REVIEW POTPOURRI: Johanna Fiedler on Arthur Fiedler

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Johanna Fiedler

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Johanna Fiedler

In the Introduction to her 1994 memoir, Arthur Fiedler: Papa, the Pops, and Me, the late Johanna Fiedler (1944-2011) writes the following about being in New York City and watching the live CBS TV presentation of her father conducting the Boston Pops at the 1976 Bicentennial 4th of July concert at the Charles River Esplanade Shell:

“From the overhead shots taken by panning cameras on the roofs of neighboring apartment buildings, I could tell this was the largest crowd I had ever seen. People filled the Espla­nade and the adjacent highway, crammed boats on the Charles River Basin, and stretched back as far as the television cameras were able to show. Later I found out that the crowd had been just as dense on the Cambridge side of the river, where the music must have been almost inaudible. The Guinness Book of Records was to list this as the largest mass of people ever to attend a classical music performance. “

Arthur Fiedler

Arthur Fiedler’s Boston Pops records sold in the millions. My earliest memories as a classical record collector in seventh grade are the 12-inch Red Seal 78s gifted to me by kind relatives and friends of Jacob Gade’s Jalousie with Manuel de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance on the reverse side; of Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours (itself the melody for Allan Sherman’s infamous early 1960s best selling record Hello Fadda, Hello Madda/Camp Granada); a spirited late 1940s 78 set of the Offenbach/Rosenthal Gaite Parisienne Ballet with its own Can Can; and hearing on the radio the Pops own semi-classical arrangement, with sweetly graceful strings, of the Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand, for me the first enjoyable rendition of one of their songs, as during junior high I detested rock music, especially the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Elvis Presley.

With 13th birthday money, I bought a 1964 Boston Pops album (RCA Victor LM-2745) simply titled Music America Loves Best, and containing spirited performances of Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Handel’s Largo, Grieg’s The Last Spring, Wagner’s Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin, Johann Strauss’s Acceleration Waltz, and the Brahms’ 6th Hungarian Dance, at Al Corey’s Music Center, in Waterville.

It had a full spread cover photo of Fiedler sitting on a park bench with his baton against a green background. I played that record to death.

Fiedler seemed to be a slightly gruff but likable character and conveyed this persona in his public appearances over almost 50 years. However, like so many artists, he was a very complicated man.

In her book, Johanna writes of her father as loving, moody, fun-filled, harsh, generous, miserly, attentive, and indifferent; and of his own harrowing insecurities as his fame and wealth increased.

Examples:

She tells of her father, when she was a little girl, giving her one on one time cuddling with her while they both watched boxing matches on his bedroom TV. But when she was a teenager and dressed nicely for her parents, he’d put her down with comments such as “She looks like a French prostitute or…a piece of cheese.”

The parents constantly fought among themselves and with Johanna, while, as an adult, she was estranged from both of them for months.

Her father’s insecurities stemmed partly from the resentments of the classical music world at the success of the Pops concerts and records. And, as he grew older, he had paralyzing fears about losing his mental and physical health.

Again, Johanna writes:

“‘Poor Pierre Monteux [the conductor who founded a summer school in Hancock, Maine, for teaching conducting],’ Papa said in 1970. ‘Near the end, he could hardly get on the stand, and his legs were frozen during a concert.’ Only a year or two later, my father began having trouble with his own legs, the fate he had been predicting for himself for years. His walking and balance got so bad that he could barely lift his feet off the floor, and we had to install a stair elevator at Hyslop Road [the address of the Fiedler family home in Brookline, Massachusetts.].”

As a personal account of growing up under a famous parent, this book is highly recommended.

I recently heard a 1970s cassette anthology, American Salute, in which Fiedler and the Boston Pops do staples ranging from Aaron Copland’s Hoedown from Rodeo, William Schuman’s arrangement of the Revolutionary War hymn Chester and the title selection American Salute, by Morton Gould, to pop songs by Jimmy Webb – By the Time I Get to Phoenix and Galveston; the more traditional Down in the Valley and Deep in the Heart of Texas; TV themes from Bonanza, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, and Gunsmoke; guitarist Chet Atkins playing Tennessee Waltz; Saint Louis Blues, etc. These were all culled from previous Boston Pops LPs and done with the consistently spirited musicianship Fiedler was justly renowned for.

Finally one Arthur Fiedler album I absolutely cherish among the many here at the house is a late 1940s RCA Victor collection of four Overtures by 19th century French composer Daniel-Francoise Auber (1782-1871).

And YouTube abounds with Fiedler recordings, the PBS Evening at Pops episodes and more.

