Benton resident celebrates 102nd birthday

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Charlie Kent, of Benton, at his 102nd birthday. (contributed photo)

Born during a pandemic, Charlie Kent has witnessed the evolution of modern America

Submitted by daughter Ellie Peavey

“Fifteen two, fifteen four, fifteen six, a double run for sixteen and right jack for seventeen.” What is this you ask? It’s how Charles Kent, of Benton, celebrated his 102nd birthday—winning many cribbage games against various family members.

According to Ellie, his eldest daughter from Syracuse, New York, he’s a master at pegging points throughout every game he plays. Charlie, as he is fondly known by his friends, has passed along his love of cribbage, not only to his children, but his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, several who were honored to play with him over his recent birthday weekend.

Charlie enjoying a dance with his beloved Nina, who shared 65 years of marriage. (contributed photo)

Another talent he has shared with his children is his love of dancing. He met Nina Bailey, the love of his life, on a dance floor and they danced throughout their 65-plus years of marriage. They could really “cut up the rug” dancing the Charleston, a popular dance during the roaring ‘20s. As master and Ceres, respectively, of Benton Grange for years, Charlie and Nina ran public Saturday night dances. Line dances like the Boston Fancy and Haymakers Gig were favorites, but none could take front and center when Charlie and Nina floated across the floor dancing the elegant Viennese waltz.

Charlie was born during a pandemic, has lived through major agricultural, industrial and societal changes and is now enduring another pandemic. The pop-up toaster, short wave radios, and arc welders were invented in 1919 and Woodrow Wilson was his president. From tilling the land with horses to the use of GPS systems on tractors to plant and harvest huge crops, Charlie has witnessed how technology has changed the efficiency and economics of farming.

Charlie still enjoying his tractor. (contributed photos)

Charlie never really retired from 25 years of dairy farming 100 acres of land and milking 80 head of cattle, as he continued selling hay for another ten years and now assists his youngest son, Dennis, with his hay business by baling every summer, including last summer, and repairing machinery. This is all after working 14 years as a diesel locomotive mechanic in the piping department for the Central Maine Railroad (CMR). When laid off from the CMR in the 1940s he worked in the Fairfield Woolen Mill.

Early in his work career he was a butcher and ran a meat cart, drove a milk truck for $2/day, pumped 10 gallons gas/$1, worked in the woods and for a man with a portable saw mill, and sold wood for $6/cord, worked in a candy factory, picked potatoes and served as Benton Methodist Church janitor, among other odd jobs.

Few towns have had the good fortune of having such a dedicated servant as Charles is to his beloved town of Benton. One of his many contributions to the town include serving as its first selectman for 28 years (assuming the role of overseer of the poor and road commissioner many of these years). During this tenure he established and chaired the town planning board and was a member of the town budget committee.

Among his major accomplishments include initiating construction of the eight-room elementary school with gymnasium in 1957, for $95,000, including donations of land, time, equipment and money; replacing 14 wells in 1973 by hooking up a public water line from China Lake to the town with $28,000 of state funding; securing a $100,000 grant and a $100,000 FHA loan when needed to install secondary lines to the main sewer connector lines to complete secondary sewer lines enabling Benton to join the Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District; constructing a salt and sand shed; building a new town hall.

His representation on the Farm Bureau and Maine Municipal Association legislative committees while serving two years in the 101st Maine Legislature as the welfare committee chairman benefitted the townships of Albion, Benton, Clinton, Sidney and Unity greatly. He is proud to have received the Boston Post Gold Cane as the oldest resident in the town of Benton in 2011, and was presented an honorary Lawrence High School diploma in 2015. Other awards include 1995 Ethel Kelly Memorial Committee Award and the 1971 Maine State Grange Farm Family of the Year. Not bad for a young fella with an eighth grade education.

His civic involvement is extensive with memberships in the Fairfield Lodge of Odd Fellows; Benton and Clinton Methodist Churches; Waterville Elks B.P.O.E No. 905; Siloam Lodge No. 92; Scottish Rite Bodies, Augusta; Maine Consistory 32nd Degree, Portland; Shriners, Lewiston; Benton Grange, master for three years and conductor of the fourth degree; Kennebec Water District Water trustee, serving several times as its president.

