ShineOnCass free lending library opens at Kennebec Valley YMCA

June and Jolene Raymond at the free lending library, looking at a photo of Cassidy Charette. (contributed photo)

The newest community Little Free Library to pop up in central Maine is shining a light on youth literacy and putting books into the hands of hundreds of children who attend the Kennebec Valley YMCA, in Augusta. The ShineOnCass Lending Library was installed this week, just in time for National Reading Month.

Jennifer Fortin, Senior Director for Development and Marketing for the KVYMCA, called the lending library a creative and meaningful way to support local kids.

“We are excited to partner with the ShineOnCass Foundation to bring this special library to the families and youth at the YMCA,” Fortin said. “We have a shared mission to support local youth, and through this joint endeavor, we will build community, while promoting a love of reading for all ages. Literacy is crucial for everyone. It’s the foundation for accessing knowledge, participating in society, and thriving in all aspects of life, from education and employment to health and civic engagement.”

Children are welcome to select a book of their choice to borrow, read it at home or at the facility, and either return it, or share a different book by replacing it with one of their own. The ShineOnCass Foundation designed, created and donated the 6-foot, bright yellow, floating sun bookcase, as well as hundreds of children’s books to keep it stocked. The ShineOnCass Foundation was created to spread kindness and promote youth volunteerism in memory of Cassidy Charette, an Oakland teen who died in a hayride accident in 2014. This is the second lending library to be gifted to local children. The first was established four years ago at the Alfond Youth & Community Center, in Waterville, where youth there enjoy daily access to the lending library.

“Cassidy was an avid, lifelong reader. Her love for books began before she could even read the words in them,” said Monica Charette, Cassidy’s mother and executive director of the ShineOnCass Foundation. “We can think of no better way to honor Cassidy than by sharing her passion for reading with other children.”

The ShineOnCass Foundation will continue to donate a variety of hardcover and paperback books, including selections promoting kindness, diversity, and selections addressing grief. Additionally, the Charette family donated some of Cassidy’s personal books to the collection.

104-year-old Augusta Symphony Orchestra thrives with new conductor and dedicated community musicians

by Barbara Walsh

On an autumn evening in 1920, a small group of Augusta area musicians gathered in the home of Ernest Hill, a renowned performer who had played in orchestras across the country.

The classical music session in Hill’s parlor was so exhilarating that one of the musicians joked, “We ought to hire a hall.”

A few group members took the remark seriously and months later, on January 30, 1921, they performed at the Augusta Union Hall. After a rousing reception from the audience, the musicians decided to call themselves the Augusta Symphony Orchestra and began performing concerts throughout Augusta, Gardiner and Hallowell. The orchestra grew so popular that 1,000 people attended a 1923 holiday concert at the Augusta Opera House.

Today, 104 years later, the Augusta Symphony Orchestra continues to offer concerts and inspire audiences in Central Maine.

The orchestra’s upcoming Sunday, May 11, at 3 p.m., performance will be held at Cony High School. Like the ASO’s original 1920s concerts, they are free and open to the public.

An ensemble of 50 members, the ASO is an eclectic mix of local business owners, IT specialists, medical professionals, engineers, school teachers, music educators, and retirees. Though most of the players live in the Augusta area, several travel from Bangor, Brunswick, Farmington, Camden and Yarmouth to practice and perform. They range in age from 20-year-olds to octo gena rians. Unpaid orchestra members dedicate hours of their time to practice together and take part in “something truly wonderful,” said Mary Ellen Tracy, who joined the ASO 30 years ago and plays the viola. “It’s a super fun group,” Tracy added, “And we love sharing music with the community.”

Regardless of their background, each member shares a passion for playing classical music including pieces created by the masters: Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and Mozart.

“It’s really amazing music that goes through so many emotions and feelings,” said Betsy Kobayashi, who lives in Manchester, and has played with the ASO for the past 30 years.

Performing the musical pieces, which encompass a wide variety of instruments − from violins to oboes to trombones and kettledrums − is challenging and exhilarating, said Syd Sewall, a retired Augusta pediatrician, who joined the orchestra in 1996.

