EVENTS: Art show at Gibbs Library

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Gibbs Library in Washington, ME. (photo from: librarything.com)

There will be an art show at the Gibbs Library, in Washington, through December 31. Library hours for art viewing are Monday, 4 – 7 p.m., Tuesday, 9 a.m. to noon, and 4 – 7 p.m., Wednesday, 3 – 6 p.m., Thursday, 3 – 6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Family Tree explores themes of place and personality. These oil paintings, created over the last year, started with old family photos of Armenian Genocide survivors and new photos of Maine locations where the artist likes to hike. “I think of myself as an expressionistic painter and work in an intuitive way combining real and imagined imagery,” said artist McGuiri.

Communities come to the aid of a neighbor

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The Emerson family of Washington, from left to right, Travis, Kim, and Kandace. (contributed photo)

by Charlotte Henderson

Kim Emerson is on a long journey through cancers, kidney failure, organ transplants and long recuperations. The 39-year-old Washington wife of Travis and mother of Kandace is now in line for a second kidney transplant. Kim is exceptional. As a teenager, she had eighteen months of chemotherapy to treat a tumor on her rib. She made it into recovery and went on with her life.

She and her husband, Travis, were married in 2011. In 2013, when her daughter, Kandace, was just a year old, Kim was diagnosed with kidney cancer and her left kidney was removed. In the meantime, the chemo she had during the tumor treatment years before had damaged her heart which finally required a heart transplant in 2018. The new heart was protected by anti-rejection drugs, but those strong medicines led to damage to Kim’s remaining kidney. That had led to the search for a kidney donor again.

Finding the donor whose organ has the best chance of success is complicated, time-consuming, and nerve-wracking. Kim says the Tufts Medical Center team, in Boston, is very helpful and supportive of patients facing these devastating health conditions and provides education and assistance with solving the many challenges they face.

Because no one in Kim’s family was a good match for donating an organ and because she has a rare blood type that seldom arrives in the organ bank, Kim and the team knew she would need a live donor rather than an organ from the organ bank. With emotion in her voice, Kim says that her special angel donor has been found. So, now the count down to the transplant begins.

Kim is currently being treated using an AV graft device that facilitates the work of the non-functioning kidney (blood cleansing). When her body is ready, the operation will be scheduled. After it’s performed, Kim will remain in the hospital, being monitored for organ rejection, infection, and any other changes. Once she is released to home, she will be traveling back and forth to Tufts Medical Center, in Boston, every week for six months of observation and tests that are routine for post-operation patients. Six more months of less frequent (probably bi-weekly) Boston trips and then regular trips to Maine Medical Center, in Portland, essentially forever.

The cost of these trips is one of the many expenses beyond the med-surg fees and it is a focus of a community fundraising supper planned for Friday, November 11, (Veterans Day) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The supper is supported by Washington’s nonprofits Central Maine Bird Fanciers, Evening Star Grange, Four 4-H, Mt. Olivet Masons, Prescott Memorial Parent Teacher Organization, The Village Church, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary, Washington Town Office, and Washington Fire Dept. Auxiliary. The meal will include homemade baked beans, casseroles, salads, biscuits, beverages and desserts. The cost is $12 for adults and $5 for children. If you would like to make a larger donation, simply add it when you buy your meal.

There are over 110,000 individuals on waiting lists for organ transplants here in the USA and only about 35,000 organs available. This website helps understand the basics for donors and recipients. Anyone considering being a living donor can contact Tufts Medical Center in Boston (617-636-5000) and ask for a transplant coordinator. The website at Tufts concerning being a living donor is https://livingdonortufts.org .

Organ donors are literally life savers. Kim Emerson says nobody knows better than she that “organ donors save lives.” She knows that better than most and is continuously grateful for all the support through this long journey.

Friends of Razorville Chapel begin fundraising for refurbishing

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Razorville Chapel 2002

Washington, ME — After a long idle time, Razorville Chapel will have crucially needed refurbishments when the Friends of Razorville Chapel succeed in raising the needed funds. The familiar building was acquired from The International Society of Christian Endeavor after a years’ long search to ferret out the legal owner of the property. Originally a schoolhouse, the structure was relocated in 1897 to a tiny plot purchased for the purpose for $15 by trustees of the “Razorville Young Peoples Society of Christian Endeavor,” namely W.E. Overlock, L.T. Marr, Lewis Day, Newel Jones and O.B. Collins. It never changed hands from then until last year.

Friends of Razorville Chapel know that the building was used by the Christian Endeavor organization for meetings and for Sunday school and, probably, church, but the timeline is unclear and far from complete. Everyone with experience and knowledge about the first century of the chapel is warmly encouraged to post facts to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/razorvillechapel . In time, with the public’s help, we will have a good record of those earlier years.

Ten years ago, a speaker at Washington Historical Society spoke about Razorville Chapel and related the (then) difficulty in finding the owner. The conversation led to a question about whether any group in town could take responsibility for it if, indeed, it could be acquired. At that time there was no interest. Over its long dormant time though, neighborhood residents watched over the place and donated to or outright paid for urgent repairs. Residents like the Sidelingers, Victor Chapman, Mary Merrifield, Bradley and Judy Brann, Steve Melgard and several others warded off serious damage by keeping the building weather tight.

