kenneth Priest, Sr., used six scouts working a total of 39 hours to fiberglass the steeple. On December 6th, 1970 George Duff and Charles Cousens spoke at the dedication service for the new building.

In the late 1970s the youth groups had grown to include between 70 and 80 young people. Palermo had no recreational facilities at that time, so the church voted to build a gymnasium and expand the sanctuary at the same time. Royce Dyer supervised the many workers and on July 20th, 1980, Lt. Col. Jack McGuckin spoke at the dedication of the gym.

In 1996 the church started work on an addition, which includes wood storage, nursery space, a kitchen, bathrooms and space for extra classrooms. The nursery space was finished, dedicated and put to use in September of 1997 providing much improved conditions for the small children who utilize this space. The new kitchen was put to use in the spring of 1998, becoming a well-used tool for times of fellowship and reaching family and friends for Christ. The bathrooms were completed in 1999. The “Upper Room” was completed in 2001 and the Senior High Youth Group promptly took ownership of the space, which is large enough for a good crowd of teens.

2001 was also the year for Palermo Christian Church to receive a new steeple. This project was directed by Neal Pottle who had the vision of a service project for the fifth- and sixth-grade Sunday School class. From July through November the class under Neal’s direction and with many parent volunteers provided the necessary time and effort to see the project to completion. On November 17 the steeple was raised with students and adults working side by side. The physical result of almost 200 hours of prayer, labor and sacrifice is seen atop the church building, pointing to the One who brought it all together.

In 2008 an addition to the gym was begun, adding an improved handicap entrance, three offices, a large classroom as well as more storage. In 2017 construction began on the addition to the front entrance allowing for ease of entrance to the sanctuary, a larger foyer area and improved space for the sound room.

Leadership:

The church has been blessed with Godly leadership over the years. Dale Flynn was the first pastor. He served from May 19, 1968, until August 24, 1968, when he left to teach school in Jacksonville, Florida. The second pastor was Fred Williams. Soon after Dale Flynn left, Fred was asked to serve as interim pastor and fill in when they could not find a pulpit supply. On July 9, 1969, he became the full-time pastor and served until November 22, 1981. Two assistants helped during this time. Dave Jones served as assistant pastor from April 1,1970, until January 14, 1976. Marilyn Spearin, now Marilyn Kibbe, served as music director for several years. Dave Kibbe assisted from September 1978 until November 22, 1981. He then served as interim pastor until the present pastor, Ed Hatch, was inducted on June 20, 1982. He is a graduate of Glen Cove Bible College and has served the church since 1982. In 1995 the church established a board of elders, which presently includes Ed Hatch, Dennis Keller, Ralph Littlefield, Neal Pottle, Buddy Spaulding, Gerald Stillman and Dan Sprague.  In 1997 the church voted to hire an administrative assistant and welcomed Susan Williams to the position. Her qualifications and commitment to the church brought a measure of organization to the church office which benefit the whole ministry of the church. In 2001 Sandy Keller was hired to the position following Susan’s resignation. In 2003 the church voted to hire a part-time Youth Pastor. Phil Hubbard came as a graduate of Northland Baptist Bible College in 1995 since serving as Youth Pastor at two other churches. Under his leadership the Youth Ministry has grown using different avenues to attract and challenge the youth while being committed to the presentation of the Gospel and a challenge to grow in Christ.

“INC” is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as “united in one body.” Fifty years ago, a few separate groups of believers united to become one body, to form Palermo Christian Church, Inc. What may have seemed on the outside to be only a legal transaction, has become when viewed from the inside, the building of a spiritual body with eternal benefits.

Palermo Christian Church has been blessed and grown over the years. More people each year become involved in the ministries of the church (leading, serving and being served) and more lives are changed as a result.  Our goal continues to focus on giving glory to God through worshiping Him, sharing our faith in Christ with others and helping others grow spiritually. May this continue to be our focus until Christ comes again.

