Week of November 26, 2020

Celebrating 32 years of local news

Scouting continues during pandemic – with caution

Covid-19 has changed the way society has operated this year. Governments and businesses have altered operating practices and new rules have been put in place to keep everyone safe. The same is true for the programs of Scouting… by Chuck Mahaleris

Your Local News

TIF committee discusses broadband funding

CHINA — China Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members spent most of their Nov. 17 virtual meeting talking about broadband funding with Jamie Pitney, speaking for the China Broadband Committee…

Town receives $5,000 grant to help offset added election expenses

WINDSOR — The Windsor board of selectmen met on October 26 with members Ray Bates, William Appel, Jr., Andrew Ballantyne, Richard H. Gray, Jr., and Ronald F. Brann present…

Board applauds everyone for keeping school safe

VASSALBORO — Not surprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic dominated discussion at the Vassalboro School Board’s Nov. 17 meeting, leading to reluctant decisions and much praise for everyone involved in keeping the town school safe…

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…

The first Thanksgiving – 400 years ago

by Gary Kennedy — The Wampanoag Indian tribe and the first Plymouth Colonists, in the fall of the year 1620, shared a feast that we know as Thanksgiving today. The Wampanoag Indians are also known as the Wȭqanȭak. In the 17th century they were a loose grouping of several different tribes…

Legion collects for animal shelter

SKOWHEGAN — Members of the American Legion of Tardiff-Belanger Post #39, Madison, are collecting for the Furry Friends at the Somerset Humane Society Animal Shelter, in Skowhegan, during this holiday season. Items can be dropped off at the hall, on 20 S. Maple Street, Madison after 3 p.m., on Wednesdays through Saturdays…

Vassalboro JMG selling wreaths

VASSALBORO — The Vassalboro Community School Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) program will be doing their annual Christmas wreath sale, starting right now until the week after Thanksgiving. They will still be taking orders when they get back from Thanksgiving break…

Story time at South China library

CHINA — Come join Courtney Roy for South China Public Library story time (online) for some reading fun, songs and finger plays on Wednesday, December 9, at 6 p.m., right on the library Facebook page. This is geared towards ages 0-5…

Winslow church to hold drive-thru turkey pie sale

WINSLOW — It’s one of Winslow’s most beloved holiday traditions! On Saturday, December 5, from noon to 2 p.m., Winslow Congregational Church (12 Lithgow Street) will be offering over 400 incredibly yummy, ready-to-be-baked turkey pies for curbside/drive-through pick-up. Cost is just $10 per pie…

Popular St. Michael School Christmas Fair goes virtual in 2020

AUGUSTA — Through December 21, all are encouraged to check gifts off their Christmas shopping list by visiting the St. Michael School Christmas Fair, being presented virtually due to the pandemic…

The written word in business to be presented at chamber breakfast

CENTRAL ME — This informative presentation will be the focus at Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s December Business Breakfast. December’s breakfast will be held on Thursday, December 3, from 7:15 to 9:00 a.m. at the Best Western Plus, 375 Main Street, Waterville…

Thanksgiving pies made to order

PALERMO — Several of Palermo’s Food Pantry volunteers are seeking to raise money to keep the Community Center’s heat on and the freezers running… For only $10, you might choose a pumpkin, apple, pecan, chocolate creme, or peanut butter creme pie…

STUDENT WRITERS PROGRAM – Examining “The Social Dilemma”: The real impact on young people

ERSKINE ACADEMY — It is truly paradoxical that a generation has been raised to be enthralled by inventions detrimental to their mental health and wellbeing. A Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, addresses the evolution of and dangers of social media, an enigma and issue growing exponentially along with the minds of young adults… by Olivia Bourque

STUDENT WRITERS PROGRAM: So what? The real impact on young people

ERSKINE ACADEMY — We all have bad days. Maybe your cat got run over or maybe the jelly in your PB and J sandwich made the bread way too soggy for the desired taste of the sandwich, or maybe you’ve had your head in your screen all day… by Hannah Soule

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Newspapers of Central Maine, Part 1 (New)

MAINE HISTORY — In previous pieces there have been references to local newspapers, especially the Augusta-based Kennebec Journal. Both it and its sister publication in Waterville, the “Morning Sentinel”, have had long lives; but they are not and never have been the only newspapers in the central Kennebec Valley… by Mary Grow [1957 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Notable women

MAINE HISTORY — As background for this piece on a small selection of women of importance from the central Kennebec Valley, some historical notes might establish a useful timeline… by Mary Grow [1825 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Augusta printers

MAINE HISTORY — In addition to the nationally and internationally famous people profiled earlier in this series (James G. Blaine, Rufus Jones, Elijah Parish Lovejoy, Senator George Mitchell), other central Kennebec Valley residents have made significant contributions beyond the local area… by Mary Grow [1953 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Electricity and telephones

MAINE HISTORY — Many local histories find the arrival and expansion of electricity and telephone service noteworthy, especially in Maine’s smaller communities. As most of us learned in grammar school, Benjamin Franklin is credited with discovering electricity in 1752… by Mary Grow [1865 words]

Webber’s Pond

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

Obituaries

CLINTON – Marcie Lynn (Delafontaine) Colson, 44, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, November 12, 2020. She was born in Berlin, New Hamsphire, on June 25, 1976, the daughter of Jeanne Poussard (Aubut) and Richard Delafontaine… and remembering 5 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Friday, December 18, 2020

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 | Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey as the national bird of the United States, but he never publicly voiced his opposition to the bald eagle. In a letter to his daughter, Sarah Bache, on January 26, 1783…

Dan CassidyINside the OUTside

by Dan Cassidy | This has been such a whirl-wind spring, summer, fall and now we’re heading into a winter such as many of us have never seen before. All this thanks to COVID-19 that has affected lives and has changed the way we live here in Maine and around the world…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | In his fascinating 1936 literary history, The Flowering of New England, Van Wyck Brooks (1886-1963) astutely commented on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in an essay, justifying the importance of a poet’s profession, its nobility and necessity to life itself…

AARP OUTREACH

by Jane Margesson | At AARP Maine, we know that caregiving can be one of the most important roles you will ever take on in your life. You may have become a caregiver suddenly or perhaps your role has evolved over time…

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull | Just read the e-mail from Roland, my editor, about the need for another column early and so as you probably know by now, that I have been going through my large stash of old papers. I picked up one of the old (February 10, 1974) Maine Sunday Telegram papers I had been reading…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) — When ophthalmologist Ruth Williams, MD, opened her office after shutting down early in 2020 due to the pandemic, she was surprised to see how many people had developed serious eye problems in just a few months…