Families enjoy China’s free Fun Day

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Contestants prepare for the duct tape sled competition. (Photo by Bob Bennett)

by Rick Hansen

We don’t often have the option or opportunity of opening our property to neighbors, and sometimes that feels un-neighborly. It is a consequence of the litigious world in which we live, and sometimes it can’t be avoided. We feel that there need to be times set aside for intentionally welcoming and visiting with our community… as family, as friends, and as neighbors.

Living in the northeast, we usually think of summer as the best time for community gatherings like block parties, backyard picnics, parades, and outdoor celebrations. Some of our neighbors realized that there was a need for winter community also, and that is why they approached us four years ago about being the host site for a China Community family sledding party.

We had some reservations, but decided to pray about the opportunity and then accepted the challenge. What began as a small, localized sledding event has steadily grown into an event that attracts hundreds of people looking for a day to celebrate winter fun in Maine with family and friends and neighbors. This year, February 16 was the day for the Family Fun Day… and what a day it turned out to be! Despite concerns due to lack of snow, icy conditions, unpredictable weather, etc., prayers were answered and all the pieces landed in place for a memorable outdoor event on a pleasantly mild winter day.

After months of reviewing last year’s event, brainstorming and planning for this year’s event, and reaching out to sponsors new and old, it was time for the 2019 Family Fun Day to begin. Volunteers arrived throughout the morning, ready to serve their neighbors in the kitchen, dining hall, and sledding areas. That included some Jobs for Maine Graduates and other students from China Middle School as well as several adults. Final adjustments were made to the sledding hill and the delicious food that was very generously provided by Big G’s, in Winslow, was warmed.

Banners, provided by Central Church of China, were hung around to direct families to the festivities while Fletcher’s Lawn and Yard Care spread sand on the icy areas. Bar Harbor Bank and Trust set up a table from which they offered Gatorade, cocoa, and sunglasses near where Bob’s Glass and More set up a S’more station so that people could warm by the fire and make their own S’mores with ingredients donated by Gene at Lakeview Lumber. Delta Ambulance and China Village Fire and Rescue were both represented, making sure that any sledding injuries were quickly and skillfully handled.

The China Four Seasons Club brought their new trail groomer and sleigh to offer rides through the field by the lake. The cardboard (and duct tape) sled race capped off the day as imaginatively designed, homemade sleds sped down the hill, racing for gift card prizes purchased with donations by LaVerdiere’s General Store, Branch Mills Heating Solutions, Lakeview Lumber and others.

Other ingredients for the day were donated by local churches and individuals, and everyone was so blessed by them! Because of such generous donations of time and resources, there was absolutely no charge to enter, participate, eat, and enjoy the fellowship with neighbors. Family is foundational in this community, and the local definitions of neighbor and family are often one and the same.

We appreciate the generosity of our sponsors, those who brought gifts of food which were donated to the China Food Pantry to help keep our neighbors fed this winter, and those who donated their time to come serve their community and neighbors.

Planning for a 2020 Family Fun Day has already begun and we expect to make a few improvements for next year. We hope to see you then!

The Hansens are Camp Directors at China Lake Camp.

SOLON & BEYOND: Fondly remembering Carolyn Waugh

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, my friends, don’t worry, be happy!

This weeks’ column is going to start out a little different. It is about friendship and an amazing woman named Carolyn Waugh, of Solon.

I received the following letter after Carolyn died, from one of her friends who lives in Laconia, New Hampshire. I have no idea how this good friend of Carolyn’s got my name and address, but it is a beautiful letter about friendship, that I think should be shared. She started out:

“Carolyn Waugh, Teacher, Mentor, Friend to 1,000 children. Today, the last day of February 2019, I lost my best friend Carolyn Waugh. We were elementary teachers in Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, and we were the only ‘New Englanders’ in our school. We became fast friends from 1958 to the present day perhaps because we had the same New England accent and enjoyed our conversations each day. They reminded us of home and our loneliness was less each time we talked. Of course, we could understand one another.

“Few people know how generous Carolyn was to others, especially school age children. She made hundreds of mittens, an untold number of shirts and hats, paid for their lunches when no lunch money was available, and bought school supplies when the school funds had run out. Not once did she tell anyone of her generosity. She was the great example of a teacher you would want for your child. She was their friend, the mother substitute for the one that had left the home, the father substitute for the one who was no longer in the home. She dried their tears and told them how important and worthwhile they were. And she never missed a day of school except for severe illness.

