Alex Stewart builds shelter at Lincoln School in Augusta

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Alex Stewart, center, with his scout troop.

by Ron Emery, committee member

On Saturday, April 6, Troop #479 honored an Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor held at the China Baptist Church for Augusta resident Alex Stewart. Family, friends and Scouts attended the ceremony marking the advancement of this young man to the highest rank in Boy Scouts.

Alex Stewart

Alex joins a group of 40 Eagle Scouts from Troop #479 who have completed community service projects with the help of fellow Scouts and other volunteers throughout Kennebec Valley.  Each Eagle candidate must plan and supervise an Eagle service project to demonstrate his capacity and willingness to exert his leadership ability in activities that are constructive and worthwhile in his community.

Alex used his Eagle Project to give something back to his elementary school, Lincoln School. He collaborated with Jonathan Stonier, director of buildings and grounds for the Augusta School Department, to build a covered outdoor area in an underutilized space near the school. He received assistance from adult leaders and older Scouts as well as Custodian Brian Bolstridge the first two days of construction. He also received help from the younger Scouts on the third day to spruce up the grounds around the project with mulch, landscape rocks and several flower beds. He hopes the teachers and students will be able to use the structure as an outdoor learning station.

Also in attendance were Scoutmaster Scott Adams, to present the Eagle Scout Awards. Sean Stewart (Alex’ brother) gave the Eagle Scout Challenge and also asked Alex and other Eagle Scouts to reaffirm the Scout Oath.

Alex is a graduate of Cony High School, in Augusta, and lives with his parents, Greg and Kristina Stewart, in Augusta. He was on the Cony golf team. This summer he is working at Shaw’s, in Augusta, and will be pursuing a degree in engineering at the University of Maine in the fall.

First ever Intergenerational Day on the Kennebec River

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Don’t miss this first ever intergenerational day on the Kennebec River, in partnership with the Age-Friendly Communities of Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner, Augusta Downtown Alliance, Vision Hallowell, Gardiner Main Street and AARP Maine. Bring your own canoe, kayak, and equipment. Lifejackets and some paddling experience are required.

Registration will begin at Mill Park, in Augusta, Saturday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m. Volunteers will assist at the Mill Park Boat Launch. The paddle will begin at 11:24 a.m. with high tide. Options are a 2-mile paddle to Hallowell or a 6.5-mile paddle to Gardiner. Shuttles will return you to your car at Mill Park, in Augusta, from either Hallowell or Gardiner.

Cost: Free for all! Registration is required: https://aarp.cvent.com/KennebecRiverCanoe2019.

Seeking parents help to provide bus to Cony

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To the parents of RSU #12 students: Our school superintendent Howard Tuttle, as well as the districts finance and transportation committees, are working with local parents to organize bus transportation to Cony High School, in Augusta.

The proposed bus schedule would have morning and afternoon pick up points, beginning from Chelsea Elementary School, down Rte. 17 to Peaslee’s Quick Stop, Somerville Road and Rte. 105 (pending) and past Hussey’s General Store, up Rte. 105 to Cony High School.

The proposal would require 20 students to cover the cost of the bus. The cost would be approximately $350 per student a school year. This is less than $2 for the round-trip service. The cost would go down if there are more than 20 students. This is similar to that of Erskine Academy. The proposal for the Cony bus would require an upfront payment in full.

We are excited to get this bus service for our students. If you are interested or have additional questions please contact Toni Turner at 549-9024 or weamturners@gmail.com.

KHS to present Midcoast Maine in World War II

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Shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works.

Peggy Konitzky, author of Midcoast Maine in World War II, will talk about what life was like here at home during the war years. Hear stories and see vivid photographs about how ordinary people took worry about loved ones, rationing, price controls, civilian defense drills, food shortages, blackouts and more in their stride and added new burdens of war work and volunteering to their already busy daily lives.

Peggy Konitzky

The Kennebec Historical Society’s July speaker, Peggy Konitzky, is the Historic New England Midcoast Maine Site Manager. She manages Castle Tucker and the Nickels-Sortwell House, in Wiscasset, the Bowman Estate, in Dresden, and Marrett House, in Standish. She holds a degree in history from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, an MBA from New York University and a Certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University. Originally from Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Peggy has held a number of positions in museum and historic preservation nonprofits in Maine since beginning her second career in 2001.

