Sunday: The first day of March. The day started out cloudy, but by 11:30 AM, the sun was out and the temperature had made it to 32 degrees.
There hasn’t been a lot of excitement at the bird feeder lately. Just the usual birds-Blue Jays, Chickadees and a few other small birds.
I want to be sure to wish my nephew, Bradley McLain, a Happy Birthday on March 11th. Brad is the son of Stephen and Lise McLain from Gilead.
We were sorry to hear that Maureen Swain passed away on February 27th at the Swain farm in Bethel. Maureen was a member of the Gilead Historical Society and attended several of the events held each year.
I saw in Amy Chapman’s Locke Mills column that Eli, the Wonder Pup, was no longer with them. That is very sad and since our Chapman family had just gone through the loss of our family member, Chloe, we know how they feel and send them our sympathy.
Gilead Town Office
The 2025 Annual Report for the Town of Gilead is available at the Town Office. Office hours are Tuesdays, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Office is closed from 2-3:00 PM for lunch break. Thursdays from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Town Meeting will be held on March 28th at the Gilead Town Hall.
Gilead Historical Society
This is the season that the tree sap should be running. Trees need to be tapped and buckets set out. Unless one is lucky enough to be able to run a dropline system where the sap flows through tubing that runs downhill to a container. The sap is cleaner and it is less work than emptying buckets. Sap flows best when the nights are really cold and the days are warm. It takes somewhere around 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. It is a lot of work but well worth it.
Historical Note: Photos from the Collection of Emeline V. Heath. Currently in the GHS Archives.
(Excerpts from the writings of Emeline V. Heath. She lived on Butternut Farm with her parents, Archie and Mabel Heath)
“It took several members of the family to cut and process the wood to be used for the fire to boil down the sap to make maple syrup. It was a family affair. Josiah Heath and his son, Archie, along with a few friends and relatives worked in the sugar house.”
Got any news? Email chapmal@hotmail.com