EVENTS: Local vets invited to march in Veterans day parade

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All veterans and community members are invited to participate in the Waterville Veterans Day parade on Monday, November 11, 2024. Lineup begins at 10 a.m., at The Elm, 21 College Ave. Waterville. A ceremony will be held at Castonguay Square, on Main St., at 11 a.m. It will be followed by lunch at MacCrillis-Rousseau Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8835, on Veterans Drive, in Winslow.

OPINIONS: Make sure your vote counts on Nov. 5

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by André Chassé
AARP Maine Volunteer State President

One of the core American freedoms is the right to cast a ballot on election day, whether you’re voting for your local school board or having your say on who will run our country for the next four years. With the clock ticking down toward one of the most crucial and contentious elections in our nation’s history, now is the time for Mainers to make sure they have the information they need to make their voices heard and their votes count.

It’s a fact: Voters aged 50-plus decide elections. In 2024, that means they’ll decide who controls Congress and the White House. This powerful voting bloc, made up of people like me, wants to know what solutions the candidates are proposing on key issues that impact them and their families. If elected, what will they do to support family caregivers and protect Social Security?

AARP is mobilizing America’s more than 48 million family caregivers, including 166,000 here in Maine to fight for commonsense solutions that will save them time and money while supporting their efforts to care for their loved ones. Family caregivers are the backbone of a broken long-term care system. They help with everything from buying groceries and managing medications to bathing and dressing – often putting their own finances and jobs at risk.  Family caregivers provide more than $600 billion in unpaid labor each year, saving taxpayers billions by keeping loved ones at home and out of costly nursing homes. Maine’s family caregivers contribute more than 155 million unpaid care hours each year, valued at approximately 2.9 billion.

Family caregivers make up one in five voters. Smart candidates know that reaching these crucial voters and supporting policies that help them are essential steps on the road to victory.

Voters age 50-plus are also focused on the future of Social Security. We’ve worked hard for years and paid in, and we expect to get the money we’ve earned. If Washington doesn’t take action in about 10 years to protect and save Social Security, it could be cut by 20 percent, an average of $4,000 a year. For many Mainers a cut like that would be devastating. Voters 50-plus like me want to know what the candidates are proposing to protect Social Security not only for us but for our children and grandchildren as well.

As the nation’s largest organization for older Americans, AARP provides trusted up-to-date information on where, when and how to vote. We don’t tell our members or anyone else who to vote for, but we are committed to making sure all voters have the information they need to make their voices heard.

AARP Maine’s voter guide is now available online at aarp.org/mainevotes. It contains what voters of all ages need to know to cast a ballot in the 2024 general election. Several voting regulations have changed since the last election. That’s why it is so very important to know the rules here in Maine and to make a plan for casting your vote.

The stakes are very high this and every single election year. Make sure your vote counts on November 5.

The views of the author of this column are not necessarily those of The Town Line newspaper, its staff and board of directors.

Around the Kennebec Valley: Education in Augusta – Part 2

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by Mary Grow

By 1820, James North wrote in his 1870 history of Augusta, the town was again thriving after the economic downturn caused by the War of 1812. The bridge across the Kennebec River had been rebuilt; a dam was proposed to promote water-powered industry (finally built in 1837); stagecoaches and steamboats provided connections to the rest of the state, country and world; population and wealth had increased; there was talk of moving the state capital from Portland (done in 1832).

In 1820, voters raised $1,200 for education (and $1,500 for supporting the poor and other expenses and $2,000 for roads), North said. After that, he seemed to lose intereste in local primary education. Nash, in his Augusta chapters in Henry Kingsbury’s 1892 Kennebec County history, continued the story, writing that school districts were “divided and subdivided” as Augusta grew, until there were 27.

After 1815, voters chose a single agent for each district, plus a five-man town school committee, Nash said. An 1833 state law allowed modifications (see below).

A second quasi-public secondary school, succeeding the o  ne that burned in 1807 (see last week’s story) was organized in 1835. On Feb. 19, 1835, the Maine legislature chartered the Augusta Classical School Association, with a seven-man board of directors.

North wrote that its founders’ goals were “promoting the cause of education in the higher branches, and establishing a school in Augusta to prepare young men for a collegiate course.” (The nearest high school at the time was Hallowell Academy, which had opened in 1795; see the Oct. 10 article in this subseries.)

School Association members sold shares to raise money, bought the “spacious” (North’s word) former grammar school lot at Bridge and State streets and oversaw construction of a 50-by-65-foot, two-story brick building at a cost of $7,000, furnishings included.

