Issue for February 9, 2023
Samuel Boynton earns Eagle Scout status
Samuel K. Boynton, a senior at Erskine Academy, in South China, was presented with the highest award in Scouting during a ceremony Sunday, February 5 at the China Baptist Church with family, friends and fellow Troop #479 Scouts on hand for the presentation…
Klondike derby held at Bomazeen
The Klondike Derby drew Scouts from surrounding area towns and as far away as Boothbay Harbor and Gorham to the snowy fields and trails of Camp Bomazeen, in Belgrade, on Saturday, January 21. There were more than 100 Scouts and Cubs in attendance…
Town News
Palermo voters to consider mooring ordinance
PALERMO – The subject of mooring and houseboating has become controversial in Maine. A minimal online search will reveal the conflicts between town and summer residents throughout Maine who recreate and live on Maine lakes, ponds, and streams versus those who moor or “colonize” a body of water without land ownership nor permits or permission…
Select board “not interested” in opting-in on medical marijuana retail store
WINDSOR – At the January 17 meeting of the Windsor Select Board, Devin Noonan appeared before the board to see if he could be the first applicant to sign up to be a Medical Marijuana Retail Store…
Select board discusses improvements to town office, other on-going issues
VASSALBORO – At their Feb. 2 meeting, Vassalboro select board members continued discussion of better outside lighting and handicapped accessible front doors at the town office; improvements at the transfer station; and other, mostly on-going, issues…
Pine Tree Amendment citizens continue to advocate for protected rights
CENTRAL ME – A multi-generational team of Mainers is campaigning for an amendment that would enshrine environmental rights in the Maine Constitution’s Declaration of Rights…
Local happenings
LETTERS: A thank you note from our family
CHINA – We started out making a list of those to thank during this past month but realized that the amazing amount of support came from an overwhelming amount of people both near and far – we feared forgetting someone… from Lee, Danielle, Aiden, & Bryson Pettengill
Community response overwhelms the Bakos
PALERMO – Ann and Peter Bako have given their time, energy, and resources to people of the greater community all their lives. Their tragic house fire of January 5th turned their lives upside down and prompted an avalanche of aid, which is desperately needed, but the couple feels a simple “Thank you” is not enough to express the depth of their gratitude… by Connie Bellet
Training virtual assistants to work from home in Maine
KENNEBEC VALLEY – Kennebec Valley Community College has created and launched a one-of-a-kind training program for Virtual Assistants. An up-and-coming profession in the new world of remote work, virtual assistants support businesses and companies in marketing, administrative, and management tasks…
Madison Legion Auxiliary turkey pie sale nets $2,295
MADISON – The turkey pie sales were so popular last year, members of the American Legion Auxiliary Tardiff-Belanger Unit #39, Madison, decided to sell them again…
PHOTOS: Belgrade Central School students busy with projects
BELGRADE – Belgrade Central students in Mrs. Lachance’s fourth grade writing class recently invited parents and teachers into their classroom to share their realistic fiction stories…
Lindsay Hamilton is Carrabec’s Principal’s Award winner
CLINTON – Lindsay Hamilton, daughter of Matthew and Marsha, of Clinton, a senior at Carrabec High School, in North Anson, has been selected to receive the 2023 Principal’s Award, according to Principal Peter Campbell…
Vassalboro Community School second quarter honor roll
VASSALBORO – List of honor roll students for Vassalboro honor roll students for the second quarter of the 2022-23 school year…
EVENTS: Spectrum ice fishing derby returns
WATERVILLE – The Annual Gene & Lucille Letourneau Ice Fishing Derby will take place on Sunday, February 19, at the Muskie Community Center, 38 Gold Street, in Waterville. This mid-winter tradition for ice fishing enthusiasts and families is celebrating its 25th anniversary year!…
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Early Augusta Families – Part 1 (new)
AUGUSTA HISTORY – The three people whose diaries Charles Nash excerpted in his 1904 Augusta history, and who provided old weather records for last week’s article, were members of some of the first families to settle in the area. Martha Ballard came to Hallowell in October 1777, two years after her husband Ephraim brought his surveying business to the area. Henry Sewall came “after the Revolution,” Daniel Cony in 1778… by Mary Grow [1985 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Weather events
KENNEBEC VALLEY HISTORY – James North and Ruby Crosby Wiggin, quoted last week, were not the only local historians to mention the Year without a Summer. And 1816 was not the only unusually cold spell – though it was the longest spell of (fairly) consistently cold weather – recorded in the central Kennebec Valley since the settlers’ arrival… by Mary Grow [1846 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Floods of central Maine – Part 3
KENNEBEC VALLEY HISTORY – Before this series moves on to describe the year without a summer, one more flood needs mention and another a description. The Fairfield Historical Society’s bicentennial history says a March 2, 1896, freshet took out the last remaining of the three 1848 covered bridges between Fairfield and Benton, the easternmost one between Bunker Island and Benton… by Mary Grow [1877 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Kennebec River floods – Part 2
KENNEBEC VALLEY HISTORY – After the great freshet of 1832, with which last week’s article ended, Augusta business leaders went ahead with their plan to build a dam across the Kennebec River to power mills; and a Fairfield company dammed part of the river there… by Mary Grow [1940 words]
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “Go ahead, make my day.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is March 9, 2023…
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Dale Potter Clark, Vassalboro author, to read at library
VASSALBORO — On Saturday, February 18, 2 p.m., at the Vassalboro Public Library, Vassalboro author Dale Potter Clark will read from her historical novel Escape from Bunker Hill. Co-hosted by Vassalboro Historical Society… and many other local events!
Obituaries
PALERMO – John Nathanael Foss, 86, passed away on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. He was born on October 8, 1936, in Lewiston, to John S. and Lois B. (Guptill) Foss, John attended schools in Lewiston before his family moved to Pittsfield where he graduated from Maine Central Institute… and remembering 9 others.
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, February 9, 2023
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: Bob Poulin, Winslow
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Porcupines. Nuisance, or ecological necessity? It all depends with whom you talk. I know some people who are overrun by the animals to the point where they are raiding the gardens, and having to deal with their dogs being injured by porcupine quills due mostly to their own curiosity. While others find a use for them…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | Born in New York City, poet Richard Aldridge (1930-1994) attended summer camp here in Maine most of his childhood and, as an adult, would eventually settle down with his wife in Phippsburg while teaching high school English in Bath…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) | Brushing and flossing are the main tricks of the trade for maintaining a healthy smile, but if you want to expand your dental health from the inside out, you may want to consider nutritional supplements. “Most people can obtain all the necessary vitamins and minerals from a balanced diet, but for some, supplements can be helpful as nutrition deficiencies can lead to conditions such as inflammation and tooth loss if left untreated for too long,” said Kiran Malhi, DMD…