Issue for October 3, 2024
Shoreline buffer workshop offers property owners ways to protect China Lake
More than 30 area residents gathered at China Baptist Church Park* for a Shoreline Buffer Workshop on August 21, as part of ongoing efforts to reduce phosphorus runoff into China Lake. The hands-on workshop was hosted by the China Lake Association (CLA) and reminded the community of the importance of vegetated shoreline buffers, demonstrated planting methods, and offered free, native plants for local owners to take home to plant on their shorefronts… by Gerry Boyle, CLA Director
Town News
China Village library launches renovation to improve accessibility of historical building
CHINA – The Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village will soon be more accessible to the community thanks to an upcoming renovation…
PHOTO: Moose on the loose
CHINA – A Killdeer Point resident provided The Town Line with this photo of a moose that wandered down the road after a swim in China Lake…
CHINA: William Lankist turns 90
CHINA – William Lankist, of China, was honored on the occasion of his 90th birthday, at his home, recently…
Vassalboro scouts community service for local church
VASSALBORO – A community service by Viking Axolotl Patrol of Scout Troop #410, and the Arrow of Light Cub Scouts #410, culminated on Sunday, September 22, when they gathered at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC) and presented $300 to the VUMC finance secretary, Nancy Adams, and treasurer, Hellen Paulette… by Dale Potter-Clark
PHOTOS: Central Maine high schools’ homecoming
CENTRAL ME – Photos area school homecoming festivities by Casey Dugas of Central Maine Photography…
Scouts drive provides scouting uniforms for 23 scouts; also helps food bank
WINSLOW – Kennebec Valley District Scouting volunteers, under the leadership of Christopher Bernier, of Winslow, held two uniform drives this month providing Scout uniforms to 23 children. The first uniform drive took place at the Waterville Goodwill of Northern New England location, on Wednesday afternoon, on September 8…
Spectrum Generations’ Celebrity Chef Challenge raises over $50K
AUGUSTA – Three Maine chefs went head-to-head September 16, at the Augusta Civic Center, competing in Spectrum Generations’ 12th annual Celebrity Chef Challenge fundraiser and serving over 200 guests…
Northern Light Health goes pink
WATERVILLE – Breast Cancer Awareness Month has long been associated with the color pink. To show their support for breast cancer patients, Northern Light Health is encouraging team members at every location to wear a pop – or even an entire outfit – of pink on Friday, October 4…
SNHU announces summer 2024 President’s List
CENTRAL ME – Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), in Manchester, New Hampshire, congratulates the following students on being named to the Summer 2024 President’s List. The summer terms run from May to August…
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: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is October 10, 2024.
Webber’s Pond comic
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by a local central Maine resident (click on the thumbnail to enlarge)…
Local happenings
EVENTS: Vassalboro library to host theatrical play
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro Public Library will host a theatrical play, to take place at the Vassalboro Grange, 353 Main Street, for two exclusive shows, Saturday, October 19, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, October 20, at 2 p.m…
EVENTS: Erskine Academy Parent/Teacher Conferences scheduled
VASSALBORO — All parents of Erskine Academy students are invited to attend fall Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 9 and 10, 2024, from 3 – 7 p.m. To avoid long waiting lines, Wednesday, October 9, has been designated for students whose last names begin with A – K; and Thursday, October 10, has been designated for students whose last names begin with L – Z…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Weeks Mills VFD fundraiser
WEEKS MILLS – The Weeks Mills Volunteer Fire Department will hold its 3rd annual fundraiser on Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., at the American Legion Post #179, 79 Legion Memorial Dr., in China… and many other local events!
Obituaries
ROME – Richard LaBelle, 96, passed away on Monday evening, September 23, 2024. Richard “Dick” LaBelle, Rome’s oldest resident. Born October 3, 1927, in Pearl River, New York, Richard was the sixth child of Ernest Adelbert and Ruth (Bickford) LaBelle…
Around the Kennebec Valley: Education in 18th & 19th centuries, Part II (new)
MAINE HISTORY — Massachusetts residents who moved to Maine brought with them the Massachusetts enthusiasm for education, as noted last week. Alma Pierce Robbins, in her 1971 Vassalboro history, quoted from a report coming, ironically, from an October 1785 Portland convention called to discuss separating Maine from Massachusetts… by Mary Grow
Around the Kennebec Valley: Education in 18th & 19th centuries, Part I
MAINE HISTORY — One of the many questions your writer has not yet answered – and may never – is why, in the 1700s, people left comparatively comfortable homes in Massachusetts and similar places to come to the Kennebec Valley, on the Massachusetts frontier… by Mary Grow
Around the Kennebec Valley: A history of Ford’s Corner, Part II
PALERMO HISTORY — In Part 1, we explored the lives of three key families at Ford’s Corner around the turn of the 20th century: Frank & Addie Wood, Daniel & Nettie Batchelder, and Leander & Alice Bowler, all active members of the church at the corner of Chisholm Pond Road and Arnold Lane. Part 2 will explore the history of that church building and what Ford’s Corner is today… by Andy Pottle
Around the Kennebec Valley: A history of Ford’s Corner, Part I
PALERMO HISTORY — In North Palermo, where Arnold Lane and Chisholm Pond Road meet, the North Palermo Road just before Wilder Young Hill goes down into Freedom, is a place once known as Ford’s Corner. You wouldn’t know it today, but over a century ago this quiet corner was the center of a bustling community in North Palermo… by Andy Pottle
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 17, 2024
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: Shirley Kinney, Augusta
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about different colored squirrels and what was the cause. That prompted an email from a reader who wrote, “Might you consider writing about their various calls? A week ago Thursday, I heard something making noise in my far tree line”…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | Pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995) had, like Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatoslav Richter, a superhuman lightning speed virtuosity at the keyboard that brought much deserved fame…
VETERANS CORNER
by Gary Kennedy | I always wonder what I will write about each week. Sometimes I even change my mind after writing for hours. It’s not because I’ve made an error but for some reason the article doesn’t seem to be timely or appropriate for that week…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
HEALTH | While there’s no distinct COVID-19 season like there is for the flu, it’s been shown that COVID-19 can peak during the winter months. To help fight respiratory illnesses, it’s recommended you get a flu vaccination, as well as the updated COVID-19 vaccine…