North described the interior: “two large school rooms, recitation rooms and a laboratory containing philosophical apparatus.” (“Philosophical apparatus” is the early term for equipment used in scientific studies.)

The school opened April 18, 1836, headed by Professor William H. Allen, from the Methodist seminary at Cazenovia, New York (later president of Girard College, in Philadelphia), assisted by his sister, Miss R. Clifford Allen and, according to Nash, by another man and woman. Tuition was $6 a term (neither Nash nor North said how many terms in a year), expected to cover expenses.

The school was not a success. North implied that Allen’s (undated) departure was one blow. Nash wrote, “after a few years of indifferent financial success, its worthy promoters suffered its doors to be finally closed.”

* * * * * *

Meanwhile, Nash wrote, the Maine legislature passed, on Feb. 27, 1833, an act specifically applicable to Augusta’s elementary and high-school students that, as he explained it, had two parts. First, it authorized any school district to elect a seven-man committee (the number was later reduced to three or five) that would have full authority over the district’s school(s); and second, it authorized districts to consolidate.

Supporters found the act hard to implement, Nash said – not enough people were ready for “the proposed innovation.” At last, in early 1842, school districts number 3 and number 9 united as the Village School District. From locations of school buildings Nash and North provided, this district covered most of present-day Augusta on the west side of the Kennebec.

The seven directors elected at an April 6, 1842, meeting found they had 974 students and two buildings, the “wooden, old-fashioned” Piper School, on Laurel Street, and an unnamed two-room brick building, at the intersection of Grove Street and Western Avenue.

The directors determined they needed six primary schools, one (Nash) or two (North) grammar school(s) and one high school. They built two new “frame houses” (Nash’s description), raising $850 from district taxes to buy lots and put up the buildings (according to North).

(As reported previously, after the Maine legislature ordered every town to raise school money, district taxes were no longer the only source of funding. Apparently they required legislative approval; in 1849, North said, the Village District requested and received legislative permission for a district tax, not to exceed 20 cents per resident, to support education.)

At the end of 1842, North wrote, the directors were pleased with the quality of education they’d provided. They’d spent $2,401.51 – $1,212 for teachers, the rest for acquiring and maintaining buildings and for firewood and other miscellaneous items. There had been 33 weeks of teaching in nine schools.

Not all district residents were as pleased. Some, North said, disagreed with the assignment of their children to a specific school; more were unhappy about the high school. The latter group included some whose children were deemed not qualified to attend, some who thought it too expensive and some who feared foreign languages were stealing money and attention from English.

North detailed several years of contentious meetings, with frequent changes of elected directors. At an April 19, 1843, meeting (the second that month), two motions to make students studying Latin or Greek pay tuition were defeated; but voters approved a motion to “discontinue the present system of high school instruction.”

Instead, they approved a proposal to have six primary schools and three grammar schools, boys’, girls’ and co-ed.

This system was not universally popular, either. Voters at an April 20, 1844, meeting re-elected five of the seven 1843 directors and replaced two (North did not say whether the two resigned or were rejected). They postponed indefinitely (in effect, voted down) a motion to divide the Village District into three districts, which North said would have been a retreat to the old system.

Dissension continued through 1845 and 1846. Meanwhile, North said, town meetings had increased funding for schools, from $1,600 in 1840 to $3,000 in 1846, making residents feel less oppressed by the district school tax and reviving the belief that education was essential to good government.

Consequently, the second of two March and April 1847 meetings approved a wordy resolution that called for “suitable schoolhouses…conveniently located” for the “small children”; at least two grammar schools; and a high school. North added that 1847 town meetings appropriated $4,000 for education.

Nash offered summary descriptions of new grammar schools built in the district in 1848, 1850, 1853 and 1855. The last four, two in 1850 and one each in 1853 and 1855, were brick.

North said the four two-story brick buildings cost a total of about $12,000 and were considered among the best in Maine “for interior arrangement and finish.” Writing in 1870, he regretted that the “exteriors were not made more attractive” and that the buildings were not made larger to accommodate more classes.

Nash listed another school, built in 1890, that became the Cushnoc Heights Grammar School. (An on-line source says the modern name of Cushnoc Heights is Sand Hill, the hill on the west side of the Kennebec just north of downtown Augusta.)

As of April 1892, Nash said the Village District student enrollment was 2,052, “about two thirds of the whole number in the city.” In 1892, Charles E. Nash was one of the three Village School District directors, and a man named Gustavus A. Robertson had been principal of the Village District schools since 1868.

