Issue for July 31, 2025
Palermo’s Riley Reitchel earns All-American status at nationals
University of Southern Maine Junior Riley Reitchel, of Palermo, a graduate of Erskine Acedemy, in South China, earned All-American honors at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, in Geneva, Ohio. Reitchel placed fourth in the javelin to earn First Team All-American status…
Town News
Special town meeting planned for August 18
CHINA – China voters have a special town meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18 (place to be announced). They will be asked to take one action: discontinue an easement at the head of China Lake’s east basin, so select board members can transfer the property it covers to the abutter…
Cemetery committee discusses prioritizing work
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro Cemetery Committee members spent much of their July 21 meeting discussing David Jenney’s proposal to prioritize work in the town’s more than two dozen cemeteries. They reached a preliminary agreement: do the ones with the most graves and the least recent repairs and maintenance first, with exceptions when justified…
VCS students actualize welcome to Vassalboro signs
VASSALBORO – Last year Town Manager Aaron Miller reached out to Vassalboro Community School’s art teacher Mia Sargent and pitched an idea that not only sparked creativity with her students but also will surely build hometown pride for many years to come…
Pair pays $20,000 in fines with pennies
PALERMO – Palermo residents will no longer be able to use loose change to make payments to the town office exceeding $100. The decision came following a months long dispute between the town council and residents Kurt Sherman and Dusty Haskell regarding a shore land zoning ordinance violation… by Jonathan Strieff
New Conservation Committee to be at Palermo Days
PALERMO – The town of Palermo has a newly formed Conservation Committee. They will have a table at the upcoming Palermo Days celebration on Saturday, August 9…
Webber Pond Dam construction update
VASSALBORO – As of July 23, the construction area of the parking lot at Webber Pond Dam has been blocked off…
Local students named to St. Lawrence Univ dean’s list
CENTRAL ME — St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, congratulates more than 630 students named to the dean’s list for the Spring 2025 semester…
Lakey named to dean’s list at Elmhurst U.
CENTRAL ME — Anna Lakey was named to Elmhurst University’s Spring 2025 dean’s list, in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Area students named to dean’s list at UNE
CENTRAL ME — The following area students have been named to the University of New England’s dean’s list for the spring semester 2025, in Biddeford…
Local happenings
EVENTS: In-water workshop to teach how to spot invasive plants
CHINA — Want to learn how to spot suspicious aquatic plants on Maine lakes? Lake Stewards of Maine (LSM) will host a “Plant Paddle” workshop, at China Lake, on Friday, August 1, to help participants know which plants are invasive, and how to detect them…
EVENTS: “Made in China” — A local art exhibition
CHINA — The China Historical Society is proud to present “Made in China,” a group art exhibition showcasing the work of artists who live in China, Maine – or whose work reflects the spirit, beauty, and stories of the town…
EVENTS: Sidney Masons to honor Wayne Ireland
SIDNEY — The Mason’s of Rural Logde #53, Sidney, will be holding their annual pig roast in honor of Wayne Ireland who recently passed away. He was a great and honorable brother and is sorely missed. The proceeds from type roast, as always, goes to benefit those of lesser means. The roast will be held at the Oakland Masonic Temple, at 21 Oak St., Oakland, from 1 – 4 p.m. Eat in or take out is offered. This fare’s donation is $15 for adults and $7 for children under 13…
EVENTS: Winslow’s Blueberry Festival on tap for August 8 – 9
WINSLOW — One of Maine’s all-time most popular, beloved, and downright yummy summer events – Winslow’s annual Blueberry Festival – is coming this year on Friday, August 8, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, August 9, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., to Winslow Congregational Church, 12 Lithgow Street, Winslow. The Friday evening event will feature a delicious chicken BBQ fundraiser ($15 donation per supper) to benefit Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry, plus live music. Admission to the festival grounds is FREE both days…
EVENTS: Nelson reunion
PALERMO — Do you know a Nelson? The 100th Nelson Reunion of Erastus and Eliza Nelson descendents will be held on August 9th at the Palermo Christian Church. The first Nelson Family Reunion was hosted by Erastus and Eliza’s 6th child Frank Miles Nelson in 1925…
EVENTS: Rock around the jailhouse block
WISCASSET — It’s party time at the Old Lincoln County Jail on Federal Street in Wiscasset! Gather your friends and family for a rousing good time at Jailhouse Rock on Saturday, August 9 from 5-8 pm. Jailhouse Rock is an event for all ages with dancing, food, lawn games, and tours of the jail cells…
EVENTS: Spectacular laser show and concert to benefit Winslow Community Cupboard
CLINTON — Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry – which serves food-insecure children, seniors, and other adults from Winslow, Waterville, Skowhegan, Fairfield, and 20 other surrounding towns – will benefit from a spectacular Drive-in Laser Show and Concert coming to the Clinton Fairgrounds (1450 Bangor Road) from Thursday, July 31, through Saturday, August 2…
EVENTS: Make an immediate difference by giving blood or platelets now
CENTRAL ME — Upcoming blood donation opportunities June 18-July 30 in Kennebec County…
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: “Bond. James Bond.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is August 7, 2025.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: “Made in China” — A local art exhibition
CHINA – The China Historical Society is proud to present “Made in China,” a group art exhibition showcasing the work of artists who live in China, Maine – or whose work reflects the spirit, beauty, and stories of the town. Held at the barn, at 16 Jones Road, in South China, the exhibit opens with a public reception on Thursday, August 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition will also be open to visitors on Saturday, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m…. and many other local events!