“Playing some of the music is like climbing Mt. Everest,” said Sewall, who plays the violin and lives in Hallowell. But the rewards, he added, are worth it. “When you are playing in a big group and everything is syncing and working, it’s like a runner’s high.”

Over the past decade, ASO’s conductors have encouraged members to take on more challenging pieces. Their new conductor, Jinwook Park, the former music director of Boston’s Philharmonic and director of Colby College’s symphony orchestra, has inspired the players to elevate their musical talent.

“I’ve heard some people say they’re practicing more than ever now,” said violinist Kobayashi.

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Lower courts & Augusta Courthouse

by Mary Grow

Judge William Penn Whitehouse

Last week’s article summarized part of the origin of Maine’s court system, including the 1820 creation of the state Supreme Court. The next level below the Supreme Court, according to William Penn Whitehouse’s information in Henry Kingsbury’s 1892 Kennebec County history, was the court of common pleas.

As related last week, courts of common pleas were abolished in 1872. In 1878, some of this court’s functions were taken over in Kennebec County by the county superior court.

Whitehouse summarized the types of cases the superior court was authorized to decide. Through successive legislative acts, he wrote, the court’s jurisdiction came to include “all civil matters, except real actions, complaints for flowage, and proceedings in equity, including libels for divorce….”

Here is a definition of “real action” from the web: “a local legal action founded on seisin [another word for possession] or possession in which title is placed in issue and which aims at establishing title to a particular piece or part of real estate and at recovering the piece or part of real estate.”

“Flowage” is defined as “an overflowing onto adjacent land,” or “a body of water formed by overflowing or damming.”

“Proceeding in equity” means “a civil suit that seeks an equitable remedy, such as an injunction or specific performance, rather than a legal remedy, such as monetary damages.”

The superior court, Whitehouse wrote, also had “exclusive original and appellate jurisdiction of all criminal matters, including capital cases.” It was authorized to hear appeals from “municipal and police courts and trial justices in civil and criminal cases.”

An 1891 law, he said, limited the superior court’s jurisdiction to cases where requested damages were under $500. It also provided that in a murder trial, “one of the judges of the supreme court must preside.”

The next level of courts Whitehouse described he called the court of sessions. Inherited from Massachusetts, this court consisted of justices of the peace, at first however many there were in a jurisdiction, after 1807 a fixed number.

Kennebec County Courthouse

In Kennebec County (which had been separated from Lincoln County in February 1799), Whitehouse said this court had six justices plus a chief justice until 1819, when it was reduced to two justices plus a chief justice.

In 1831, the court of sessions was replaced by a court of county commissioners. This court still existed in 1892; it consisted of “three persons elected by the people.”

(Whether Whitehouse meant these “persons” were commissioners is unclear. However, the current Kennebec County website suggests they might have been. This site says the three Kennebec County commissioners, each representing a district in the county, have responsibility for policies and budgets; and “Additional duties include municipal tax abatement appeals and hearings on maintenance of town roads.”)

Yet another type of court Whitehouse said Maine inherited from Massachusetts is the probate court. A Maine Probate Court website explains: “Probate Courts handle the estates of deceased and missing persons, guardianship of incapacitated adults and minor children, trusts, legal name changes of adults and minors, adoption matters as well as other family matters.”

In 1784, Whitehouse wrote, the Massachusetts legislature created county probate courts, each consisting of one “able and learned person” as judge. The Maine legislature, in 1821, continued the system; in 1853, county probate judges and registers of probate (the person who manages and administers the court) were made elective officials, serving four-year terms.

Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell, of Vassalboro, has been Kennebec County probate judge since 2016; she was re-elected in November 2024. Her husband, James “Jim” Mitchell, had held the position for 37 years before his death in September 2016.

The register is Ronda Snyder, of Sidney, serving her first term.

* * * * * *

In addition to state and county courts, Whitehouse listed municipal courts. In Kennebec County, they were established in Hallowell in 1835; in Gardiner in 1849 or 1850; in Augusta in 1850; and in Waterville in 1880 (called the police court).

Judges were elected until 1876. Thereafter, Whitehouse said, they were appointed by the governor and council for four-year terms.

