“Above the Fold”
(An introduction to each week’s newsletter from the editor of WMNN)
Hi, Neighbors! In this week’s Western Maine Neighborhood News, the Andover, Bethel, East Bethel, and Gilead columns are free to all subscribers, along with news from the AFCI—the Age-Friendly Community Initiative. Upgrade to a paid subscription ($5/month or $50/year) to read this week’s Locke’s Mills, Newry, and Woodstock columns (and all the town columns every week).
Blaine and Margaret Mills will be remembered with a Celebration of Life this Saturday, August 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the old Town Hall on Main Street in Locke’s Mills. Both were steadfast and devoted supporters of the Greenwood Historical Society, where Blaine contributed 45 years to preserving and sharing the history of Greenwood through his tireless research, writing, programs, and the preservation and organization of thousands of photographic images. The GHS Museums will be open from 10:00 to 3:00 on Saturday, and all are invited to visit “Blaine’s Corner” in the Swan House, where his books on the history of two Greenwood neighborhoods will be available to purchase.
Finally, please join me in extending our deepest sympathy to Bob and Linda Howe and all of the family and friends of Jonathan Howe for their recent tragic loss. There are no right words, but may they know that they are being held in the thoughts and prayers and hearts of so many in the community.
Andover News
Diana Nadeau
My dad and I had a great visit with his family in Saco last week. We spent the entire day looking at old pictures and reminiscing about all the times gone by. It certainly means a great deal to me that I get him down to see his siblings as much as I possibly can.
I also had a lovely getaway last weekend. I went to Ironbound Pond with my bff, Amy, to her mother’s camp in Solon. The weather was perfect, we ate well, laughed a lot, floated on the pond and played games. All in all a much needed fun getaway.
Amy is coming back up here this weekend to go along with my husband, Bob, my dad, Ken, and myself to see Denny Breau at the Andover Congregational Church on Friday. This is the next concert in the Andover Summer Concert Series. The time is from 6-8 and promises to be a wonderful evening of entertainment. Concerts are free but donations to keep this summertime tradition going are gladly accepted.
Then on Saturday we are going to our friend Tracy’s camp along with all the other members of our Ya Ya group to have a visit. Floating on North Pond and variety of potluck items are on the agenda. One last hooooorah before Amy goes back to work as a lunch lady for the school year.
How is it possible that the school year is already upon us? It has been a bit of a busy couple of weeks but things will slow down and revert back to firewood duties no doubt.
Dirk MacKnight is looking for volunteers to help topcoat the new courts in town. They will be applying 3 coats and painting lines when dried. The plan is to work Wednesday (already gone by before this column is sent out) but they still need people this Thursday and Friday beginning at 9:00. Unfortunately, they have to apply the coatings in the mornings to give it time to dry before nightfall. If you can help please message him on Facebook and let me know what day(s). This would be good for a student that needs to log some community service hours.
Mills Market is hiring a Breakfast Cook. Saturdays and Sundays 4 am-11 am with potential of full time. The store is looking for a reliable, dependable breakfast cook to join their crew. If you’re hardworking, dependable, can handle a busy morning, and want to be part of a great local team, they would certainly love to hear from you. Experience preferred, but the right attitude and work ethic mean just as much. Mills Market is such an asset to our little town. Always the gathering spot for the locals and those traveling through as well. They are truly the hardest working crew in town.
The Andover Elementary School will be holding an open house for the incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten students on Monday, August 24th. Please see the attached flyer.
Here is a timely word from the Andover PTA:
We need YOU! Our PTA needs more parents! Our PTA was created many years ago as a way to keep parents involved in our little school and, most importantly, to let our kids know that we are here supporting them every step of the way. The truth is, we have a very small group of parents who keep things going, and it takes all of us to keep our school the special place that it is. We put a LOT of time, love, and work into making things happen for the kids, and we want so badly to keep that going. But we simply can’t do it without more parents stepping in.
This is a bittersweet year for me and our PTA president because it will be our last year as our kids are moving on to junior high. We would love nothing more than to see some new parents come hang out with us, get involved, and carry this little tradition forward. PLEASE don’t think joining the PTA means you have to attend every meeting! We know life is busy. We know schedules are crazy. Helping at an event, donating your time, sharing an idea, volunteering when you can, or simply showing up for the kids is just as important. Every little bit makes a difference.
At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of parents trying to make a difference. We want our kids to look around and see their parents cheering them on, supporting them, and being part of these important early years. So come hang out with us! Come meet other parents, help with an event, bring an idea, or just see what we’re all about. We have put so much heart into making this school year special for our kids, and we want the tradition to continue long after our kids move on. We need you. Our kids need you. And our little school needs you. Let’s make this year the best one yet—and make sure the PTA continues to be just as strong for the years to come! Come join us. Let’s do this together! ~ The Andover PTA
I was fortunate enough to work at the Andover Elementary School for 15 years and it genuinely is a special place, full of school spirit and a feeling of community. I believe that the first student day for AES is next Wednesday, the 26th.