Obituaries
ALBION — Twin boys, Bradley and Noah Bordeaux, ages 2 1/2 years old, passed away as the result of a driver operating a vehicle under the influence. Bradley died at the scene on Friday, July 11, 2025, and Noah, just a few days later on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at a Portland hospital. Bradley and Noah were born on November 14, 2022, in Bangor, to mother, Mollie Egold…
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Doctors Pulsifer (new)
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — While wondering what new subject might keep readers – and writer — interested, your writer glanced at random pages in randomly-chosen history books. A warning: what she found does not remain in the central Kennebec Valley. Her eyes fell on Dr. Nathan Goldsmith Howard Pulsifer… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Early surveyors – John Jones
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Yet one more important early surveyor in the central Kennebec Valley was John Jones (c. 1743 – Aug. 16, 1823), known as “Black” Jones because of his dark complexion, and later because of his unpopular politics… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Early surveyors – John McKechnie
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Another Kennebec Valley surveyor who worked for the Kennebec/Plymouth Proprietors/Company was Dr. John McKechnie (1730 or 1732 – April 14, 1782). Ernest Marriner, in his Kennebec Yesterdays, called McKechnie “one of those men of varied talents who meant so much to many pioneer communities” – “an educated physician, a civil engineer, a land surveyor, and a shrewd business entrepreneur”… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Early surveyors
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — As promised, the next articles in this series will introduce some of the important surveyors in the central Kennebec Valley as Massachusetts proprietors sold lots – mostly pieces of land they had never seen – to settlers, and other people began lumbering, trapping and farming without the formality of buying a lot… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, August 14, 2025
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: Ted Helberg, Fairfield
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Because I spend my summers at Webber Pond, in Vassalboro, I have the chance to fish that lake extensively. In the 38 years my wife and I have summered there, we have caught plenty of fish of many various species: small and largemouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel, eels, to name a few…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | My first exposure to the music of the early 20th century Polish composer Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925) came via a WQXR radio broadcast of an out of print recording on the Concert Hall label from the early ‘50s of his Piano Concerto from pianist Hans Kahn with the very underrated Walter Goehr conducting the Netherlands Philharmonic…
QUINN MINUTE
by Rix Quinn | One of life’s great questions is, “What makes people fall in love?” Almost nobody knows how to answer this. All we know is that suddenly a young man willingly trades a heart full of love and a wallet full of money for a wedding full of guests who sit on the bride’s side…
VETERANS CORNER
by Gary Kennedy | I keep trying to retire but someone always calls me and says, “Gary this is your friend Joe. I know you are retiring but could you do me a favor?” Of course, it’s another veteran with a problem being referred. How do you say “NO”, to a friend? After my family, I love veterans next. When a job is well done for them most are grateful. Their gratitude is worth all that goes into it…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
HEALTH | As the weather warms, many homes begin to shift into cooling mode. Air conditioners are turned on, windows are closed to keep the heat out, and people start spending more time indoors to escape rising temperatures. So this can be an excellent time to think about not only comfort, but air quality inside your home. One of the most important, yet often overlooked, ways to prepare for the warmer months is by cleaning your HVAC system’s air ducts…