SOLON & BEYOND: Yore Upscale Resale Shop is unique

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

How time flies! Here it is already February 15, as I sit here to write this column. I do have one wonderful item to tell you about: One day last week, Lief and I went to North Anson to the Yore Upscale Resale Shop which had opened last year on October 3, 2020. Hadn’t heard a thing about this wonderful place and would like to thank the person who shared this information (actually, I overheard someone talking about it, and my always big ears were open wide). It was on a COLD blustery day so I didn’t get too much information, but I intend to go back, the love and atmosphere in the building spoke wonders to this nosy long time writer. Anyway, this wonderful shop is in the building in North Anson that used to be used as a medical office as you go into North Anson from Solon. It is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and is run on donations and good hearts. They put things out daily, and every room was full of very nice things; many of them free. There were only two women working and they said that so far they have been doing well.

As we were leaving a young couple came in with a small boy with a grin from ear to ear, and one of the women said, “He comes in every week.”

I would say that much more is being accomplished by the love shared. I was told that four domestic violence families have been relocated with clothing, furniture, dishes and décor, etc. They have helped a few cancer victims with gas to get to places they needed to go. Bought food, donated variety of things to school, etc. Not sure of the name of the woman who is in charge of this wonderful place, but I will return and find our more.

That is all I have for recent news, and so I will continue to fill you in on old news, and it is more about Flagstaff and the ones who once lived there, and how they felt about being driven from their homes by the flooding of Flagstaff by Central Maine Power Company. I can’t think of very many of my friends and family that are still living to remember the fires and destruction that took place back in the building of the dam in the 1940s . This is one of many clippings I have of all that took place back during the days when the fires threatened their houses. This is one of them, “Flagstaff People Prepare To Leave Town Due To Fire.” It was written by Olena V. Taylor. She tells about the Old Home celebration and then goes on to tell about cleaning up after the celebration with these words, ” But we certainly couldn’t go back to normal, On Thursday afternoon, fires began to get out of hand and by 5 p. m. the fire above the village had advanced to the Walter Hinds farm, a distance of a mile, with a strong wind blowing the flames and smoke swiftly toward our town. It looked very serious for about an hour and many were the boxes and suitcases packed with valuables to be ready for instant evacuation of our homes. But a slight shift in the wind and a quick action of the firefighters changed our fears to just concern. On Thursday and Friday the same thing happened – the morning would find us hopeful that at last the fires were under control. By noon the smoke would be back and rolling in billows. Out of town firefighters would begin rushing about in their efforts to control the fires which threatened the town. Late Saturday afternoon a new fire on the Plains in an old lumbering area began to grow and advance swiftly in spite of all the efforts of the firefighters. Again the road was closed and people began gathering their valuable papers and precious belongings into bags for a quick get away if necessary. A fire at the foot of Flagstaff Pond had advanced to the foot of Jim Eaton Hill and in the old cutting of years ago, going to the top of the hill and down the east side. It was gaining in seriousness and the guests at Camp Adeawanda at Spring Lake were evacuated to the Green Farm, in Coplin, upon the advice of the fire wardens. But fortune smiled again. Sunday morning we awoke to the most welcome sound of all – the patter of rain. A steady downpour all day put out the smaller fires and diminished the ferocity of the larger ones. Now we are looking ahead to a more normal living and to the enjoyment of our last summer as residents of Flagstaff.

That is just one of the many heart hurting stories of the sad days leading up to when we would have to leave our cherished home town of Flagstaff.

There are many more! …. That is probably why I dislike the proposed Central Maine Power Co. Corridor through Maine. It will take away much of Maine’s beauty by cutting so many of our beautiful trees and the fires it may start in our most beautiful state.

I have many more stories that I could tell about the sadness of being driven from our homes in Flagstaff, and one of the things that makes me sad is that I am just about the last one left to remember all of what it was like when the above happened.

Now for Percy’s memoir entitled Risks: To Laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To Weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To Reach Out for another is to risk involvement. To expose Feelings is to risk exposing your true self. To place Dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss. To Love is to risk not being loved in return. To Hope is to risk despair. To Try is to risk failure. But the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live…. Only a person who risks is free. (I’m not sure who wrote the above: I had copied it by hand and the name written was Janet Rand; If by chance, Janet should read this column, I think it says so much and I thank you.)