Issue for March 24, 2022

Celebrating 34 years of local news

China Village Volunteer Fire Department appoints new chief

Let me introduce you to Joel Nelson, China resident and the new fire chief for China Village Fire Department. He strikes an imposing presence on first acquaintance, standing over six-feet tall and broad-shouldered. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, Nelson told me a bit of his life in China and his plans for the China Village Volunteer Fire Department… by Eric W. Austin

Vietnam Veterans Day – March 29: Remembering the 60th Anniversary of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739

Sixty years ago on March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 (FTLF 739) was on a secret mission sanctioned by President Kennedy, to fly to Vietnam. This secret Vietnam reconnaissance mission went missing and no trace of the plane or its passengers have ever been found. Onboard were 93 United States Army soldiers and 11 civilian crew members…

Your Local News

Meeting held to decide on way forward for Albion school

ALBION — A group of Albion residents have been working to figure out what options are available to town residents in light of the recent decision by the MSAD #49 School Board to consolidate the elementary schools of Clinton, Benton and Albion. Consolidation would result in closing the Albion school… by Steve Ball

Residents approve 33 articles at town meeting

PALERMO — The following is a summary of the Windsor town meeting, which was held last Saturday, March 12. We had a great town meeting on Saturday, thanks to all our residents and guests who attended. Moderator Dick Thompson presided over three hours of respectful questions and insightful dialogue… submitted by Will Armstrong

Select board approves suggested marijuana business ordinance changes

VASSALBORO — At their March 17 meeting, Vassalboro Select Board members recommended ways to spend part of the town’s $231,692.56 in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and discussed amending the town’s Marijuana Business Ordinance, approved by voters in June 2021…

Funds added to budget for church razing

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro Budget Committee members continued their pre-town-meeting work at a March 15 meeting. They reviewed the third draft of the proposed municipal budget, and heard more details about the Vassalboro Public Library trustees’ plans…

Planners finish three ordinance changes

CHINA — China Planning Board members used their March 15 meeting to finish getting three proposed ordinance changes in final form. They hope to ask voters to approve them at the June 14 town business meeting…

Name that film!

Identify the film in which this line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is April 8, 2022…

LETTERS: Tuminaro has capabilities and energy

from Pastor & Donna York (Weeks Mills) – It is a privilege to endorse Jennifer Tuminaro in her run for public office. Whether secular, religious, in school, in church, in business, Jen has given credence to the Biblical passage, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all diligence”…

The tale of the Frozen Appalachian Trail Leprechaun

by Jim Metcalf It was March and the fishing was slow on Chesuncook, so we talked ourselves in to chasing this pot of gold described by the old logger. He and his wife live year-round on Chesuncook, and he certainly knows the country…

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 12 (new)

MAINE HISTORY — The United States Civil War, which began when the Confederates shelled Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861, and ended with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, had the most impact on Maine, including the central Kennebec Valley, of any 17th or 18th century war… by Mary Grow [2191 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 11

MAINE HISTORY — Many historians don’t take the Aroostook War seriously. Several sources call it the Pork and Beans War; Wikipedia says the nickname is based on either the local lumbermen’s or the British soldiers’ staple food. Some of the local histories cited earlier in this series don’t even mention the war… by Mary Grow [1958 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 10

MAINE HISTORY — According to an on-line genealogy, Thaddeus Bailey (Nov. 28, 1759 – March 4, 1849) was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, served in the Revolutionary War from Lincoln County, lived in Palermo for some years and served in the War of 1812 while living in Albion… by Mary Grow [1819 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 9

MAINE HISTORY — In the course of reading about the War of 1812, your writer found information on Maine soldiers of less exalted rank than brigadier general, which she hopes readers, too, will find interesting. Colonel Elnathan Sherwin (born in 1759 from his cemetery record, or 1762 or 1763, from on-line genealogies; died Sept. 10, 1822), from Waterville, has been mentioned more than once… by Mary Grow [1865 words]

Town Meetings Schedule for 2022

A list of local town meetings for Albion, China, Fairfield, Palermo, Sidney, Solon, Vassalboro and Windsor…

Webber’s Pond

Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Drive-up chili fundraiser in Palermo

PALERMO — The Palermo Community Library is sponsoring a Drive-up Chili Fundraiser on Saturday, April 9, 2022, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for a 12 oz. container of delicious homemade chili (spicy, mild, or meatless), a cornbread muffin, a 16 oz. bottle of water, and two chocolate chip cookies… and many other local events!

Obituaries

VASSALBORO – Beatrice “Betty” C. Rowe, 96, of Vassalboro, passed away on Friday, March 11, 2022, at the Alfond Center for Health, in Augusta. She was born on January 17, 1926, in Boothbay, the daughter of Clarence L. and Irene (Abbott) Campbell… and remembering 9 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Friday, April 12, 2022

Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Retail Therapy Boutique in Waterville! 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: Diane Gardner, Windsor

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | OK, ladies and gentlemen, get ready for this. The ticks are out early, the brown tail moth caterpillar is ready to wreak havoc on us for another year, and, of course, there is the black fly season. And now… A creepy, large yellow and black spider with a bulbous, bright yellow body is crawling along a tree branch, and, are you ready for this?, will be literally falling from the sky…

SMALL SPACE GARDENING

by Melinda Myers | As you plan this year’s garden, be sure to include some strawberries. They are low in calories, high in vitamin C and antioxidants, and provide seasonal interest in gardens and containers. Best of all, you don’t need much space to grow this delicious fruit. There are three types of strawberries: June or spring bearing, everbearing, and day neutral…

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

by Dan Beaulieu | Leaders create culture and culture; the right culture, is what makes great companies and organizations. Leaders lead by example. Leaders allow the key word there being allow their teams to be great…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Conductor/violinist Lorin Maazel (1930-2015) was a child prodigy and at 9 years of age guest-conducted the New York Philharmonic at the 1939 World’s Fair at the invitation of Leopold Stokowski…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | This week I want to thank Tom for sending me another remedy for getting rid of warts. It went something like this: “Take two pennies (one for each hand) and go to a place out of doors such as a field. Take a penny and rub it on the warts of the opposite hand and then throw it over that shoulder (left hand rubbed, throw over that shoulder”…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI)—They say old habits die hard, but for a lot of people the last two years have proven otherwise. The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a seismic shift in the way people view physical and mental health—and lately, many have had a chance to reflect on old habits and routines…