Self defense, computer classes in Palermo

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A self defense class to increase your confidence on Tuesday and Thursday, August 8 and 10, from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. Participants should be reasonably healthy, wear comfortable, loose clothing, sneakers and no jewelry. Bring sturdy work gloves. Cost is $10 and includes Persuader Keychain. The class is limited to 10. Pre-registration is required by calling 993-6088 or emailing palermo@palermo.lib.me.us.

Free computer classes for those who want to learn computer basics, Windows 10, Excel, and much more on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning on Tuesday, August 15 through Thursday, August 31, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. If available, please bring a laptop. Computers and laptops will be available for those who need them. For a detailed Computer Class Outline, go to www.palermo.lib.me.us.

The library is located at 2789 Route 3. For more information: call 993-6088 or email palermo@palermo.lib.me.us or www.palermo.lib.me.us.

The Palermo Community Library offers Kindles, books, large print books, audio books, Inter-library loan, DVDs, VHS tapes, Wi-Fi, patron computers, printing, faxing, and ancestrylibrary.com! There is also a community room with a large screen TV available for meetings and presentations.

The Palermo Community Library is an all-volunteer library. If you’d like to volunteer, please call 993-6088.

 

What’s the “Buzz about Bees”?

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What types of bees are found in Maine? Why are some bee species in decline? What can we do to protect bee populations in Maine? What plants encourage bees in our landscapes?  Jennifer Lund, from the Maine Department of Agriculture, will speak on the topic at the monthly series of the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust, on Wednesday, August 9, at 6:30 p.m.

To answer these and many other common questions about bees, Lund’s talk will focus on understanding basic bee biology, nesting requirements, and foraging behavior. Lund is the State Apiculturist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry.  The Apiary program helps prevent the introduction and spread of regulated honey bee diseases, parasites, and undesirable genetic material in resident and migratory honey bee colonies.

Lund’s talk is part of the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust’s monthly speaker series, “Restoring Connections to Place,” featuring a wide variety of conservation topics. The programs are held on the second Wednesday of every month at the café, 93 Main Coffee Shop, located at 93 Main St., Unity. These monthly events are open to the public and a $5 donation is suggested. For more information, please email info@sebasticookrlt.org or call 948-3766.

 

Kennebec Historical society monthly meeting

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The Union Meeting House is on the National Register of Historic Places primarily because of the famous well preserved trompe l’oeil murals by Charles Schumacher, of Portland, done in 1866-68. The building was built in 1827-28 and is said to be one of the oldest brick churches in Maine. The presentation will focus on the murals and discuss steps being taken to preserve this historic, artistic and cultural landmark.

The speaker, Marius B. Peladeau, is the president of the Union Meeting House, director emeritus of the Farnsworth Art Museum, former executive director of the Theater at Monmouth, former exhibition curator at the L.C. Bates Museum, in Hinckley, former director of the Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums. He was an accredited White House correspondent and press secretary to a U.S. Congressman. Marius also holds B.A., M.S., and M.A. degrees and is the author of six books on art, history and culture.

The Kennebec Historical Society August Presentation is co-sponsored by the Lithgow Public Library and free to the public (donations gladly accepted). The presentation will take place on Wednesday, August 16, at 6:30 p.m., at the Lithgow Public Library, located at 45 Winthrop Street in Augusta.

 

China Days this weekend, August 4-6

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Pie eating starts at 11:30AM for 14 and under! Photos courtesy of China Days facebook

by Eric Austin
Over its 14-year history, China Community Days has grown from a small, local festival to something that pulls in residents and tourists from all over Central Maine. This year looks to up the ante with dozens of activities, vendors, and a new community-driven event dubbed “The Bazaar” – where any resident can bring their own table and display items for sale.

The festivities kick off on Friday, August 4, with a chicken barbecue at the South China American Legion at 4:30 p.m. Then bring your inner artist over to the China Primary school bus circle where there will be a parking lot art contest at 5:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., take your kids to the Youth Wiffle Ball Game up between the elementary and middle schools at the China Recreation Ball Fields.

Nearly 20 Organizations and Vendors will have booths set up on Saturday

Saturday, activities ramp up bright and early at 10 a.m. Start your day off with a little exercise at 10:30 a.m. at the China School Forest table, where Elaine Philbrook, on behalf of the Town Forest at China Schools, will be giving walking tours.

