SOLON & BEYOND: Slow news week; let’s catch up on old news

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

Good Morning, my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

This morning as I sit here, the only little bit of recent news I have for you this week is the following: Please note that the “Off the Hill” Band (Donna Whittemore) will not be taking place on Saturday, June 15, due to illness.

Would also like to apologize to Alice Heald for not including a picture with the write-up about her being awarded the Boston Post Cane, will try and get that corrected soon.

And now since I don’t have any more interesting events going on in Solon to tell you about; I will tell you of the mystery that Lief and I have been trying to solve! One morning last week when he went out to get our daily paper, there along with the paper was a large package of fresh fiddle heads. We both love them, and since they were in the paper tube we assumed they were from our faithful paper lady. I wrote a thank you note to her from Lief and me and he put it in the tube for her the next day. The next day she had written at the top of that days paper that she did not give us the fiddle heads. We have asked several friends and relatives if they gave us that wonderful gift, and they all deny it! And so I beg whoever you are if you read this, to tell us who you are so we can thank you for your kind deed! They were absolutely delicious!

And so as long as I didn’t have any recent news, I went looking through my stash of old papers and came up with two Skowhegan Reports from back in the 1990s! They were much bigger ( 23″ by 28″) than the ones in our modern world. With many different writers from around Somerset County. I was one of the writers, but back then there wasn’t any Beyond, there was plenty to write about in Solon, at that time my by line was, “The friendliest town in the state.”

One of the 1990 papers that I found started with these words,”This is going to sound like I’m blowing my own horn, but please bear with me, I’m trying to get a fact across to you who might not have taken advantage of this Blood Pressure Clinic that is held at the Pleasant Street Church the first Friday of every month from 9 to 11 a.m. This is the 14th year we have been doing this and we welcome you to come each month and have your blood pressure checked for FREE! Every three months, someone from the North Kennebec Regional Health Agency, in Waterville, comes up and does a cholesterol test and you find out the number of your’s right there for a fee of $6. Low blood pressure and cholesterol are very important for our well being, so come and have your’s tested.

“Those volunteers, (and we are just that – volunteers, though some people like to tease us about how much we make on this job!), who have been faithful to this cause are Lois Holzworth, who takes the blood pressures, (and we couldn’t do it without her, everyone knows I don’t want that job!); Amy Robinson, Mary Hall, and Heloise Ward. Others whom I have depended upon when they needed, are Ellen Hills, Linda French and Ruby Gates. Of course, I’ve been there rooting for a good cause, Do come and see us!”

Near where the above was printed, there was a great picture of Lois Holzworth taking Amy Robinson’s blood pressure.

When I read the story I couldn’t help thinking how the Solon Methodist Church building in Solon has housed at least two worthy causes over the years; the Blood Pressure Clinic and the Solon Thrift Shop and Food Cupboard.

Years ago when the Methodist and Congregational churches were federated in Solon, Sunday services were held at the Congregational Church in the summer time and the Methodist church in the winter time. I can remember some very inspiring sermons being preached at both churches.

And so for Percy’s memoir: It is called, An Old Limerick: There was a young lady named Hannah Who slipped on a peel of banana. As she lay on her side, More stars she espied, Than there are in the Star Spangled Banner.