Issue for January 12, 2023
Local scouting district selects officers for 2023
The Kennebec Valley District of the Scouting program held its annual meeting and selected a slate of officers to lead them in 2023. Chuck Mahaleris, of Augusta, was elected District Chairman joining District Commissioner Eric Handley, of Sidney, and District Executive Michael Perry, of Jay, as the Key Three for the Scouting District. Joseph Poulin, of Oakland, and Charlie Matthews, of Fairfield, were elected Vice Chairmen…
Town News
New program formed, old one scrapped
CHINA – China select board members approved a new town program and scrapped an old one at their first 2023 meeting, held Tuesday evening, Jan. 3, instead of the usual Monday evening because of the New Year’s holiday…
China broadband funding application denied
CHINA – In an e-mail to The Town Line newspaper, Bob O’Connor, chairman of the China Broadband Committee, stated, “I am disappointed to report that our Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) Grant “Connect The Ready” for China / Unitel/DC was not approved in this round…
Road committee looks at preliminary list of road repaving
CHINA – China Road Committee members met Jan. 6 to make a preliminary list of roads to be repaved during the 2023 work season and to consider other road-related recommendations. The focus of this year’s paving is the southeastern part of town…
Couple looks to re-open corner store in East Vassalboro
VASSALBORO – Tim and Heather Dutton want to reopen the former East Vassalboro Corner Store, beginning with pizza and sandwiches and adding local products (garden produce and crafts, for example) if business goes well…
Select board discusses medical marijuana license renewals
VASSALBORO – The final Vassalboro select board meeting of 2022, held Dec. 22, began with discussion of renewing medical marijuana business licenses for 2023…
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is February 2, 2023…
Local happenings
PHOTOS: American Legion members bring Christmas stockings to VA
VASSALBORO – American Legion Post #126, in Vassalboro, filled and delivered 200 Christmas Stockings for veterans at Togus. They thank Waterville Elks Lodge #905, Winslow Connected Credit Union, Vassalboro United Methodist Church ladies group, Cub Scout Pack #410, Sew for a Cause and community members who helped support this project…
PHOTO: New tractor
CHINA – The China Four Seasons Club, along with Jon Fortier, manager of China Hannaford, donated a John Deere battery tractor to Wesley Chamberlain. He had gone to their festival of trees with his grandmother…
The Town Line to benefit from bag sales
CHINA – The Town Line, Inc., a weekly, reader-supported, nonprofit newspaper, has been selected again to receive $1 from every $2.50 reusable Community Bag sold during the month of January 2023 at Hannaford, 33 Hannaford Drive, in South China…
Erskine Academy first trimester honor roll
CHINA – List of honor roll students at Erskine Academy for the first trimester…
Stories from Fort Hill Cemetery: Joseph Eaton (1800 – 1860)
WINSLOW HISTORY — As you walk through the entrance of Fort Hill Cemetery and look left, you will see a tall, granite obelisk dated 1886 with the name Eaton inscribed on it. The monument looks a little out of place in this humble, Winslow cemetery, but then, Joseph Eaton died a wealthy man. The simple but dignified memorial sits on the largest lot in Fort Hill, the resting place of Joseph and 15 of his direct and extended family members… by Kit Alexander
FICTION: The House, part 2: The Diaries
Two weeks had gone by after the closing of the house. Jake, Miri and Dave concentrated on cleaning up the main floor, especially the bedrooms so they would have someplace to sleep while preparing the place to become their second income. It being summer, Jake and Miri had plenty of time to work on the house since both had occupations in education… by Peg Pellerin
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Kennebec River floods – Part 1 (new)
KENNEBEC VALLEY HISTORY – January in Maine seems like a good time to talk about weather, including floods. Some local historians collected a lot of information on the topic; others paid it little attention. Here is your writer’s proposal to share some past events… by Mary Grow [1978 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: The Burleigh family
PALERMO HISTORY – The Burleigh (sometimes spelled Burley) families were among the earliest to settle in the Kennebec Valley. One of Palermo’s early settlers was Moses Burleigh, and there were 19th-century Burleighs in other area towns. Millard Howard, in his Palermo history, said the Palermo family had been in America since 1648, when a Burley ancestor lived in Ipswich, Massachusetts… by Mary Grow [1782 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Christmas pre-20th century
CENTRAL ME HISTORY – This article is intended to complete the survey of pre-20th-century social activities in the central Kennebec Valley and, given the current date, to report on Christmas observances. An organization omitted last week, but covered earlier in this series, was the Patrons of Husbandry, the farmers’ organization commonly called the Grange… by Mary Grow [1646 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Social clubs in Kennebec Valley
CENTRAL ME HISTORY – Last week’s article talked mostly about ways early settlers interacted socially as individuals and families. This week’s piece will describe some of the 19th-century organizations that united residents and kept them busy, and related topics… by Mary Grow [1837 words]
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Maine crime novelist Gerry Boyle to discuss new book
CHINA — Best selling crime novelist Gerry Boyle has released his greatly anticipated book, Robbed Blind, #13 in the Jack McMorrow mystery series from Islandport Press. Boyle’s signature character, Jack McMorrow, is one of Maine’s most popular literary characters in the state… and many other local events!
Obituaries
CHINA – Rémy Joel Pettengill, 17, died unexpectedly Saturday, January 7, 202, at Maine Medical Center, in Portland. He was born in Waterville, on December 29, 2005, a son of Lee H. and Danielle C. (Morin) Pettengill… and remembering 10 others.
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | On our way home to Waterville driving along Rte. 201, during the recent unseasonable warm spell, my wife and I observed a raccoon walking along the roadside in Winslow. My first thought: “A raccoon out during the day is not normal, and could mean it is rabid”…
SMALL SPACE GARDENING
by Melinda Myers | It’s no surprise that succulents, including cacti, are popular. These easy-care houseplants come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes making them perfect for any home…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | A 1991 CD (Reprise W2 26723), Sinatra Sings the Songs of Van Heusen and Cahn, contains 22 classic standards from the Great American Songbook, most of them composed by the team of James Van Heusen (1913-1990) and Sammy Fain (1913-1993), except for Imagination, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, It’s Always You, Swinging On a Star, Moonlight Becomes You and Oh, You Crazy Moon, which Van Heusen wrote with his earlier longtime partner, Johnny Burke (1908-1964)…
LIFE ON THE PLAINS
by Roland D. Hallee | As everyone knows, The Plains, in Waterville, runs along the west shore of the Kennebec River in the South End of the city. The river played a large part in the development of the city and contributing to high numbers of industrial jobs. Many of the residents of The Plains, the majority of which were men, worked at these locations…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) | Snow flurries and winter storms can be unpredictable, so the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) encourages home and business owners to prepare in advance before bad weather hits. “Outdoor power equipment such as snow throwers can make quick work of a big job,” says OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser…