Issue for September 8, 2022

Celebrating 34 years of local news

Webber Pond one of six Maine lakes at high risk for toxic algae bloom

No lakes or ponds have been put on advisory just yet

Following the news that a couple of dogs in southern Maine had to be euthanized following their exposure to a blue-green toxic algae bloom, this news was released by Lakes in Maine. According to them, six lakes in Maine are at high risk for a blue-green toxic algae bloom… by Roland D. Hallee

Reviving the China Historical Society

As we all know, it is inevitable that things change over time. Those of us who recall and cherish the past are the ones who can help restore and keep those memories alive. It is with that purpose that I have composed this short article… by Bob Bennett

Your Local News

Select board approves assessor’s municipal tax assessment warrant

WINDSOR – At their August 16 meeting, at the suggestion of Windsor’s Assessor’s Agent, Vern Ziegler, the select board unanimously voted on the Assessor’s Certification of Assessment, 2022-2023 Municipal Tax Assessment Warrant, certificate of commitment and certificate of assessment to be returned to the municipal treasurer of the state of Maine…

An open letter to our readers

BECOME A MEMBER: With the advent of the internet in the 1990s, advertising is no longer controlled by publications, but by social networking websites and search engines. As the internet has grown and gained more influence in our daily lives, the advertising power of the internet has grown as well. Over the years, the revenue from advertising that used to support local newspapers has shifted to global search engines and huge social networking websites instead. This change in who benefits from advertising has been a death blow to many local papers…

OPINION: A few suggestions about being litter free

CHINA – Hello…let me share an update on efforts to create a Litter-Free China! Twenty years ago, I started picking up roadside litter on Lakeview Drive. The satisfying undertaking was combined with my habit of long-distance walking. Today I remain puzzled why so many drivers feel the best way to get rid of trash is to throw it out car windows… by Richard Dillenbeck (China resident)

LETTERS: Family support Hemenway

from Eric & Linda Leppanen (Belfast) Our family would like to express our full support for Stephen J. Hemenway for State Representative House District #39. We have known Stephen for over 10 years and align with his conservative values and want him to support our district and protect Parental Rights and Educational Freedom…

LETTERS: Stand with Sam

from Leland Hanchett (Falmouth) After Covid, we need good news. Fortunately, in this mid-term election, there is a new face and philosophy on the political scene. Sam Hunkler, a true Independent, is on the ballot for Governor of Maine. Sam is no puppet manipulated by party strings but rather a man who thinks for himself while caring deeply about others…

LETTERS: Don’t cut grass, save our environment

from Brent Elisens (China) There are 142,153,010 residential properties in the United States. Let’s say just 42,000,000 of those properties get the grass cut. [It takes approximately] 1.4 gallons of gas used on average per lawn, per week; 25 weeks of grass cutting. [That comes to] 1.06 billion gallons saved if you stop that ridiculous activity. Then there is the life killed and oxygen-producing leaves being cut. All for image and appearance. Humans are absurd…

LETTERS: Boisvert for sheriff

from JoAn Petersen (Swanville) Dear Voters of Waldo County, It may come as a surprise to some of you to learn that the Republican candidate for Waldo County Sheriff is Todd Boisvert…

EVENTS: 2022 Vassalboro Days schedule of events – Friday, September 9 & Saturday, September 10

VASSALBORO – A full schedule events for the Vassalboro Days festivities…

EVENTS: KVCOG to hold hazardous waste collection day

CENTRAL ME – The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) will be offering Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days for the following locations…

EVENTS: Lincoln County Democrats announce return of harvest dinner

JEFFERSON – The Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) is pleased to announce the return of the Harvest Dinner to its annual calendar. The popular event will be hosted Sunday, October 2 from 4 – 6 p.m., at Le Barn, a huge, restored, gambrel-roofed event facility located in the rolling farmland of Jefferson…

EVENTS: Share the Road with Carol

WINDSOR – The sixth annual Share the Road with Carol memorial bike ride will take place on Sunday, September 18. Share the Road with Carol is an all ages commemorative bike ride in Windsor and Whitefield. The ride, which has 12-mile and 27-mile options, starts and ends at the Windsor Town Office…

EVENTS: Work Health – Waterville to hold open house Sept. 15

WATERVILLE – Work Health-Waterville, occupational health, will hold an open house on Thursday, September 15, 2022, from 3 – 5 p.m. at their location at 246 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Suite 202, in Waterville…

EVENTS: Spectrum Generations to hold chef’s challenge

AUGUSTA – Spectrum Generations will host the 10th annual Celebrity Chef Challenge fundraiser on Monday, September 19, at the Augusta Elks, 397 Civic Center Dr., in Augusta, at 5 p.m….

