Gilead News, April 2, 2026
Editor’s note: I apologize for the omission of this week’s Gilead News from the earlier email!
Sunday—The sun decided to shine and the temperature got up to 41 around 11:30AM. Monday was a decent sunny day. Tuesday was rainy and miserable.
The little chipmunk that lives out in front of our house appeared even though it was rainy. He or she will wait and stare into the window until seeds are delivered to the front step. The one that lives out back of the house just shares seeds with the birds.
We had several Evening Grosbeaks at the feeder this week. The hawk showed up again for a while and scared the other birds away. There was a Cowbird spotted in with the Grackles, Starlings, and Red-Winged Blackbirds. Most mornings there is one turkey that shows up for breakfast. On Tuesday, the lawn was covered with a large group of Robins.
With the cold nights and kind of warmer days, the sap was running well. Buckets were filling up fast. Pete Risbara has been working hard boiling down the sap to make some maple syrup.
Condolences to the family of Robert Taylor, who passed away last week.
Gilead Historical Society
Hugh and I attended a meeting hosted by the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, and facilitated by Will Chapman, that was held at the West Parish Congregational Church. The meeting was moved to accommodate all the historical organizations that responded that they would be attending. There were more than 50 people who attended and represented over 30 local history and preservation groups from western Maine and northern New Hampshire. A few people, who could not attend in person, joined remotely.
Plans were made to meet again at a later date and also to possibly have small groups that would meet to discuss certain topics and bring their ideas to that meeting. There were a lot of great ideas on how to get people involved and increase the membership.
Town of Gilead
The Annual Town meeting was held on March 28th. According to Patsy Cox, Town Clerk, all articles passed as written. Congratulations to Sharon Leighton, who was elected to the three-year term for selectman. Sharon’s husband, Alfred, has been a selectman for many years. She has attended the meetings and become very involved in how the town is managed.
The two positions for school board members were not filled. Action to make this happen will be taken at a later date. There were fourteen registered voters that attended the meeting and six non-residents. There are 161 registered voters.
Before the business meeting began, Spencer Williams from Mahoosuc Land Trust made a presentation on the progress of the property on the North Road known as Tumbledown Dick Mountain. They are in the process of acquiring the land and have had several meetings that were attended by some residents of the town. They are planning on creating hiking trails for the public to enjoy. Spencer thanked the residents who attended the meetings and for their input on the project.
A few members of the Gilead Historical Society attended a couple of meetings. The purpose was to inform Mahoosuc Land Trust of the location of what has been known as The Three Stone Cemetery. Written material was provided and a trip to show them the location was included in one of the meetings.
Got any news? Email chapmal@hotmail.com