MDF’s Maine Downtown Center welcomes Waterville to nationally recognized revitalization program

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The Maine Downtown Center (MDC), a program of Maine Development Foundation (MDF), has announced that Van Buren and Waterville are joining its Maine Downtown Center Affiliate Program. Both communities completed an extensive application process that included an online application, a written commitment to the program, a site visit, and a review conducted by professional downtown revitalization experts that serve on the MDC Advisory Council.

Both Waterville and Van Buren have volunteer committees that will work hard over the next year to build relationships with businesses, residents, property owners, and the municipality. They will begin to look at downtown assets, priorities for revitalization and begin to use the Main Street Four Point Approach, a proven downtown revitalization method for over 40 years.

Michael Hall, Community Development Specialist for the city of Waterville says, “Downtown Waterville has been on an incredible rise over the past seven years, and becoming a Downtown Affiliate is the next big leap forward! This partnership equips us with the tools, resources, and momentum to supercharge our revitalization, strengthen local businesses, and cement Waterville’s place as the most vibrant downtown in Central Maine.”

With the addition of Waterville, The Maine Downtown Center now supports 30 member communities throughout Maine: 11 Nationally Accredited Main Street Communities, 13 Maine Downtown Affiliate Com­munities, and six Municipal Communities. Some are in the initial stages of downtown revitalization while many are working toward achieving nationally accredited “Main Street” designation. MDC offers access to training by state and national downtown development experts, best practices in the field, and a network of peers from around the state.

“It is a great feeling to have worked closely with Discover Waterville over the last year and have them reach this goal of being excited and committed to having a focused downtown revitalization program. We are looking forward to working with both Waterville and Van Buren on their downtown revitalization journeys as Maine’s two new Affiliates,” said Anne Ball, Senior Program Director of the Maine Downtown Center.

Andrei Llanto named to fall dean’s list at Nebraska

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Andrei Llanto, of Waterville, has been named to the deans’ list at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the fall semester of the 2024-25 academic year.

Llanto, a junior majoring in business and law, was named to the dean’s list for the College of Business.

WPI announces Fall dean’s list

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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.

EVENTS: Battle of Maine on tap March 22, 2025

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The 43rd Battle of Maine Martial Arts Championships will be taking place on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Champions, in Waterville. The event kicks off at 8:30 a.m., and will feature competitions in flag sparring, full contact padded sword fighting, forms, weapons and point fighting divisions.There will also be special world champion demonstrations around 9:30 a.m. The event will go all day until around 4 p.m. Spectator Tickets are $10 each and $1 of each ticket goes to help support the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

Breznyak named to Saint Anselm College dean’s list

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Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, New Hampshire, has released the dean’s list of high academic achievers for the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year.

Mark W. Cronin, Dean of the College, announced that Abigail Breznyak, a Biology (BS) Major from Waterville, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2024 semester at Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, New Hampshire.

EVENTS: Gene Letourneau ice fishing tourney on tap for Sunday

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The Annual Gene & Lucille Letourneau Ice Fishing Derby will take place on Sunday, February 16, at the Muskie Community Center, 38 Gold Street, in Waterville, as a fundraiser for Spectrum Generations (Meals on Wheels). Experience this mid-winter tradition for ice fishing enthusiasts and families! Established by Maine’s great outdoorsman and his wife, Gene and Lucille Letourneau, the ice fishing derby attracts people (of all ages) throughout the state to compete for cash prizes, try a chance at winning the raffle prize – a YETI Tundra 65 Cooler package – and participate in various indoor and outdoor winter carnival activities.

Fish on any safe, legal Maine pond or lake of your choice, then gather at the Muskie Community Center during the official weigh-in between 2 – 5 p.m. This multigenerational family event encourages ages 15 and under to compete in their own category. Cash prizes are awarded for first and second place in eight fish categories for adults and ten categories for youth participants.

All are welcomed to attend and enjoy the firepit, S’mores, hot cocoa, popcorn, cornhole, pool table, silent auction (open all day for bids) and to purchase tasty food from Maine Pine Catering – with a portion of food sale proceeds supporting Spectrum Generations. Bring your children to experience arts and craft activities starting at 10 a.m. The Magic of Conjuring Carroll between 1 and 2 p.m., Mr. Drew and His Animals Too, between 2 and 3 p.m.; and children’s book authors Sharon Hood with her book, Where’d My Jammies Go, and Tonya Shevenell with her book, The Moon Over Malibu Maine. Both authors will have books for sale and are available to autograph copies for guests.

