Vassalboro Senior Services Fair set for May 23

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro’s second senior services fair is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, in St. Bridget’s Center, the new community meeting space in the former Catholic church at 864 Main Street in North Vassalboro.

Sponsored by FAVOR (Friends Advocating for Vassalboro’s Older Residents), the fair will take advantage of the larger space – last year it was held in the town office meeting room – to offer something for almost everyone.

Twenty-two organizations are listed alphabetically on the posters advertising the fair, starting with AARP Maine and the Alzheimer’s Association and ending with Waterville Area Habitat for Humanity and 47 Daisies, the educational farm on Webber Pond Road.

Those attending the fair will be able to get information from representatives of those groups and a variety of other educational, medical and social service agencies.

Admission to the fair is free. There will be door prizes, and from 11:30 a.m. on, students in Vassalboro Community School’s JMG (Jobs for Maine Graduates) program will sell hot dogs and other refreshments. More information is available from Debbie Johnston at the Vassalboro town office. According to the 47 Daisies website, the farm is sponsoring a community potluck at the mill in North Vassalboro beginning at 6 p.m., Friday, May 18. Residents are invited to share food, listen to live music and learn about the farm’s mobile food access program.

Students named to Colby-Sawyer College dean’s list for Fall 2017

Colby-Sawyer College, in New London, New Hampshire, recognized 254 students for outstanding academic achievement during the 2017 fall semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must achieve a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours in graded courses.

Ross Sirois, of Norridgewock, a member of the class of 2018, majoring in biology.

Haley Carver, of Sidney, a member of the class of 2020, majoring in sociology.

Chelsea Perry, of Oakland, a member of the class of 2021, majoring in business administration.

Carrabec High School third quarter honor roll spring 2018

Grade 12

High honors: Jacob Atwood, Elizabeth Barker, Cyli Bolduc, Kelsey Creamer, Bailey Dunphy, Ariana-Lee Dunton, Emilee Fortier, Michael Hargreaves, Katrina Mason, Sierra Turcotte; Honors:  Kaitlin Dixon, Patrick Dube, Mackenzie Edes, Courtney Fuller, Evan Holzworth, Sage James, Jackson Lawler-Sidell, Samantha LeBeau, Jazmin Luthy, Peter McAnistan, Kiara Pinkham, Hayley Taylor, Dylan Willette.

Grade 11

High honors:  Tristan Bachelder; Honors: Lilyana Aloes, Lillian Johnson, Lauren Rafferty, Sidney Small, Taegan Tatakis, Makayla Vicneire.

Grade 10

High honors:  Annika Carey, Scott Mason, Abby Richardson; Honors: Cassidy Ayotte, Caitlin Crawford, Shay Cyrway, Caroline Decker, Olivia Fortier, Paige Giroux, Madison Jaros, Dylan Leach, Laney Murray, Jasmyne Pray, Cheyenne Sirois.

Grade 9

High honors: Sarah Olson; Honors: Jasmyne Coombs, Sierra Corson, Lilith Frith, Ethan Johnson, Chantelle LaCroix, Adam Lawrence, Mikayla Oliver, Emily Riggs, Dimitri Turcotte.

Vassalboro school recognizes most improved students

From left to right, front to back, Peter Giampietro, Ryder Neptune-Reny, Braiden Crommett, Zoey DeMerchant, Noah Rau, Lukas Blais, Sovie Rau, Baylee Fuchswanz, Tyler Clark, Mason Lagasse, Andrew Maxwell, Mylee Petela, Tallulah Cloutier, Addyson Burns, Paige Littlefield, Kaiden Morin, Echo Hawk, Kayden Painchaud, Principal Dianna Gram, Tabitha Craig, Lexi Allen, Hunter Brandt, Lara Stinchfield, Nathalia Carrasco, John Nutting and Joshua Bonsant. Absent from photo, Cameron Willett, Emily Paetow, Hailey Fongemie, Kazlynn Davidson and Owen Pooler. (Contributed photo)

Students at Vassalboro Community School were recently recognized as most improved students by the Portland Seadogs baseball team and Next Gen. Students were selected by their teachers.

Caron, Franks on dean’s list at Castleton University spring 2018

The following students were named to the Castleton University dean’s list for the fall semester of the 2017-18 academic year, in Castleton, Vermont:

Mitchell Caron, of Augusta, and Mary Franks, of Liberty.