“Today, as we ponder the loss of a dear friend and colleague, we are reminded that very good people have been among us, near us, and we should not forget to celebrate their life’s efforts.

“Carolyn Waugh was, indeed, a special person. In her obituary it mentions that Carolyn was educated in one room school houses in Embden, and at Solon High School. After graduating from high school in 1931 at the age of 15, she went to Normal School, in Farmington, and left there two years later with full teaching credentials. She taught in one room school houses in Embden, Cornville, Chesuncook, and other places in Maine and also helped other people to become teachers in a college level school in Presque Isle for a time.

“In November 1942 she joined the Army as a WAAC and WAC and achieved the rank of Tech 4. For part of her years in the service, she served in the Military Intelligence Division War Department. She was honorably discharged in November 1945. And her remarkable life with many more accomplishments continued until she died on February 28, 2019, at the age of 103 years. She had held the Boston Post Cane as Solon’s Oldest Citizen for several years.”

The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on Saturday, March 9, for their sixth meeting with Vice President Hunter Sousa presiding. Hunter Sousa is planning to do his demonstration on composting at the County Demonstration Tournament at the Somerset County Extension Office, in Skowhegan, on Saturday, March 16.

The club voted to make a basket for the Luck of the Draw on Saturday, May 4.

The following members gave their demonstrations: Desmond Robinson, How to make an Apple Swan; Isabelle Atwood and Jillian Robens, How to make Energy Bites; Kaitlin Dellarma, How to make Ice Cream; Macy Plourde, How to make Sun Catchers; and Brooks Sousa, How to make a Compost Barrel.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, April 13, at 9:30 a.m., at the Solon Fire Station.

And now for Percy’s memoir entitled Extra Prayer:

When the world falls down around you
And a prayer will see you through,
Say an extra prayer for someone
Who may need it more than you.
For who knows what hearts are breaking
In the silence of the night?
Just that extra prayer you whisper
May help someone see the light!
Every time you help a stranger
With an extra prayer – or two –
You are building secret blessings
That will all come back to you!

(words by Nick Kenny.)

Obituaries for Thursday, March 14, 2019

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NORMA E. PARLIN

JEFFERSON – Norma Ellen (Weeks) Parlin, 80, of Jefferson, passed away on March 4, 2019, following a long courageous battle with cancer. Norma was born on November 16, 1938, in Whitefield, the daughter of Theodore and Eunice (Grady) Weeks.

She attended Wiscasset High School. She married Edward on October 17, 1959, raised two children and she retired from Digital Equipment, in Augusta. Over the years she enjoyed family functions, camping, traveling with her sister-in-law, playing beano and rarely missed watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s sporting events and dance recitals.

Norma was predeceased by her brothers; Theodore Jr. (Joe), Raymond, Darrell (Eli), Richard and Robert (Pete), and sister Sandra Weeks.

Norma is survived by her husband of 59 years, Edward F. Parlin, of Jefferson; son, Richard A. Parlin Sr. and wife Jean, of Jefferson; daughter, Shelly (Parlin) Brann and fiancé Chris Hathorne, of Windsor; stepson, Edward A. Parlin and wife Rose, of South Jefferson; five grandchildren; Richard A. Parlin Jr., of Jefferson; Erica (Parlin) Ontiveros and husband Rafael, of Windsor, Nicole (Brann) Poulin and husband Steve, of North Monmouth, Mark Brann Jr. and wife Courtney, of Oakland, Ryan Parlin, of South Jefferson; six great-grandchildren; Christopher, Jasmine, Sophia, Luke, Wyatt and Tanner, several nieces and nephews. A spring graveside service will be held at Shepard Cemetery, in Jefferson.

Arrangements are in the care of Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care.

Condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website: familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Norma’s memory to the Sussman House, 40 Anchors Drive, Rockport, Maine 04856.

BRENDA J. O’NEILL

WINDSOR – Brenda Joyce O’Neill, 68, of Windsor, passed away on Friday, January 25, 2019. She was born on October 3, 1950, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the daughter of Otto Albert Pearson and Helen May (Bradley) Pearson.