Ice Fishing Derby tickets can be purchased online and at several locations including the Muskie Community Center (Waterville), Backcountry Baits (Waterville), Christy’s Country Store (Belgrade), D&L Country Store (Oakland), Harvest Time Baits (Winslow), Middle Road General Store (Sidney), Tri-Pond Variety (Smithfield), Twins Country Store (Augusta), the Cohen Community Center (Hallowell) and at the Spectrum Generations office in Augusta. Each ticket allows a fish entry and an entry into the raffle prize drawing for a Yeti Tundra Cooler and drink tumblers (you do not need to enter a fish to be included in the raffle drawing)! Tickets to enter a fish are sold only until noon, on February16.

The Ice Fishing Derby & Winter Carnival is a fundraiser supporting the programs and services of Spectrum Generations including Meals on Wheels and other nutrition-related services for older adults and adults with disabilities. To purchase tickets and review tournament rules please visit: https://www.spectrumgenerations.org/events/ice-fishing-derby. For more information, please contact Sandra MacDonald, Regional Center Director smacdonald@spectrumgenerations.org or call 207-873-4745.

EVENTS: Waterville Historical Society monthly history talk on Ed Muskie

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Edmund Sixtus Muskie

by Jessica Couture

February’s history talk is on the road, just a few streets away at 38 Gold Street, Waterville, at the Muskie Community Center of Spectrum Generations! It is a fitting place since this will be about Edmund S. Muskie. Some of you may have grown up with Ed Muskie being a household name, and some of you have heard of him as a former Governor of Maine, but you may not know many other things about his life and his accomplishments. Please join us to learn all about this interesting man.

The presenter, Ray Caron, has put together this presentation for the Muskie Center’s monthly event, Tuesday, February 11, where he will be speaking about his favorite politician. Ray’s usual flair for humor, interesting historical facts, and enthusiasm will guide this talk. We will learn about Ed Muskie’s birthplace of Rumford, Maine, and his parents. Where did he go to high school? Did he attend college in Maine? What did he go on to study in graduate school? His time as a lawyer and in the Navy likely prepared his path for politics. His service in the Maine Legislature, his path to becoming Governor, his accomplishments in the fight for environmental issues such as clean air and water, will of course be highlighted.

Tuesday, February 11: Lunch (baked ham) is offered to the public at 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. if you would like to dine there beforehand. Ray Caron will present at 12:30 p.m. Muskie Community Center requests you make a reservation to attend this free event, so they can be sure to have the room set up for enough people. For more information about the lunch fee scale and menu and/or to reserve your free spot for the Ed Muskie talk, stop by the front desk, or call 873-4745.

For inclement weather cancellations, they have a recorded message at 873-4745 and announcements on Facebook, local TV and radio stations.

EVENTS: The Waterville Opera House raises the curtain on its 2025 season with “The Cottage”

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The Waterville Opera House (WOH) kicks off its 2025 theatrical season January 31 – February 9, with The Cottage, a hilarious new comedy by Sandy Rustin.

This brand-new, side-splitting romp is an outrageous tale of sex, betrayal, and desire. A series of revelations cascades in a domino effect as one woman decides to expose her latest affair to both her husband and her lover’s wife. The true meanings of fate and faith, identity and infidelity, love and marriage are all called into question as a surprising and hilarious web of secrets unravels in this ridiculously funny romantic comedy.

Playwright Sandy Rustin also penned the stage adaptation of Clue, which the Opera House produced in 2021. Fans of that production will find the same rapid-fire comedic timing, clever turns of phrase, and well-placed occasional slapstick in The Cottage. A tight cast of six characters gallivants through an increasingly outrageous situation in a script that seems to set a new world record for twists-per-minute.

The Cottage first premiered on Broadway in summer 2023 with a powerful cast and under the direction of Jason Alexander (of Seinfeld fame). For the Waterville Opera House to have the opportunity to stage such a new work so soon after its Broadway debut is a point of excitement for many working on the production.

