TEAM PHOTO: Waterville Majors Baseball Team

Front row, from left to right, Gabe Staffiere, Wyatt Chapman, Cooper McKenna, Avery McKenna, Pheonix McLoy, Kobe Garay, Abel Zinkovitch. Coaches, CJ McKenna, Matt Vaughan, Victor Garay, Back, Alexander Wild, Jace Spaulding, Tatum Vaughan, Alex Sheehan, Salvatore Isgro, Landon Beck. (photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography)

Memorial Day: A remembrance of why freedom is not free

Flag Placing Day, left to right, Assistant Scoutmaster Millard Davis, Russell Lawler, Ashish Dabas, Parker Small, Violet Haigis, Falyn Soucy, Ashlin McDermmott, Senior Patrol Leader Allison Dorr, Ryder Small Jr., Assistant Scoutmaster Addison Poulin, Scoutmaster Chris Bernier. (photo by Chuck Mahaleris)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Scouting America teaches young boys and girls many great values. One of the more important lessons in Scouting is Duty to God and country. The youth of Troop #433 and Cub Scout Pack #445- both from Winslow- certainly fulfilled that lesson on Friday May 23rd as they helped American Legion Post 5 in Waterville place just under 1000 US Flags at St. Francis and Oak Grove Cemetery in Waterville Maine upon the graves of veterans.

(photo by Chuck Mahaleris)

The day was heavy overcast with off and on drips of rain. Troop #433 and Pack #445 arrived at 4 p.m. Commander Craig Bailey of American Legion Post #5 was waiting with several totes of American flags to be placed out at the graves of deceased veterans. The Scouts eagerly took handfuls of flags and set out to various parts of the cemetery. They worked each row looking for foot markers showing military service time. “It’s unfortunate, we know there are several hundred more veterans in this cemetery who do not have military foot makers. This makes finding every single service member hard, but we do the best we can to find them all,” said Commander Craig Bailey.

The Scouts worked until 6:30 p.m., when they ran out of US flags. The Scouts then gathered for a brief photograph before departing. “We teach citizenship as one of the more important life lessons in Troop #433,” said Chris Bernier, Scoutmaster for Troop #433. “I personally believe that Memorial Day and Veterans Day are two of the more important days to remember. Showing our Scouts that we must remember and reflect on why they live in a free country is very important to me as it was taught to me by my Scoutmasters when I was a Scout.”

On May 26, Memorial Day, Troop #433 and Pack #445 returned to St. Francis Cemetery to participate in the Memorial Day Ceremony hosted by American Legion Post #5. In attendance were members of the Waterville Fire Department, the Knights of Columbus, the Waterville VFW post #1285, the Winslow VFW Post #8835. The ceremony commenced at 9:00 a.m., led by Commander Craig Bailey. The ceremony spoke of the sacrifices of all veterans during times of war. Commander Brandon Curtis of the Winslow VFW spoke about how our freedom is not free noting that there were thousands of soldiers who did not come back from war but instead paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms so we could live in a world where can vote for whom we wish in our elections; we can speak freely when we wish; we can also have differences of opinions and beliefs but still be neighbors. All of these freedoms have been protected by those who served in times of war.

The ceremony concluded with the sound of “Taps” being played by Nathanael Batson, a trumpet player and Eagle Scout from Fairfield, Maine. Shortly afterwars Commander Craig had a short departing prayer and everyone dispersed quietly.
Veterans. If you wish to join the American legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars please go to www.legion.org , www.vfw.org

Youth can join Scouting at www.beascout.scouting.org Or contact Chris Bernier at circleofone555@hotmail.com.

(photo by Chuck Mahaleris)

EVENTS: Author Ron Currie to offer public reading

Please join us in the beautiful fourth-floor reading room at the Waterville Public Library at 1p.m., on Saturday, May 17, to hear Author Ron Currie, Jr., read from his fifth book, published in March 2025: The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne.

“Literary thrillers just don’t come any better than Ron Currie’s The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne. It’s profoundly serious and terrifying in equal measure.” ~ Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Somebody’s Fool.