* * * * * *

For a Village District high school, Nash and North said, the directors first rented the Classical School Association’s old building. In June, 1848, they bought it from the remaining shareholders, for $3,000. North called this purchase an important step in reducing opposition to the high school, as well as a good deal financially.

In 1869, Nash said, the former Classical Association’s high school building was “superseded by the present spacious edifice,” which was dedicated Aug. 26, 1870. The new building, at the intersection of Bridge and State streets, a couple blocks uphill from the Kennebec, was almost finished when North completed his history in 1870. He said it cost about $25,000, for which the District issued bonds.

North approved of the two-story brick cruciform building building’s “pleasing appearance.” Inside, he wrote, it was “conveniently arranged to accommodate two schools of two hundred students each in single seats.”

Each floor, he said, had five rooms: a 52-by-54-foot “schoolroom,” two 22-by-30-foot “recitation rooms” and two 15-foot-square “clothes rooms.” The ground-floor rooms had 14-foot ceilings, the second-floor rooms 16-foot ceilings.

The third floor “formed by the mansard roof” was to be used as “a hall for school exercises and exhibitions.”

The Village District high school closed in 1881, when Cony Free High School opened. The building continued in use for younger students, and in 1891 was named the William R. Smith School, honoring a just-retired “steadfast friend and able promoter of the public schools” who had been connected with the district since it was formed almost 50 years earlier.

Your writer found on line postcards showing Augusta’s William R. Smith Grammar School, one dated 1909. These postcards show a large three-story brick building on a stone foundation, with elaborate window trim, different on each level, and a mansard roof. (North had described the windows: “large, circular headed, giving abundance of light.”)

* * * * * *

Nash wrote that in 1882 – 49 years after the legislature authorized districts to consolidate – three on the east side of the Kennebec merged to become the Williams School District. The new district’s directors divided students into primary, intermediate and grammar-school levels.

As of 1892, there were 581 students, and the directors had just opened a new four-room school house, costing $13,000, on Wedge Hill, on Bangor Street. (Bangor Street runs north along the east side of the Kennebec from the Cony Street intersection, becoming Riverside Drive, in Vassalboro. (Rte. 201.)

Nash also wrote that in 1887, the City of Augusta abolished “all the suburban districts” and “adopted a town system for them.” (As reported previously, the Maine legislature abolished school districts state-wide seven years later.)

In 1892, he said, there were 17 “suburban schools,” with names instead of numbers. Your writer found on line two Kennebec Journal clippings about one of them, Hewins School (location unknown).

On Friday, March 23, 1917, the school presented an “entertainment and pie social,” with music and recitations, to raise money to pay for the “Grafonia” or “Grafonola” (an early Columbia phonograph).

Hewins School closed at the beginning of 1948 and its 11 students, seven of them in second grade or below, were bussed to Williams School.

Williams School is not on Nash’s 1892 list by that name. An on-line source says it closed in June 1980 after 89 years; the story is illustrated with a photo of fourth- and fifth-graders carrying desks to the Hussey School. (Augusta still has a Lillian Parks Hussey Elementary School, built in 1954 on Gedney Street, on the east side of the river a block east of Bangor Street.)

Augusta also had a Nash School, built in 1897 and named in honor of the Charles E. Nash whose chapters in Kingsbury’s history your writer has been citing. The former school building at the intersection of State and Capitol streets is part of Augusta’s Capitol Complex Historic District.

Main sources

Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892)
North, James W., The History of Augusta (1870)

Websites, miscellaneous.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: A Difficult Diagnosis Sparks Hope and Support for Others—Maybe You

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Lisa Reed and a quarter million other Americans have pulmonary fibrosis, a serious lung disease, ­but early treatment can make a big difference.

(NAPSI)—In 2022, Lisa Reed was eagerly anticipating her 70th birthday. She had plans to travel to Italy and was looking forward to spending more quality time with her grandchildren. But a persistent cough, worsened by a bout of COVID-19, led her to the emergency room in her hometown of Sante Fe. There, a series of tests, including a high-resolution chest CT of her lungs, revealed something unexpected: pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Symptoms of PF, such as chronic dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath, can often be confused with other more common illnesses, making it difficult to diagnose. In Reed’s case, her chest CT showed the presence of white tissue on her lungs—a characteristic sign of scarring and inflammation.

Like many others diagnosed with PF, Reed had never heard of the disease. Her internet search was startling, revealing that PF causes progressive and irreversible scarring in the lungs. It is part of a family of over 200 interstitial lung diseases (ILD) that affect more than 250,000 Americans.

