Week of January 28, 2021

Celebrating 32 years of local news

Second annual ice fishing derby set for China Lake on February 14

The China Four Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department will be holding the 2nd annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby on Sunday, February 14. This year’s event will feature catches from China Lake only, a change from last year where it was opened to all state waters… by Sandra Isaac

Your Local News

Selectmen review proposed budget; OK five appointments

CHINA — At their Jan. 19 meeting, China selectmen began review of the proposed 2021-22 town budget and made five committee appointments…

Selectmen hold special meeting

CHINA — Ronald Breton, Chairman of the China Selectboard, led board members through continued review of the draft 2021-22 budget at a special budget workshop Jan. 25…

China, Vassalboro get good news about trash disposal

CHINA/VASSALBORO — China and Vassalboro town managers shared good news with their respective selectboards at Jan. 19 (China) and Jan. 21 (Vassalboro) meetings: the trash recycling facility in Hampden appears ready to reopen this summer…

Selectmen discuss scaled-down marijuana ordinance

VASSALBORO — At their Jan. 21 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen discussed a seriously scaled-down marijuana ordinance that would allow only medical marijuana operations in town…

Vassalboro planners will not meet in February

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro Codes Officer Paul Mitnik has announced that due to a lack of applications, the Vassalboro Planning Board will not meet in February. The next regular Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, March 2…

Selectmen turn down Chelsea offer to purchase solar power

WINDSOR — Town manager Theresa Haskell informed the selectmen she had been contacted by Chelsea Town Manager Scott Tilton, inquiring as to whether Windsor would be interested in purchasing solar power…

VBA ice fishing derby set for Feb. 7

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro Business Association’s annual ice fishing derby and raffle will be held at the Olde Mill, at 934 Main St., on Sunday, February 7, 2021, in all Maine legal waters…

Disc golf fundraising tourney set for Feb. 27

SIDNEY — Get your family and friends involved in some winter fun, that will help raise money for an important cause. A disc golf fundraising tournament will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2021, to benefit Chiari Malformation…

Local youth builds cat houses for area humane society

WATERVILLE– Isaiah Vear, 14, attends the Waterville Alternative School. He recently constructed seven cat houses to help the Humane Society Waterville Area, where they will be placed in areas so cats can go to keep warm during the winter…

Farm to table to wellness; the Fusion of Windsor

WINDSOR — In a building that has seemingly been in search of a purpose there now resides a new restaurant in the town of Windsor. The Fusion of Windsor Restaurant has grown up out of grit, toil, will and a bit of luck… by Steve Ball

Oak Grove School Foundation offers grants

CENTRAL ME — The Oak Grove School Foundation is accepting applications for grants to support the education and cultural needs of students and nonprofit organizations in the greater Central Maine area…

Listing of local town meetings

CENTRAL ME — Listing of local town meetings in central Maine. To have your town listed, please email us at townline@townline.org…

STUDENT WRITERS: Negative Effects of Toxic Masculinity

ERSKINE ACADEMY — The negative effects of various media like television and movies on women and young girls have rightfully been shown time and again. The negative effects on men from these same forms of media is a much lesser known, but no less real, phenomenon… by Adam Oches (Vassalboro)

STUDENT WRITERS: Reaction to Covid-19 outbreak, and school

ERSKINE ACADEMY — What seemed like 10 years ago, March, was the beginning of this crazy, terrifying, isolating adventure that we experienced through a screen. Everything I had been looking forward to this year had suddenly been uprooted and thrown out. I think a lot of people were in shock or denial, or I don’t know what… by Wes McGlew (Junior)

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Historic listings – Winslow (New)

AUGUSTA HISTORY — The final place along the central Kennebec River that is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark is Fort Halifax, in Winslow. It was built in 1754, the same year as Fort Western, in Augusta, and for the same purpose, to protect British interests against Natives and against the French in Canada… by Mary Grow [1811 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Historic listings – Part 3

AUGUSTA HISTORY — The previous articles in this series on historic places talked about some early Augusta sites and buildings. Two more…are on both the National Register of Historic Places and the list of National Historic Landmarks. They are the Kennebec Arsenal on the east bank of the Kennebec and the Blaine House on the west bank, beside the state capitol building… by Mary Grow [1600 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Historic listings – Part 2

AUGUSTA HISTORY — As mentioned in the first article on historic places in Augusta, four are on the National Park Service’s Register of National Historic Landmarks (as is Fort Halifax, in Winslow). The Augusta sites, listed in historical order, are the Cushnoc Archaeological Site, Fort Western, the Kennebec Arsenal and the Blaine House… by Mary Grow [1811 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Historic listings – Part 1

AUGUSTA HISTORY — The City of Augusta has 44 listings on the National Register of Historic Places, but some overlap. Nonetheless, the capital city has a substantial share of the 136 historic places in Kennebec County… by Mary Grow [1355 words]

Webber’s Pond

Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident…

Obituaries

CHINA – Carl John Stenholn, 95, passed away from natural causes at home in China, on Thursday, January 21, 2021. He was born April 3, 1925, in Hempstead, New York… and remembering 12 others.

2020-’21 Real Estate Tax Due Dates

Real Estate tax due dates for the following towns: CHINA, VASSALBORO, WATERVILLE and WINDSOR…

Become a member: An open letter to our readers

Dear Reader: For the past 32 years, The Town Line has pledged a mission statement to “create a vibrant rural community connecting our towns, organizations and individuals through communication, education and public dialogue.” It’s all part of The Town Line’s mission to be a positive force in our community…

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Friday, February 5, 2021

Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Retail Therapy Boutique in Waterville! 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: Ardra Poulin, Winslow.

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | While I was checking my calendar last week, I realized that February 2 is next Tuesday. Where does time go? It’s time for me to take my annual trek to visit by little, furry friend, Woodrow Charles, the weather prognosticating groundhog…

MAINE MEMORIES

by Evangeline T. | Hello and welcome to Maine Memories, little snippets of life from our home state. As a child, I lived in a small house located between two hills. One was called Cemetery Hill, since there was a cemetery at the beginning of it…

VETERANS CORNER

by Gary Kennedy | Well here we are again. Most of us especially veterans thought it would be over in Washington by now but much to our dismay politicians are still planning and plotting ways to get the upper hand in one way or another. The Biden entrance exam is under way with stimulus that makes some of us lust and others to drool for more…

CRITTER CHATTER

by Jayne Winter | Don Cote, of Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab, has a soft spot for foxes and although rehabs mostly reds, I sense he’s partial to the grays. When I visited a few weeks ago, he led me to an enclosure which housed a beautiful gray fox which will be released this spring and proceeded to explain the differences between the two species…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Still living at 93, singer Dame Cleo Laine recorded a CD consisting of 12 songs on the BMG Classics label, simply entitled Jazz; they include Duke Ellington’s Just a Sittin’ and a Rock­in’, Mel Torme’s Walking Shoes, Johnny Mercer’s Midnight Sun, the Gershwin brothers’ Lady Be Good, W.C. Handy’s St. Louis Blues, and Cy Coleman’s You Can Always Count On Me, etc…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | Have you ever heard the term “Illusory Truth Effect”? I went looking for an answer and found it on Wikipedia, a website on the internet. My question was, “If you hear something enough does it become real?” The following is what I learned…

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull | Since I don’t have any recent news, again this week, I am going to put in a short history about the beautiful old church in South Solon, called the South Solon Meeting House…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) | The Sandwich Generation, named for the population of Americans caring for both their school-aged children and an aging parent or other relative, has been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey and white paper from New York Life…