The 50th anniversary celebration takes place on Sunday, May 20. They will begin during a special worship service at 9 a.m. with guests speakers and special music. Following the service there will be a chicken BBQ/potluck lunch. There will be photos on display, tours for those who don’t know the building and time to visit and reminisce with people who have had a part in the life of the church, both past and present. There will be a memory book available to take away and hope that all who come will make even more memories to take away in their hearts.

This article originally appeared on Palermo Christian Church’s website.

The Walk To End Hunger 2018 a great success

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China Food Pantry Team (left to right): James Maxwell, Andrew Maxwell, Abigail Maxwell, Caley Pillow, Madeline Durant, Catherine Durant, Christine Durant, Lisa Durant. Ann Austin not pictured.

The Walk To End Hunger, organized by the Maine State Credit Union, took place on April 28 and was a success, according to organizers. Volunteers, seven teenagers and two adults, walked to represent the China Community Food Pantry. Because of the generous support of community people, they raised $725. This money will enable them to purchase much needed food. The food pantry staff thanks all who came out to support the food pantry with money donations, food items and clothing.

Five staff members cited at Vassalboro school

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Vassalboro School Principal Dianna Gram, third from right, is flanked by, from left to right, Senora Soifer, Meg Swanson, Megan Allen, Stephanie Roy and Robin Corey. All were presented with certificates from the principal. (Contributed photo)

Corey, Roy, Swanson, Allen and Soifer honored at Portland Seadogs game

Recently, at Vassalboro Community School, principal Dianna Gram recognized five staff members for their contributions to VCS. This recognition comes from the Portland Seadogs baseball team. Each of these staff members has made a difference here at VCS. The staff members are:

Robin Corey for being a role model and leader. Her work on behalf of students with disabilities has made a huge difference! She has also provided much support to the members of the Special Education team. “You are also helpful and kind to the core!” said Gram.

Stephanie Roy for her hard work to become the teacher she is today. Ms. Roy started at VCS as an Ed Tech and has worked in many grade levels. She has worked more than one job at a time putting herself through college to become a teacher. “VCS thanks you and is proud of all you have accomplished,” said Gram.

Meg Swanson has been a great addition to VCS. She has helped teachers and students in many areas. Her focus on mindfulness and kindness has made the school better. She was thanked for helping the students to learn and grow.

Megan Allen is recognized for her leadership and hard work on curriculum. She has also received her doctorate and will be the next principal, following Gram’s retirement in June. VCS is very fortunate to have you on the team.

Finally, recognition goes to Senora Deb Soifer for her work at VCS teaching Spanish. She has brought culture and language learning to many students over the years. Gram stated, “She is retiring this year and we thank her for her work on behalf of kids. Because of her influence students have not only learned a language but have been exposed to another culture. VCS salutes you.”

These staff members were honored at the Portland Seadogs game along with other teachers throughout the state of Maine. Gramm concluded by saying, “Congratulations Mrs. Corey, Ms. Roy, Ms. Swanson, Dr. Allen and Senora Soifer…and know we are all proud of you!”

Local students compete at robotics tournament

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Let the games begin. These Lawrence High School students getting ready for competition are, left to right, Kaleb Anderson, Justin Trott, Robert Klean and Hunter Dusoe. (Photo by Dan Cassidy)

Students from SAD #49, in Fairfield, and RSU #18, from Messalonskee High School, in Oakland, participated with many students from all over New England in designs programs motivating more than 450,000 young students from in 88 countries to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math skills.

The robotics tournament put teams together to see what students can accomplish using creativity, problem solving and teamwork with the help of mentors from the worlds of education and business. The future workforce learns how to collaborate, encourage one another and persevere in this year’s challenge FIRST Power UP, according to the Pine Tree District Event Planning Committee’s program release.

Students compete on time clocks by using Robots working together to exchange power cubes, climb the scale tower to face the ‘boss’ and try to escape the game. Operators take control for the final two minutes and 15 seconds of the match, scoring points by gaining ownership of the scale or their alliance’s switch, delivering power cubes to the alliance’s vault, using power ups for a timed advantage, parking on the scale platform or climbing the scale to face the boss. The alliance with the highest score at the end of the match defeats the boss and wins.