At the event, the Waterville Public Library will give away two copies of the book, and books will be available for purchase from Oliver & Friends Bookshop.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, please call 207.872.5433 or email librarian@watervillelibrary.org. The Waterville Public Library and Waterville Creates present this event.

PHOTO: Competes at martial arts challenge

Club Naha team member Donovan Hayden, 11, of Belgrade, competing in forms, at the Elm City Martial Arts Challenge, at the Alfond Community Youth Center, in Waterville, on Saturday, April 19. Hayden placed third in the competition. (photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography)

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville F.D. history

1880 Central Fire Station

by Scott Holst

As the Village of Waterville grew into a dense town where a single fire could threaten the lives of thousands, the village lacked the types of institutions that would fight these fires. In other parts of the country, firefighters were organized as volunteers or were paid for by insurance companies to combat the threat of fire.

The first response for Waterville was what would later be called a “bucket brigade.” Neighbors from all around the town would run to help or at least toss their buckets into the street for volunteers to fill with water and pass forward to be dumped on the fire.

Villages, Towns, and some Cities would appoint citizens to be fire wardens, and they were empowered to inspect all chimneys and to fine any violators of the fire rules enacted in their town. These men would make sure when the village was called upon, the fire was handled in a proper systematic fashion. Besides, getting the manpower to run the bucket brigades was not an easy task. Waterville’s first recorded fire wardens were established in 1802.

As firefighting equipment evolved from buckets to engines, the need for special training and tools emerged. Enter the creation of the fire companies. Waterville would form four fire companies, and each company would have a section of the town to protect, or assist the other companies.

Organized as a Village on July 23, 1802, Waterville did not begin to form any fire companies until 1809. The inhabitants of Waterville felt they needed something more substantial to protect against conflagrations, so in early 1810 an organization known as “Ticonic Village Corporation” was formed and this organization would become a separate entity removed from the Village of Waterville. They would run as a private organization, forming companies, installing cisterns throughout the Village and creating fire-related rules and regulations governing the fire department and the Village. The Corporation would work off tax money charged to the Village and loans from banks. Their first order of business was to purchase a fire engine and form a company. A hand tub was purchased in 1810, and a group of men were assigned to it and the Corporation was off and running.

1910 Firemen’s Parade

They would also purchase new apparatus, fire equipment and hoses whenever they were needed. All the cisterns throughout Waterville in the 1800s and the installation of fire hydrants brought into service, were paid for and placed in by the Corporation. The Corporation would also purchase the first fire houses around Waterville. The fire house would generally be regular homes that were built and turned into firehouses, except for the Silver Street station, which the Corporation would purchase the land and build the station. The Corporation would vote at each yearly meeting for a Chief Engineer and two Assistants. The engine and hose company officers would be voted in from among their respected companies.

In last ten years of the Corporations life, it started to find itself in financial troubles. Organized in 1810 and which had no doubt done a great service to the citizens of Waterville, the Ticonic Village Corporation relinquished its charter on August 2, 1878. A hearing of the Legislature in the State Capital granted the closing of the Corporations charter, and the Town of Waterville officially took control over the fire department.

In the early history of fire engines, all fire apparatus of the era were pulled to fires by the people of the Village. This took many men, usually a dozen or more, to get the engine from the fire house to the scene of the fire. As the hand tubs and newly-developed steam engines, which were gaining popularity, grew in size and weight, horses were placed into service to pull these apparatuses.

Not every horse could serve as a fire horse. The animals needed to be strong, swift, agile, obedient and fearless. At the scene, they needed to stand patiently while embers and flames surrounded them. They needed to remain calm while the firefighters fought the blaze, and this was the case in all weather conditions and in the midst of a multitude of distractions.