Fortunately, Reed was diagnosed in the early stages of the disease. She quickly immersed herself in learning everything she could about PF. She discovered the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation’s (PFF) website, absorbing fact sheets, watching webinars, and exploring clinical trials and opportunities to get involved.

A friend of Reed’s who is a nurse practitioner suggested she reach out to the ILD clinic at National Jewish Hospital in Denver, a PFF Care Center Network site. She now receives care there from a multidisciplinary team of doctors including a pulmonologist, rheumatologist, cardiologist, and oncologist. She began an antifibrotic treatment to slow the progression of the disease.

As Reed started her treatment, her family received more unexpected news—both of her brothers were also diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The siblings believe their condition is familial, with each of them at different stages of the disease. One of her brothers has since undergone a double lung transplant and is doing well.

Reed firmly believes that self-advocacy is essential in getting the right care as quickly as possible. She has volunteered for clinical trials, participates in online support groups, and actively engages with the PFF. Throughout her journey, Reed has found the PFF to be a vital resource for trusted information and tremendous support.

“Whether it’s getting the right diagnosis, learning what treatments are available, or finding resources for caregivers, there are answers and support,” she said. “It’s impressive and wonderful.”

Now, Reed volunteers as a PFF Ambassador, sharing her story and helping others along their journeys. “The way to help myself is to help others,” she says.

Reed plans to attend a virtual PFF Education Symposium. She looks forward to learning about the latest research studies, how to live better with PF, and to connect with others navigating life with PF.

“Whether you’re newly diagnosed, or you’ve been living with PF for years, no one should face this journey alone,” said Reed. “There are so many ways we can help each other, both big and small. And there’s a whole community of people, resources, and support ready to help you through the PFF.”

The PFF Education Symposium is a virtual conference taking place Nov. 7-8. To learn more about PF and to register for the Symposium, visit pulmonaryfibrosis.org/symposium.

PUBLIC NOTICES for Thursday, October 24, 2024

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TOWN OF WINSLOW

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR ZONING CHANGE

Winslow Town Council and Planning Board will hold a joint public hearing to amend sections 300-23 to 300-91 of the Zoning Ordinance. The public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 11, 2024, at the Winslow Public Library, 136 Halifax Street, Winslow. Full text of the amended ordinance language is available at the Winslow Town Office.

Audra Fleury
Town Clerk, Winslow, Maine

TOWN OF CHINA

Election Day traffic pattern

On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the Lakeview Drive entrance to the Town Office will be closed. All vehicles must use the entrance off Alder Park Road to access the Town Office complex. This temporary closure addresses safety concerns surrounding the volume of traffic entering and exiting on Lakeview Drive.

Election Day polling information

• China Town Office will be CLOSED to regular business services on Election Day, November 5, 2024. Please visit our web site for convenient on-line links to assist with re-registrations and tax payments @ www.china.govoffice.com
• Polling hours are Tuesday, November 5, 2024 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.
All absentee ballots are available until Thursday, October 31st and need to be returned by the close of polls, 8:00 pm, in order to count. We have a secure, conveniently located absentee ballot drop box outside the Town Office building at the address of 571 Lakeview Drive.
When coming to vote in person, please keep in mind that violation of State Statue 21-A MRSA  682 is a Class E crime. This law prohibits the display of any advertising materials for any political party, which may be viewed as voter persuasion, within 250 feet of polling area. Only exception to this law is one 3”, or less, button may be worn.

Voter registration hours

The Town Clerk & Registrar will hold the following office hours during the week preceding the election (October 28, 2024 through November 2, 2024):  Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 11:00 am.
***

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice October 24, 2024 If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-C M.R.S.A. §3-80.