She grew up in this small town a happy young girl, where she developed her love of the ocean with most of her time spent with her best friend Trudy O’Neill Hervieux, who later became her sister-in-law.

Many years later she moved to Maine where she spent the rest of her years as a single mother with her five children. Brenda was lucky enough to meet friends that she cherished and considered more important than just a friend.

Brenda loved her family days where they would all get together and have dinner.

She was predeceased by her parents; a granddaughter “her angel” Kayla O’Neill.

Brenda is survived by her five children, Michelle and David Knox, Donald O”Neill, Denise and Broadus Henson, Kristie Kenney and Eric O’Neill; 11 grandchildren, David Knox, Katrina O’Neill, Jesse Knox, Katrina O”Neill, Jesse Knox, Brittany Knox, Crystal Morse, Tamara Morton, Bobby Morton, Cody and Nicole Knox, Emily O”Neill, Kameron O”Neill and Kylie Bechard; eight great-grandchildren, Kallynne O’Neill, Kaiden Knox, Hunter Knox, Owen Mayo, Jyreese Morton, Alianna Morton, Mason Lane and Chloe Lane.

There will be a celebration of life dinner on May 26, 2019, at 2 p.m. at American Legion, Easter Avenue, Augusta, where everyone who would like to honor and remember her is welcome.

ROLAND S. CARTER

WINSLOW – Roland Stanley Carter, 81, of Winslow, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Roland was born in Winslow on January 15, 1938, to Alfred “Fred” and Mabel Carter and was one of 11 children.

He enlisted in the Air Force at age 17 and went on to serve his country for 20 years. While stationed in Germany, he met Anna Berg, of Neidenbach. They were married on September 26, 1958, in Spangdahlem, Germany.

Roland retired as a master sergeant in 1974, and settled down with his family on West Street, in Waterville. He was very proud of his military service, especially the time spent in Vietnam. He was a lifetime member of MacCrillis-Rousseau VFW Post#8835, in Winslow.

Roland became a Union employee of Maine Central Railroad, in Waterville, and worked as an engineer, conductor and flagman for 24 years, until retiring in 2000 at age 62. Roland was an extremely hard worker, a jack of all trades and a man of many talents. He was known for his witty humor and willingness to give the shirt off his back to help family and friends. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. In his later years, Roland was a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast who assembled hundreds.

Roland was predeceased by his parents; son, Jeffrey; his sisters, Jeannine Morisette, and Dolores Carter; and his brothers, Donald, Jean, Bob, Francis, Richard and Fernand.

Roland is survived by his wife of 60 years, Anna Carter; his son, Joseph Carter and wife, Carla; his son, John Carter, Major USAF (retired); his daughter, Jennifer Foust and husband, Joseph; grandchildren: Derek, Jason, Jerrit, Ryan, Sarah and Amanda; his sister, Cecile Trapnell; his brother, Patrick Carter; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, April 22, 2019, at 11 a.m., at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 112 Silver Street, Waterville. Burial will be later that day at 2 p.m., at the Maine Veterans’s Memorial Cemetery, 289 Civic Center Drive, Augusta.

Please visit www.veillieuxfuneralhome.com to share condolences, memories and tributes with his family.

LAURA F. STEVENS

OAKLAND – Laura F. (Reed) Stevens, 94, passed away on Tuesday, February 26, 2019, at Lakewood Continuing Care, in Waterville, within minutes after visiting with her family. She was born November 16, 1924, in Augusta, the daughter of Harold and Ethelyn (Morrill) Reed.

She worked for over 45 years at the Diamond Match and Cascade Woolen Mill, both in Oakland, until her retirement in 1987. She was a life member of The Decker-Simmons Post#51 American Legion Auxiliary, VFW, GAR and DAV. She belonged to the Oakland Parks Recreation Seniors since its beginning and loved her adopted children.

She was married to Gerald L. Stevens Sr. for 53 years until his death on December 20, 1995, and together they raised 10 children and were so proud of how they all completed their education and the career paths they had chosen.

A few of her passions were watching the Boston Red Sox, new England Patriots and traveling in her younger years to California, New York, and especially the ocean with her friends and family.

