Augusta cub scouts help needy students

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Cub Leader Josh Demers, Scarlett Mudie, Landon Demers, Mack Demers, Willow Mudie, Cub Leader Lynette Mudie, and Cub Leader Jeff Morton. All live in Augusta except the Demers’ family who live in Windsor. (contributed photo)

Cub Scouts from Augusta Pack #603 were at Shaw’s Supermarket over the weekend of September 17 and 18 collecting money to purchase school supplies for needy students. For each box of supplies the Scouts purchased at Staples for a needy student, the business donated a second box of school supplies. The boxes contain such items as pencils, erasers, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, etc. Cub Pack #603 serves children from Augusta, Windsor, and Chelsea.

PHOTO: Winning pumpkin

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The China Hannaford store manager Jon Fortier recently took first prize with the largest pumpkin at the Windsor Fair. The pumpkin weighed 1,209 pounds and Jon grew it in his backyard garden in just 57 days. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

2022 Golf Fore Kids’ Sake raises $35,000 for youth mentoring

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine’s 2022 Golf Fore Kids’ Sake, at Belgrade Lakes, presented by Kennebec Savings Bank, raised $33,000 on Friday, September 2, to support one-to-one youth mentoring throughout mid-coast, central and eastern Maine.

The Belgrade Lakes Golf for Kids’ Sake was sponsored by Kennebec Savings Bank (Invitational Presenting Sponsor) with support from Major Sponsors Skowhegan Savings Bank, Cives Steele Company, Robert Gatof, and Horch Roofing. Lunch and Scoreboard Sponsors included Central Maine Motors Auto Group, Darlings, Sprague & Curtis Real Estate, and Sappi.

First Place Net: Maine General #2: Andy Dionne, John Smith, Jason Brown, Tim Borelli.

First Place Gross: Horch Roofing: Tim Matero, Chris Seavey, Jordan Matero, Benjie Blake.

Second Place Net: Bank of New Hampshire: Sean Rankin, Matt Worthen, Don McFadden, Travis Frautten.
Second Place Gross: Skowhegan Savings Bank: Kevin Holland, Don Skillings, Jim Coffin, Ed Goff.

Longest Drive awards were presented to Mark Eldgridge (men’s) and Adrian Phair (women’s). Ed Goff won the Chipping Contest.

To learn more about becoming a mentor, or for more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine’s youth mentoring programs, visit bbbsmidmaine.org.

Belgrade Golf Fore Kids’ Sake 2022 Tournament winners:

First Place Gross: Horch Roofing: Tim Matero, Chris Seavey, Jordan Matero, Benjie Blake. (photo courtesy of Monica Charette)

First Place Net: Maine General #2: Andy Dionne, John Smith, Jason Brown, Tim Borelli (photo courtesy of Monica Charette)

Webber Pond tests positive for blue-green algae toxins

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Blue-green toxic algae bloom.

by Roland D. Hallee

Following weeks of speculation, the test results were confirmed, on Friday, September 9, that Webber Pond, in Vassalboro, has tested positive for toxic algae blooms.

According to Linda Bacon, at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, “scum collected Wednesday afternoon [September 7] tested positive for microcystin this afternoon, an algal toxin that causes damage to the liver.”

Bacon added, “you’ve always had cyanobacteria blooms! This year was just particularly bad.”

Concentrations exceed EPA’s drinking water threshold and their recreation standard. Bacon continued, “Rapid tests were performed on the samples at DEP. The rapid tests do not provide numeric results, but assume that the concentrations of microcystin are likely to be 100-1,000 times these limits, which is typical of scums.”

According to Bacon, it is very likely that concentrations in open water do not exceed the recreation limit, based on data DEP has collected over the past few years.

The overall message is: don’t drink water taken from an area where scums are present or have been present recently (within the last two weeks). Don’t let pets drink the water and don’t let them in the water if scums are present. If they get scum on their fur, rinse them off with fresh water as soon as possible.

Do not let children play in the scums. Scums are quite tempting as they look like paint, so children will paint the rocks on the shoreline, the dock, or whatever is nearby while having lots of fun.

If you get your water from the lake, do not use it for cooking or drinking; make sure showers are short.

Bacon said, “although water treatment systems for algal toxins are still being refined, evidence suggests that it is a good idea to have two filters on an intake line, the one closest to the lake being a coarse filter (looks like wound string), followed by an activated charcoal filter. The charcoal filters are more expensive and would clog quickly if the coarse filter was not in place.”