2024-304 – Estate of ROBERT A. ROSSIGNOL, late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Rebecca S. Rossignol, 860 Norridgewock Rd., Fairfield, Maine 04937-3175 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-307 – Estate of EARLE F. MEOLA, late of Norridgewock, Maine deceased. Nancy L. Meola, P.O. Box 816, Norridgewock, Maine 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-312 – Estate of MERLENE J. AMBULOS, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Cheryl A. Knowles, 34 Chandler Street, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-313 – Estate of DAVID T. OLEYAR, JR., late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. David T. Oleyar III, P.O. Box 241, Norridgewock, ME 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-315 – Estate of BROCK C. PETERS, late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Victoria J. Bavelaar, 206 Martin Strean Road, Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-316 – Estate of LINWOOD L. LAGASSE, late of Mercer, Maine deceased. Chad Partridge, 446 East Side Trail, Oakland, Maine 04963 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-317 – Estate of META L. HART, late of Canaan, Maine deceased. Ernest Strunck, 175 Mountain Springs Road, Milford, PA 18337 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-319 – Estate of SHIRLEY A. LAGASSE, late of Mercer, Maine deceased. Chad Partridge, 446 East Side Trail, Oakland, Maine 04963 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-320 – Estate of DAWNA J. CAMPBELL, late of Madison, Maine deceased. LeeAnne Y. Newton, P.O. Box 155, Anson, Maine 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-323 – Estate of NORMAN C. WACKER, late of Cambridge, Maine deceased. Eleda Wacker, 130 Andrew Ham Rd., Cambridge, Maine 04923 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-325 – Estate of ROSCOE J. SCOTT III, late of Pittsfield, Maine deceased. Jordan Doherty, 1 Krampf Circle, Brunswick, Maine 04011 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-326 – Estate of GINGER L. WILLIAMS, late of Canaan, Maine deceased. Gary W. Johnson, 94 Athens Rd., Harmony, Maine 04942 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-327 – Estate of CARROLL C. FRITH, late of Embden, Maine deceased. Rochelle M. Frith, 35 N. Beauchamp Rd., Russellville, Ky 42276 and Donald A. Frith, P.O. Box 35, Anson, Maine 04911 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2024-328 – Estate of MILLARD C. BROWER, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Kathleen V. Ladner, 11 Riggs Road, Casco, Maine 04015 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-330 – Estate of WILLIAM H. MAYNARD, late of Rockwood, Maine deceased. Gail Maynard, P.O. Box 220, Rockwood, Maine 04478 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-332 – Estate of RAPHAEL J. SAINT, late of Saint Albans, Maine deceased. Brenda A. Mendonca, 87 Ripley Road, Saint Albans, Maine 04971 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-336 – Estate of DAVID G. THEBARGE, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. George N. Thebarge, 358 Middle Rd., Falmouth, Maine 04105 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-337 – Estate of JOHN L. ROY, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Tina Huff, 63 Mayhew Road, Starks, Maine 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-338 – Estate of HELEN C. GORDON, late of Saint Albans, Maine deceased. Harry P. Gordon, Jr., 74 Rand Hill Road, Saint Albans, Maine 04971 appointed Personal Representative.

2024-339 – Estate of EDWARD J. ARSENEAULT, late of Saint Albans, Maine. Donna M. Holly, 9 Passaic Ave., North Haledon, New Jersey 07508 and Karen F. Tajima, 25 Old Landing Road, Pembroke, Massachusetts 02359 appointed Co-Personal Representative.

TO BE PUBLISHED October 24, 2024 & October 31, 2024

Dated October 24, 2024
/s/ Victoria M. Hatch,
Register of Probate
(10/31)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 COURT ST.
SOMERSET, ss
SKOWHEGAN, ME
PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates or change of name. These matters will be heard at 10 a.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be on November 6, 2024. The requested appointments or name changes may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-C MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2024-284 ­– BRAITYN JAMES TRUE. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Tiffany R. True, P.O. Box 164., Skowhegan, Maine 04976 requesting name to be changed to Braityn James Prevost for reasons set forth therein.

2024-288 – LAUREN KATHERINE STEWART. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Lauren Katherine Stewart of 12 Oakland Rd., Fairfield, Maine 04937 requesting name to be changed to Lauren Katherine Watson for reasons set forth therein.

2024-305 – JAXON SCOTT MILLAY. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Melissa D. Meunier and Thomas B. Meunier of 16 Ryan Lane, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 requesting that Minors name be changed to Jaxon Scott Meunier for reasons set forth therein.

2024-306 – THOMAS LEO PARKER. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Melissa D. Meunier and Thomas B. Meunier of 16 Ryan Lane, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 requesting that Minors name be changed to Thomas Leo Meunier for reasons set forth therein.

2024-321 – CHERYL LEE BARNES. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Cheryl Lee Barnes of 22 Cooley Road, Harmony, Maine 04942 requesting name to be changed to Cherie Lee Barnes for reasons set forth therein.

2024-324 – CYNTHIA LYNN SANDERS. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Cynthia L. Sanders of 8 Country Lane, Saint Albans, Maine 04971 requesting name to be changed to Cindi Lynn Sanders for reasons set forth therein.

2024-340 – MARINA CHRISTINA DIAZ. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Marina Christina Diaz of 1334 Beech Hill Rd., Mercer, Maine 04957 requesting name to be changed to Marina Christina Mikolajcik for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: October 24, 2024 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(10/31)

CAMPAIGN 2024: Candidates address issues concerning Maine voters (Part 3)

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FARMGIRL AT HEART: Exactly what is homesteading?