She was predeceased by her parents; husband Gerald; sons David and Stevie; infant daughter Faith; grandson Lloyd York Jr.; sisters Lelia Luce and Maxine Gallagher; brothers Robert, Edmond (Buzzy) and Thomas Reed and adopted daughter Sandra O’Neal.

She is survived by her children, Judy Nichols (Bob French), Pamela Chartrand, Barbara (Rick) Haskins, Donna (Steve) Bolduc, Randy (Diana) Stevens, Jeffrey (Lisa) Stevens. Barry and Scott Stevens, adopted son Doug Foster; daughters-in-law, Brenda Stevens, AnnMarie Stevens and Laurie Thomas; 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; her adopted granddaughter Trudy Albair; several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service is planned for May 23, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. at the Veterans Cemetery Chapel, Mount Vernon Road, Augusta.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan and Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan ME 04976.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Laura’s name to the Oakland Parks Recreation Seniors, c/o Eric Seekins, P.O. Box 187, Oakland ME 04963.

JANE C. MOREAU

FAIRFIELD – Jane Charlotte Moreau, 76, of Fairfield, died on Sunday, March 3, 2019, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta. She was born on November 17, 1942, in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, one of six children of Edna May (Eddy) and Roy C. Wilkins.

She grew up in Farmington, New Hampshire and over the years she worked in various shoe shops in Maine and New Hampshire.

Jane was a member of the VFW MacCrillis-Rousseau Post#8835, in Winslow, and enjoyed camping, knitting, sewing, crocheting, and quilting. She also took pleasure in her flowers and was an avid reader. She will be remembered for her caring and helpful ways, as well as being a great pastry cook.

Jane is survived by her husband of nearly 23 years, Ronald Moreau, of Fairfield; her daughter, Terri Weston, of Barrington, New Hampshire; her son, Dana Ricker and his wife, Kristine, of Farmington, New Hampshire; her daughter, Christine Torno, of Lebanon; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held later this spring in Fairfield. Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to share condolences, memories and tributes with Jane’s family.

MILFORD DOWNER

WINSLOW – Milford Downer, 80, of Winslow, died Monday, March 4, 2019, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta. He was born in Freedom on April 29, 1936, the son of Freemont and Genevieve (McDonald) Downer.

Milford graduated from Freedom Academy and worked for several local employers including Scott Paper, in Winslow, and Lee Brothers, in Albion. However, he spent most of his career as a woodworker. He worked many years at Duratherm, in Vassalboro, and eventually retired from Benton Hardwood Lumber, in Benton. In his free time, Milford loved fishing and camping with friends. He had an appreciation for a great campfire and the stories that accompanied it. He took the opportunity to share unique travel experiences with his family including two cross country driving trips to visit the natural and historical attractions of the United States.

He was predeceased by his sister Maxine Fowler.

Milford is survived by his wife of 49 years Gail (Young) Downer; niece Cathy Hotham, her husband Fred and son Caleb; numerous other nieces and nephews; brothers Allan and Letitia Downer, Clayton and Jeanne Downer, and Rodney and Linda Downer; and sisters Bertha and Donald Maxim, Carlene and Ray Bourgoin, Norene and Jeffrey Linscott.

There is no service planned at this time.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org.

KHS to present story of family’s life in a lighthouse

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Marshall Point Lighthouse, located near the fishing village of Port Clyde, Maine (photo: marshallpoint.org)

Imagine living in a century-old lightkeeper’s house on the coast of Maine. It sounds like a fantasy, but for Tom and Lee Ann Szelog, dream became reality when they settled into the keeper’s quarters at the Marshall Point Lighthouse, in Port Clyde.

Join the Szelog’s to experience what it’s like to live in an authentic and operating lighthouse on the Maine coast on Wednesday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m., at the Maine State Library.

The Szelog’s home was remote by most people’s standards, yet relatively accessible for a lighthouse station. Sometimes they had only wildlife and passing boats for company, but not for long, because the spell of the lighthouse drew pilgrims in all seasons. People came to rest, to play, to marry, to meditate and to celebrate – all within view of the keeper’s house and the lenses of Tom’s camera.