By 2018, the Christian Endeavor Society had been located and a transfer of the property was proposed to them by Roy Garnett, Patty Manson, Jillianne Jermyn, and Charlotte Henderson. In fact, the International Society of Christian Endeavor, headquartered in the Midwest, had lost track of this property which was so remote from their activities they were unaware of it.

While Christian Endeavor considered the proposal, Garnett, Manson, Jermyn and Henderson filed papers to become a non-profit corporation, the Friends of Razorville Chapel. Ignoring Covid and other challenges, the Friends took a leap of faith and accepted responsibility for the property as soon as the Society agreed to let it go. Friends of Razorville Chapel envision the small building being used for special services, meetings, private events, small theater presentations, or music recitals, guest speakers, and other purposes that are suited to an intimate sized of hall.

The Friends of Razorville Chapel organizers, with the addition of Zelma Williams, have gotten appraisals and estimates for the work that needs to be done to make the structure solid and safe for public use. It includes foundation and sill replacement, new roofing, and new windows. The estimates, which are now several months old, total about $95,000. The group will be seeking funding from many sources with fervent hope to raise enough to make the chapel long term weather tight before another winter.

The Friends of Razorville Chapel invite you to check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/razorvillechapel. Contributions may be sent to: Friends of Razorville Chapel, c/o P. Manson – Treasurer, 55 Youngs Hill Road, Washington ME 04574. If you would like to talk to someone about the project or want to discuss a contributions, please inquire at razorvillechapel@gmail.com.

Lois Eastman – Ukrainian Folk Art at Gibbs Library

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Gibbs Library in Washington, ME. (photo from: librarything.com)

WASHINGTON, ME — The Gibbs Library will present works of Ukrainian folk art by Lois Eastman, including a display of the process and materials used in creating psyankyi eggs. The exhibit will run through June

Lois Eastman’s interest in art began in childhood. She began making pysanky when she was five years old. Growing up in a household that included her grandparents, she was surrounded by family members engaged in a variety of art forms and Old World traditions. Although her childhood was spent in New Hampshire, she later moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where she established a photography studio. Lois later moved to Maine and enjoyed a 20-year career as a high school art teacher. She now resides in Rockland where she continues to create art.

“I was introduced to making Ukrainian Easter Eggs (pysanky) by my grandmother, who was from the ‘old country’, a small village in the Carpathian Mountains. She told stories about her life there and how she met my grandfather at a village dance in the valley between two mountains.

“Every year before Easter, my mother, aunts, various cousins and I would gather at my grandmother’s kitchen table to make pysanky. We were taught the “pin-drop-pull” technique, which meant to stick a common pin over a candle, dip the hot tip into a cake of beeswax, then drop the tip onto the egg and pull a teardrop shape. A series of teardrops created designs all over the surface of the egg. We could change the color of designs by dipping the eggs into colored dyes, lined up along the shelves in my grandmother’s pantry.

There was a large collection of eggs that had been made over the years. The Ukrainian belief is that as long as pysanky are made, good will overcome evil.

This exhibit can be seen at the Gibbs Library, 40 Old Union Road, Washington. For library hours check the website https://www.gibbslibrary.org/ or call: (207)845-2663.

EVENTS: Gibbs Library presents students art exhibit from Prescott Memorial Elementary School

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Gibbs Library in Washington, ME. (photo from: librarything.com)

The Gibbs Library presents the 17th Annual Student Art Exhibit featuring the wonderful work of the student artists from Prescott Memorial Elementary School. Art Teacher Anthony Lufkin has guided the students, using a wide range of materials and cultural art forms, to express their creativity in these remarkable works. The pieces, representing all of the K-6 students, were selected and artfully framed and displayed by Mr. Lufkin. If you are in need of some inspiration or maybe a smile or two, come to the Gibbs and enjoy. They will announce a reception as soon as risk levels permit. The show runs through March and April.

The Gibbs Library is located at 40 Old Union Road, in Washington Village, and is open on Monday 4 – 7 p.m.; Tuesday 9 -noon and 4 – 7 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 3 -6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 pm. Phone (207)845-2663. Email info@gibbslibrary.org, Website: https://www.gibbslibrary.org/.

EVENTS: Gibbs art to feature Rachael Richmond

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4 Tinkers by Rachael Richmond.

The Gibbs Library, in Washington, has just had the pleasure of hanging a lovely watercolor show. Sea creatures and other animals…and one landscape. A must-see for all ages. The artist is Rachael Richmond, from Jefferson, and the show will run through November and December.

Rachael Richmond is a Maine-based watercolor artist. Her work is primarily representations of animals—lots of fish, shellfish, birds, and farm animals, with an occasional landscape or boat. Rachael does some commissions as well—again, mostly of animals. She wants her art to generate the viewers’ memories of things or places they have seen.

