Week of September 17, 2020

Celebrating 32 years of local news

Changing of the guard at Albert Church Brown Memorial Library

On Tuesday, September 8, the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, 37 Main Street, reopened after closing as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The opening will be an important step of returning back to familiarity, yet with some new changes: two new librarians, additional hours and procedures to keep the community safe… by Jeanne Marquis [822 words]

Your Local News

Rte. 3 local water source closed to public use

CHINA — China selectmen discussed multiple ongoing issues and one new one at their Sept. 14 meeting. The new issue was a letter asking if the town would provide a public water supply in South China…

Causeway work to begin in October

CHINA — China Residents & Causeway Road users, The work on the China Lake Causeway Improvements project will be starting soon. We are very excited to finally be getting this work going and ready for a great season in 2021. The following is a tentative schedule for the work… from Becky Hapgood

Deputy clerk of the year

CHINA — Kelly Grotton, town of China deputy clerk, received the prestigious award of Deputy Clerk of the Year from the Maine Town & City Clerks Association, on September 15 (photo)…

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Mid-Maine Chamber super raffle to be offered in virtual format

WATERVILLE — This extremely popular event is generally held in-person, with over 250 ticket holders vying to win prizes donated by area businesses, increasing in value throughout the event. This year’s Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate Super Raffle will be a virtual pre-recorded ticketed event, with some interesting twists…Drawings will begin on September 28 and run through October 2…

Chamber leadership luncheon set for Sept. 30

WATERVILLE — Enjoy a fabulous lunch and share an entertaining and informative presentation by outdoor enthusiast Zachary Fowler. Zach will share the survival skills he utilized to maintain an 87-day existence in the deep woods of Patagonia, alone, with only a dozen tools and supplies at his disposal. He will share tips and anectdotes, detailing his month’s-long adventure…

Fairfield History House to hold annual barn and bake sale

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield History House will be holding its annual barn and bake sale on Saturday and Sunday, October 3-4, from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Fairfield History House, 42 High St., Fairfield…

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…

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…

New roof at Palermo Community Center

PALERMO — Finally, after years of saving and fund-raising, the Palermo Community Center, on Turner Ridge Road, is getting a new roof! Now the Palermo Food Pantry will have a comfortable, dry place to provide nourishing food to area residents, and the Living Communities Foundation, which owns the building, will be able to carry on with its community programs, as soon as the COVID crisis allows…

Gary Miller retires from presidency of Sheepscot Lake Association

PALERMO — This quote by our 41st president recognizes the need for individuals to share their time and energies with worthy causes. Gary Miller recognized a need nine years ago when he joined and helped found the newly-formed Sheepscot Lake Association (SLA), in Palermo…

Mid-Maine Chamber golf winners announced

WATERVILLE — Central Maine’s most prize-laden golf tournament fundraiser was held safely and under clear skies on August 18 at the Waterville Country Club. Thirty-four teams took part in the shotgun start scramble…

Mainers invited to dispose of unusable pesticides

CENTRAL ME — Free disposal, pre-registration by Oct. 9 required. Thanks to a project sponsored by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s (DACF) Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Mainers can dispose of unusable and unwanted pesticides for free…

KV tourism council awards sponsorship to Mid-Maine Chamber

CENTRAL ME — The Kennebec Valley Tourism Council (KVTC) has awarded Sponsorship Support funds in the amount of $2,500 to the MERGEFIELD Business Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce for the MERGEFIELD Project Taste of Waterville. This funding will assist in the growth of tourism in Maine’s Kennebec Valley and produce a positive economic impact on the region…

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…

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington (New)

MAINE HISTORY — When railroads first began operating in the United States, different companies used different gauges (width between the tracks). “Standard gauge” ranged from four feet eight-and-a-half inches (imported from Britain, used by the Baltimore & Ohio and Boston & Albany lines, among others) to six feet (used by the Erie and the Lackawanna, among others), and was not definitely established at four feet eight-and-a-half inches until after the Civil War…  [1735 words] by Mary Grow

Remembering China Village’s two-room schoolhouse

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

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

LETTERS: Local prostate cancer support group

from Andrea Martelle RN (Augusta) — September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and as a nurse who has helped facilitate a Prostate Cancer Support Group, I have seen the importance of men and women gathering to share their prostate cancer stories. I am always amazed at the amount of warm humor, caring relationships and good advice that emerge at these monthly sessions…

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

ALBION – Albert Arthur Brockway, 78, of Albion, passed away at Togus VA hospital, Wednesday, September 9, 2020, following a long illness. He was born in Albion on July 9, 1942, the son of Fred and Helen (Higgins) Brockway… and remembering 7 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 | Several people now have shown me photos of a large bird that is seen grazing in the fields of central Maine. I’ve seen them before, but reports of sightings have become more frequent. They would be sandhill cranes…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | The movie Road Kill: A Love Story, was completed by 2014 but took until this year to achieve world wide distribution. It stars Brandon Culp as the mute Mitch who works in a small town car wash; Erika Hoveland as Taryn who moves into the village to open a taxidermy shop, and has a hunger for true love along with a huge thirst for blood…

AARP OUTREACH

by Lori Parham | You may recollect that AARP Maine recently launched “Protect Voters 50+,” a non-partisan voter engagement campaign to support and protect Mainers 50+ as they vote in the November election. In addition to providing information about safe voting options, AARP is tracking key races and candidates’ positions on issues that matter to older voters…

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull | The only recent news I have received in time to get it printed is the following: Support your community. The Embden Community Center’s Neighbor Thrift Shop needs your help. Volunteers are needed in the Thrift Shop on Wednesdays 9 a.m. to noon, and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All Thrift Shop proceeds support the ongoing maintenance of the Community Center…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | This move into the camper has held a few surprises for me. Recently, I was going through some boxes I must have packed a couple years ago and forgot. In going through this one box I found some of dad’s things. I found a piece that someone must have shared with dad but I can’t find it on the internet (keeping in mind I am not an expert) and I have no reason to believe he wrote this. I enjoyed reading it and hope you do too…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) —Social isolation during the pandemic may pose a mental health threat for those already at risk for COVID-19—people over age 65. As doctors treat more senior patients for depression, an increasingly popular genetic test may inform their treatment decisions. The GeneSight test provides information about how your genes may impact how you metabolize and respond to certain depression medications…