In a narrated photography presentation based on the Szelog’s book, Our Point of View – Fourteen Years at a Maine Lighthouse, witness the ever changing tide of emotion and drama through compelling stories and extraordinary photographs.

Published by Down East magazine, the book has been honored as one of the best photo books by Shutterbug magazine and was the winner of Best Maine-Themed Book in the Maine Literary Awards from the Maine Writers and Publishers Association. The book is also a Gold Medal winner from the Independent Publishers Association.

The presentation is co-sponsored by the Maine State Library and free to the public (donations are accepted). For more information, contact Scott Wood, KHS administrative director, at kennhis1891@gmail.com or call 207-622-7718

The Maine State Library is located at 230 State Street, in Augusta.

Selectmen discuss sidewalks, sewer fees, solid waste and dam management

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen’s March 7 topics included sidewalks, sewer fees, solid waste hauling and dam management.

The sidewalk discussion related to state plans to rebuild Route 32, tentatively in 2021 or 2022. The question was whether sidewalks in the built-up sections of North and East Vassalboro would increase safety and convenience compared to the five-foot paved shoulders in the state plan.

Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus said the current sidewalks in North Vassalboro are not well maintained in winter and are so bumpy year-round that people often walk in the roadway. The state project would include new sidewalks, but maintenance would be a town responsibility, meaning costs for plowing, salting and sanding and repair as needed.

East Vassalboro resident Holly Weidner thinks drivers would not respect the wide shoulders as pedestrian territory, but would take them as an excuse to drive faster. Titus and Weidner agreed traffic-calming measures in both villages should be part of the rebuilding project.

Board member John Melrose, a former Commissioner of Transportation, expects the state transportation department to hold a public meeting to collect residents’ views when the project is closer to reality.

A resident raised the question of sewer fees, which are scheduled to almost double April 1 to help Vassalboro Sanitary District trustees fund the proposed connection to the Winslow and Waterville sewer system. Another resident said 192 households are on Vassalboro’s system, which serves East and North Vassalboro; many are already delinquent on current sewer fees.

The first speaker asked whether tax money could be used to help residents pay sewer bills. Titus said residents who want a question about spending tax money on the town meeting warrant need to draft it and get 211 voters to sign a petition supporting it in order to compel selectmen to add it.

The town has donated TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds to the sewer project and is likely to continue to do so, he said.

Board members reviewed five bids for hauling solid waste and unanimously accepted Bolster’s Rubbish Removal of Burnham as hauler for solid waste and recyclable cardboard. The bid forms invited bidders to propose alternative methods to the containers the town now uses; Town Manager Mary Sabins said no one did.

The dam issue involves the contract under which the Kennebec Water District (KWD) manages the Outlet Dam in East Vassalboro to keep the China Lake water level within state guidelines. Sabins said the contract expired Jan. 31. The draft renewal submitted by KWD increases the fee charged to Vassalboro and reassigns some responsibilities from KWD to the town.

Sabins said KWD General Manager Roger Crouse had invited her to discuss the contract. Selectmen encouraged her to accept the invitation.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 21, with a budget committee meeting scheduled to follow at 7 p.m.

Budget committee absorbs much information at meeting

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Budget Committee members absorbed much information and many opinions at their March 5 and March 7 meetings, though they are well short of overall budget figures needed to begin making recommendations to voters.

The total budget for the current (July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019) fiscal year is somewhat under $10 million. The school budget, which is not yet determined for 2019-2020, is somewhat under $8 million, of which almost $3.7 million comes from local funds. Vassalboro’s share of the 2018-2019 Kennebec County budget is $325,000 and change, with the 2019-2020 assessment also undetermined as of early March.

Questions budget committee members discussed at their two early-March meetings include whether to repair the town grader, buy a second-hand replacement or ask Road Commissioner Eugene Field to lease a grader as needed; whether to replace the police cruiser; additional staffing and possible redesign at the transfer station; and town employees’ salaries.

Last year’s future capital expenditure summary describes Vassalboro’s 1991 grader’s condition as good. At the March 5 meeting, Selectman Lauchlin Titus updated: “It’s still a four-letter word, but the word is ‘junk.’”

Field thinks repairs possible. He recommends committing at least $20,000 to have the grader examined and tested; if it is repairable, he expects at least another five years’ work from it. He said he found one used grader, a 2005, for $80,000; he does not support buying a new one at $280,000 or more.

