Sheepscot Lake’s Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) program was very successful again this year. The 2023 Courtesy Boat Inspectors, Addison Turner, Olivia Childs, Alex Reitchel. Sheepscot Lake remains healthy and free from invasive plants. (contributed photo)
The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, based in Fairfield, plans to host Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days in October in Kennebec and Somerset counties.
Skowhegan, Anson, Bingham, Canaan and Madison will collect from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Skowhegan Transfer Station, 29 Transfer Station Drive. This is open to residents of those towns, who must call their own town office to schedule a time slot (Skowhegan, 207-474-6902; Anson, 207-696-3979; Bingham, 207-672-5519; Canaan, 207-474-8682; Madison, 207-696-3971).
Winslow, Belgrade, Clinton, Fairfield, Oakland and Waterville will collect from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 21, at Winslow Public Works, 135 Halifax St. Residents must call their municipal office to schedule a slot (Winslow, 207-872-2776; Belgrade, 207-495-2258; Clinton, 207-426-8322; Fairfield, 207- 453-7911; Oakland, 207-465-7357; Waterville, 207-680-4200).
Those who don’t have an appointment slot made with their town will not be able to drop off that day.
Many chemicals commonly used around the home are hazardous, either alone or when combined with other chemicals, and need to be disposed of by professionals trained to handle hazardous materials, according to a KVCOG news release.
Improper disposal of these materials can disrupt the function of sewage treatment plants or private septic systems, contaminate ground water, and harm animals and residents. Items that are difficult to recycle or dispose of — such as electronic waste, batteries, paint, anti-freeze, chemical cleaners, yard chemicals, old fuels, oils and mercury thermostats — many of which can also become harmful if left unmonitored.
The council will have local law enforcement officials on hand in Winslow and Skowhegan to collect and properly dispose of any pharmaceuticals that residents want to bring in.
Kaleb Brown, the Senior Patrol Leader of Palermo Boy Scout Troop #222, recently finished his Eagle Scout project by installing a helicopter pad for LifeFlight. This is the only permanent, concrete pad between Augusta, Waterville and Belfast. This is a multi-community asset as the First Responders of Palermo, China, Somerville, and Liberty will have access to the pad.
Kaleb noted, “There is a need and I can help. People shouldn’t worry about access to higher care if they or someone they know is critically injured in a remote area. Having a designated, permanent helicopter pad for LifeFlight (not just a field or a road that is shut down) saves precious minutes. Those minutes are critical to a patient’s survival.”
They are holding a public ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, September 23. The pad is located at the ball fields, at 645 Turner Ridge Rd., in Palermo. There will be guest speakers, emergency vehicles, the media, and LifeFlight will be on the pad!
This project was a huge undertaking and required a myriad of volunteers, materials, and funds to be a success. With generous donations by local businesses all $20K was covered!
Auburn Concrete, Belfast Chamber of Commerce, Bob Bruso, Darryl Heroux. Don Salvatore, Hancock Lumber, Haskell & Sons Dusty Haskell, McGee Construction
Modern Woodman of America, Nathan O. Northrup Forest Products and Earthworks, Palermo Youth Athletics, Paul Keller State Farm, and Wooly & Grunts Farm.
Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry – which has served more than 20,087 food-insecure households in Central Maine so far in 2023 – is urgently seeking new one-time and recurring monetary donations to meet surging demand. According to Operations Manager Bruce Bottiglierie, the food pantry, which also operates a Mobile Food Pantry that directly serves locations in Waterville, Skowhegan, Fairfield, and more than a dozen other local towns, experienced a 39 percent increase in the number of households needing food-pantry service just from March through August of this year.
“Between the two programs, we have provided more than 1.3 million pounds of food this year to our neighbors in need – and demand just keeps shooting up and up.”
Bottiglierie said he was especially hopeful that area businesses and individuals might choose to donate on a regular basis. Automatic monthly or one-time donations may be set up via PayPal at WCCPantry.com by clicking on the “Donate Now” button on the homepage, which also accepts credit card donations. Donations via check are also enormously appreciated, and may be made by mailing a check payable to “Winslow Community Cupboard” to: Winslow Community Cupboard / 12 Lithgow St. / Winslow, ME 04901. For more information, please contact Bruce Bottiglierie, Winslow Community Cupboard, at 207-616-0076 or Winslow Cupboard@Gmail.com.
photo credit: United Valley Democrats Facebook page
Representatives from the local United Valley Democratic Committee (formerly China Dems) are diligently working alongside Kennebec County Democratic Committee on the Contest Every Race grant. Kennebec County is one of two counties in Maine, where groups are set to receive a $3,000 grant from Movement Labs via their Contest Every Race project. Contest Every Race (CER) is awarding grants to more than 300 political groups nationwide. This is the first year they have included Maine in the grant winners.
CER focuses on strengthening existing local rural organizations on Democratic electoral efforts. It provides an additional layer of resources, technical support, and training for rural and underserved community organizers. The grant program supports rural Democrats to connect with one another, build more power, and support the mission of not leaving any race uncontested.
Nationwide, nearly 100,000 elections go uncontested every year. These positions include municipality, county, and election officials; school board candidates; judges; attorneys; and law enforcement officials such as sheriffs and deputies.
CER to date has helped 5,563 new candidates. 44 percent of the candidates have won their races. Fifty-eight percent of the new candidates have been women of color.
To show your support, join the United Valley Democratic Committee’s End-of-Summer Celebration on Saturday, September 16, from 2 – 8 p.m., at the 327 Stevens Shore Rd., Palermo, ME.