Cyanotoxins have acute health effects in humans. The most common Cyanobacteria producing toxin, Microcystin-LR, will produce abdominal pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea, dry cough, diarrhea, blistering around the mouth, and pneumonia

Microcystis, Dolichospermum (previously Anabaena) were observed in the sample along with Aphanizomenon.

Referring to the drawdown on Septembeer 18, “Regardless, I would remove as many boards as you can [from the dam], but I wouldn’t leave the boards out. If we end up in another year of drought, it could become a water level issue next summer. Keep track of flows and when the flow decreases to what the usual end-of-drawdown has been, begin replacing the boards.

Concerning the alewife egress from the lake, “one thing that can happen – not saying that it did – is that adult spawners get trapped and die in the lake along with all the nutrients in their bodies. It will be very important to make sure adults can leave the lake post-spawning to minimize this issue.

Headstone returned to China Village Cemetery

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Installation of Margaret Ayer headstone. Standing, from left to right, Cindy Gagnon, Joyce Wyand, Julie Finley. In the foreground: Shawn Reed and Josh Ross. (photo by Jeanne Marquis)

Many unanswered questions still buried

by Jeanne Marquis

The bell tolled from the church at the head of the lake just as Margaret B. Ayer’s headstone was finally laid back into place again at the China Village Cemetery. Cindy Gagnon, of the Daughters of the American Revolution remarked, “Well did you hear the bell ringing? How appropriate. It says Margaret’s family appreciates she’s back now and they are complete again.”

Cindy Gagnon and Joyce Wyand are both members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and share a passion for cemetery restoration. They were made aware that Margaret B. Ayer’s headstone was in the basement of the L.C. Bates Museum, at the Good-Will Hinckley campus in Fairfield. Gagnon went to the museum on her own to investigate and mentioned that a dark museum basement is not a place you want to be alone. She felt it was a bit unnerving to be among the taxidermy animals, fossils and bones. Yet there, she not only found Margaret’s headstone; she found quite a few mysteries as well.

First off, why had Margaret’s headstone been in the basement of the museum for decades? Who had brought it there? Why was the headstone broken into pieces? Who had tried to repair the headstone. The pieces of the headstone were fitted back together like a puzzle, plastered onto a plywood board for support, and the face of the stone was carefully cleaned to restore its original brightness. These questions still remain a mystery.

The two members of the DAR, Gagnon and Wyand, researched where the headstone belonged and determined Margaret’s final resting place was in the China Village Cemetery, located at 13 Causeway Road. There was an existing small stone on her plot. Her parents, Edward Breck and Roxanna Dean Breck and her brothers, Edward Jr. and Samuel, were also buried in China Village Cemetery.

In her investigation, Gagnon found out that Margaret’s early death at age 41 was one of a long spell of tragic events in her husband’s life at the time. George Washington Ayer, Margaret’s husband, enlisted to fight in the Civil War as a 38-year-old father. He was mustered into the 18th Massachusetts Infantry on October 12, 1861 as a private in Company A.

While on detached service as a waggoneer at 1st Brigade Headquarters, Fifth Corps, he was crushed by a mule at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia. George was treated for his injuries for a five week period and reassigned, due to his condition, as a clerk at First Division, Fifth Corps Headquarters. In the summer of 1864, George contracted typhoid fever while waiting to be mustered out of his three year enlistment, encamped at Arlington Heights, Virginia. George fulfilled his enlistment responsibilities and was discharged in October 1864 with long lasting effects of his illness and injuries. Not long after he returned home, Margaret passed away in August 1,1865, leaving George and three children – Charles, George E. and Mary. No cause of death was listed on her death certificate. George Washington Ayer lived until 1890 and was buried in Oakland.

Gagnon remarked that Margaret had a tough life as well, “Margaret lost her mom when she was 14, her dad when she was 17, and her brother died in the Civil War just before she died.”

Gagnon and Wyan were unable to locate any of Margaret’s living relatives so they contacted Julie Finley, Deputy Clerk of the Town of China to find out the protocol to return the headstone to its rightful placement in the cemetery. Ross and Shawn Reed, Director of Public Services, organized the physical placement of the headstone with assistance of Josh Ross. It was laid flat to the ground due to the condition of the stone and surrounded by crushed stone to hold it in place. A layer of fine sand was used to fill in the cracks of the repaired stone.