Vassalboro has only 2.2 miles of unpaved public roads that need annual grading. However, Field said, he and his crew use the grader for shoulder work after paving and as the reserve vehicle in case a plow truck breaks down in mid-storm. Graders are not readily available, he said; if he had to rely on leasing he might not find one when needed.

Discussion of the grader, planned 2019 paving and deteriorating culverts led several people to share accounts of towns elsewhere whose officials have discontinued or dead-ended roads when they could not afford maintenance or a replacement bridge.

Field also requests funding for a new small truck. Asked at the March 7 meeting whether the truck or the grader is more important, he said he needs both.

Police Chief Mark Brown wants his 12-year-old cruiser replaced. He recommended buying a new one, preferably an all-wheel-drive SUV prewired for lights and siren, over three years. The estimated annual payment would be about $13,000. At this early stage in the budget process, his proposal appears to have support.

If he does not get a new vehicle, Brown said, the repair budget needs a generous increase, because the current one keeps having problems – it’s “nickel and diming the town to death.”

Transfer Station Manager George Hamar said he would like a full-time assistant. He has worked alone for a year, having to skip training classes and find a substitute if he is ill.

Town Manager Mary Sabins is considering seeking a new employee qualified to divide hours between public works and the transfer station.

Selectman John Melrose proposes a $5,000 appropriation to get a traffic engineer’s suggestions about changing the traffic pattern at the transfer station to make it safer.

Sabins presented her salary recommendations for current town employees and for any new hires. At this stage, the only firm figure in that area is Sabins’ contractual two percent raise.

The budget committee’s job, as re-elected Chairman Rick Denico reminded members March 5, is to advise voters on selectmen’s and school board members’ recommended expenditures for the new fiscal year. “We can work with the numbers, but we can’t change policy,” he said.

Later in the meeting, budget committee member and former Police Chief Richard Phippen wanted to talk about the selectmen’s policy on policing, which emphasizes community policing and leaves monitoring for speeders mostly to county and state law enforcement. Phippen said residents want as much speed control as possible; Denico repeated policy is not the budget committee’s job.

Policy and priorities, resident Holly Weidner suggested, should be considered at one or more public meetings in the fall, well before the pre-town-meeting budget crunch. Denico referred her to the 2014 Capital Expenses Committee reports on the town website as a starting point, and Selectman Robert Browne invited her to bring concerns to a selectmen’s meeting.

The budget committee canceled scheduled March 12 and March 14 meetings, because Sabins will be out of town – in Washington, D.C., representing Maine in her capacity as Maine Municipal Association President, Titus said approvingly. They also canceled a March 19 meeting because they had talked March 7 with most of the people invited March 19.

Their next meeting is currently scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21, after that evening’s selectmen’s meeting. Expected attendees include representatives of the volunteer fire department; a Cemetery Committee representative to explain a request for money for software; and any social service agencies whose requests are new this year.

Posted Roads Update 2019

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Dennis Heath, China town manager

from the office of Dennis Heath, China Town Manager

As most of our community business owners and farmers are aware, this is the time when our local roads are posted for no use by vehicles over a state-defined weight of 23,000 pounds. (https://www.maine.gov/mdot/postedroads/docs/posted_roads_all_2012.pdf)

The exceptions are included in the state statutes here: http://mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-A/title29-Asec2395.html.

The resulting damage to our local roads from overweight vehicles demands that we strictly limit granting waivers. Waivers for convenience will not be issued. Use of local roads when the outside temperature is lower than 32F is permitted, but only when evidence of thaw seepage through the roadway is not visible. Please contact (207) 445-2014 with questions or emergency requests.

China’s Lydia Gilman wins Maine’s Got Talent competition

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Lydia Gilman, 16, of China, performs at the Maine’s Got Talent competition, in Lewiston, on March 9. Lydia won the competition. (Photo by EM. Images, photographer, Erik Peterson)

Lydia Gilman, 16, an Erskine Academy junior, from China, took home first prize at the 2019 Maine’s Got Talent competition. Maine’s Got Talent is a dynamic musical competition featuring the selected top 10 performing artists in Maine for the show. The top three winners of Maine’s Got Talent receive cash prizes of: $750 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place. The event was held at the Gendro Franco Center, in Lewiston, on March 9, 2019.