Yeah, Charlie is still living quite the life with his youngest son, Dennis and daughter-in-law, JoAnna giving him top notch daily TLC, while enjoying the technology of occasional FaceTime with his four children, ten grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren from Maine to California.

If anyone has a little time on their hands, stop by and challenge Charlie in a friendly game of cribbage. Hint, hint — better check your counting skills before you come. :-) If cribbage is not your game, he’ll challenge you to a game of horseshoes or shuffleboard. (Don’t plan on winning those, either. Ha! Ha!)

Charlie’s extended family on the occasion of his 100th birthday. (contributed photos)

New signs at China School’s Forest

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Susan Cottle, Maine Master Naturalist (contributed photo)

Susan Cottle, Maine Master Naturalist graduate 2020, recently installed interpretive signs at the China School’s Forest. The Tree Trail ID signs were created as her capstone project for the year-long course that began in Waterville and moved on-line during the COVID-19 pandemic. Susan surveyed and identified a variety of trees along the trail and then researched the different species. Each sign features identification marks and fun “did you know?” facts. The metal signs were made by Leighton Signworks in Oakland, ME. Susan plans to add more signs to the Tree Trail this spring and hopes to offer some tree ID programming for the general public in the future. Information provided by Anita Smith, MMN 2014, and steward for the China School’s Forest.

PHOTO: Didn’t get the memo

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While not likely an Erskine Academy student, this guy(?) showed up on the school’s front lawn last week. Apparently, he didn’t get the memo that the snow sculpture contest at Winter Carnival was canceled this year. (photo by Bob Bennett)

PHOTO: Four event winner

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Abigail Dudley

Abigail Dudley, 14, of Winslow participated in the “Krane Virtual Valentine’s Day Tournament virtually on Valentine’s weekend. She is a student at Huard’s Martial Arts, in Winslow. She is also a valued member of Team IPPONE and Huard’s Sport Karate Team. In this tournament that she competed in her divisions are ages 14 to 17 male/female.

She competed in Traditional Forms, Creative Forms, Traditional Weapons, and Creative Weapons. Abigail placed first in each one of those categories. She enjoys the competition, while showing what a dedicated mind and spirit can achieve. She wants everyone to know and realize they can achieve anything towards which they set their minds. She also wants to make the point that it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy, you have the ability to achieve success.

VA to contact vets for vaccine shots

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Veterans Administration facility at Togus. (Internet photo)

The VA Maine care teams will begin to schedule Covid-19 vaccinations for eligible veterans. Through VEText, text messages will inform eligible veterans their facility is offering the vaccine and will come from the short number, 53079.

The VEText program allows veterans to confirm or cancel scheduled appointments and sends reminders for visits via text message.

With VEText, simply text “start” to 53079 to opt-in to receiving VEText messaging. Every enrolled veteran with a cell phone number listed in their health record is automatically enrolled to receive text messages.

The care teams will notify eligible veterans to make a vaccine appointment directly by text message. They will also continue to contact veterans by phone.

Veterans can update phone numbers online at va.gov/profile.

To learn more about VEText, go to va.gov/HEALTH/VEText­–FAQs.asp.

Support Keep ME Warm fundraiser

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image from: keepmewarm.org

Each year, thousands of Mainers are faced with choosing between heating their homes and purchasing basic needs like food and medicine. As a result, the Keep ME Warm fund was established in 2005 and is a statewide partnership of Maine’s United Ways and Community Action Agencies. Keep ME Warm provides emergency heating assistance and is the only statewide fuel assistance fundraising effort in Maine.

To help support the fund, seven Maine State Farm agents recently partnered and donated money to Keep ME Warm. “I can’t imagine not having a warm home in the winter,” says Augusta State Farm Agent Dennis Keller. “I’m very proud we are able to bring warmth and a sense of security to our neighbors in need.”

The State Farm agents’ donation totaled $4,400. Half of that funding came from the individual agents themselves and the other half was matched by State Farm.

“State Farm encourages all associates to be good neighbors by giving back to the communities where we live and work,” says Dennis. “I encourage anyone who can to also support the Keep ME Warm fund. Let’s create a state where no Mainers ever have to choose between heating their homes or feeding their families again.”