Forget to feed the kids? They’ve got you covered! There’ll be a pie eating contest for ages 14 and under at 11:30 a.m., up at the China Recreation ballfields. The 15 to 18-year olds will get a chance at pie-eating at 1 p.m., while 18 and over adults will go last at 2 p.m. If you plan to participate, you should sign up at the China Community Days booth. Registration is $3 and there is space for up to 10 participants in each of the age groups. While you’re there, buy a raffle ticket to win a hand-carved bear by local artist Ron Carlson!

For those not planning to fill up on pie, food will be available from multiple vendors, including the China Four Seasons Club, MAJEK’s Seafood and Full Fork Farm. While you’re waiting for your food, you might want to browse the booths of nearly 20 community organizations and vendors who will be in attendance.

Kids should find no end of entertainment with nearly a dozen different activities, including an Obstacle Course, Joust competition, Dunk Tank and Bounce House. Make sure they have a little spending money for cotton candy and snow cones ($1 each)! A number of organizations, including our local Rescue & Volunteer Fire departments, will have vehicles there for children to explore. Has your child ever held a fire hose with water shooting out of it at 80 miles an hour? This is their chance!

This unique chainsaw bear carving by local artist, Ron Carlson, will be up for Raffle!

Saturday evening, activities shift to the Causeway at the north end of China Lake, with a street dance in the China Baptist Parking Lot starting at 6 p.m. The band The Resistance will be playing live, so come and boogie-woogie with other residents! That will certainly work up your appetite, so grab a burger at the China Baptist Hamburger booth.

Then at 9 p.m., is the show everybody’s waiting for – FIREWORKS! The team is planning a stellar display to make up for the stumbles encountered last year. Be sure to arrive early to ensure a good spot, or come by boat and enjoy the best seat in the house!

Sunday sees two of our favorite activities return from years past. From 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., is the Youth Fishing Derby for ages 15 and under. Fishing will occur along the Causeway at the north end of the lake.

Then at noon, there will be a competitive Scavenger Hunt. Teams can be made up of children and adults, and should meet in the parking lot of the China Baptist Church at noon sharp. You’ll be given a list of 100 items and a deadline of two hours. Winners will be the team that finds the most items and returns by 2 p.m.

The Economic and Community Development Committee of China has really outdone itself this year, and they hope everyone will come and enjoy the celebrations! Be sure to check out the full Program of Events here. For questions, to volunteer (they still need lots of help!), or to inquire about a vendor booth (it’s not too late!), contact Kelly at the China Town Office at 445-2014 or kelly@chinamaine.org.

Residents should take note that the Causeway at the north end of China Lake will be closed to vehicles Saturday, August 5, from 4 – 11 p.m., for the street dance, and on Sunday, August 6, from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m., for the Youth Fishing Derby.

The Bounce House, a festival favorite, is back this year!

Week of July 27, 2017

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Week of July 27, 2017

Winslow fire/rescue dispatcher marks 50 years

Edson ‘Skip’ Small observed 50 years with the Winslow Fire/Rescue Department in June, joining the fire department in the spring of 1967.  Bill Horne was chief of the volunteer department. He has worked with four fire chiefs over the years, including Bill Horne, Ansel Grindall, Bill Page and Dave LaFountain.dson ‘Skip’ Small observed 50 years with the Winslow Fire/Rescue Department in June, joining the fire department in the spring of 1967.  Bill Horne was chief of the volunteer department. He has worked with four fire chiefs over the years, including Bill Horne, Ansel Grindall, Bill Page and Dave LaFountain. “Fire equipment, gear and vehicles have changed dramatically over the years,” Small said. “We had rubber coats and plastic helmets that would melt down over your ears if you got too close to the fire.” Laws have also changed over the years and the firefighters of today have state […]

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Obituaries, Week of July 27, 2017

We’d like to feature stories about you, your neighborhood, schools, events and places you remember in Maine from the 1960s or before. Photos, too!

Send your story, with name, phone, or email, to townline@fairpoint.net or P.O. Box 89 Jonesbrook Crossing, So. China, ME 04358. FMI: 445-2234.

China Lake Association celebrates its 30th anniversary

New Dimensions car show raises $12,000 for cancer program

Block that kick!