The Kennebec Historical Society July Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted). The presentation will be followed by some light refreshments and take place on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at 6:30 p.m., at the Jewett Hall Auditorium, located at 46 University Drive, on the campus of the University of Maine at Augusta.

MaineGeneral receives “A” safety grade

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MaineGeneral Medical Center has received the top grade of “A” in the recently released Spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. MaineGeneral also earned a 2019 Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience, according to MaineGeneral Health President and CEO Chuck Hays.

The “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group is the hospital’s third top grade in the past five Leapfrog grading reports. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and other supplemental data sources to establish a single letter grade representing a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.

“All MaineGeneral employees strive to give patients the best experience,” Hays said. “We’ve made great strides and will continue to seek to provide the highest level of care, safety and experience.”

MaineGeneral was the only hospital in Maine to receive the 2019 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience. The Women’s Choice Award reviews the performance of more than 5,000 hospitals based on what matters most to women when selecting a hospital for herself and her family. Hospitals are rated the best in the nation for patient experience, meaning they excel in the patient’s willingness to recommend, doctor communications, staff help, cleanliness, providing recovery information, explanation of medications, communication by nurses and peacefulness of room at night. The Women’s Choice Award reporting is completely objective and uniform.

The hospital also earned a 2019 Women’s Choice Award® for America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer Care and for America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics.

Hays also announced that MaineGeneral is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2019 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, which is given to the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient satisfaction. MaineGeneral was also named with five-star ratings by Healthgrades for outcomes “Better than Expected” in Treatment of Heart Attack, Treatment of Pneumonia, Treatment of Pancreatitis, Treatment of Sepsis and Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism.

“We know when you need quality health care, you want to receive it right here in the Kennebec Valley,” Hays said. “Most of the health care services you and your family will need in a lifetime are found here in our region of the state. Our MaineGeneral team is part of the community and we take great pride in providing high-quality health services to our community members.”

Full results for each award program can be found at:

Healthgrades: http://www.healthgrades.com
Leapfrog: http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org
Women’s Choice: https://www.womenschoiceaward.com/best-hospitals/.

Keeping French heritage alive in central Maine

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Some of the students who participate in the Maine French Language Heritage program. (contributed photo)

by Eric W. Austin

“French is French,” Charles Hicks tells me adamantly over coffee at Pat’s Pizza, on State Street. Hicks is the coordinator and sole teacher for the Maine French Heritage Language Program, in Augusta. He’s lamenting the idea that the French spoken in Maine isn’t perceived as “real” French.

Maine has a rich French heritage with nearly one-third of our residents having French in their background. That heritage is evidenced by the many French names of towns in Maine, among them Calais, Caribou, Montville, Presque Isle and, of course, Paris, just to name a few.

“There was a time when they would beat kids in elementary school for speaking French,” Hicks says, “so it totally made sense that you wouldn’t want to teach your kids something that would get them hurt.” But in consequence, much of the French language and Maine’s deep French legacy is being lost.

The Maine French Heritage Language Program (MFHLP) looks to change that. Established six years ago by Julia Schulz, who also co-founded the prestigious Penobscot School of Language Learning and Cultural Exchange, in Rockland, and Chelsea Ray, an associate professor of French Language and Literature, at the University of Maine at Augusta, MFHLP is a nonprofit after-school French language and culture program for children in grades first through sixth. Held from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Buker Community Center, in Augusta, the program is open to any interested students in central Maine.

Charles Hicks

Hicks himself has had a roundabout trip on the way to his position as coordinator of Augusta’s Maine French Heritage Language Program. Growing up in western Massachusetts, on the border with New York, his first experience with the French language came in college where he was, initially, a political science major. After spending his junior year abroad in France, he fell in love with the language and culture. It inspired him to pursue his master’s degree in the French language at the University of Maine at Orono. This led to a two-year stint in Fort Kent, an Aroostook County town in northern Maine with a large Franco-American population, followed by another prolonged stay in France as part of an advanced graduate program.

On returning to the states, Hicks spent 12 years as a traveling French language teacher to students in grades K-6 for schools in Manchester, Wayne and Mount Vernon. After budget cuts in 2007 killed the French language programs in many Maine elementary schools, Hicks took a position with MFHLP as a French teacher. When the coordinator left a few years later, Hicks embraced the dual roles of sole teacher for the program and also coordinator for its nonprofit fundraising efforts.