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by Virginia Jones

Dear Readers,

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” — Abraham Lincoln.

Hello. Welcome to my first article. The statement above led me to an idea for my piece of writing. I have always wanted to homestead and am finally living my childhood dream.

So, what exactly is homesteading? Homesteading as defined by Wikipedia is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It involves home preservation of food, agriculture, making of one’s clothing, gardening, etc. It is basically choosing to live a simpler lifestyle in order to bring some sufficiency to oneself. Many times when people would move west they were told that if they could find a piece of land and raise a crop and build a life on it that they could own it after so many years.

Where exactly did the term homesteading originate? I have often read of people who, against all odds, made a life for themselves and became true heroes in the building of this nation. The term homesteading came from the Homestead Act of 1862. The Homestead Act enabled people who wanted to head West to have free land if they met certain conditions, as mentioned above.

A few more conditions were that you had to be at least 21 years old, had to build a house that was at least 12 x 14 feet in size, work the land for five years, certify that they hadn’t brought arms against the United States, and they had to have at least two neighbors or friends attest to all they had done. The Homestead Act was brought into fruition by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. It allowed people to have 160 acres for a small fee. The conditions were as mentioned with the other condition being that you had to produce a crop within the time allotted.

My love of homesteading began when I was a young girl. Every summer my family would visit my Grandma Amanda who lived in Missouri. I relished the time that we spent there. I loved hearing the coyotes howl in the night, the sounds of owls, and the music of crickets floating on the wind. In the mornings we would arise to the smells of coffee, bacon and eggs. They raised a lot of their own food and made their home a cozy place to be. I am not even sure if the house is still standing but my memories of it are still intact.

As I was growing up I used to watch one of my favorite tv shows called Little House on the Prairie. I longed for a simpler life and would have loved to have taken a journey in a covered wagon along with Laura Ingalls. It was an adventure that I would have gladly taken, although there are some things about Laura’s time that I could pass on, such as an outhouse or lack of running water.

As a wife and then a mother, my husband and I decided to homeschool our two daughters. One of the book series that we used in our learning was the Little House on the Prairie series. We also purchased the Prairie Primer to go along with the books. In the winter we would make Molasses Candy from the freshly falled snow. In summer we would do different activities in order to learn the history of the Prairie. We tried on several occasions to get a pig intestine in order to fill it with water and play kickball, but we were never successful. It was fun to sew a patchwork project with my girls or some other activity in the evenings. I miss the days of sitting on the couch reading the series to my daughters.

After my daughters were grown; one being married and the other engaged, we had an empty nest. It was time for my husband and I to start dreams of our own. When we began considering a homestead, we didn’t quite realize the investment that it would be of both finances and planning. Looking back over the three years that we have had a farm, planning a little more would have been wise; not that we didn’t plan but we could have done better. To have a plan is to look to the future. Having a thorough plan is to have wisdom for that future. I have to say though that for two people who don’t always know what their doing, we have done pretty well. To have a dream is to have a passion for what you are dreaming of and then making it a reality. Our dream of a farm is slowly and sometimes painstakingly coming to fruition.

What was our goal for having a farm and homestead? We once lived in the capitol city of Augusta, but after having lived there for several years, we finally decided to move to the country. We longed for a simpler life, a way to grow our own food and eventually be at a place where we could enjoy our older years. Three years ago we started down the farming trail with what most people start with: chickens. They often say that you will eventually understand chicken math, and that has been a very true statement. We started with about a dozen, lost a some, and then gained more. We now have about thirty chickens. Some are pellets, some juniors, and one is an older hen from our first flock. It is such a pleasure to go out in the morning and collect fresh eggs from the nesting boxes in our chicken coop. I love to rise in the morning and go out to do farm chores while the fog is lifting and the stirring of the farm animals can be heard.

Along with the chickens we are raising Saanen goats. I decided on goats because I am unable to drink cow’s milk and felt that goat’s milk is more nourishing, in my opinion. I also love the taste of goat meat. I do realize that Saanen goat milk has a low butterfat percentage so I may not be able to obtain butter or cheese but I can find some way to preserve the goat milk. For the butter and cheese I will have to buy some Nigerian Dwarfs. I am always happy to add another animal to my farm. I am not sure how excited my husband will be.

What are some of our other goals? We have a vegetable garden in order to have produce to can and we hope to grow fruit trees and bushes in order to make jams and jellies for the pantry. I hope to teach others all of the things that I have learned in order to carry the heritage of farming well into the future.