Local students named to Clarkson University dean’s list spring 2018

The following students have been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Clarkson University, in Potsdam, New York:

Dakota Bragg, of Skowhegan, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering/environmental engineering, and Ben Thibert, of Oakland, a sophomore majoring in aeronautical engineering.

Albion native obtains doctorate in pharmacy

Kayla Keay

Albion resident Kayla Keay graduated from Husson University, in Bangor, with a doctorate in pharmacy, on May 5.

Kayla, a 2012 graduate of Lawrence High School, in Fairfield, is the daughter of Daryl and Gloria Keay, of Albion, and granddaughter of Ruth Fuller and the late Guy Fuller, and the late Crosby and Gloria Keay.

Co-founder of wildlife rehab center remembered

Carleen Cote with one of her “babies.”

A tribute to a special “mother”

by Lea Davis

One definition of “mother” is “nurturer.” A good mother puts her children’s needs before her own to insure their health and welfare.

Carleen Cote, of Vassalboro, alongside her husband Donald, has, for 53-plus years, rescued thousands of Maine’s abandoned and starving wild animal babies, nurturing them back to health and eventual freedom, all at the couple’s own expense. She wrote a popular monthly column about her “children” for The Town Line and Turner Publishing newspapers, always crediting the help received from faithful volunteers, local veterinarians, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wardens and staff, other rehabbers and the caring people who donated money, food and supplies for the wildlife. Carleen Cote passed away on April 27. Her story is best told through her own words gleaned from 240+ “Critter Chatter” articles, which she wrote over 20 years’ time. Here are a few excerpts:

“The month of April arrives and so do the babies. The raccoons appeared in droves. Containers for them started to fill the living room, formulas were made, the babies would be fed four times a day, the last feeding at midnight. Hundreds of used towels needed to be washed, dried and folded for the next change (after every feeding!). One night in May, Donald decided to count the raccoons as we had lost track – he counted 150! In addition, skunks, mink, weasels, opossums, fawns, foxes, porcupines and woodchucks were arriving. We were overwhelmed and exhausted. However, our dedicated volunteers saved us. God bless them!

“Though raccoons are in the majority, they don’t usually present the challenges that we face with the fawns. One year we received 20 fawns, requiring several trips to the veterinarian with broken bones, open sores and coccidiosis infections. Seven fawns died from their wounds, received either by vehicle hits or predator attacks. Some won’t nurse from the bottle, making it necessary to use a syringe to administer the milk. We carry on.

“Over the spring and summers months the animals, eventually moved to outside pens, grew and got fat. Many were released in late August to their natural habitats. September is the release time for the raccoons. Could we find enough spots to release 150 of them? We did it, at last! The raccoons react differently when taken to the chosen release sites. Some left the carrier, happy to roam, others hesitated, terror showing in their eyes, but, eventually, decided to explore their new surroundings. We are asked, “Are you sad to see them go after spending so much time caring for them?” Yes and no – we do wonder how they are faring, but know they are where they belong, enjoying the things they naturally do in the wild.

“We are frequently asked how we got involved in wildlife rehabilitation. It began when Donald expressed the desire to raise waterfowl. We were fortunate to find land in Vassalboro with a small area of water that could be enlarged. Then, an article about a wildlife rehab facility in Litchfield caught our attention. Would we be interested in doing this also? You guessed it! Our first critter to arrive, even before we had any permits, was a baby black duck. We applied for our state and federal permits and became licensed rehabbers. The rest is history. We gradually expanded our efforts and facilities way beyond the needs of one baby black duck in 1964, to now caring for hundreds of wildlife a year.”

Carleen was fond of a writing she’d come across entitled “I Am An Animal Rescuer,” author unknown. In part, it reads:

“My job is to assist God’s creatures, I was born with the drive to fulfill their needs
I take in helpless, unwanted, homeless creatures without planning or selection
I have bought cat food with my last dime. I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand
I have hugged someone vicious and afraid. I have fallen in love a thousand times
And I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body too many times to count
I am an Animal Rescuer. My work is never done. My home is never quiet.
My wallet is always empty, but my heart is always full.”

Goodbye old friend.

Memorial donations may be made to Kennebec Valley Humane Society, 10 Pet Haven Lane, Augusta, ME 04330.

Winslow band performs at State House

Contributed photo

The Winslow Junior High School concert band performed at the State House, in Augusta, on April 13.

The tragic story of Father Rasle at Kennebec Historical Society

“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.