Please send any news or events my way. diananadeau@ymail.com
Bethel News
Linda Howe
This week the vegetable to can was tomatoes. They only need five pounds of pressure in the canner for ten minutes so it is a fast one compared to other vegetables. Will come in handy making soup this winter. I enjoy processing food for the upcoming year. It is a very satisfying feeling and blessing.
The end of public school vacation is this week with teachers and students heading back into the classroom. Wishing everyone a productive and fun 26/27 school year!
I have been doing a lot of camping up in the Rangeley area. The drive up through Grafton Notch never gets old. Seeing a lot of thru hikers near the trails. This time of year you also see them in town stocking up on supplies.
Another town you drive through is Upton, Maine. If you blink, you will miss it. However a new Country Store opened in Upton.
They serve breakfast sandwiches and lunch/dinner items. They also have a small room for folks to sit down and eat in-house. I tried the breakfast sandwich and also their chicken quesadilla for lunch. Both were very good. The ladies that work there are friendly. They are closed Sunday and Monday. Open hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is a beautiful drive which makes for a great outing not far from home. Carol is the new owner so I hope they can make a go out of this new business. There are not many year-round residents so the travelers on the road will be a big plus. Hope folks stop in to support their efforts.
News from the Bethel Outing Club: The 46th Annual Bethel Outing Club Ski and Snowboard Sale is only 2 months away!! It will be held Friday, October 23, from 6-9 pm, and Saturday, October 24, from 9 til noon this year, which is a week earlier than usual - so mark your calendars. And get that unused gear ready to sell! As well as the opportunity to buy from multiple shops in the same place (the Gould Academy Field House, 74 Church St. Bethel), you have the opportunity to sell winter/outdoor gear and clothing you no longer use or have outgrown (gear should be in safe and good condition). The club takes a 20% commission on sales. More information can be found at bethelouting.org
News and events are always welcome by sending to lhowe7273@gmail.com
Please send news and events to lhowe7273@gmail./com
East Bethel News
Wally Ritz
At the Bethel Library Plant Sale I bought a couple of geranium seedlings. They grew into two amazingly beautiful plants as you can see for yourself in the photo I included. Plants and flowers bring so much joy, don’t they?
Trappers’ Weekend and the sale at the Locke Mills Union Church both were quite successful. I will try and get some details from Neil after he has had some time to relax and also get the clean-up done.
Lisa Haines celebrated her birthday on August 17th. Happy Belated Birthday from the whole neighborhood, Lisa.
Next week school is already starting up. Please, help keep our kids safe and pay attention to the buses and the flashing lights.
Call me at 207 595 0691 or email heinrichcracker@gmail.com
Have a great week!
Gilead News
Lin Chapman
Before you know it, school will be starting up in about another week. It seems like it just ended.
Condolences go out to the family and friends of Selectman Jon Howe.
The workers are very busy at the Town Hall. The granite slabs are now back in place in the concrete base, with the building now resting on them. It will be nice to see it when all the work has finished. It will be ready to either repair or replace the windows.
Work has begun at the corner of Route 2 and Bridge Street. There were two poles installed a while back and now the reason has been revealed. There is going to be a weather station installed there. Not too much more information was found out other than it will help report winter weather conditions in the area.
Gilead Historical Society
Last weekend the corner was busy with quite a few visitors. Alison Aloisio stopped by to see what the GHS has been busy with recently. She was thinking of doing an article with the latest updates.
May Peabody letters Continued
Letter #4
Pension Benoit
13-15 Lung Arno Serrestori Florence, Italy
[no date, must have been started on 29 June or later]
My dear Family,
My last letter was such a miserable hodge podge that I have little courage to attempt another. Yet I suppose you will want to hear
from me so will take new courage and try again. We reached here last Thursday at nine o’clock in the evening and were met by the
concierge of the Pension Benoit. We had engaged our rooms before leaving Rome and had asked to be met. This pension is
delightful. Miss Hyde and I are roommates this time and our window looks out upon a pretty square and the Arno just beyond. Across the river we can see Santa Croce (the most interesting church perhaps in all Florence), Giotto’s Tower (the bell tower of the Cathedral) and the queer old tower on the Palazzo Vecchio. This is the pension where Kathleen staid and recommended so highly. We pay only $1.20 a day which includes even wine. Our general method of procedure when we arrive in a new place is first to go to Cook’s, then visit places in the city we most wish to see. We followed that program here. I was delighted to find Frank’s letter
announcing the safe arrival of John Wright Peabody. I think I am very glad that it is a boy and I am particularly pleased with the name. I do hope Ethel will get well quickly.