Other Local News

Area students on Roger Williams University dean’s list

Peach order deadline approaches

Other News

Katherine Thompson on Emmanuel College dean’s list

Town Line Original Columnists

The Internet: At War with Itself

10 plants you should be growing in your garden (part 2)

Scores and OutdoorsAny-deer permits now available

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

Review PotpouriSinger: Eddy Howard; Composer: Vivaldi; Opera singer: Igor Gorin

The inner child within us

If Walls Could TalkIF WALLS COULD TALK

NEWS FROM THE VA

T-shirt sayings and wisdom

Palermo School Middle Level honors Third trimester

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High honors: Cody Devaney, Jacob Devaney and Lily Vinci. General honors: Lily Bray, Nick Christiansen, Timmy Christiansen, Eric Cochran, Robbie Conlogue, Atilio Delgado, Isabella DeRose, Jessica Giguere, Grady Hotham, Rachel Huntoon, Bo Johnson, Moira MacDowell, Richard Mahoney, Holden McKenney, Sophia Pilotte, Kaden Porter, Karen Potter, Lily Potter, Riley Reitchel, Kiley Stevens, Paige Sutter, Aidan Tirrell, Jackson Tirrell and Sam York.

Block that kick!

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Clinton Lions PAL football team member Cameron Blodgett, 10, of Clinton, training on a blocking drill for kicks, punts, and field goals, during the Central Maine Youth Football Camp on July 24.

Photo by Mark Huard, owner of Central Maine Photography

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Any-deer permits now available

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

This bit of news came across my desk this week, and I thought I would share it with you. According to Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, applications for 2017 any-deer (antlerless) permit lottery are now available online from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

To apply online, visit www20.maine.gov/online/nedeer/. Online applications are due by 11:59 P.M. on August 15, 2017.

It is free to apply for the any-deer permit lottery. The drawing will be held on September 8, and results will be posted on the department’s website.

A total of 66,050 any-deer permits will be issued in 22 of the state’s 29 wildlife management districts. This is an increase from last year when there were 45,755 permits available to hunters. The permit allocation is: 16,517 for landowners; 16,517 for juniors; and 1,453 for Superpack holders and 31,563 for all other hunters.

The 22 wildlife management districts where any-deer (antlerless) permits will be issued are 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 29. This year, permits have been allocated to districts 7, 12, and 13 as biological data collected and field observations by staff suggest that these WMD’s have experienced population growth.

The department uses the any-deer permit system to manage the white-tailed deer population in the state. The ability to enact change in the state’s deer populations derives from the ability to increase, or decrease, the number of breeding female deer on the landscape. By controlling the harvest of female deer in the 29 regional wildlife management districts throughout the state, biologists can manage population trends.

With last year’s winter below average in severity, more permits can be issued. White-tailed deer are at the northern edge of their range in Maine, and winter severity is a limiting factor concerning population growth. The 2015-16 winter proved to be mild in nature, in fact it turned out to be one of the mildest in the last 60+ years which often results in an increase in the deer population. To offset potential population increases due to increased juvenile survival, MDIFW increased Any-deer permit (ADP) allocations by approximately 60 percent (45,755) from the 2015 allocation of 28,770.

Last deer season, Maine hunters harvested 23,512 deer, representing an increase of 16 percent from the 2015 deer harvest. There were 20,040 deer tagged during the general firearms season, 1,267 deer were harvested during the expanded archery season, 469 deer were tagged during the regular archery season and Maine’s youth hunters harvested 659 deer. Muzzleloaders tagged 933 deer.

Deer hunting season (firearms) begins with Youth Deer Hunting Day on Saturday, October 21. Youth may take a buck statewide or an antlerless deer only in the wildlife management districts where any-deer permits will be issued this fall.

This year, Maine Residents Only Day is on Saturday, October 28, and regular firearms season for deer runs October 30 through November 25. Note: this year, a nonresident who owns 25 or more acres of land in Maine and leaves land open to hunting, holds a valid hunting license, and is not otherwise prohibited by law, may hunt deer on the resident only day.

For more information, visit www.mefishwildlife.com.

I’m Just Curious: T-shirt sayings and wisdom

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by Debbie Walker

I guess by now you know that I will read most anything. I’m just curious about your interests (oops, you are reading this column!) It was said of a friend of mine that she would read toilet paper if it had words on it.

I do enjoy reading a lot of different subjects and tonight it has been ads for T-shirts with different sayings on them. So… the T-shirt sayings are pretty funny. The following ones came from a catalog called “Things You Never Knew”:

• I may have the right to remain silent… but I don’t have the ability.

• I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me all at once!

• Not sure if I washed the spider down the drain in my shower or if he took one look at me naked and then leaped willingly to his death!

