Issue for July 21, 2022

Celebrating 34 years of local news

New exhibit at Vassalboro Historical Society depicts textiles

The new display at the Vassalboro Historical Society (VHS) Museum in East Vassalboro is titled “All Things Textile,” and the name is appropriate. The most eye-catching items are women’s dresses, from the early 1800s to the 1950s, in varied materials and colors, and on one wall a large painting of young ladies in spring outfits (and two gentlemen) gathered on the lawn of the Oak Grove School… by Mary Grow

Your Local News

Routine application turns into review of requirements

VASSALBORO — What started as a simple application to the Vassalboro Planning Board at the July 12 meeting turned into a review of application requirements, a topic board members intend to pursue…

Select board tackles three big projects

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro select board members had three big projects on the agenda for discussion at their July 14 and future meetings, and resident Tom Richards proposed an even bigger fourth one…

Planners agree with many solar ordinance changes

CHINA — The three China Planning Board members participating in the July 12 meeting agreed with many of Board Chairman Scott Rollins’ proposed changes in the draft Solar Array Ordinance. They scheduled others for discussion at July 19 and July 26 board meetings and at a public hearing set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, with final decisions at the board’s Aug. 9 meeting…

Planning well underway for China Community Days festivities

CHINA – Local residents of China are hard at work organizing the activities and festivities for the China Community Days celebration planned for the weekend of August 5-7…

LETTERS: Are solar panels a blight?

from Linda Morrell (China) An observation…am I the only one who finds the acres of solar panels a blight on our beautiful Maine landscape? Is it asking to much to leave a border of trees to hide these fields of plastic…

LETTERS: LD-290 is insane

from Frank Slason (Somerville) Wake up people of Maine! Regarding LD-290, a sleeper bill that slipped through without any discussion called, “A tax relief program”, is a misnomer. Freezing a poor person’s tax increase on their home is ridiculous…

PHOTOS: Former Vassalboro Methodist Church is dismantled

VASSALBORO – Before…During…and After pictures of the Vassalboro Methodist Church demolition…

PHOTO: The Saturday crew at the China Food Pantry

CHINA – Photo of the hard-working Saturday crew at the China Community Food Pantry…

PHOTO: Bracelet sale in Sidney

SIDNEY – Hunter Moser, 12, of Sidney, and Ava Couture-Lynch, 11, from Boston, Massachusetts, selling lemonade and bracelets that they made on July 1…

Tina’s Daylilies to donate 20 percent of sales on July 23 to MS research

JEFFERSON – Once again Tina White, owner of Tina’s Daylilies will be hosting an annual garden party fundraiser. This is the eighth year that Tina’s Daylilies has held this event. They will have door prizes, refreshments and Tina says “we will have lots of blooms!” Each year 20 percent of the proceeds that day is donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for MS research…

China to hold Window Dressers workshop

CHINA – The China for a Lifetime Committee is planning a Window Dressers workshop this November 7-13, at the China Lake Camp, off the Neck Road, on the west side of the lake. The initiative is a volunteer-led, barn-raising effort to construct low-cost “window inserts” that can significantly reduce residential energy costs…

Name that film!

Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “Play it Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is August 5, 2022…

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Natural resources – Part 3 (new)

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Attentive readers will have noted that the previous discussions of brickyards and brick-making have omitted the two cities in the central Kennebec Valley, Augusta and Waterville. Your writer deliberately saved them for last, because they have so many buildings of brick and granite as to deserve extra space… by Mary Grow [1929 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Natural resources – Part 2

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Last week’s article talked about some of the towns in which European settlers found naturally-occurring resources, like stones and clay. Stones were described as useful for foundations, wells and similar purposes on land; another use was for the dams that have been mentioned repeatedly… by Mary Grow [1886 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Natural resources – Part 1

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — As the preceding articles have at least partly shown, pre-European inhabitants of the Kennebec Valley lived off the land, using natural resources to provide food, shelter, clothing, transport, decoration and other necessities and frivolities… by Mary Grow [1937 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Native Americans – Conclusion

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — No historian your writer has found says how many Native Americans lived in the Kennebec River Valley before the Europeans arrived. The Maine Historic Preservation Commission has a document on its website estimating 25,000. Another on-line estimate for Maine and Maritime Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) says 32,000… by Mary Grow [2062 words]

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Dirigo Grange chicken BBQ

FREEDOM — The Dirigo Grange, on Rte. 137, in Freedom, will be holding a chicken BBQ on Sunday, July 24, at noon. Price is $12, and is take out only… and many other local events!

Lake Association meetings

Dates and times for local lake association meetings, including Sheepscot Lake, China Lake and Webber Pond…

Give Us Your Best Shot!

The best recent photos from our readers!

Obituaries

VASSALBORO – Timothy Robert Green, 41, passed away on Monday, June 20, 2022. He was born on January 23, 1981, the son of Robert and Lynn Green… and remembering 13 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Wednesday, August 10, 2022

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: Marylou Ripley, Oakland

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | This week, I’m going to give my space to John Glowa Sr., of the Maine Wolf Coalition, with an update on the mounting evidence that wolves are attempting a comeback in the Northeast…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | I am back! This was the longest I have ever been sick with anything and it was NOT Covid. It was a really nasty flu that lasted weeks. What I didn’t realize I was so making things worse. It was one of those deals you are too sick to even try to see a doctor and too stubborn to go when my daughter wanted to take me…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895-1967) conducted a huge number of fine recordings from the 1930s to not long before he died in 1967…

LIFE ON THE PLAINS

by Roland D. Hallee | Before we continue, I want to share an email I received from Peg Pellerin, who grew up on King St., and filled in some of the gaps I left out when taking our tour of Water St. Here are her memories…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

by Yiqing Song | At this extreme moment, we began working from home, away from campus, and keeping social distance for as many people as possible. As we stay home and are stuck with the foods that have been in our fridge or pantry for a while, we are temporarily living a sedentary lifestyle with increased odds of physical inactivity, excessive eating and sitting, stress, anxiety, and depression…