What is “civic capital?” I’ve been hearing the term a lot lately, so I went online to look for a concise definition. Here it is, from the website of the National Civic League: “Civic capital is the capacity of a community to solve problems and thrive…the formal and informal relationships, networks, and capacities that communities use to make decisions collaboratively and solve problems.”
It occurs to me that many of the things the town correspondents who contribute to this weekly newsletter focus on most—and, in fact, Western Maine Neighborhood News itself—are things that increase our communities’ civic capital.
Whether it’s the monthly Neighbors Feeding Neighbors dinners at the Bethel Methodist Church; Andover’s Annual Birthday Supper tradition and the volunteer efforts of the Andover Common Folk to beautify and maintain the town common; the annual Smile Fund sale at the West Parish Congregational Church; Chris’s Haven of Hope sober living house in Bryant Pond, created with the help of many volunteer community members; or the work of the Age-Friendly Community Initiative to create, enhance, and spread the word about supportive programs for seniors, our towns are rich in those important networks and relationships that enable us to thrive.
Here in Greenwood and Woodstock, our Conservation Commissions, which have taken the lead on the maintenance of hiking trails, the Swap Shop at the Transfer Station, and the upcoming Green-Up Day in several communities are a great example of these networks.
Another is the Bethel Wood Bank, which receives donations of wood, processes it into firewood, and donates it to those in need. They can also use monetary donations and volunteers to help at their “processing parties,” held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9 to noon at the wood bank site, 343 Walkers Mills Road in Bethel. Visit their Facebook page, Bethel Wood Bank, to learn more.
Saturday, April 25, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the West Parish Congregational Church: Smile Fund Sale. Proceeds from this annual community yard sale go to help purchase dentures for adults in the SAD 44 region. The church is looking for donations for the sale. Items can be dropped off at the church between Friday, April 17, and Thursday, April 23. Appropriate items include toys, books, housewares, tools, gardening supplies, and small furniture. Please NO electronics, clothing, jewelry, or stuffed animals. For an application or more information about the sale, contact the church at 824-2689.
Saturday, April 25, at 9 a.m. at Maggie’s Nature Park, 290 Greenwood Road: The Greenwood Conservation Commission will host a light trail maintenance day on the hiking trails in the park. Bring loppers if you have them. Paint and supplies for freshening up the trail blazes will be provided.
Wednesday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Opening Day for the Swap Shop at the Greenwood-Woodstock Transfer Station, a sure sign of spring, no matter what the weather has in store for us. Stop by and see what your neighbors have decided to part with during spring cleaning!
Saturday, May 2, in several area towns: Green-Up Day, annual roadside clean-up. Greenwood volunteers will meet at the Legion/Town Office parking lot for road assignments at 9 a.m. Trash bags and disposable gloves are provided. If you choose to do clean-up on Greenwood roads prior to May 2, please email Lynn Cobb (cobblynn12@gmail.com) or let the town office know, so they will know which sections have already been completed before making road assignments.
Saturday, May, 2, at noon: “Along the Andro: History and Habitat in Our Community.” Meet at Davis Park at noon to join Will Chapman of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society and an ecologist from the Mahoosuc Land Trust to explore the history and ecology of the Androscoggin River, including indigenous people, the importance of the river to agriculture and early industries, the pollution of the river and subsequent efforts to clean it up, river ferries, bridges, floods, and the flora and fauna of the riverside. This program is part of Jane’s Walk, a global festival of free, volunteer-led walking conversations inspired by community activist Jane Jacobs. Jane’s Walks combine the simple act of exploring a place with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement.
Sunday, May 10 (Mother’s Day), at 4 p.m. at Gould Academy’s Bingham Auditorium in Bethel: The Mahoosuc Community Band will perform its Spring Concert. Ed Ryan is conducting the band, consisting of adults and Gould students. The concert is full of familiar favorites. Donations are welcome at the door to defray the cost of music.
Saturday, May 16, at 9 a.m. at the American Legion on the Gore Road: Annual Greenwood Town Meeting. Enjoy coffee and breakfast goodies with your neighbors, and take the opportunity to have a say in the government of your town! Copies of the Town Report, including the Town Meeting warrant, will be available at the Town Office and at the meeting.
Sunday, May 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Silver Spur in Mechanic Falls: Per Hanson and Robin Right will be inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame at the 49th Annual Induction Ceremony and Show.
The First Universalist Church of West Paris has provided the following information about their May services, held on Sundays at 9 a.m. at the church at 208 Main Street in West Paris. Music is provided by guitarist Davy Sturtevant, and refreshments follow the service.
The May 3 service will be led by Bob Neal, whose sermon is titled “My Father’s House Has Many Rooms.” There are many paths to heaven or rewarding life here.
May 10: “Who is this?” The Rev. Scott Campbell will explore the question, “Who is Jesus and what does he have to do with us?”
On May 17, the First Universalist Church will join the congregation of the South Paris Universalist Church for a service in South Paris, which will start at 9 a.m.
May 24: “Ain’t She Sweet?” The Rev. Scott Campbell will tell the story of a woman who battled depression throughout most of her life, but who knew a deeper inner truth in the end.
May 31: “Choosing the Land of the Blessed,” led by the Rev. Jodi Cohan Hayashida, who will explore how grounding ourselves in the gifts of everyday life strengthens us to meet the moments that break our hearts.
For more information about the church and services, please contact Marta Clements, 674-2143, mclements96894@roadrunner.com, or Suzanne Dunham, 665-2967, dunhamfarm@msn.com.
I’m writing this on Wednesday, which is Earth Day. The very first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, as a nationwide environmental teach-in. I actually remember it—partly because yes, I am That Old, but also because that spring I had, at the tender age of 11, been shipped off on a Greyhound bus to spend my April vacation with my brother Steve’s family in Virginia, where he was stationed with the Air Force, while my mom got our house in Milford, Conn. ready to sell (we were only moving a couple of miles away, to a smaller house). Peggy took me, along with Keith and Eric, who were toddlers, to some kind of Earth Day celebration that I seem to remember involved arts and crafts and music and maybe planting a tree.
This year on Earth Day, I called in to the Maine Calling program (which was all about the “Reuse” part of the “Reduce—Reuse—Recycle” mantra) to share that my mom was legendary for her reuse of plastic Ziploc bags. I joked that it might be possible that when she passed away in 2004, she still had the first box of Ziploc bags she had ever bought, when they came out in 1968, in her kitchen cupboard.
But, on a more serious note, I added that the reuse of plastic bags was just one of my mom’s environmentally friendly (and frugal!) practices, and the example she set had far-reaching effects, as she raised five kids, who in turn raised 14 grandkids, who are raising a raft of great-grandkids, and I don’t think any of us would dare to toss out a perfectly good Ziploc bag (or piece of aluminum foil, or yogurt container) after just one use. Several years ago I wrote a blog post called “Rinsing out baggies (and other ways Mom was ahead of her time),” which you can read by clicking here.
This online newsletter is intended to keep our communities informed, so if you have news, events, or photos you’d like to have included here, I hope you’ll share them with me! You can reach me by email at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or by phone or text at 207-890-4812.
Obligatory weekly pupdate: Lena weighed 15.2 pounds at her vet visit on Wednesday—just about exactly double her weight when she came home 3.5 weeks ago! She’s discovered the joys of digging holes in her pen and started going for very short trail walks in Maggie’s Nature Park. And she still has extremely sharp puppy teeth!
“Puppies are constantly inventing new ways to be bad. It’s fascinating. You come into a room they’ve been in and see pieces of debris and try to figure out what you had that was made from wicker or what had been stuffed with fluff.” – Julie Klam, You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness