Issue for September 30, 2021

Celebrating 33 years of local news

Local scouting leaders receive prestigious district awards

Russell Cahn, of Augusta, received the highest award a local Scouting District can bestow upon a volunteer on Saturday, September 25, when he was presented the District Award of Merit during the annual District Scouters’ Recognition Dinner held at Camp Bomazeen… by Chuck Mahaleris

Your Local News

Land parcel sale back to square one

CHINA — As of Sept. 27, China selectmen’s effort to sell a 39-acre piece of land on Lakeview Drive is back where it was before they agreed on a buyer at their Aug. 30 meeting…

Follow-up on land sale story from last week

CHINA — Lucas Adams, head of Adams Realty in China, has provided additional information to supplement the story on the People’s Park group in the Sept. 23 issue of The Town Line

Broadband committee had a busy September

CHINA — China Broadband Committee (CBC) members had a busy late September schedule, holding a committee meeting Sept. 23; participating in a public informational session by zoom Sept. 26; attending the selectmen’s Sept. 27 public hearing on the Nov. 2 warrant article asking for funding for expanded broadband in China; and later discussing their proposed informational flyer with selectmen…

New committee looks at additional space for town office

CHINA — At their Sept 23 meeting, members of the China Building Committee officially named themselves the Municipal Building Committee (MBC) and proceeded with preliminary plans for recommending additional space at the town office…

Committee discusses raising transfer station fees for Palermo residents

CHINA/PALERMO — China Transfer Station Committee members held a special Sept. 21 meeting to talk about increasing fees charged to Palermo residents. The meeting was consistently cooperative and courteous, with each town’s representatives expressing appreciation to the other’s…

Bullying problems addressed by school board

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro School Board members heard a parent’s complaint about bullying at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) at the beginning of their Sept. 21 meeting. They reacted with sympathy and concern and said they, administrators and their policy committee will continue to address the problem…

Mass gathering ordinance, junkyard permits on selectmen’s agenda

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro selectmen will start their Thursday, Sept. 30, meeting in the town office meeting room at the usual 6:30 p.m., with two public hearings as the first agenda items…

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Cross Country Journey – Part 1 Stage One: From Belfast to Ohio

by Steve Ball — This is a story of a trip across the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The idea of making the trip was crazy. Ride across the country on a bicycle. Are you nuts? I am one of those riders who peddles along our local roads, streets, and byways: Lake View Drive, Rte. 3, Rte. 32, Rte. 17… and the list goes on. It’s how I find my inner peace…

Transformation Project

PALERMO — The Palermo Christian Church believes in lives being transformed and thought it would be great to apply that to a transformation of the bulletin board at Palermo Post Office…

PHOTOS: Young gridiron warriors

WATERVILLE — 2021 Waterville Youth Football team pictures from Central Maine Photography…

PHOTO: Raingutter Regatta

CENTRAL ME — The American Legion Post #205 hosted a Raingutter Regatta for Pack #603 as they opened their doors for a new school year. Over 30 families participated…

LOCAL EVENTS

Fall events hosted by the China Village Library

CHINA — Stories and Scarecrows at the China School’s Forest. This family and children’s event will be held on Saturday, October 2, at 1 p.m. Join the story walk and meet up at the reading tree with our librarians for more stories and a fall craft. The self-guided story walk will be available through the end of October…

Blessing of the Animals set for October 2-4

WINSLOW — Animal lovers from around Maine are invited to flock to have their animal companions blessed outdoors in celebration of Saint Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day (October 4). Monday, October 4, Grotto of St. John the Baptist Church, 26 Monument Street, Winslow, at 6 p.m…

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Even more high schools (new)

ALBION, BENTON & CLINTON HISTORY — Continuing the discussion of (mostly) 19th-century high school education, this article will talk about Albion, Benton, and Clinton. In following weeks, continuing alphabetically, readers will find information on Fairfield, Palermo, Sidney (don’t expect much), Vassalboro, Windsor and Winslow… by Mary Grow [2215 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: More high schools

CHINA HISTORY — The Massachusetts legislature chartered China Academy in June 1818. Charter language quoted in the China bicentennial history is almost identical to the language used 50 or so years later for Hallowell Classical and Scientific Academy: purposes are to promote “piety, and virtue,” and to provide instruction “in such languages and in such of the liberal arts and sciences” as the trustees prescribe… by Mary Grow [1976 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Hallowell academies

HALLOWELL HISTORY — Remaining to be described are numerous other 19th-century public and private schools in central Kennebec Valley towns. A few are well documented; for most, local histories offer only tantalizing glimpses… by Mary Grow [1608 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Central Maine high schools

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — According to Millard Howard’s history of Palermo, an 1817 Massachusetts law that apparently carried over into Maine in 1820 required each town with 50 families to provide a primary school and each town with 200 families to have a grammar school whose teacher was able to teach Latin and Greek… by Mary Grow [1796 words]

Webber’s Pond

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

Give Us Your Best Shot!

The best recent photos from our readers!…

2021-’22 Real Estate Tax Due Dates

2021-2022 Real Estate tax due dates for the following towns: CHINA, FAIRFIELD, PALERMO, SIDNEY, VASSALBORO, WATERVILLE, WINDSOR and WINSLOW…

Obituaries

WINSLOW – Paul C. Bowen, 73, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 17, 2021. He was born in Waterville, to Asher and Claudia (Perry) Bowen… and remembering 12 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Friday, October 8, 2021

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: Dave Carew, Waterville.

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | This week, I’m going to give up my space to a China resident. In the past we have done articles on wolves in Maine with mixed reactions. Some people believing there are wolves in Maine, and some others saying no. John Glowa, of China, is a member of the Maine Wolf Coalition, Inc., and has advocated for wolves in the past. The following is a press release from Glowa…

CRITTER CHATTER

by Jayne Winters | This is the time of year many critters are released from the Duck Pond Wildlife Center, although if animals are old enough and sufficiently rehabbed, releases also take place throughout the summer. Chipmunks and squirrels are usually not turned out after mid-October, as their primary natural food sources have dwindled…

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

by Dan Beaulieu | There are a series of books out about what is called Blue Ocean Strategies. The premise is that most businesses operate in the same ocean, “the Red Ocean”, but to truly succeed a company has to swim in their own ocean, the Blue Ocean. This is all fancy metaphor talk for being different, being better, finding a way to do things differently…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | Apple Tree Notch is the home of the Bailey fairy family and many of their friends. Mom and Papa Bailey had noticed that as their fairy children grew older their home became busier. Their children could in a matter of seconds turn their quiet little home under the apple tree into a very busy, crazy home…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | The Protestant church steeples still seen in The Town Line’s surrounding communities include the towering beauty at the China Village Baptist Church. Back during the decades of 80 or more years ago, some of these steeples summoned the citizens of the surrounding communities to Sunday morning assemblies to an extent not seen as often today, no matter what the weather was…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) | There’s good news, bad news and better news about combating cancer in America these days. The good news is there’s been an overall decline in U.S. cancer deaths since 1991. The bad news is not all patients have benefited equally from advances in prevention…