Rachael attended the University of Southern Maine, in Gorham, where she studied art education (where, ironically, painting was her least favorite art form). She gets her inspiration from places she spends time at—including her hometown of Caribou, in Aroostook County, her farm in Jefferson, and her parents’ home in Little Deer Isle, on the coast of Maine. In addition to painting, Rachael is a full-time teacher in Jefferson.

To see more of her artwork, you can visit her Facebook page, Watercolor Fish, at www.Facebook.com/rachaelrichmondart/. Gibbs Library is located at 40 Old Union Rd., Washington, ME 04574. (207) 845-2663

WASHINGTON: Appleton Rug Hookers exhibit at Gibbs Library

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Gibbs rug hookers

At the Gibbs Library now through the end of October is a delightful show: the art and handwork of the Appleton Rug Hookers. The rugs are a colorful reflection of rural life, blending traditional and updated subjects and techniques. The show includes three Blue Ribbon winners from the Union Fair. Stop by and be charmed.

The Artists’ Statement:

Appleton Rug Hookers (Originated in 2004)

The first group consisted of three people, now there are 12. As some folks leave, other folks join.

Many rugs have been created and finished in the 17 years they have been active. They even found a way around COVID, by hooking at the town park, in Warren, with masks and social distancing.

Some of the rugs have been used in the homes of the creators. Many more were given as gifts.

The group used all wool in rugs in the beginning. Now, other material is being used to create interesting effects. Some of them are wool-yarn, ribbons, silk, roving, nylon stockings, and cotton.

Wool hooked rugs can be washed in cold water if they are hooked with colorfast material. They are made with much stronger backing than the old burlap formerly used, making them very durable and practical.

Gibbs Library to feature Maine artist Kay Sullivan

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Sample art from Kay Sullivan

Kay Sullivan is a Maine-based artist whose work from nature reflects time’s passing: its rhythms, cycles, seasons. Kay received her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America. Her award-winning work has been exhibited in numerous juried and group shows and is held in private collections across the country. Kay lives in Palermo, with her husband and daughter. Her website is www.KaySullivanStudio.com.

Kay states about her work, “These places in my drawings are my home: my garden, river, and woods. As I continue to explore this land which has been in my husband’s family for generations, I am acutely aware of time’s passing. It is evident in the changes of days and the rhythms of seasons. Through the movement of my hand, in my lines and marks on the page, I make my connection with nature’s energy. These marks are the evidence I leave, the history of my time here in this place.”

The Gibbs Library is located at 40 Old Union Road, Washington, Maine. For more information call the library at (207)845-2663.

Gibbs Library to host local ecologist

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Gibbs Library in Washington, ME. (photo from: librarything.com)

Gibbs Library will be hosting local ecologist Shri Verrill for a presentation and discussion about the new Maine Climate Plan. The Maine Climate Council submitted their final plans to the legislature and Gov­ernor Janet Mills in December. The program will introduce audience members to climate change in Maine, the goals and solutions recommended in the Maine Climate Plan, and what’s needed to put the plan in motion to benefit people and the environment. There will be time for questions following the presentation.

Shri Verrill

Shri Verrill is a wetland scientist and field botanist with a master of science degree in biology from the University of Maine. Her thesis research focused on coastal salt marsh, estuarine ecology, and tidal restoration as a model for sea-level-rise. Shri has worked with communities in southern, Downeast, and currently, midcoast Maine to implement fish passage, salt marsh, tidal, and estuarine restoration.

Join her on Sunday, March 7, from 3 – 4 p.m., for the online event.

The event is free and meant for a general audience. Registration is required, and you can register for the online event at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfuqsqj4iGtbPdqU9OC0PiT7wNndgqnGa.

 

 

Beef up your buffer

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Vegetated buffers along a shorefront (cottage on right) reduce pollution and sedimentation, as well as providing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. (photo courtesy of Androscoggin Valley SWCD)

Runoff from gravel road and shoreland homesites is the Number 1 cause of lake, pond and stream pollution in the state of Maine. Water travelling over the surface of roads and yards carries nutrients and other pollutants into waterbodies; soil from erosion is carried in runoff and results in sedimentation, as well as carrying phosphorous, a limiting nutrient for algal blooms. This spring has provided the opportunity to see where that runoff from roads and homesites is originating – and the opportunity to do something about it.

On Thursday, July 25, at 7 p.m., in the Bryant Room, at Gibbs Library, 40 Old Union Rd., in Washington, the Washington Lakes Association annual meeting will present Vegetated Buffers for Lake Water Quality by Hildy Ellis, program manager for Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District. This slide presentation will demonstrate how landowners can improve water infiltration on shorefront properties with a vegetated buffer of native plants. Vegetated buffers will stabilize shoreland soils, absorb water and nutrients, trap excess soil, provide wildlife habitat – including pollinators – and mimic natural systems to create a dynamic landscape to enjoy in all seasons.

The public is invited to join members of the Washington Lakes Association for this free program. For more information about the program and the Washington Lakes Association, contact Charlotte Henderson at 845-2661.