IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of December 15, 2016

by Katie Ouilette

Faithful readers, are you the ones who planned so many events for our calendar? I thought WALLS would know better, but maybe all the events that everyone has attended during the last week had to have a lot of busy minds and, yes, we’ve said yes!

Right now, we’re having our first real snowstorm, so we are guaranteed a white Christmas, so our dreams of that Bing Crosby song can definitely come true. What’s more, as Lew went out to start the snow removal ordeal, he ordered one of his favorites, a salmon pie with egg sauce. Hmm, I wonder how many of today’s cooks make such today.
O.K., I’ll make that pie and top it with egg sauce, but, first, WALLS, you will make sure I order all those magazines for our great-grandkids. Yes, and our Reese Paine was absolutely beautiful at her Top Hat dance recital. The Opera House at Skowhegan’s Municipal Building was full of proud parents, ‘Grands and Greats.’

WALLS, you sure do want me to tell you about great-granddaughter Sydney’s taking pictures of everyone who attended the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours at Andy and Donna Russakoff’s wonderful jewelry store, on Water Street, in Skowhegan. That was held on December 15, but Andy and Donna did much reminiscing during the evening. There was a framed photo of Founder Sussman Russakoff for all to see and that brought reminiscences of the whole Russakoff family. Oh, what happy days have been shared with so many over the 100 years of the business!

Yes, Jason Gayne told us at the SACC annual meeting that the Chamber was going to be involved with all the communities that have been members. Danielle and Kevin Dubois attended BAH and, surely, Sydney pointed the camera at her mom, Danielle, and others who have taken up the challenges with Jason and are new chamber directors.

Yup, WALLS has been thinking backward! Katie took all who urged her to write a history of downtown Skowhegan very seriously. In fact, at 86 years ‘young,’ she was surprised at how much she remembered about the Skow early-days, so she hopes all requests were serious.

WALLS, don’t forget that the Whittemore’s Real Estate sales people were treated to a positively wonderful gathering at the Heritage House on December 7. Yes, WALLS will tell you that some of those attending could reminisce about those days of

World War II beginning with Japan’s bombing [of Pearl Harbor] on December 7, but Van Ames thought of school days when, after school, he worked in sales at Henry’s Hardware and Chris Perkins, also an owner of Whittemore’s Real Estate shared his memories with Richard Parlin and others at one of the six tables of ‘the Whittemore Real Estate “family.”

WALLS, you know that we have shared so much with family and friends during the past week, but, surely, you are wise and will share more of your thoughts as “Tis the season to be jolly”……. Ho-Ho-Ho, Santa Clause is coming to our faithful readers.