“The Cottage feels fresh,” said actress Sarah Harlow, who leads the six-player ensemble in the role of Sylvia. “It’s got a lot of twists and turns, and each character has many dimensions to them, which is not always the case for a farce, and certainly not always the case for female characters in a farce.”

Rustin’s play cleverly spins and subverts several tropes and attributes of the classic farce and comedy-of-manners subgenres to create a work that feels fresh and is undeniably original.

The Cottage opens Friday, January 31, at 7:30pm. Evening performances follow February 1, 7, and 8 at 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m., matinées on February 2 and 9. The Waterville Opera House is proud to offer an ASL interpreted performance on Sunday, February 2, at 2 p.m.

This production is sponsored by Mid-Maine Restoration and Marie Cormier.

The Cottage is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection.

Season Pass

The 2025 theatrical season continues April 25 – May 4, with Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, followed by mystery/thriller Deathtrap August 29 – September 7, and then concluding with the beloved classic musical, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, November 14 – 30. Season Passes are now on sale at operahouse.org. Theatregoers can enjoy a 20 percent discount off their purchase when they reserve tickets to all four 2025 productions in one transaction.

Tickets are available now. Go to operahouse.org, call 207-873-.7000, or visit the Ed Harris Box Office, in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, 93 Main Street, Waterville, to make reservations.

PHOTOS: Remembering the past summer

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Brinley Bisson, 4, of Waterville, enjoyed some successful fishing herself this past summer. At top, fishing off a dock at Green Valley Campground, in Vassalboro,  the same place her mother, Kassandra Bisson, of Waterville, learned how to fish, and hauling in a bass, at her grandparents’ campsite, on Webber Pond.

Waterville Creates welcomes new board chairman and new board members

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Amanda Cooley

Waterville Creates announces the addition of two new members to the board of directors and a new board chairman stepping into the role. The organization’s robust programming, increased staffing, and growing presence in the Waterville community presents the need and opportunity for new and increased support from members of the community and Board of Directors to support the mission of Waterville Creates.

Amanda Cooley steps into the role of board chairman. In her role as vice president and marketing and communications officer at Kennebec Savings Bank, Cooley is responsible for overseeing the bank’s marketing, communications, and community giving initiatives. Cooley joined KSB in 2018 as the corporate giving and community relations coordinator. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president and community engagement officer, overseeing the bank’s Community Dividends program and volunteer efforts. Prior to joining Kennebec Savings Bank, Cooley held positions in marketing, event planning, and communications for Colby College and Husson University.

Cooley replaces Jim LaLiberty, of Jabar, LaLiberty, and Dubord LLC, as board chairman. LaLiberty served as chairman for six years for the organization. “On behalf of the board and staff of Waterville Creates, I want to express sincere gratitude to our outgoing board chairman, Jim LaLiberty, who provided steady guidance and leadership for six years as we navigated numerous challenges, including a multi-organization merger, a global pandemic, and the design and move to our new home at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center,” said Shannon Haines, president and CEO of Waterville Creates. “We are thrilled that Amanda Cooley, who joined the board in 2021, will take the reins as board chairman in 2025 as we look forward to the next chapter of Waterville Creates’ development.”

Hannah Bard and Katie Brann are both joining the board of directors this year. Bard is the director at Mid-Maine Regional Adult Community Education, where she has worked for 13 years in several roles. Bard attended Thomas College, in Waterville, for a BS in elementary education and teaching, and USM for an MS in adult and continuing education administration. She was recently named the 2024 Outstanding Adult Education Administrator by the Maine Adult Education Association.

Brann joined Golden Pond Wealth Management, in Waterville, in April 2019. She graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in political science and minor in business administration. Among her specialties are ESG investing and comprehensive financial planning; she achieved the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in March 2021. Most recently, she has been named to the Mainebiz Nextup: 40 Under 40 list, which recognizes young business professionals in the state of Maine. She was chairman of KV Connect in 2022 and was named Emerging Leader of the Year by Central Maine Growth Council in 2021.

“We are delighted to welcome Hannah and Katie to the board in 2025,” Haines said. “They are both active and engaged community members who bring with them valuable experience in public education and financial management that will help Waterville Creates to achieve its strategic goals.”