The program highlights indicate that it’s the hardest fun you’ll ever have.

Retired educators to hold meeting

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Bill Green (source: MaineNewsCenter.com)

Hundreds of retired educators and guests are expected to attend MEA-Retired’s 66th annual meeting and convention at the Augusta Civic Center on Thursday, May 3, where Bill Green, of Portland, will be keynote speaker.

Widely known for “Bill Green’s Maine” on WCSH Channel 6, Portland, Bill grew up in Bangor and has lived his whole life in Maine. He attended Bangor schools where Phil Gonyar was his high school social studies teacher. He attended the University of Maine at Orono.

His renowned show, “Bill Green’s Maine,” has been acclaimed the “Most Popular TV Program in Maine” by the readers of Down East Magazine.

In 2015, he won the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for feature reporting. In 2016, “Bill Green’s Maine” won the Regional Emmy as the Outstanding Magazine Program in New England.

Bill Green is an inductee into the Maine Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame, the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, and the Silver Circle of the New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Bill is a registered Maine guide, senior warden at Trinity Episcopal Church, in Portland, and assistant JV baseball coach at Greely High School.

Bill and his wife Pam reside in Cumberland and they have two grown children.

Retirees representing thousands of years of service to teaching Maine’s youth may choose from four breakout sessions as follows:

Dr. David Richards, Director of the Margaret Chase Smith Library, in Skowhegan, will give a presentation on what he considers are the positive outcomes of hitting a moose on Maine’s roadways.

Dr. Richards majored in history at Bates College, in Lewiston, holds a M. A. in New England Studies from the University of Southern Maine and a Ph. D. in History from the University of New Hampshire. He has facilitated more than 400 Maine Humanities Council book discussions since 1996.

Jane Conroy, Extension Educator Emeritus, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, will present a “Keep, Take or Toss” session.

Designed to help us purge and downsize our possessions, this session will help us organize important papers, control clutter and save money.

Each workshop participants is asked to bring along a clutter issue, item or question to share with the group.

A lifetime Mainer, Jane graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington as a home economics major and earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Southern Maine.

Jane is very active in her community and is a member of the Piscataquis County Retired Teachers. She serves as chairperson of MEA-Retired Communications Committee.

She and her husband live in Dover-Foxcroft and have three adult children, one granddaughter and five grand dogs.

Paul Johnson, of Oakland, will highlight some of the features of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument— especially along the East Branch.

Since 2008, Paul Johnson has spent a few days each summer working on a campsite and portage trail stewardship project on the section of the Penobscot River’s East Branch below Matagamon Lake.

This has provided him the opportunity to see and appreciate the natural resources of an area that is now part of Maine’s new national monument and to learn about the area’s rich history.

From 1969 to 2005, Paul worked as a fishery biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Moosehead Lake Region. In retirement he remains committed to efforts to conserve Maine’s natural resources and to maintain their traditional uses.

Currently, he serves on the board of directors of Maine Woods Forever and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation.

Phil Gonyar and Carl Daiker will present a session entitled “Around the Horn in 22 Days,” about their cruise in February 2018 from Santiago, Chile, to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Four days of the cruise will be in the waters of Antarctica.

Gonyar is a former social studies chairman and long-time activist in the MEA and MEA-Retired. Daiker retired from 30 years with the Orange County (NY) Department of Planning where he coordinatred federal, state, and local funding of the county’s transit system. Both Gonyar and Daiker have traveled extensively throughout six of the world’s seven continents and are awaiting the sights and sounds of the seventh continent.

The event is open to more retirees and guests: Registration includes lunch and is $20. Checks may be made payable to MEA-Retired and send to June Nickerson-Hovey, 145 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, ME 04976. Questions? Call 207-474-9472.