Week of September 10, 2020

Celebrating 32 years of local news

China School’s Forest gets ready for students

Six animal cutouts stolen from the grounds

A few weeks ago, a heinous act was committed in the China School’s Forest. Someone snuck into the outdoor learning center and stole six of the animal cutouts that were set up along the trails to teach children about wildlife in the Maine woods.

“Not only did you steal them, you stole the hard work of middle school children and volunteers who made the project happen,” admonished a post added to the China School’s Forest Facebook page on July 22, shortly after the incident… by Eric W. Austin [844 words]

Your Local News

Town projects get attention of selectmen

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro selectmen spent most of their Sept. 3 meeting talking about spending money for town projects. The meeting included a public hearing on TIF (Tax Increment Financing) fund requests from Maine Rivers, which runs the Alewife Restoration Project (ARI), and the Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD)…

Riverside Drive solar project gets final approval

VASSALBORO — Vassalboro Planning Board members had three items on their Sept. 1 agenda and approved all of them, including final approval of another solar project in town. The solar project is Longroad Energy’s development on land leased from Oak Grove Farm, LLC, at 2579 Riverside Drive (Route 201)…

Two contests on China’s local ballot

CHINA — China voters have two contests on the Nov. 3 local election ballot. For three seats on the board of selectmen, there are five candidates. Incumbents Ronald Breton and Janet Preston seek re-election, and Blane Casey, Brent Chesley and Jeanne Marquis also are running for a seat. Donna Mills-Stevens is not a candidate for re-election…

Volunteers sought for watershed survey

CHINA — Attend a free two-hour training presentation to learn about watersheds, how to identify erosion and other sources of polluted runoff, and ways to help improve the water quality in China Lake. Then, join us on Saturday October 3rd to walk the watershed and document erosion…

Share the Road with Carol update

WINDSOR — Regarding the earlier published information about Share the Road with Carol memorial ride event in Windsor, on September 13, 2020. Due to the COVID 19, 100-person outdoor event limit, and the number of volunteers needed to make this event safe, the event has had to cap rider registration at 75…

Common Ground Country Fair to be held on-line

UNITY — The Common Ground Country Fair, the premier educational event of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), will be held online September 25-27, 2020. April Boucher, MOFGA’s Fair Director, noted, “While we can’t gather together in person this year, many aspects of the Fair will be available online, including iconic and educational content that folks look forward to year after year”…

Free webinars on invasive forest pests

CENTRAL ME — Presentations are scheduled for Wed, September 23 from 3-4 pm (Knox-Lincoln SWCD); Thu, October 1 from 4-5 pm (Cumberland SWCD); Wed, October 7 from 3-4 pm (Penobscot SWCD); and Tue, Oct 13 from 9-10 am (Central Aroostook SWCD). Maine already has several Invasive Forest Pests targeting our trees and spreading throughout the state including…

Vassalboro Days slated for Sept. 12 – 13

VASSALBORO — (Schedule of Events) The Double Dam Ducky Derby will be held Saturday, September 12, at the Mill at 1 p.m. Tickets are $3 each or 5@ $10 and will be sold that day at the VBA Tent at the Mill up until ten minutes before the race. Tickets may be purchased from Ray Breton…

Cruisin’ for a Cure

LEWISTON — Bikers everywhere are invited to join Cruisin’ for a Cure, a motorcycle ride to support the American Cancer Society, on Saturday, September 19. Funds raised will support pediatric cancer research. The event begins at L-A Harley-Davidson, 839 Main St., Lewiston…

Skowhegan chicken BBQ slated

SKOWHEGAN — Join the Skowhegan Lions on Saturday, September 19, and enjoy the famous, better than ever chicken barbecue. This event will be curb side pickup only…

Lions Club launches community enhancement project

WATERVILLE — The Waterville Lions Club launched a community enhancement project in September with the goal of lifting spirits and inspiring others during this difficult time. Called “Waterville Lions Rock,” club members gathered together and painted rocks with inspirational messages or smile inducing artwork…