I wish you could all see Giotto’s Tower. It is impossible to give you any idea of its beauty. How I wish you could all see this
Beautiful group of buildings! It impressed me quite as much as the fine old ruins in Rome. We staid at Hotel Subasio,
close to the church. The view of the luxuriant valley below is magnificent. Vineyards and large wheat fields everywhere to be seen and all so peaceful and restful. Again we were favored with balcony rooms. I don’t know how I shall ever be able to live in New York if this sort of thing continues. The view of a plain brick wall will seem worse than ever. We walked about the town a little; the streets are narrow + steep + picturesque. We saw women going to the wells carrying waterjugs on their heads. The costumes were very picturesque and fitted in with quaint old streets.
By this time you must have received my first letter. I’m wondering if the Gilead home is open today. I do not know the date of Colby’s commencement but have a vague idea that it comes this week. I shall try to send a letter every week and postals in
between. Am hoping for a letter from you, Ada, sometime soon.
With very much love to you all.
May
Got any news? Email chapmal@hotmail.com.
AFCI News
Melinda Remington
Hello Folks,
We certainly have had a good stretch of nice, varied weather. Just enough rain and dew to help the gardens. Yesterday I joined friends for a late afternoon dip in the Sunday River. Cool and refreshing on a hot, humid day. I often reminisce about how I took my children to the covered bridge on lazy, idyllic days; as we filed down over the embankment I would warn them about the slippery rocks and the nearby poison ivy. 50+ year olds now, with grown children of their own, and I still feel compelled to protect all of them.
I suppose we never stop nurturing what we hope to preserve and see flourish. I think of children of all ages, wild and domestic animals, gardens and forests, and both long-standing and emerging friendships and family ties. We also nurture the institutions that support our communities’ well-being, including schools, houses of worship, medical facilities, and public safety services. The Bethel Area Age-Friendly Community Initiative (AFCI), Rotary, the Outing Club the RePant project, the 4-H Youth Hub, and other local volunteer-run nonprofits play an invaluable role in supporting individuals and strengthening the broader community.
We all are invited to have a place at the table. To be a spoke in the wheel. A leg of a stool. You get the picture.
AFCI could use your support in helping our older citizens to stay in their own homes, in their own neighborhoods. Like you, we would like to see people of all ages flourish. An “age-friendly community” is for all ages. You probably have noticed on our monthly “Events of Interest to Older Folks and Their Families” includes social opportunities that are designed for people of all ages.
We need more volunteer drivers to ensure that every older adult who requests a ride can receive one. Unfortunately, we must decline some requests because we do not have enough volunteers. Please reach out to: melindaremington@yahoo.com or by leaving a message at the AFCI Tel.#
207-824-4444.
I would like to share a reflection I wrote today:
This week I caught a sweet exchange between 2 women as we were finishing up our group stretching exercise session at the pool. One woman had complained of pain in her rib cage area from doing yard work the day before. We had all noticed her discomfort and that it had limited her normal robust participation that morning. We did feel bad for her and said we were sorry to see her experiencing twinges of pain.
At the end of our hour-long session, I noticed a fellow swimmer move closer to speak quietly with her. I could not hear their conversation, but I saw the woman stand behind the ailing lady. She preceded to hold her two hands, palms flat, on both sides of other’s rib cage, about three to four inches away without touching. They stood silently as one cared for the other. She was offering a Reiki treatment to help ease her friend’s pain. After about five minutes, they spoke to each other. Had that “non-touch” ministration helped? I learned through my own questions to them, “What was that?” that both women were skilled in Reiki. Interestingly, neither had known about the other’s training.
What I witnessed in those short minutes was someone showing compassion and then demonstrating care by offering what they could to help someone else. She did not just say she was sorry. She offered a possible solution.
The woman with the healing hands was led to offer the gift of her time and skill. The other woman humbly accepted, with thanks.
Think about how each of us can demonstrate compassion and care to anyone in need, whether the situation is large or small. We might bring a meal to a sick neighbor, listen patiently to someone who is grieving, help a stranger carry a grocery bag, or simply offer a kind word to a person having a difficult day. We can also practice humility when others care for us by accepting their help and saying a sincere thank you. Which comes more easily to you: offering help or receiving it?
Please consider volunteering with AFCI.
My friend who likes to swim in Sunday River just texted. I must run along. I am going to join her and go swimming again this afternoon. This time at a local public sandy beach. Another place I used to take my children….
I hope you all enjoy the rest of August.
Melinda Remington
Locke’s Mills News
Amy Wight Chapman
Former Selectman Arnold Jordan, who celebrated his 92nd birthday on Wednesday, August 19, is now Greenwood’s oldest resident. Town Manager Kim Sparks and all three members of the current Board of Selectmen presented Arnie with Greenwood’s Boston Post Cane on Wednesday at his home on the Gore Road. We love you, Arnie!
