IF WALLS COULD TALK

WALLS, do you truly believe we can write about everything that transpired last week with our intent of bringing present, past and future happenings for our faithful readers within the last week? It’s your choice where we start. With my busy calendar?

O.K. let’s do it.

Yes, since the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce had a Business After Hours at Somerset Public Health on April 21, let’s tell faithful readers about that evening. Yes, it was a real surprise but worth every minute and every mouth-full (the food was marvelous!) and “Bill” McPeck’s presentation that concerned worksite wellness was definitely enlightening. We of CATV-11 will have Bill on Now You Know soon and that presentation with Chris Perkins as host will be for each of us.

On Now You Know on April 20, we all received education by way of Jeff Johnson who is the executive director of Child Care Options. For sure, Jeff gave us insight into children’s behaviors. What’s more, Child Care Options on Bigelow Hill, in Skowhegan, is a subject that expectant parents, young parents and grandparents can benefit from. Jeff told everyone that the organization has offices in Augusta and in Skowhegan, and pertain to children from newborn to seven years of age.

Oh, and since Earth Day was on April 22, WALLS want you to know that East Madison, known as the first Madison, and that once had seven industries, which included a large woolen mill, until the paper industry learned the power of water-for-the-mill, and

East Madison was also the location of the first Earth Day in the USA. How come? Well, the late Joe Denis and I had organized the East Madison students of all ages and we did ask for use of a Madison Highway Department dump truck, but the, then-Madison Highway Commissioner simply could not have the dump truck available for Earth Day. Well, there was a solution. Do the Earth Day pickup the day before! The East Madison young people would walk with Joe Denis and Katie would drive the dump truck! It was a truly fun day, and the youngsters wondered what the ‘old still’ that was found in long grass along the way could possibly be used for.

The Denises remembered Prohibition days, but didn’t have time for explanations, as East Madison store owner (the late) Donald Perkins had a lunch waiting for all who were doing so much for this little town.

Well, faithful readers, WALLS would be remiss if you didn’t read about the home that Lew and Katie owned in Little Falls, New York. That area was absolutely full of interesting U.S. history, but little did we know that, when Lew removed a board in the basement of our nearly 200-year-old house that, surely, the place we called ‘home’ had housed slaves who traveled The Underground Railroad. Yes, when the news of Harriet Tubman’s photo replacing Andrew Jackson on our $20 bill, will be a part of our ‘history of today,’ we read Harriet Tubman’s story and learned she was born a slave who took pride in being an active abolitionist who helped slave friends escape via the Underground Railroad of which our house in Little Falls had, obviously, been a part. Yes, WALLS, we are proud.
Yes, we are very proud to be home in Maine.