When it comes to quirky energy, Augusta has it in spades! A capital city with a schizophrenic personality, this little town by the Kennebec River sits in one of the most beautiful valleys in all of Maine. Filled with gossipy neighbors, charming merchants, down and out vagabonds and smartly dressed bureaucrats, there’s no other place in the state that can quite match it.

Michael Hall is the executive director for the Augusta Downtown Alliance, a member of the Main Street Maine program. A native of Florida, Michael moved up to Augusta in the winter of 2016 to realize his goal of working in a historic, urban setting.

The Kennebec Historical Society’s April Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place on Wednesday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m., at the Viles Arboretum, located at 153 Hospital Street in Augusta.

Come for a ride through 150 years of history in Waldo County. Chartered in 1867, the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad has survived two world wars, the construction of highways, the collapse of the poultry industry in Waldo County and survives today as a tourist railroad and historic relic of days gone by. This presentation by author and railroad historian Joey Kelley outlines the history of this unique railroad and gives you a summary of his book on the subject – the very first book ever written on the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad.

Joey Kelley

The speaker, Joseph T. “Joey” Kelley, is a railroad historian, photographer and volunteer with the Brooks Preservation Society. He has been involved with the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad on and off since 2004 and was once a paid employee of the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Preservation Society. His other passions include photography, motorcycles and restoring antique equipment.

The Kennebec Historical Society January Presentation is co-sponsored by the Maine State Library and free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. at the Maine State Library, located at 230 State Street, in Augusta.

The Assumption College Honors Program, in Worcester, Massachusetts, inducted 60 new members from the class of 2021 to its honors program, including Anne Guadalupi, of Augusta, on October 29, before an audience of administrators, faculty, and families.

Image credit: Ducks Unlimited (ducks.org)

On Saturday, October 21, Ducks Unlimited Kennebec Valley Chapter will host its annual fundraiser. The festivities will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with a dinner at 7 p.m., at Le Club Calumet, on West River Road, in Augusta. Tickets are available by contacting Barry Mower at 207-623-2758 or George Diplock at 207-623-2947.

Raffles, live and silent auctions will go on all night with multiple gun raffles all to be drawn that night. Collectible artwork, decoys, sculpture, and waterfowl-related items will be offered as well as the works of many local artists.

“We like to see new faces at our events along with many current members,” said DU’s Senior Regional Director Bill Brown. “This particular chapter was ranked among the top 5 in the state of Maine in 2016 and really knows how to host a banquet. It’s a great place for the general public to learn about the conservation work Ducks Unlimited conducts (not only in the U.S., but also in Canada and Mexico) while mingling with a great group of people.”