Lydia sang, If I Ain’t Got You Babe, in the styles of Alicia Keys and brought the house down. The second place award went to Jaycen Daigle, of Eliot, performing an original composition (both singing and playing guitar). The third place award went to Tessa Walker, of Portland, who sang You Make Me Feel A Natural Woman, in the style of Aretha Franklin.

There was a panel of celebrity judges for the event. The judges were: Tom Doucette, (a former Maine’s Got Talent participant), Celeste from WBLM, and Joe Phillipon, of the Lewiston Police Department. The final results included the judges’ voting along with audience participation. Molly McGill was the emcee for the competition.

This event is a fundraiser for Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services, a private, nonprofit agency established in 1996, that provides quality services for children with special needs and those at risk for developmental issues. This is the 8th Annual Maine’s Got Talent competition for Sandcastle and its largest fundraiser for the year.

Lydia is the daughter of Lance and April Gilman, and granddaughter of Judi Gilman, of China.

Winslow girl receives national award from HGHW

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Mikayla Reynolds, a senior at Winslow High School, is one of six Maine girls who will receive an award at Hardy Girls Healthy Women’s 12th annual Girls Rock! Awards on March 22. The girls were nominated by their communities to be honored for their outstanding achievements in one of the following categories: STEM, athletics, entrepreneurship, health advocacy, community organizing, and defying the odds for success. Mikayla was chosen for her outstanding achievements in community organizing. Here is what was written about Mikayla for her nomination:

Mikayla Reynolds

“Mikayla is making change all over her community. She is the assistant director of the Out and Allied Youth Theater, a volunteer with the REM community group, the creator of the Clothing Exchange Closet, an active member of the ‘Save the Mill’ Fundraising Committee, in North Vassalboro, and working on organizing a child care center within the mill. She has been involved in the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership institute for three years, a member on the Service Unit for the Girl Scouts, the youth representative of the Poverty Action Coalition and active member at the South End Teen Center, and is spearheading the creation of a needs-closet in this facility as well. Mikayla is on the Lawrence Civil Rights team and has a mind for increasing justice and equality in the world around her. Mikayla has overcome tremendous challenges in her personal life to get where she is now and to propel herself into a brighter future. She is eager to continue changing the world by providing support to those who need it. She strives to make her community become a healthier, safer, and tolerant place.”

Tickets to the event can be purchased here as well as all info about the event: http://hghw.org/programs/girls-rock/girls-rock-awards/.

Week of March 7, 2019

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Week of March 7, 2019

Celebrating 30 years of local news

A mother’s instinct gives her son the chance he needed

A local toddler, Chance Cunningham, from China, received a successful bone marrow transplant in Boston, Massachusetts, to fight a rare disorder of his immune system, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH. Chance and his parents Lacey and Jeremy Cunningham returned home on the weekend of March 2, following a long, emotional stay in Boston…

Your Local News

Selectmen OK two TIF board recommendations

CHINA — The select board authorized Town Manager Dennis Heath to negotiate with Susan Bailey to buy her small piece of land across Causeway Street from the boat landing, and to pay a bill from Comprehensive Land Technologies for the new bridge west of the boat landing…

Planners give thumbs up to school gym expansion

CHINA — The new space will house a new stage, two teachers’ offices and a practice room, plus a storage room and under-the-stage chair storage. There will be room for bleachers in front of the new stage…

Declining enrollment could limit gains in state school subsidy

VASSALBORO — A pending local change is that the grant funding the pre-kindergarten program at Vassalboro Community School ends this year…

STATE OF THE TOWN LINE:
The importance of the printed paper

from Neil Farrington — I would personally like the paper to continue for another 30 years, so I’m asking our readership to take some ownership in The Town Line. A $35 yearly membership donation could save our little printed paper from being swallowed up by the digital 21st century world…

Trash Talking: China and Palermo residents – second alert

by Irene Belanger — Effective March 1, 2019, and until further notice, we will not be recycling any plastic bags so there will not be a barrel at the recycling station for them. They will go into the hopper…

Debunking the myths about donating bone marrow

The National Marrow Donor Program has published this to dispel the misinformation concerning marrow donation. The following information is to correct the myths that may be holding back potential donors from registering…

Henry Sainio celebrates 90th birthday

Henry Sainio, of Washington, was honored at a party for his 90th birthday on March 2. At his place large digits were displayed along with his cake (photo)…

2019 Real estate tax schedule

Find out when real estate taxes are due for China, Vassalboro, Windsor & Winslow.