In addition to those duties, Hicks also teaches at Lawrence Junior High School, in Fairfield, and is an Adjunct Professor of French at Kennebec Valley Community College, in Fairfield.

There are nine central Maine students in this year’s Maine French Heritage Language Program, seven from Augusta and two from Waterville, although Hicks would like to see that number increase to 20 in order to have enough students to organize both a beginner and an advanced class. Currently, all students are taught together. The program teaches children French language and culture through the use of fun activities and games, and with cultural excursions to places like the Maine State Museum. The program costs $9/class or $18/week per student.

On Saturday, April 27, 2019, the Maine French Heritage Language Program will host its big annual fundraiser, “Springtime in Paris,” from 6 – 9:30 p.m., at Le Club Calumet, on West River Road, in Augusta. The event features French food and music, as well as both a live and silent auction in order to raise money for the program. They are looking for people interested in attending, at $40 per person, or sponsoring a table of eight for $300. The money raised from this event will support the continuance of the program for the rest of the year. Tickets can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com, or by calling Wendy at the Buker Community Center, in Augusta, at 626-2350. Checks should be made out to “City of Augusta.”

They are also looking for people willing to donate items for the auction. Although items related to the French culture or language are preferred, and will usually go for a higher bid-price, any type of item will be gratefully accepted.

Anyone with questions about the program, or the “Springtime in Paris” fundraiser on April 27, is encouraged to contact Hicks by email at MFHLPAugustaME@gmail.com or phone at 215-3621. The language program is also in need of community volunteers, especially those with a knowledge of the French language, history or culture.

“French is French,” Hicks says again, at the end of our interview, “and we want the kids in Maine to learn it because it’s part of our heritage.”

Michelle Boyer inducted in Whitefield Lions

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From left to right, Barry Tibbetts, Michelle Boyer, first vice president Donna Brooks. (Contributed photo)

Michelle Boyer, of Augusta, was inducted into the Whitefield Lions Club on March 14 at the regular meeting held at the Lions Den, in Coopers Mills. The induction ceremony was performed by First Vice President, Lion Donna Brooks, of Jefferson. Boyer is sponsored by Lion Barry Tibbetts, of Whitefield. To learn more about the Whitefield Lions Club call Whitefield Lions Club President, Kim Haskell at 446-2545.

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.

Kennebec Historical Society to present “A History of Camp Keyes”

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This photo was taken sometime in the 1950’s from atop the hill adjacent to Camp Keyes. Vehicles pictured include a mixture of different Army trucks from the time period. (Photo: Maine Army National Guard archives)

For over 100 years, Camp Keyes has been known as the headquarters for the Maine National Guard, in Augusta. But how did that site on the hill come to be chosen? Who is it named for? Who trained there, and why? Come listen as Captain Jonathan Bratten (historian for the Maine National Guard) answers those questions and describes the role that Camp Keyes has played in five different conflicts and for generations of Maine soldiers and airmen.

The February speaker, Captain Jonathan Bratten, is the Command Historian for the Maine National Guard. In this capacity, he has produced multiple articles on the history of Maine’s soldiers, appearing in such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Army History, On Point, and Army Magazine. He has also appeared in the Smithsonian Channel documentary, Americans Underground: Secret Cities of World War I and served as a historian in France for the Army’s World War I Centennial commemorations. Additionally, Captain Bratten is the commander of the 251st Engineer Company and a veteran of Afghanistan. He and his wife live in Portland.

The Kennebec Historical Society February Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted). The presentation will take place on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, at 6:30 p.m., at the Hope Baptist Church, located at 726 Western Avenue, in Manchester.

Nine area students on University of New Hampshire’s dean’s list

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The following students have been named to the dean’s list at the University of New Hampshire, in Durham, New Hampshire, for the fall 2018 semester.

Matthew Murray, of Augusta, with highest honors; Nicholas Carey, of Waterville, with high honors; Cody Short, of Fairfield, with high honors; Bradford Wilbur, of Fairfield, with honors; Carly LaRochelle, of Fairfield, with honors; Elijah Caret, of Oakland, with highest honors; Jessica Hosea, of Oakland, with highest honors; Hannah Duperry, of Oakland, with highest honors; and Adam Bovie, of Vassalboro, with highest honors.