Club Naha student Matthew Christen, 12, of Benton, captured two first place wins and second place in the grand championship at the Amerikick International Martial Arts Championships, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (photo by Mark Huard, Central Maine Photography)
Alfond Center Baseball clinic 2023 (photo by Central Maine Photography)
The Badges for Baseball Clinic took place on Thursday, July 27, at Maine’s Fenway Park, in Oakland. The clinic paired Major League Baseball (MLB) player alumni with officers from the Waterville Police Department to teach youth enrolled in the AYCC’s Maine’s Fenway Premier Baseball Camp about baseball and life lessons. Badges for Baseball is a program of the Cal Ripken, Jr. Foundation that uses team sports to connect youth with local law enforcement mentors. The following MLB alumni players participated in the clinic:
During the clinic, each group of the youth ball players was paired with an MLB legend and an officer from the Waterville Police Department to learn the finer points of baseball.
AYCC chief executive officer Ken Walsh, worked with the MLB alumni and Chief Bonney, to make the day happen.
Sending the ducks on their way. (photo by Samantha Lessard)
That’s a wrap on Vassalboro Days 2023, sponsored by the Vassalboro Business Association and Maine Savings Federal Credit Union. There was lots of fun, family, food and prizes.
The Mill, in Vassalboro, and Olde Mill Place Gift Shop hosted activities all weekend beginning with The Root Notes playing live music Friday night. A Craft and Vendor Sale Saturday and Sunday. The Masons sold their much anticipated chicken baskets. And, of course, the Double Dam Duck Derby. Ducks hit the water at 1:30 p.m., and the winners were announced soon thereafter. Cash prizes went to first place Nate Gray, second place Tami Stearns, and third place Paul Breton.
One of the cars featured at the 8th Annual Freddie’s Cruise In at the Town Office. (photo by Lee Pullen)
An aerial view of the classic cars on display at Vassalboro Days. (photo by Lee Pullen)
Freddie’s Service Center hosted the 8th Annual Freddie’s Cruise In at the Town Office, which registered over 165 cars. Lee Pullen described it as a “true labor of love”. Lee captured the essence of it beautifully. “Our dad, Freddie Pullen, passed in 2015 and this event was the brainchild of my brother Bill and his wife Roxanne, who now own Freddie’s Service Center, as a way to give back to the community that has been so very good to our family and as a kind of tribute to our father. Dad would have loved the event. The cars, sure; Vassalboro Days and all it represents, yes; but the people, the family, the stories? He would truly have been in his glory.”
The Vassalboro Grange hosted a pancake breakfast Saturday morning to a sell out crowd. Prepared right there in the Grange kitchen and featuring ingredients from local farms. The Milkhouse, Misty Brook Farm, Two Loons Farm, Raider’s Sugarhouse, and Mbingo Mountain Coffee provided all the fresh and fabulous ingredients.
The Vassalboro Historical Society had an open house at both the Museum and the Taylor’s Blacksmith Shop Saturday and Sunday. Many came through to enjoy the displays and also to do some family research in the library of record. Saturday also kicked off a months long raffle with over $2,000 worth of prizes to win from over 20 local businesses. The historical society will be selling tickets anytime they are open, Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.. Until the drawing on October 8.
Other actives around town included the Vassalboro Public Library’s Book and Bake Sale. Lemieux’s Orchard had their annual apple picking, corn maze, hay rides, baked goods and donuts.
Grange pancake breakfast crew. (photo by Laura Jones)
Many crafters participated. (photo by Laura Jones)
Prizes from Vassalboro Historical Society’s months-long raffle. (photo by Laura Jones)
Antique equipment on display at Taylor Blacksmith. (photo by Laura Jones)
photo credit: Fairfield United Methodist Church Facebook page
Fairfield United Methodist Church welcomes Brenda E. Haskell, as pastor. Though she has always felt a calling for the ministry, she was told at an early age that women are not ministers. After graduating from Winthrop High School, she attended the University of Southern Maine for art education.
Then, several years later attended the University of the State of New York as an undergraduate of liberal arts. Later in life she took a disciple course and was told by her peers that ministry was her calling. She immediately signed up for seminary school and graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary in 2003.
Brenda first pastored in Hartland at Grace Linn UMC (1999-2004) as a licensed local pastor and then at Vassalboro UMC (2006-2008). In addition to attending seminary, and serving as licensed local pastor, she also worked as an investigator at the Maine Human Rights Commission. In 2007, she changed jobs and went to work for the University of Maine system, as an investigator and then as director of equal opportunity, retiring in 2017.
Though she left the ministry to work full time for the University of Maine, her call to ministry never faded and continued to serve at Vassalboro UMC in various capacities, was a member of the preaching team for the Fairfield Center UMC and filled in for other pastors for vacation or health reasons.
The congregation is happy she is once again serving, now as pastor of the Fairfield Center church. Her greatest joy in the ministry is to bring God’s word of hope and caring to those struggling; those seeking to live the good life God intended for them. Wherever she serves, her motto remains, “Everyone is welcome here.”
The congregation meets for Sunday service at 10:30 a.m.
Members of the China Historical Society (2023). (photo by Roberta Barnes)
The vice president of the China Historical Society, Tim Hatch, will be conducting a tour of the Chadwick Hill Cemetery this Saturday morning, September 9, beginning at 9 a.m. This property is located off Rte. 32 S., and is one of he largest burial sites in China. We all know that death is inevitable but after his or her passing, the history an individual created lives on forever. Tim has roots in China that go back to the 1700s and is very enthusiastic about preserving the past of those now gone. There is no set time frame for the event and parking will be available at Erskine Academy, diagonally across from the cemetery. Hopefully Mother Nature will be cooperative.