• People who Tolerate me on a daily basis…they are the real heroes! (Yup Ken is my hero)

• Don’t let my motorcycle ride interfere with the safety of your phone call! (Please be careful about motorcycles)

• Don’t follow in my footsteps…I think I stepped in something!

• I should be ashamed of my behavior, let’s be clear here I’m not but I should be. (I have too much fun!)

• You know that little voice inside your head that keeps you from saying things you shouldn’t? I should probably get one of those.

• Let’s stop sending money to other countries and let them hate us for free!

• I don’t do drugs and I don’t drink, at my age I can get the same effect by standing too fast!

• People should seriously stop expecting normal from me … we all know it’s never gonna happen! (I do think most of my friends and family have stopped expecting normal from me!)

• When is this “Old Enough to Know Better” supposed to kick in?

• Why is it I can remember the lyrics to my favorite song in high school 20 years later, BUT I can’t remember why I came to the kitchen? (that’s a daily happening thing around here.)

• IF you don’t have to give up your car because others drive drunk with theirs … Then why do you have to give up your gun because others commit crimes with theirs?

• Note to self…Wearing headphones doesn’t make my farts silent!!

• Have you hugged an idiot today? Me neither, come here.

• Respect Your Elders; they graduated school without the internet!

• I just did a week’s worth of Cardio after walking into a spider web!

• I thought growing old would take longer!

• I plan on living forever, so far so good!

• Give me one good reason to act my age!

• Common sense, so rare it’s kind of a superpower.

• Prayer is the best way to meet the Lord BUT messing with my daughter is faster!

There are so many more sayings, and this is just three pages of them! I hope they gave you a giggle or two or three. I’m just curious what your favorite would be! So… contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com sub: T-shirts.

Once again, thank you for reading.

REVIEWS: Singer: Eddy Howard; Composer: Vivaldi; Opera singer: Igor Gorin

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Eddy Howard

My Best to You; My Last Goodbye

Eddy Howard

Mercury C-30053X45, seven-inch 45 vinyl disc, recorded March 13, 1958.

The very gifted singer/bandleader, Eddy Howard, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in his sleep during the night of May 23, 1963, at the very young age of 48. I have written about him before in these pages and will simply state that his 78s, 45s and LPs of ballads and easy tempo love songs still give me great pleasure, upon re-hearing. The wistful My Last Goodbye and the effusive My Best to You, a re-recording of a 1946 hit, are wonderful examples of what could be described as romantic, late ‘40s to ‘50s pop with touches of real blues.

Vivaldi

The Four Seasons

Vivaldi

Corelli: Concerto Grosso No. 8, in G Minor, “Christmas Concerto”; Pergolesi: Flute Concerto No. 2 in D Major- Karl Munchinger conducting the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and Werner Krotzinger, violin, for Vivaldi; Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute, for Pergolesi; London Treasury Weekend Classics, 417-873-4, recorded 1971, 1961, 1964.

Karl Munchinger (1915-1990) founded the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra just after World War II and led it for just over 40 years, retiring in 1988. I have enjoyed every record of his that I have heard, if not own. These three works are given spirited performances that will give much pleasure to both newcomers to classical music and to seasoned collectors! This recording of Vivaldi’s Seasons is the second of three for London that the Maestro did, each one with a different fiddler. I own the early fifties mono lp, along with the above, which I like better by a tiny margin because of more rhythmic bite.

Igor Gorin

Largo Al Factotum

Igor Gorin, baritone, with orchestra conducted by Howard Barlow; Ol’ Moses Put Pharoah in His Place- Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians; V Disc, no. 563, 12-inch vinyl 78 record, probably recorded during World War II.

Igor Gorin

Igor Gorin (1904-1982) was a popular opera and concert singer on radio during the mid ‘30s throughout the ‘40s and recorded 78s for Victor, starting in 1936. His singing on side 1 of the above record of Rossini’s most famous opera aria is quite good, with a fine accompaniment by an orchestra under the conducting of Howard Barlow, Music Director of the CBS Radio Orchestra from 1927 to 1943.

Side two has the Pennsylvanians under their founder and leader, Fred Waring (1900-1984), giving a most festive rendition of the spiritual Ol’ Moses…, itself of average quality. However, I do own a sizable number of the group’s records for Victor, Decca, Capitol and Reprise; at one point in the forties and fifties, it was the most popular choir in the U.S. and former President Dwight Eisenhower watched its TV show every Sunday night, without missing one episode.

The V Disc label provided records for broadcast over armed forces radio stations and several of them are in my collection.