Popular Winslow Gospel Reflection Group returns September 14

WINSLOW — The St. Joseph Center Gospel Reflection Group will resume on Monday, September 14, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eight people will participate from the center, located on Garland Road, in Winslow, while all other participants will connect via Zoom…

Local seed swap group forming

CHINA — This announcement of the formation of the China Area Seed Swappers is to help gardeners pursue your curiosities and save some money, too. The timing is perfect. It is now the harvest season. Veteran gardeners save some of their crops that make seed for the following years’ plantings…

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Remembering China Village’s two-room schoolhouse (New)

CHINA — I attended grammar school in a two-room schoolhouse in the village of China at the northern end of the lake. It had two rooms, each with four grades, the younger kids on the ground floor and the older children on the second, each room with its own teacher… by Richard Dillenbeck [961 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Railroad and trolleys (New)

MAINE HISTORY — Maine began building railroads in the 1840s. They did not replace stagecoaches, however, because the latter continued to connect railroad stops and stations to other population centers. The China history, for example, says that in the 1850s people wanting to go to China from the south or west could take the train to Augusta or Waterville and complete the journey by stagecoach…  [2072 words] by Mary Grow

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Stagecoach routes in central Kennebec Valley

MAINE HISTORY — Early public transportation in the central Kennebec River valley came in three forms: the ferries and other riverboats previously mentioned; stagecoaches; and railways. On land, horses and oxen were the earliest movers, for people and goods, individually and corporately…  [2088 words] by Mary Grow

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Fires were common in 19th century

MAINE HISTORY — Readers might remember that this historical series started at the end of March in reaction to the pandemic, to divert readers’ minds and fill a page in the newspaper. What plan there was at the time included stories about disasters, not only plague and pestilence but fires, floods, wars and other cheerful topics. Given California’s situation, this week seemed appropriate for a story on fires in some of our Kennebec Valley towns…  [1911 words] by Mary Grow

LETTERS: Rejection is correct

from Bob O’Connor (South China) — The People’s Referendum to block using Ranked Choice Voting for President was recently ruled, by a lower court, to be put on this November’s ballot even though the Secretary of State, Matt Dunlap, ruled the signature collectors did not have enough valid signatures…

LETTERS: Gideon family tax lien scandal is serious

from John Picchiotti (Fairfield) — While I’m glad to see some members of the Maine press finally taking the Gideon family tax lien scandal seriously, I can’t help but notice some grave inconsistencies in the answers provided by Sara Gideon to the press…

Give Us Your Best Shot!

Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, had plenty of feathered visitors lately…

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…

Webber’s Pond

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

Obituaries

WINSLOW – Dr. Robert P. Gould, 87, of Winslow, died peacefully, on Friday, September 4, 2020, at Oak Grove Center, in Waterville, following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Robert was born on December 3, 1932, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Mamree P. Fraser and Horace H. Gould… and remembering 6 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Friday, October 9, 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: Phyllis Quimby, Windsor.

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | I think it was Dr. Demento who used to say, “They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere!” Well, they are. You could be sitting on the deck or porch at camp, and there’s one on your leg, or walking across your shoulders. Go do some garden work, and you’ll see them there. Deadhead flowers in your beds, yup, they’re there, too. Go fetch a couple of sticks out of the wood pile, Bingo! More of them…

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull | Here it is already time to write another column for The Town Line paper after spending several days up in Leif’s special place, Aroostook County. He grew up there and many of his relatives still live there, so we went up and spent quite a lot of time visiting with all of them. His family is truly special and lots of fun like Lief, and we truly enjoyed all the laughter and love that was there…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Poetry for Cats is a clever volume in which Henry Beard (1945-) took 39 well-known poems by as many poets, ranging from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Poe, Whitman and Emily Dickinson, and re-wrote them from the point of view of their cats…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | Now for a little story: Imagine if you will, waking in the middle of the night to find a bear in your room. Never in your wildest imagination had you thought something like this could happen to you…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) — It’s no secret that growing older comes with certain challenges. For many seniors, old age can make taken-for-granted tasks much more difficult than they used to be. This makes it hard or impossible for seniors to age in place without a helping hand (or two, or three)…