While there was no official ceremony, there was a collective feeling of success and quiet jubilation from all who were present at 9 a.m. when the church bell rang because an artifact was returned after a long absence, although we still don’t know why it disappeared. This symbolic act rejoined a family post-mortem with the respect they deserved, and that is something worth celebrating.

We are still looking for living relatives of Margaret B. Ayers to tell them about this story. So look on your family tree and see if her branch belongs to your tree and contact us at The Town Line newspaper.

CORRECTION: The print edition of this story referred to Jason Finley, but the correct name is Josh Ross. This has been updated.

Fall weather preview

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Kayakers in Brunswick

Provided by Accu-Weather

It has been a hot summer across the United States with the mercury frequently flirting with the 100-degree mark in countless cities and towns across the country and even some of the longest-duration heat waves in a decade. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those awaiting the return of hoodie weather, pumpkin-flavored beverages and even snow.

AccuWeather’s team of long-range meteorologists, led by veteran forecaster Paul Pastelok, has been cooking up the long-term forecast for this autumn, blending together data from computer models, analyzing weather patterns around the globe and reflecting on past years. After combining the forecasting ingredients, the team has boiled down the seasonal outlook into one word: warm.

Meteorological autumn officially kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 1, and continues through Wednesday, Nov. 30. This is consistent year after year, making it easier for scientists to compare one season to another. “With pretty good confidence this year,” Pastelok said, “I think it’s a mild fall setting up overall for the U.S.” Warmth will dominate the forecast from Connecticut to California, but AccuWeather forecasters break down what else the season may entail, weighing in on where rainfall will be a frequent visitor and which areas may face tropical threats.

Plus, will snow shovels be needed before the official arrival of winter? And will this autumn be a good year for leaf-peepers hoping to snap incredible photos of vivid fall foliage? Find out the answers to these questions and more with a complete region-by-region breakdown of the U.S. fall forecast:

October to bring major weather shift in Northeast. As the calendar flips from August to September, millions of residents across the Northeast might not feel much of a change as summer-like warmth extends its stay over the region, but big changes are in the offing with the arrival of October.

Above-normal heat paired with spells of dry weather throughout the summer allowed pockets of drought to develop across New England, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As a result, small streams have run dry, lawns have started to change from green to brown and cooling costs have gone up.

The warmer-than-normal pattern is expected to continue into the start of autumn across the regions as students go back to school and football season kicks off.

For those looking forward to enjoying autumnal scenery, the widespread warmth could delay the peak of fall foliage in popular viewing areas. But, forecasters say the wait could be worth it this year as vibrant colors are likely to unfold on the hillsides across most of the Northeast.

AccuWeather long-range forecasters believe that an increase in moisture will help to promote rain across the Northeast heading into autumn, helping to wash away drought concerns, but that the rain will be a double-edged sword.

“The severe weather threat will pick up again,” Pastelok said. Some of the rain may not come in the form of severe thunderstorms, but rather from a named tropical system.

Last year, multiple tropical systems had significant impacts in the Northeast. “It is something to watch. But we just don’t have the confidence yet to say that a major strike is going to hit the Northeast at this point,” said Pastelok.

A stormy pattern could set up over the Northeast in late October into November, including the chance for the first snowflakes of the season across the interior Northeast.

AccuWeather is predicting that there will be 16 to 20 named tropical storms during this hurricane season, including six to eight hurricanes and four to six direct U.S. impacts. Last year, there were 21 named storms, seven hurricanes and eight direct U.S. impacts. There have already been three named storms so far this year, including Tropical Storm Alex, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Tropical Storm Colin.

Areas from Florida to the Carolinas are forecast to take the brunt of the activity this hurricane season.

Stories from Fort Hill Cemetery: Volunteers sought

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Volunteers replacing headstone. (photo courtesy of Kit Alexander)

Submitted by Kit Alexander

Over the years, the Fort Hill Cemetery, on Halifax St., in Winslow, has lost its luster. Air pollution and the exhaust from cars and trucks climbing the hill beside it have left their mark on the gravestones, turning them black in some places and shades of gray in others. Many have suffered damage from frost in the form of cracks which can sometimes lead to pieces of stone breaking off. Stones, which have lost their support, again, due to our Maine winters, and fallen down flat or broken, have sometimes been reclaimed by the vegetation so they have either completely or partially disappeared from sight.

But fortunately, a group of volunteers, with funding and support from the town of Winslow, have started a restoration project to return the cemetery to its previous state – a historic town burial ground dating to just before the American Revolution.