These courts generally took over the powers that had been held by justices of the peace. In 1891, Whitehouse wrote, the legislature expanded the Waterville court’s jurisdiction over both criminal matters and minor civil actions. He did not explain why.

* * * * * *

According to James North in his 1870 history of Augusta, when Augusta and Hallowell separated in February 1797, the courts remained in what became briefly Harrington and on June 9 Augusta.

The first courthouse had been built in Market Square near Dickman Lane (now Dickman Street, in downtown Augusta?) in 1790. Money was raised by subscription, North said, with Henry Sewall (1752 – 1845, one of numerous Sewalls important in Augusta history) subscribing $10 in “labor and materials.” He and his brother, Jonathan Sewall, did most of the work.

By December 1790 the project was out of money, and the building wasn’t finished. The subscribers decided to make one room fit for the Court of Common Pleas’ January 1791 session. North wrote that the room was adequate, though it was “neither plastered nor lathed” until December 1791.

In June 1801, North wrote, Kennebec County officials decided it was time for a new courthouse. They chose a site on State Street (then named Court Street; what is now Court Street did not exist until 1803, and then only its east end, between Water and State streets) “on the site of the present [1870] new jail.”

This courthouse was usable by the winter of 1801-1802 – North wrote that religious services were occasionally held in it. It was officially finished March 16, 1802, and the Court of Common Pleas moved in.

“It was a commodious building for that day, and served the county for nearly thirty years,” North wrote. After that it became the State Street Chapel, home of the Second Baptist Church; then the Concert Hall; and when the new jail claimed the lot under it, it was moved and in 1870 was still the Concert Hall.

When the Kennebec County Court of Sessions met for its December 1827 term, some Kennebec Bar members asked for a new courthouse. The judges decided there was indeed a need for “better accommodation of the county and public offices” and appointed a six-man committee to design a new building and provide a cost estimate.

The committee reported in February 1828, proposing a 50-by-60-foot granite building 30 feet high. The court agreed and appointed James Cochran architect and Robert C. Vose builder. In January, 1829, they paid $1,000 for a lot (now 95 State Street).

General Joseph Chandler laid the cornerstone for the courthouse on May 29, 1829. North does not further identify him nor say why he was chosen; he does say there was a “brief ceremony, in presence of the workmen and a few spectators.”

Under the cornerstone, he said, were placed an engraved plate with the date; the governor’s name (Enoch Lincoln, who became governor on Jan. 3, 1827, and died in office Oct. 8, 1829, in Augusta, three days after a public speech at Cony Female Academy); lists of judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Sessions; and the name of “Mr. Berry, the master builder.” Two “recent newspapers” were added.

North wrote that the outside of the building was finished in August, the inside in December. The Supreme Court was the first to use it, opening a session on June 1, 1830.

Maine’s first chief justice, Prentiss Mellen from Portland, who served from July 1, 1820, until he retired on Oct. 11, 1834 (the year he turned 70), praised the new courthouse as the best in the state. The state Supreme Court continued to hold its Augusta sessions in the building until 1970.

The courthouse is an early example of Greek Revival style in Maine, with Doric columns across the front on both levels. It now has a wooden belfry on top; but North wrote that originally the courthouse bell was hung in a small separate tower “in the rear of the county offices at the southwest corner of the lot.”

This configuration, he wrote, gave rise to jokes about “a church having sunk, leaving its steeple above ground.”

The belfry was moved to its proper location “within a few years,” Maine historian Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., surmised when he prepared the application for National Register listing in December, 1973.

The original courthouse has been enlarged twice, Shettleworth wrote. In 1851, it was expanded to the rear; in 1907, a new probate wing was added. Both additions were made “with granite in sympathy with style, scale, and texture of the original structure.” The inside has been repeatedly renovated.

* * * * * *

Your writer failed to find information on any early courthouse in Waterville.

Looking up “courthouse history Waterville Maine” on line brought an AI response (your writer regards AI with caution and doubt) saying Waterville’s courthouse is the 1829 Kennebec County courthouse, in Augusta.

Other on-line sources consider the contemporary Waterville courthouse the modern brick building on Colby Street, north of the business district. It houses the district court.

