SOLON & BEYOND: Quite a bit to tell you about this week

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

This week I will start out with these few small words of cheer! Cheerfulness is contagious, but don’t wait to catch it from someone else. Be a carrier! Author Unknown.

It is taken from a December 5, 1997, Carney Brook Chronicle: It’s nice to share with you again.

Since I have quite a bit to tell you about , I’ll get right to it … Benjamin Safford was recently presented with the Boston Post Gold Cane by Solon Selectmen, as Solon’s oldest resident. The cane was presented to him at his home on York Street where he has lived for the last 25 years. Two of his daughters, Glennis Rogers and Gladys Rogers and his granddaughter , Linda French were present.

Ben was born in North New Portland on April 29, 1904 , the son of Russell and Emma Jackson Safford. He went to school in Dead River , then to Anson Academy for one and a half years, and Kingfield High School for one and a half years, He married Methyl Morris on September 30, 1922, and they had four daughters: Glennis Rogers and Gladys Rogers of Solon, Betty Wyman of Stratton, and Elsie Laughin of Raymond.

Ben worked as a watch on Mt. Bigelow from 1922 until 1930 and brought a truck and worked on the roads in Dead River. While working the roads in dead River. While as a watchman he took courses in drafting . blue print reading , and surveying from the international Correspondence School. He worked for Glen Viles building a cookroom, dining camp, and guide camp at West Carry Pond.. Ben also trapped and had a Maine Guide license. During World War 2 Ben and Methy moved to Scarborough where he worked at the South Portland Shipyard, on Portland Harbor defense, and a large seaplane hangar on Long Island .He worked for W,H. Hinman as a boss carpenter for over 26 years , worked on the Dead River Hatchery several bridges in Bath and Augusta , the Veterans Bridge in Portland and the Old OrchardSewage Treatment Plant , as well as working at both Brunswick Naval Air Station and Limestone Air Force Base. After he retired Ben wrote a book Some History of the Dead River Valley, which sold over 290 copies. He joined the Masons and OES at the age of 21 and has ben an active member ever since. My love and best wishes go out to Ben.

And now to end this weeks story with another one I had written about something totally different. (also in that same paper.) And so now I’m going to end this column with a wild story and possibly you skeptics won’t believe it! I have always heard the phrase, “gnashing “of teeth, “but had never actually heard the sound until last evening out under my clothes line. I was starting to take my clothes off the line when I heard the sound behind me. Turning , I looked eye ball to eye ball with one of my backyard wood chucks. It looked like rain and I wanted to get the clothes in so I threw a large object at it and hit creature but instead of running away like he was supposed to do he charged me. I took off running for the house as fast or faster than I did the time I tried to catch Clarence’s run away truck! I caught two of these critters last year in a Have- A- Heart trap but I,m not sure that I have that much heart where these pests are concerned this year.

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I would like to get the recent results of the voting at the polls on November 2 out to the people in Solon. The results were sent to me by Leslie A. Giroux, town clerk and tax collector, register of voters and deputy treasurer, townofsolon.clerk@yahoo.com, on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at 8:33 p.m.

Question # 1 – Citizens – Initiative: Yes – 275, No – 95. Question # 2 – Bond – Issue: Yes – 221, No 144.

Question # 3 – Maine Constitutional Amendment: Yes – 246, No – 121.

Another piece of recent news was very much appreciated was about a Holiday Craft Fair at the New Portland Community Library, to be held on Saturday, December 4 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. They will also be hosting a bake sale at this time in the library. Tables still available for $10. Contact the library for more information or reservation! Please note – they currently have lots of National Geographics for the taking. They are located in the entryway.

Contact information: Sheila Atwood, Librarian, New Portland Community Library, 899 River Road, New Portland, Maine 04961. 628-6561.

Many thanks go out to Carol Dolan, also, who sends me news quite often.

Now for something different, and I hope if you need some cheering up, that what I am going to write is from one of my favorite books, called Sunny Thoughts: Words to Keep You Smiling, Shining, and Looking on the Bright Side. It is written and edited by Suzanne Moore.

The following is called An Introduction: I hope it helps any of you who may be having a bad day. Everyone has those days when it feels the sun has forgotten to shine – days when nothing feels right. And so I’ll send these words out to those of you who may be feeling down. (I used it in an attempt to cheer someone up in an article I wrote back in October 14, 2010: “Real optimism is being aware of problems but recognizes the solutions, knows about difficulties but believe they can be overcome, sees the negative but accentuates the positive, is exposed to the worst but expects the best, has reason to complain but chooses to smile.” The above words were by William Arthur Ward.

Hope you are out enjoying the beautiful colors of Fall.