Issue for July 20, 2023
Scouts leadership group completes training
Leaders from Cub Packs and Scout Troops around the area recently completed a variety of training programs. “It is encouraging to see so many scout leaders coming out to learn new skills,” said Walter Fails, of Farmington, who is the Chairman of Training for Scout Troops in Kennebec Valley District. “Every scout deserves a trained leader because trained leaders deliver better and safer Scouting programs”… Submitted by Chuck Mahaleris
Town News
Select board signs in reappointed town officials
CHINA – China select board members had a short July 17 meeting, followed by a long signing session as they reappointed town officials and board and committee members for the fiscal year that began July 1…
Planners OK move for DC Customz
CHINA – China planning board members approved the only application on their July 11 agenda, allowing Denver Cullivan to move his metal fabricating business, DC Customz, to an existing commercial building at 70 Waterville Road…
Recreation dept. to see changes; Bog Road bridge replacement discussed
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro select board members’ July 13 topics covered the entire town, especially the northern half: continued discussion of the recreation program and the Vassalboro Sanitary District; a state Department of Transportation (MDOT) presentation on plans for a new bridge on Bog Road in 2025; a resident’s proposal for traffic control in East Vassalboro; and the board’s own meeting schedule through the end of November…
KWD only beneficiary of solar power development
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro planning board members had on their July 11 agenda four shoreland permit applications and a discussion of keeping phosphorus out of water bodies. They had in the audience two representatives of ReVison Energy to talk about a solar project that was not on the agenda…
PHOTOS: Sheepscot boat parade enjoys good turnout
PALERMO – Sheepscot Lake Association hosted their fifth annual boat parade on July 3. Despite the weather, this year’s parade was a big success, with 21 boats and a jet ski participating, and several camp residents along the lake cheering on from the shoreline. Tim Paul, former board member for many years, served as grand marshal…
PHOTO: Pine Tree paddle
CHINA – Rachel and Kemp Anderson, from South China, were among 200 paddlers with a purpose on the Kennebec River, in Solon, on June 3. They paddled as part of the Resurrection Lutheran Church team…
Waterville scouts find new partner
WATERVILLE – After 89 years of partnership with the Pleasant Street United Methodist Church, Waterville Boy Scout Troop began 2023 with a new Chartered Organization…
Free community college extended two more years
CENTRAL ME – Tuition-free community college in Maine was extended to two more graduating high school classes under the budget passed by the legislature and signed on July 11 by Governor Janet Mills…
SCHOOL NEWS
Samuel Schmitt named to Bryant University’s Spring 2023 dean’s list
WINSLOW – Bryant University, in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is pleased to recognize Samuel Schmitt, of Winslow, for his unwavering commitment to academic excellence and achievement by naming him to the spring 2023 dean’s list…
Katelyn Robertson earns a spot on the dean’s list at Coastal Carolina University
OAKLAND – Katelyn Robertson, from Oakland, was one of more than 2,400 undergraduate students at Coastal Carolina University, in Conway, South Carolina, who were named to the dean’s list for the Spring 2023 semester…
Alaina Lambert named to dean’s list
WINSLOW – Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), in Worcester, Massachusetts, has announced that Alaina Lambert, of Winslow, a member of the class of 2026 majoring in biology and biotechnology, was named to the university’s dean’s list for academic excellence for the spring 2023 semester…
Local students named to Springfield College dean’s list
JEFFERSON/WINSLOW – Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts, recognizes the following local students for being named to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the 2023 spring semester: William Banks, from Jefferson. Banks has a primary major of physical education. Kaitlin Morrison, from Winslow, has a primary major of Comm. Sci. and Disorders…
Local students present works at symposium
JEFFERSON/WINSLOW – Students at Lasell University, in Newton, Massachusetts, presented original research, creative works, and academic presentations at the annual Connected Learning Symposium in April 2023, including:
Sydney Veilleux, of Skowhegan, and Alexis Grant, of Athens, presented information about studio1851, Lasell’s student-run, on-campus boutique, at Symposium…
Local happenings
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Vassalboro Historical Society open house
VASSALBORO — Stop by the museum Sunday, July 23, 2023 1 – 4 p.m., at 327 Main Street, for a visit. Check out our displays, do some research, browse our photo albums or scrapbooks. Learn about new capabilities that will assist those doing research. Visit the Blacksmith Shop and step back in time… and many other local events!
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
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: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is August 10, 2023…
2022-’23 Real Estate Tax Due Dates
Real estate tax due dates for the towns of Albion, China, Fairfield, Oakland, Palermo, Sidney, Vassalboro, Waterville, Windsor and Winslow…
Obituaries
VASSALBORO – Bonnie L. Shorey, 76, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 1, 2023. She was born on August 24, 1946, in Waterville, the daughter of Adrien and Simone (Beaulieu) Paradis, and grew up in the Waterville area, graduating from Waterville High School, class of 1964… and remembering 6 others.
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: How towns cared for their poor (conclusion) (new)
KV HISTORY — This fourth and final article on the ways central Kennebec Valley towns carried out their responsibility to care for their poorest residents will provide bits of information about half a dozen towns not already discussed… by Mary Grow
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: How towns cared for the poor – Part 3
KV HISTORY — This article is the third of four that will talk about how central Kennebec Valley towns took care of their destitute residents, when welfare was a local responsibility. Last week’s piece summarized actions in China from the 1820s into the 1870s, when the poor farm on the east shore of China Lake housed many of the town’s paupers (some were still bid out or assisted as they lived with family members)… by Mary Grow
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Caring for the poor – Part 2
KV HISTORY — This article will continue the theme started June 14, how central Kennebec Valley towns took care of their poor residents, jumping across the Kennebec River from Augusta and Sidney to Vassalboro, Windsor, Palermo and China. The focus will remain – mostly – on the 19th century… by Mary Grow
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: The story of Independence Day
KV HISTORY — According to Wikipedia, celebrating Independence Day on July 4 each year is most likely an error. The writer of the on-line site’s article on this national holiday says that the Second Continental Congress, meeting in a closed session, approved Virginia representative Richard Henry Lee’s resolution declaring the United States independent of Great Britain on July 2, 1776… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, August 17, 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: James Vigue, Winslow
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Slugs! They can truly do a lot of damage to your plants, like they did to mine this past spring. They like damp places, feed at night and prefer tender new growth and seedlings. Last week we learned about slugs, this week we will talk about how to control them…
THE BEST VIEW
by Norma Best Boucher | “Drat!” I just spent two minutes trying to save with a piece of paper a nondescript insect that was stranded on my living room floor. The insect finally grabbed the paper. I walked the paper with the tiny creature to the door and opened it. The insect then let go of its grip and jumped to the concrete just in time for my foot to land on it. “Oops!”…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | The 33rd President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), upon being sworn in as FDR’s vice-president, was told by his mother, “Now you behave yourself”…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) — One of the greatest joys—but potentially biggest challenges—for many grandparents is time spent with the grandkids. Whether yours are toddlers or teens, keeping them entertained requires a level of fitness that might include everything from lifting a child to chasing them at the playground to competing in a round of golf. For grandparents seeking an enriching and active experience with their grandkids, it’s important to engage in everyday fitness routines that can help…