The Maine Judicial Branch website offers this information on contemporary district courts:

“As of July 1, 2024 the District Court has 44 judges and a number of Active Retired Judges who hold court in eight regions at many locations throughout Maine. The District Court hears civil, criminal and family matters and always sits without a jury.”

Augusta’s District Court is housed in a modern building at 1 Court Street. Another website says the Kennebec County Superior Court also holds sessions there.

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.

Endicott College announces local dean’s list students

Endicott College, in Beverly, Massachusetts, has announced its Fall 2024 dean’s list students.

The following students have met the requirements:

Augusta

Oliver Parker, English, Katherine Parker and Walter Parker;

China

Emily Clark, Nursing, Stacy Clark and Christopher Clark;

China Village

Hailey Hobart, Education, Deborah Hobart and Daniel Hobart

Jefferson

Elizabeth Greenleaf, Liberal Studies;

Winslow

Alexi ONeil, English, Michelle O’Neil.

WPI announces Fall dean’s list

A total of 2,393 undergraduate students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), in Worcester, Massachusetts, were named to the university’s fall 2024 dean’s list.

The following students were named to the dean’s list for Fall 2024:

Kaitlyn Henry, of Augusta, class of 2028, majoring in Computer Science;

Lily Ker, of Waterville, class of 2027, majoring in Interactive Media and Game Development;

Emiko Peck, of Waterville, class of 2028, majoring in Mathematical Sciences.

Repair work taking place at Lithgow Library

photo: Friends of Lithgow Public Library

Please note that starting March 11, there will be ongoing repair work taking place in the library’s historic wing. The first phase of work will start with the Reading Room, which will be partially closed, and then will shift to the West side where the dvds, magazines and newspapers are housed. During phase two, the magazines and newspapers will be relocated to the Reference area on the 2nd floor and some of the dvds may be unavailable.

The historic wing is the library’s designated quiet area, but during this time there will be disruption. Thank you for your patience.

Lithgow Library is located at 45 Winthrop Street, in Augusta. For more information, please call the library at (207) 626-2415 or visit our website at www.lithgowlibrary.org

Augusta native serves with Navy Helicopter Strike Force

Petty Officer 3rd Class Theodore Mahaleris, of Augusta, with a Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk in the background. (photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joseph Sitter, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West)

Petty Officer 3rd Class Theodore Mahaleris, a native of Augusta, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35.

Mahaleris graduated from Cony High School in 2017.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Augusta.

“My hometown taught me the importance of small-town ideals,” Mahaleris said. “My city inspired me to venture off to experience new cities and new adventures. After joining the Navy, I was exposed to how much more the world had to offer.”

Mahaleris joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Mahaleris serves as a naval air crewman (tactical helicopter).

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to join a challenging and fulfilling community,” Mahaleris said. “Air rescue has provided the opportunity to travel to places I couldn’t ever imagine and contribute to a unique work environment. My great uncle served in the Navy and hearing his sea stories inspired me to join.”

Members of HSM-35 fly and maintain the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, the Navy’s most advanced rotary wing maritime strike platform. The Navy MH-60R is able to perform many different missions. Some of the most common operations include strikes on maritime targets, submarine hunting and attack, electronic warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuations and supply support.

The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.

According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”

With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Mahaleris has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“My proudest accomplishment so far is graduating from the Fleet Replacement Aircrew (FRAC) training,” Mahaleris said. “I was able to push myself through rigorous training that I originally wasn’t inclined towards. I was able to achieve success in a rewarding career field that I would have never imagined myself in. The Romeo aircrew requirement is very intensive, but the opportunity to employ your skillset on a daily basis is unparalleled.”

Mahaleris serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“For me, serving in the Navy means training to be the best,” Mahaleris said. “To get to practice my mission set on a daily basis to protect this country is an experience unlike any other.”

Mahaleris is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank my mom and dad,” Mahaleris added. “Maine provided the foundation for me to propel myself to where I am today. I was able to leverage my experiences to become the leader I am today.”

LETTERS: Sadly, estranged from my daughter

To the editor:

Regarding my daughter’s rebuttal letter to The Town Line, it should be noted that the only references to dollars was what I paid a man to share my driving back to Maine. I would remind her I allowed her to write her own checks from our joint account, in her own words, “I do really appreciate your helping me out!”

I saw a lawyer who said I did nothing wrong: 1) Telling senior citizens not to make the mistake I did. 2) no malice, I wrote the truth. 3) it was not meant for her eyes to see and why I wrote to The Town Line, 2,000 miles away from Florida. My lawyer asked me and I ask you editor, et al, how the heck did she get to even know about The Town Line, or access it? Oh well, I am now estranged from my daughter. Sad as it has to be.

Frank Slason
Augusta

Area scouts earn merit badges at badge college

Ryan Poulin, President of New Dimensions Federal Credit Union, instructs Scouts including Elizabeth Blais, of Windsor, shown here on Personal Fitness Merit Badge. (photo by Chuck Mahaleris)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, turned 115 years old on February 8. Scouts from central, western and southern Maine celebrated by doing something Scouts have done since the program began. – they earned merit badges.

The Kennebec Valley District hosted its annual Merit Badge College at Augusta’s First Church of the Nazarene and welcomed Scouts from nearby such as Augusta, Winthrop, Chelsea and Windsor to as far away as Gorham, Falmouth, Wilton, and Pittsfield.

“I am very impressed by our Scouts,” said Program Chairman Julie McKenney. “While other kids are sitting at home playing video games, these Scouts are learning about Graphic Arts, Architecture, and Digital Technology. The Merit Badge College could not happen without the volunteer Scouting leaders who are giving up three Saturdays to develop tomorrow’s leaders.”

McKenney, of Belgrade, stressed that these instructors are experts in the fields they are teaching. Such as Ryan Poulin, of Sidney, who taught Personal Management Merit Badge and is also the President of New Dimensions Credit Union. “Americans do not always make good financial decisions,” Poulin said. “Personal Fitness Merit Badge helps give the Scouts the tools they need to help them make good decisions down the road so they know how to avoid pitfalls and how to deal with them if they should happen.” One of the youth in his class was Augusta Troop #603 Star Scout Elizabeth Blais, of Windsor. “Merit Badges teach you important skills you can use throughout your life,” Blais said. She hopes to be an Eagle Scout one day.

Chris Clark, of Damariscotta, is a Tenderfoot Scout in Troop #213 draws in Scouts from all over Lincoln County. “I like learning things in Scouting,” Clark said during Coin Collecting Merit Badge class. “It’s fun.”

Theresea Poirier, of Augusta, one of the organizers of the event, said that over the course of three Saturdays nearly fifty Scouts will earn a total of 84 merit badges. “We began organizing this event back in November. It takes a lot of time and dedication from our volunteers to put it all together,” Poirier said. The most popular badge Scouts signed up to take was Family Life which is required for Eagle.

Kennebec Valley District Commissioner Christopher Santiago of Vassalboro was impressed with the results. “This is fantastic,” he said. “Merit Badges can introduce youth to a career interest or a hobby that will stay with them for life. There are 139 Merit Badges available ranging from Emergency Preparedness and First Aid to Environmental Science and Nature to Reading and Sustainability. I would love to see every Scout try to earn them all.”

Vassalboro Legion gathering personal care products for VA Veterans Home

St. Bridget’s Communtity Center. (photos courtesy of Victor Esposito)

During the holiday season for the last three years, members of American Legion Post #126, Vassalboro, gathered personal care products, puzzle books, and snacks for veterans at Togus Veterans Home, in Augusta. With the support of various organizations and individuals this has been an amazing display of generosity and thanks to our veterans.

The members of American Legion Post #126, Vassalboro, are inviting you to join them as they collect personal care products, snacks, puzzle books, etc., for this project. Once again, the Sew for a Cause group at St. Bridget Center has made and donated more than 250 Christmas stocking for this project. They will fill the stockings on December 9, 2024, at St. Bridget Center, 864 Main St., North Vassalboro. All are welcome to sort and fill the stockings. The filled stockings will be delivered to Togus Veterans Home by December 12, 2024.

Your support and donation are needed to meet the goal. For more information, to volunteer and/or make a donation, call 207-616-3148.