SOLON & BEYOND, Week of February 23, 2017

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

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

Another week has gone by since I sat writing this column, and what a week it was! With the many snowstorms, blizzard conditions and trials and tribulations!

And…now it’s one of those weeks when I sit here wondering what I can write about for recent news, wracking my brain, and can’t think of anything new to share.

However, in going through some old papers I found what I thought was very interesting. It is an old letter from Bill and Mary Rowe dated 1988 and was sent out to local residents with a business in Solon. It states, “Dear Businessperson, If you have looked around Town lately, you will have noticed the increase in the number of businesses now operating. As a matter of fact, we are sending out 30 of these letters and I’m sure we have missed someone.

“The purpose of this letter is to explore the possibility of forming a Solon Business Association. There are many benefits to organizing and the main one is to concentrate our efforts and use our combined group to attract people into Solon and into our respective business. If we act as a Town and a group, we have all kinds of State support available plus we can do things such as signs that we are unable to do individually.

We would like to invite you to an exploratory meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 1988, at 8:00 a.m. to be held on the second floor of the fire hall.

“If you are unable to come, but would like to give your input, please telephone one of us and we will let you know how this meeting turned out. Sincerely, Bill and Mary Rowe.”

I received one of these letters because at that time I had my GRAMS Shop on North Main Street. And yes, the Solon Business Association was formed.

We mustn’t forget Percy’s memoir for this week entitled Press Onward: Keep a brave spirit, and never despair; Hope brings you messages through the keen air – Good is victorious – God everywhere. Grand are the battles which you have to fight, Be not downhearted, but valiant for right; Hope, and press forward, your face to the light.