It was a sad day at the fire station when a horse was declared unfit for duty. Many retired fire horses continued to work for the city in less strenuous positions, withering on the city farm or street department and some would be put out to pasture. Occasionally the noble beasts were put up for public auction but would at times become a fight between the town fathers and the firefighters. Horses became family and the firefighters did not want their noble horses to be miss cared for, so they would fight the sale of their horses. The gallant steeds might be purchased by junk drivers and delivery men. At times, the fire horses would forget their new roles and charge down the streets hauling a wagon after hearing a fire gong.

1910 Hose Company #1

The first recorded use of fire horses in the Village of Waterville came with the Hook & Ladder carriage that the Ticonic Village Corporation had in 1855. This apparatus was too heavy to be pulled by the firemen, so it needed to be pulled by horses, so the Corporation would appropriate funding in the fire department to pay the local stables for the uses of their horses. The department’s three hand tubs would soon follow suit and become retrofitted to be pulled by horses.

On July 25, 1928, the last Fire Horse would be removed from service and turned over the Street Department as the fire department would become fully motorized.

The history of water supply for fighting fire in Waterville was first recorded in the history books of the area when the first settlers came and settled on the edge of the Kennebec River and surrounding streams. Taking water from the river and streams was the means of cooking, drinking, bathing, washing clothes and firefighting. During a fire the settlers would take their buckets and form a chain from the river or stream to the fire. As time went on and the town would grow outward, so were new ways of getting water to fire.

The Kennebec River, Messalonskee Stream and Hayden Brook were the major water ways the Corporation would use to supply their fire department with the water in order to fight fire.

They would build “Cisterns also known as Reservoirs” throughout Waterville in the most populated areas. A cistern was an underground tank that holds water, and these tanks were built in different sizes depending on how much water was to be held. Throughout the Corporations’ existence, many cisterns were built all around Waterville.

In the 1870s, fire hydrants were becoming a source of fire protection that would be widely sought after and Waterville would jump on the band wagon and had hydrants installed throughout the city, even to this day.

In early 1892 the city would place a purchase for a Gamewell fire alarm system and the system would be installed and running by September 1892, at a cost of $2,300. The alarm would use bells in the fire houses and the St. Francis de Sales bell on Elm Street. When a fire alarm box was pulled, the church bell would tap out the number for all to hear.

Gamewell fire alarm boxes would be placed throughout the city and more would be added when the city started growing outward.

Today the city still uses the Gamewell fire alarm systems in schools and local businesses. This new system would be wireless and would be tied directly into the Waterville Communications Center and the fire station, where it is monitored around the clock.

In 1884, when the city hired its first full-time firefighter, this would create a two-tier system within the department, career and call. Career firefighters would be paid at a rate of pay different from a call firefighter as they were to remain in the firehouse for the ready at all times, where a call firefighters would be considered a part-time employee and would respond to alarms whenever an alarm was struck.

Waterville never had a true volunteer fire fighting force as each company in the department would receive money for their services and that money would be split and handed down to each member of the company. It would not be until the early 1900s that the city would pay their call firefighters a set rate for each hour that the firefighter would put it responding to calls or going to training.

Throughout its existence, the Waterville Fire Department has grown and adopted its way of taking care of its citizens and those who work or visit the city, in the utmost high quality of service. An extensive history book has been written that highlights every aspect of the life of the cities fire department and can be purchased at Waterville Central Fire station for your reading enjoyment.

1855 Firemen’s Muster

PHOTO: South End Clean-up

The Waterville Rotary’s “Clean Up Crew” from left to right, Michele Prince, Jackie Dalton, John Dalton, Suzanne Uhl-Melanson, Churchill Elangwe-Preston and Jeff Melanson. Absent from the photo Peter Garrett. (contributed photo)

On Saturday, April 19, volunteers from the Rotary Club of Waterville helped the South End Neighborhood Association with their Annual Spring Clean Up. Rotarians collected trash along the roadside of the Donald Carter Memorial Drive from the bridge to the intersection at Silver St. Eighteen contractor trash bags were collected along with scrap metal, tires and a shopping cart.