Stories from Fort Hill Cemetery: Volunteers sought

WINSLOW – Over the years, the Fort Hill Cemetery, on Halifax St., in Winslow, has lost its luster. Air pollution and the exhaust from cars and trucks climbing the hill beside it have left their mark on the gravestones, turning them black in some places and shades of gray in others… Submitted by Kit Alexander

Fall weather preview

CENTRAL ME – It has been a hot summer across the United States with the mercury frequently flirting with the 100-degree mark in countless cities and towns across the country and even some of the longest-duration heat waves in a decade. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those awaiting the return of hoodie weather, pumpkin-flavored beverages and even snow…

Urgent funding needed by Winslow Community Cupboard Food Pantry to meet surging demand

WINSLOW – The Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry – which now serves more than 220 food-insecure families with an additional 18-20 being added each month – is urgently seeking new one-time and recurring monetary donations to meet surging demand…

Flag waving on September 11

CENTRAL ME – On Sunday, September 11, 2022, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is calling on all Americans to join them in waving the American flag in their own communities to commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11…

PHOTO: Fall sunset

PALERMO – Gary Mazoki, of Palermo, captured this fall sunset recently….

Volunteers needed for Window Dressers workshop

CHINA – There is a great need for local community volunteers to make this a successful Window Dressers workshop. It is requested (but not required) that anyone ordering frames also commit to a four-hour shift on one of the workshop days. The committee is also looking for anyone who can supply food to the teams participating in the workshop…

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Trotting parks (new)

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Your writer intended to deliver the promised article on Charles Hathaway and his shirt company, and more information on Waterville’s historic Main Street buildings, this week. But a reader reacted to last week’s digression on agricultural fairs with a question: what is a trotting park? by Mary Grow [1918 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Agricultural Fairs

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Your writer is pleased that she didn’t promise a story about Hathaway shirts this week, because, considering the season, she decided to detour to write about the country fairs our ancestors enjoyed. Some of the historians cited previously in this series mentioned them; your writer will share bits of their information… by Mary Grow [1865 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville historic district – Part 2

WATERVILLE HISTORY — This week’s description of Waterville’s Main Street Historic District begins where last week’s left off, with the Common Street buildings on the south side of Castonguay Square, and continues down the east side of Main Street. It adds a summary of the separate Lockwood Mill Historic District, across the intersection of Spring and Bridge streets at the north end of Water Street… by Mary Grow [1780 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville historic district – Part 1

WATERVILLE HISTORY — As sources cited in this and the following articles say, Waterville’s downtown business district was in the 19th and 20th centuries (and still is in the 21st century) an important regional commercial center. Buildings from the 1830s still stand; the majority of the commercial buildings lining Main Street date from the last quarter of the 19th century. Hence the interest in recognizing and protecting the area’s historic value by listing it on the National Register of Historic Places… by Mary Grow [1581 words]

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Vassalboro Days events at UMC

VASSALBORO — As part of Vassalboro Days, the Vassalboro United Methodist Church, located at 614 Main Street, will be holding a pancake breakfast and silent auction on Saturday, September 10, from 8 – 10 a.m., and a remote-control car event with obstacle and racetrack courses… and many other local events!

Obituaries

AUGUSTA – Rev. John R. Skehan, 66, Pastor of St. Michael Parish, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at the home of friends in Gray. Born in Bangor on February 15, 1956, the son of the late John and Patricia (Theriault) Skehan… and remembering 4 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Wednesday, September 14, 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: John Stevens, Whitefield

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | Last week I received an email from a reader who sent along a photo of a large yellow spider she found on her screen door. It was a menacing-looking thing. It actually is a yellow garden spider, commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, zipper spider, black and yellow argiope, corn spider, Steeler spider, or McKinley spider…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Ukrainian-born pianist Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) was largely self-taught until, at the age of 23, he began studying with German-born pianist Heinrich Neuhaus at the Moscow Conservatory. Neuhaus saw Richter as the genius he had been waiting his entire life for and later claimed that he basically had nothing to teach him…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | Hello again. Last week’s column asked you to keep it or maybe your “rememberer” work’s better than mine and you didn’t forget what I wrote. So we are going to add a bit more to last week’s words…

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

by Dan Beaulieu | To be successful in business you have to find ways to be better. You have to get creative and find ways for your customers to prefer working with you rather than with your competition. Finding new ways to delight your customers can be fun. Actually, being better than your competition is fun, not to mention profitable…

FINANCIAL FOCUS

by Sasha Fitzpatrick | There are no shortcuts to investment success — you need to establish a long-term strategy and stick with it. This means you’ll want to create an investment mix based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon — and then regularly review it to ensure it’s still meeting your needs…

SMALL SPACE GARDENING

by Melinda Myers | Pansies have long been a fall and winter garden favorite. These cheery flowers are sure to brighten landscapes and containers and add a smile to any occasion. Look for fun and new ways to add them to your garden and fall celebrations…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) | Taking care of your smile with a daily brushing and flossing routine is the best way to keep teeth clean and healthy. But more and more people in search of an ultra-bright smile are turning to the growing number of over-the-counter teeth whitening products—leaving many confused about the most effective methods and if ongoing use can damage teeth