Town Meeting schedule for 2019

Check here to see when your town has scheduled their 2019 town meeting. Current listings for China, Vassalboro and Windsor. To have your town listed, send an email to townline@fairpoint.net.

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School News

Erskine Academy announces school calendar change

SOUTH CHINA — Parents and students should be advised of a change to Erskine Academy’s school calendar. Due to excessive snow days, Friday, March 15, will now be an early release day for all Erskine Academy students. Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.

Airman Deschamps graduates from basic military training

SOUTH CHINA — Airman Kalib Deschamps, of South China, has completed an intensive, eight-week program in basic military training. Deschamps is the son of Tara Tracy, of South China, and grandson of Dawn Haskell, of Palermo. He is a 2018 graduate of Erskine Academy, China.

Showing enthusiasm and spirit

SKOWHEGAN — Cooper Jarvais, a junior at Skowhegan Area High School, shows some enthusiasm at a recent basketball game (photo)…

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Disappointing ending

SKOWHEGAN — In the recent Class A girls basketball regional final held at the Augusta Civic Center, the previously unbeaten Skowhegan Indians were defeated by the Hampden Academy Broncos, 32-28, and were eliminated from the tournament (photo)…

VCS JMG members pages for a day

VASSALBORO — Members of the Vassalboro Community School Jobs for Maine Graduates served as pages for the day on February 19, in the Maine State Legislature. They later visited with Gov. Janet Mills (photo)…

Braden Soule receives principals award

FAIRFIELD — Braden Soule, of Fairfield, a senior at Erskine Academy, in South China, has been selected to receive the 2019 Principals Award, Headmaster Michael McQuarrie announced recently…

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

from Danielle Foster (former China resident) — Jack’s store was the heart of the community when I grew up. Jack’s, the post office, the library, and the church, made my childhood the stuff story books tales are made of. Great people everywhere…

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

WATERVILLE — LENTEN ORGAN CONCERTS, First Baptist Church, Elm St. Sunday, March 10, Christina Misner Rao, of Manchester, organist at Wayne Community Church. …

Obituaries

SOUTH CHINA – Lula Ruth “Sally” Brotherton, of South China, born in Prague, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully in her home the morning of February 15, 2019. She was the middle child of Martin Joyce Sweet and Lawrence Clyde Curry… and remembering 11 others…

Common Ground – Round 2: Win a $10 gift certificate!

Identify the men in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Retail Therapy boutique in Waterville, next to the Dairy Queen! Email your answer to townline@fairpoint.net or visit our Contact page.

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | That got me thinking. Claiming myself to be an amateur birder, I wondered how many birds I have seen in my life time. So, I set out to make a list…

Gary KennedyVETERANS CORNER

by Gary Kennedy | It seems some of you are very angry with the VA and how you are received when you try to apply for benefits as well as medical care. Normally, your first step is to approach a service organization for assistance…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Conductor Josef Krips was distinguished by his work in helping to rebuild the Vienna State Opera during the post-World War II years; he also made many recordings of the Central European repertoire-Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert etc…

THE MONEY MINUTE

by Jac M. Arbour | There was seemingly nowhere to turn to make a few bucks in 2018, and it’s no wonder that people want to be especially thoughtful about how they allocate money in 2019, specifically within their retirement accounts…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | These slang words were developed for short order cooks and servers in diners so they could let the cooks know what “to burn,” what to “wreck” and what to “put a hat on.” I hope this brings back happy memories for some of you and a new slang for others to learn…

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy | Received the much welcomed Solon School News letter for February and will start this column with the Second Quarter Honor Roll…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) — Whether it’s a broken leg or the flu, illness and injuries that result in hospital stays are unfortunately commonplace for American families…

Can You Afford an Unexpected Hospital Bill? Preparing Your Family for Unforeseen Costs