CM Growth Council welcomes Kaitlyn Philbrick

Kaitlyn Philbrick

The Central Maine Growth Council (CMGC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kaitlyn Philbrick as its new Innovation & Development Coordinator. In this role, Philbrick will support CMGC’s mission to drive economic growth, foster innovation, and strengthen workforce development across the mid-Maine region.

Kaitlyn brings a wealth of experience in municipal finance, community engagement, and business development, having served as Finance Manager for the Town of Winslow, where she played a key role in budgeting, community development, and strategic planning. Her background also includes roles with the Town of Farmingdale and the City of Waterville, where she specialized in financial administration, tax collection, and public communications.

As Innovation & Development Coordinator, Kaitlyn will focus on expanding CMGC’s high-profile programs, including Dirigo Labs, the region’s premier startup accelerator, and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Resource Center. She will work closely with local businesses, investors, and stakeholders to implement economic development strategies, attract funding, and foster regional business growth.

Kaitlyn expressed enthusiasm about her new role, stating, “I am excited to join CMGC and contribute to its efforts in strengthening Maine’s economy. I look forward to collaborating with local businesses, investors, and community leaders to foster innovation and create new opportunities for economic development.”

“With Kaitlyn joining our team, bringing her deep understanding of municipal operations, finance, and community development, the Growth Council gains an invaluable asset. Her experience navigating the intricacies of local government will be instrumental in seamlessly aligning our economic development and planning initiatives, fostering stronger partnerships, and ultimately propelling impactful projects across the region,” Garvan Donegan, Director of Planning, Innovation, and Economic Development at CMGC.

Huard’s Martial Arts hosts the 43rd Battle of Maine

Photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography

Huard’s Martial Arts hosted the 43rd Battle of Maine Martial Arts Championships at Champions Fitness Club, in Waterville, on Saturday, March 22. Just over 350 competitors and close to 1,000 spectators attended this special martial arts event from all around Maine and New England. Special guest performers came from various parts of the United States to give demonstrations to kickoff the tournament. $1 of each admission went to help support the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

Everly Hanson, 7, of Clinton, walking off the competition area after placing first in point fighting at the Battle of Maine, on March 22. (photo by Dawn Jaques, Central Maine Photography)

Huard’s Sport Karate Team member Kate Shores, 13, of Benton, with her medals from the 43rd Battle of Maine. She captured first place in all three divisions. (photo by Central Maine Photography)

Water main replacement on Summer, Grove streets

Beginning April 7, Kennebec Water District will be replacing the water mains on Summer Street and Grove Street (between St. Francis Catholic Cemetery’s main entrance and Clark Street), in Waterville.

These water mains are well over 100 years old and in need of replacement to provide reliable service for the next 100+ years.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of October 2025 and traffic detours will be required to complete the work.

It is asked that you seek alternate routes such as Water Street and Silver Street whenever possible.

Please plan your travel accordingly.

Questions regarding these projects can be directed to the Waterville Public Works Department (pw@waterville-me.gov).

Ezhaya scholarship applications now available

photo: Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce

Joseph B. Ezhaya was a community leader who distinguished himself with his warmth, enthusiasm, generosity, and particularly, his friendship.

Successful candidates for this scholarship should share Joe’s interest in citizenship, community service and exemplify his spirit and vitality.

This is now a 4-year scholarship and $750 will be given upon completion of the first semester of each college year with a grade point achievement of 2.0 or better.

To be considered, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Must be currently attending a Mid-Maine Chamber area high school: Lawrence, Winslow, Mt. View, Waterville, Messalonskee, MCI, Erskine Academy, Temple Academy, Community Regional Charter School, or MeANS School.

Must maintain an academic average of a “C” or better.

Must complete a required short essay on citizenship.

Must show evidence of community service and involvement.

Must be enrolled in an accredited New England College or University.

Applications are due by Friday, April 18, 2025

Submissions may be sent via email to jamie@midmainechamber.com or by mail to Ezhaya Memorial Scholarship Applications, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, 50 Elm Street, Waterville ME 04901.

For more information and application materials, go to www.midmainechamber.com.