In preparing to live out your dream be sure to do your research. I read a lot of books about homesteading, raising particular animals, and being a good steward of them. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and have followed a lot of homesteaders on Instagram. Visit your library. Seek out those who are like minded. Attend workshops and lectures in order to learn more about different aspects of farming. Your local county office will have a lot of information online. They have no problem with you asking questions.

In conclusion, never be afraid to make mistakes and learn by doing. Nothing is impossible when you put your mind and effort into it. Start small but dream big. Stay focused when the tough times come; be sure that they will. Most of all however, just have fun and learn as you experience the fine art of homesteading and living a simpler life.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Canada geese make their presence known

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Canada geese

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Sometime between 5 and 5:30 a.m., a few weeks ago, I was unceremoniously reminded the season on Canada geese had begun in Maine. It’s rather startling when you’re awakened from a sound sleep with the clapping of gun fire. For a second, I thought I was back in Vietnam. There was either a lot of hunters, or they were bad shots.

Hunters had positioned themselves in a cove just below from where our camp is located and the rapport from the shotguns sounded like it was right under our bedroom window.

The Canada goose is a wild goose which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and brownish-gray body. (For your edification, the proper name of the bird is Canada Geese, and not Canadian Geese.)

The black head and neck with the white “chinstrap” distinguishes the Canada goose from all other species of goose. They are generally 30 – 43 inches long with a 50 to 71-inch wingspan. The male usually weighs 7 – 14 pounds, and can be very aggressive in defending its territory. The female looks virtually identical to the male but only smaller, and has a different “honk.”

The species, native to North America, breeds in Canada and the northern United States in a variety of habitats. Its nest is usually located in an elevated area near water such as streams, lakes, ponds and sometimes on a beaver lodge. Its eggs are laid in a shallow depression lined with plant material and down.

By the early 20th century, over-hunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th century and early 20th century had resulted in a serious decline in the numbers of this bird in its native range. The Giant Canada goose subspecies was believed to be extinct in the 1950s, until, in 1962, a small flock was discovered wintering in Rochester, Minnesota. With improved game laws and habitat recreation and preservation programs, their populations have recovered in most of their range.

In recent years, Canada goose populations in some areas have grown substantially, so much so that many consider them pests (for their droppings, the bacteria in their droppings, noise and confrontational behavior). They have a tendency to attack humans when they feel themselves or their goslings to be threatened. First, the goose will stand erect, spread its wings and produce a hissing sound. Next, the goose will charge. They will either bite or attack with their wings.

The problem is partially due to the removal of natural predators and an abundance of safe, man-made bodies of water (such as golf courses, public parks and beaches, and in planned communities).

Like most geese, the Canada goose is naturally migratory with the wintering range being most of the United States. Although a migratory bird, some flocks in Canada choose not to migrate, even during the winter, if food (such as human leftovers) is constantly available throughout the season.

The calls overhead from large groups of Canada geese flying in V-shaped formation signal the transitions into spring and autumn.

By the way, should you see Canada geese flying north this time of year, it doesn’t signal early spring. Some will winter in this area, fly down the Kennebec River, looking for food, then fly back north to their nesting site.

Canada geese, Branta canadensis, are primarily herbivores, although they sometimes eat small insects and fish. Their diet includes green vegetation and grains, such as wheat, beans, rice and corn. When in the water, they feed from silt on the bottom, and aquatic plants such as seaweeds. In urban areas, they are also known to pick food out of garbage bins.

Properly prepared, the meat of Canada geese is very tasty. I had some once at a wild game dinner, and, after being awarkened in the early-morning hours by those hunters, I sure wouldn’t mind having one on my dinner plate.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who is the all time leader in career touchdowns for the New England Patriots?

Answer
Rob Gronkowski, with 80 touchdowns.

PHOTO: Messalonskee youth football grades 3 and 4

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Front row, from left to right, Ryder Bolduc, Blake Lawler, and Marshall Veilleux. Second row, Andrew Proctor, Tucker Reynolds, Reed Fowler, Braydyn Grard, Sam Wolman, Brady Fish, Baine Bennett, and Colton Curtis. Third row, Pierce Holman, Colton Sense, Nolan Brown, Bryson McCullough, Liam Luther, Bernard Pelletier, Sawyer Pierson, and Trent Bickford. Fourth row, Kellum Corbett, Easton Dyer, Colin Porter, Able Smart, and Kolby Lajoie. Fifth row, Karson Simmons, Parker Taylor, Jackson McLaughlin, Noah Dale. Back, coaches Scott Proctor, Matt Holman, Justin Lawler, Landan McCullough. (photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography)