Issue for December 12, 2024
Inaugural Thanksgiving dinner at SCCC well attended
South China Community Church (SCCC) served about 55 people at its first free Community Thanksgiving Dinner on November 28. While SCCC is known for its monthly Blessed Breakfasts and various dinner and soup fundraisers throughout the year, this was the first time its members provided a holiday meal… by Jayne Winters
Area combat veterans to benefit from sisters’ handi-work
Thirty-five combat veterans and their families will enjoy the efforts from talented sisters Angeline LeHay, of Albion, and Nancy Lessard, of Jackman…
Town News
Planners discuss three applications; store permit still “good”
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro Planning board members discussed three applications on their Dec. 3 agenda: a permit extension for the East Vassalboro village store; a proposed Seaward Mills Road subdivision; and a Brann Road business…
East Village project team talks about traffic control
VASSALBORO – The East Village Project Team, the group working to better manage traffic through East Vassalboro Village, met Dec. 9 to talk about the three-month traffic-calming experiment that ended Nov. 1, how to evaluate it and what else might be done…
Vassalboro community garden project moves on to next step
VASSALBORO – Karen Hatch, Vassalboro’s Community Program Director, is excited to announce the completion of AARP Community Gardens Project, Part of the 2024 AARP Community Challenge Grant Program…
Waterville’s finest battle for community programs
WATERVILLE – On December 8, Watervilles bravest and finest laced up their sneakers for the Battle of the Badges basketball game…
LETTERS: Advice to local senior citizens
from Frank Slason (Augusta)– An open letter to senior citizens living in the South China, Windsor, Weeks Mills and Somerville area…
Lori Bellwood joins Northern Light staff
CENTRAL ME – Northern Light Inland Hospital is pleased to welcome Lori Bellwood, DNP, CNM, an experienced, compassionate certified nurse midwife to Northern Light Women’s Health in Waterville. Lori provides gynecological, contraceptive, family planning, and preventative well-woman care from adolescence through menopause…
The Remembrance Tree
Help us decorate the tree and at the same time remember loved ones. For only $10 a ball, you can commemorate love ones who have passed!
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to The Maine Film Center, in Waterville: “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is January 9, 2025.
Local happenings
EVENTS: Planning board meeting canceled
CHINA – The China Planning Board meeting and public hearing scheduled for Tuesday evening, Dec. 10, were canceled due to weather conditions…
EVENTS: Blue Christmas ceremony shines light
CENTRAL ME – The ShineOnCass Foundation will host its 4th Annual Blue Christmas Ceremony for grieving families and friends, and those who support them, Saturday, December 21, at sunset, starting at 4 p.m., on the Winter Solstice – the longest and darkest night of the year. Blue Christmas will feature music, speakers, and a reading of submitted names of loved ones’ lost and the lighting of memorial blue candles…
Obituaries
WINDSOR – Joseph H. Greenwood “Joe”, 84, died peacefully at his home in Windsor on Monday, December 2, 2024. He was born in Brunswick on September 9, 1940…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Support for Maine Children’s Home
WATERVILLE – This weekend, you can donate to the Maine Children’s Home’s Christmas/Winter Essentials Program at Kringleville from 1 – 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday!… and many other local events!
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Education in Fairfield (new)
FAIRFIELD HISTORY — After multiple postponements, this article really is about the history of education – elementary education; high schools next week – in Fairfield, the town next upstream from Waterville on the west bank of the Kennebec River. Your writer thanks the Fairfield Historical Society for generously sharing material on the topic… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: William Mathews of Waterville
WATERVILLE HISTORY — As noted last week, this biographical sketch of Professor William Mathews, LL.D. (Doctor of Laws), is another follow-up to an earlier account, the Nov. 21 article on Waterville residents Jeremiah Chaplin and James Hobbs Hanson. Mathews was mentioned as a critic of Rev. Chaplin’s preaching… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Education in Winslow Schools – Continued
WINSLOW HISTORY — This week’s article was to be a discussion of early schools in Fairfield, continuing the subseries on early education, but again your writer has been distracted. The first diversion, this week, is back to Winslow elementary schools, about which summary information was provided in the Nov. 7 issue… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Jeremiah Chaplin & James Hanson
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Instead of moving to the next town, this article will provide abbreviated biographies of two men mentioned in last week’s story of educational development in Waterville… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Hannaford Supermarket! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!
Previous winner: Mary Jane Vigue, Winslow
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | As we enter into the Christmas season, I notice a lot of Christmas cards and greetings with the picture of a dove as a symbol of peace on earth and goodwill to men. Where did that all start? Why is the dove a symbol of peace?…
GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
by Dan Beaulieu | Building the right team for your small business goes beyond just hiring skilled employees. You’re looking to create a group of people who are not only talented but also committed, passionate, and fully invested in the success of your business. Here’s how you can build a work team that believes in your mission, puts in the extra effort, and sticks with you for the long haul…
A BIBLE MOMENT
by The Village Parson | It was time for the biannual visit from the pastor, and Mrs. Brown arranged her heirloom silver dinnerware and best china for the customary meal after the visit…
AARP NEWS YOU CAN USE
by Joyce Bucciantini | The colorful fall leaves are long gone, and the shorter days of December have arrived with the promise of starry nights and maybe a hint of snow. There is a feeling of expectation in the air as we hurry along thinking of the upcoming holidays…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | Cab Calloway (1907-1994) was a character in the truest sense of the word. For all his accomplishment as a well above average singer/musician, his claim to fame was his sardonic insinuating delivery of lyrics…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
HEALTH | If you or someone you care for is among the 1 in 3 U.S. adults estimated to have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes, or is among the nearly 40 million Americans the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates have diabetes, chances are good you or the person you care for won’t even know it…