The crew of volunteers is comprised of men and women who participate for many reasons. Some love history and genealogy, while others just enjoy the challenge of working with their hands and restoring the land and stonework back to their former beauty. Love of digging is mandatory, even if you’re not the one doing it. I suspect everyone has a secret interest in archaeology, just waiting to get some dirt under their finger nails, or any place else, for that matter. Others just want to be of service to the Winslow community and enjoy being outside in the fresh air and sunshine while they do it.

Some volunteers are residents of surrounding communities, eager to help with this type of project. Some are members of the Fort Halifax Branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution whose particular interest is finding and restoring the graves of Revolutionary War Patriots. And some are folks, who stopped by one day and were hooked by the activities going on. Last year, some of the volunteers cut grass and tree limbs, raked, used leaf blowers and generally cleaned up the space. Some buried gravestones were uncovered and brought back into the light of day. One buried stone was found due to an enthusiastic volunteer using the leaf blower, blowing the dirt off a buried stone enough that it was recognizable as a gravestone and not just a rock. Many of the stones lay on the ground, but volunteers put them on wooden supports awaiting restoration this year.

On just about any day, one can hear the noise from a generator sitting in the back of a truck powering the skill saw cutting off a badly damaged stone bottom. Volunteers are chiseling out the grooves where the stones will reside and making other alterations by hand. Or they may be gluing the top half back onto the bottom of a stone broken in two, or onto the base or pediment. Everyone participates in cleaning the stones following a tried and true process.

Some detective work is needed to find out which small foot stone is related to which larger stone. It usually contains only initials and may be found close to its original placement or far away. One ten-year-old boy who died in 1885 is identified only by the initials “B. M. W.” printed on his foot stone. But where is his grave marker? It was there in the 1930s, but now it’s gone. Has it been damaged and removed, or is it sitting just a bit under the surface waiting to be discovered? At any rate, this is his only stone for now.

Documentation of those buried in Fort Hill began a long time ago. During the 1930s, The Works Progress Administration (WPA), part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, employed people to record the gravestones in Maine. Many cemeteries were missed and mistakes were made, but still, it was the basis for the cemetery lists that now exist. At some point, The Maine Old Cemetery Association (MOCA), took possession of these lists and has placed them at the Maine State Library, the Hampden Historical Society, and our own Taconnet Falls Genealogical Library. They are also available to members on the MOCA website.

Old, deteriorating headstone, and far right, the same headstone restored. (photo courtesy of Kit Alexander)

Another part of the project has involved adding the names and photos of all the stones to “Find A Grave.” This website has over 210 million memorials for people all over the world. Someone in Winslow can created a memorial for their great-grandmother who died in New Jersey, click on a box, and someone in that area will take a picture of that grave site and post it to the memorial. And it works in reverse; people in Maine are traveling to cemeteries photographing sites for those in California.

The next step of the project is documenting what has been done. A Burial Marker Survey Sheet is filled out, the work done documented, measurements and a sketch done of the stone, and a before and after photograph taken. Sometimes the before picture is so degraded and dirty, it is hard to believe the after picture is the same stone.

And finally, the plot number will be added to Find A Grave based on a survey done in 2010 by George Lessard, former Winslow Cemetery Superintendent. This survey is a careful depiction of Fort Hill by sections with lists of the burials in each lot. Anyone wanting to visit great-grandfather Ezekiel can find him without having to tramp the entire cemetery of 444 graves.

Volunteers are welcome to join in the project no matter how much or how little time they have to give. All levels of expertise and strength are needed, from moving tombstones to taking before and after restoration photos. Anyone interested in participating can contact the Project Director, Dale Macklin, at 716-7593.

Flag waving on September 11

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photo: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org

On Sunday, September 11, 2022, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is calling on all Americans to join them in waving the American flag in their own communities to commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11.

At 8:46 a.m., On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, five hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the heart of New York City and the northern façade of the World Trade Center’s North Tower (1 WTC).

At 9:03 a.m., five other hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the southern facade of the South Tower (2 WTC).

At 9:37 a.m., another five hijackers flew American Airlines flight 77 into the western facade of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.