For more information on the Keep ME Warm fund, please visit keepmewarm.org.

Temple Academy Outreach Team doing great things within our community

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From left to right, Grace Paradis, Katelyn Rose, Kaylan Haber, Billy Dumond, and Shivon Larsen, serving at the Winslow Community Cupboard. (contributed photo)

by Mark Huard

The Temple Academy Outreach Team is a community serviced-oriented group of 7th through 12th grade students led by junior high and high school science teacher Rachel Baker. Kevin Wood, Superintendent of the pre-K-12, non-denominational Christian school shared his vision with Ms. Baker for a service-based team at the start of the 2020/2021 school year. Within a short period of time the team was formed, organized, and committed. They enthusiastically hit the ground running throughout the community.

From left to right, Isaac Smith, Elena Hassele, Dylan Shortil, Zack Wiles, Chloe Riportella, Gavin MacDonald, Dave Louis, Thomas Fortin, Marko Ajvaz, Hunter Doyle, Evan Lafountain, and Mary Jo Wadsworth serve at the Winslow Community Cupboard. (contributed photo)

They have worked on several different community projects in the area. In the Fall the team performed yard clean up chores for several local residents in different neighborhoods. They participated in the “Crusin’ Country” 93.5’s “Put a Sock in It” Sock Drive in December, collecting 238 pairs of new socks, which the students decided to donate to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter. The team has developed an ongoing relationship with the Winslow Community Cupboard, whose food pantry is open every other Thursday. The entire student body from seventh through 12th grade gets involved in this program. Ms. Baker takes multiple grade levels once a month, in shifts, to the Cupboard to volunteer.

Adalia Harrington, a 12th grade student at Temple Academy and Outreach Team president shares her feelings about being a member of this team, “After the devastating year our world has faced, I am privileged to be part of a group that restores the hope in our community and spreads the message that we are in this together!”

Ms. Baker states, “The heart of our mission is to promote a culture that regularly engages the student body in meeting needs in our community through acts of service. We want our students to experience the value of serving others. When you humble yourself to do something kind for someone else, it does something inside of you. It can deeply touch both the person serving and the one being served. With Temple Academy being a small school, I was immediately impressed with the level of interest at our very first meeting. The students are a committed and hard-working group and I am truly fortunate to have the privilege of working alongside of them. It is amazing for me to see these students shine during our events; they work so hard! And the best part of it is, I can tell the students are really enjoying themselves because of how happy they are while volunteering. This is truly an enlightening experience for every student that participates.”

She continues: “We were fortunate to make a connection early on with Bruce Bottigliere at the Winslow Community Cupboard. We have been able to plug our student volunteers into the various programs they have there. Together in March, we are working on scheduling a USDA Farmers to Families Food Box distribution site at our school. This will allow us to give every student in our entire school the opportunity to participate and experience the feeling of serving. I am thankful for our students, our parents, and our entire faculty who are so incredibly supportive in the efforts in making our vision a reality. We are Temple!”

(Plans are currently in the works for an opportunity this month at the First Choice Pregnancy Center.) This Spring the team is working on solidifying partnerships with the Alfond Youth & Community Center and with the city of Waterville to create some annual community projects. If you have any ideas on how their team may be able to get involved in your community or in your event, you are encouraged to contact MS. Baker at her contact information stated above.

PHOTO: Winter wonderland?

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Tyler Folsom, 13, of Winslow, doing something he loves, clearing snow from the driveway. That is something he has loved doing since he was a toddler. (photo by Mark Huard)

Scouts receive patches

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The Boy Scouts Pine Tree Council operates four properties: Camp William Hinds, in Raymond, Camp Bomazeen, in Belgrade, Camp Nutter, in Acton, and Camp Gustin, in Sabattus. Recently, Augusta Scout Troop #603 received commemorative “Four Camps Challenge” patches from Pine Tree Council for having adventures at all four camps. (contributed photo)

PHOTO: Six-time winner

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Chase Lawler, 9, of Oakland, took first place in the Oakland Recreation Department Ice Fishing Frenzy on February 14. It marked the sixth consecutive year he won that honor. (contributed photo)