At 10:03 a.m., four hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Stonycreek Township, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Members of the WAA family, including staff, volunteers, Gold Star and Blue Star families, and veterans, will join to share in the patriotic act of waving the flag, and sharing the stories of those who raised their hand to serve following the events of that fateful day. The flag waving will start at 8:46 a.m. ET, when on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, five hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the heart of New York City and the northern facade of the World Trade Center’s North Tower (1 WTC) and end at 10:03 a.m. ET when four hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Stonycreek Township, near Shanksville, Penn., on the same day.

You too can join by tuning in to the organization’s Official Facebook page, to share pictures and videos from your own community flag waving. Participants are encouraged to take video and pictures of their participation in the national flag waving and share them with WAA, their family, and their friends to help REMEMBER, HONOR and TEACH the generation born after 9/11, how hard times can strengthen us as a nation. Please use the hashtag #FlagsAcrosstheCountry and #AmericaStrong when posting on social media and tag the Wreaths Across America Official Facebook page.

WAA waves the American Flag every Tuesday morning between 9-10 a.m. ET and encourages the public to join them. Each week, messages of unity and remembrance are shared and the legacy of the “Freeport Flag Ladies” – who took to the Hill in Freeport on 9/11/01 following the events of that morning to hoist the flag and share a message of strength – lives on as it did each week for 18 years. After they retired on September 11, 2019, WAA took over the tradition and continues the weekly flag waving along US Route 1 in Jonesboro, Maine.

EVENTS: KVCOG to hold hazardous waste collection day

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The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) will be offering Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days for the following locations:

On Saturday, October 1, from 9 a.m. – noon, the towns of Skowhegan, Canaan and Madison will be collecting at the Skowhegan Transfer Station. All residents have to sign up by calling their individual town office.

On Saturday, October 1, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., the towns of Pittsfield and Palmyra will be collecting at the Pittsfield Transfer Station. All residents have to sign up by calling their individual town office.

On Saturday, October 15, from 8 a.m. – noon, the communities of Winslow, Waterville, Belgrade and Oakland and will be collecting at the Winslow Transfer Station. All residents have to sign up by calling their individual municipal office.

According to Jessie L. Cyr, Community and Economic Development Specialist with Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, “we are all municipalities and nonprofit but these events directly benefit the people within our county and we feel it is a necessity to find the funding to hold these collection events.”

He continued, saying that 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. 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. Difficult to recycle -or dispose of- items can also become harmful if left unmonitored, items like electronic waste, paint, old fuels, mercury thermostats, etc. We also have local law enforcement officials on hand that day that will be collecting and properly disposing of any pharmaceuticals that residents want to bring in.

EVENTS: Spectrum Generations to hold chef’s challenge

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Spectrum Generations will host the 10th annual Celebrity Chef Challenge fundraiser on Monday, September 19, at the Augusta Elks, 397 Civic Center Dr., in Augusta, at 5 p.m. The event will feature three local chefs who will prepare signature dishes based on the Meals on Wheels guidelines and standards. This year’s featured chefs include Ben Ramsdell, Culinary Coordinator & Chef Educator from MaineGeneral’s Peter Alfond Prevention & Healthy Living Center, in Augusta, Shaun Killeen, head chef from The White Duck Brew Pub, in Winthrop, and Edward McGregor, head chef from The Front Room, in Portland.

Their signature dishes will be enjoyed and voted on by attendees and reviewed by a panel of judges, including Heidi Parent, previous contestant on Hell’s Kitchen, and Monica Castellanos, owner of Maine Local Market, in Hallowell.

The three courses prepared by the chefs will be served to attendees by local celebrities, including Matt and Lizzy from the morning show on 92 Moose. The event will be emceed by Connor Clement, talented TV host (MaineLife Media) and sports reporter (ESPN). The winning dish will be incorporated into Spectrum Generations’ Meals on Wheels program.

Attending guests will also enjoy a reception with appetizers and entertainment will be provided by The Pam Tyler Trio. Lori Dumont, from The Parsonage House, in Vassalboro, will be providing two of her most famous desserts. Cash bar and silent auction will also be available throughout the evening. Tickets are $75 and are required for this fundraising event. All proceeds will support the programs and services of Spectrum Generations including Meals on Wheels, which utilizes staff and volunteers to prepare and deliver approximately 5,500 meals each week to 1,100 homebound older adults and adults with disabilities in communities throughout Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Somerset, and Waldo counties, and the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell, in Cumberland County.

To purchase tickets, visit spectrumgenerations.org/events/celebrity-chef. For more information about Spectrum Generations’ Meals on Wheels program, visit spectrumgenerations.org/nutrition-services/meals-wheels.