Western Maine Neighborhood News, January 8, 2026
Hello, Neighbors! In this issue, the Andover, Bethel, East Bethel, and Gilead columns are free to all readers. Upgrade to a paid subscription to read this week’s Locke’s Mills, Newry, and Woodstock columns.
Andover News
Diana Nadeau
I hope that you all had a very good start to the New Year...welcome 2026! Brrrr is all I can say. Thank goodness that the bit of icy weather we had wasn’t like the ice storm of 1998. Anyone that lived through that certainly has lingering vivid memories of the aftermath.
With these colder temps doing chicken chores in single digits in Andover isn’t for the faint of heart! Our 10 Buff Orpington chickens that we acquired this spring are laying 6-8 eggs a day. It’s quite the game to gather the eggs before they freeze in these temps. Needless to say we have had lots of scrambled eggs for breakfast and caramel custard has been made a few times.
Mills Market is looking to fill a cashier and a cook position, 2 nights a week from 1:00 pm to closing time. If you are interested please stop by the store to fill out an application.
The Andover Recreation Committee has resumed the Tuesday/Thursday pickleball as of January 6th at the Andover Elementary School at 6:00 pm. They have also added an extra hour on Thursdays from 5:00-6:00 for kids and families.
Just a reminder that the remaining dates for Cabin Fever Reliever in January are the 17th and 31st from 10-2 at the Andover Congregational Church. There is no charge, and coffee and tea are provided. If you need more information please contact Christine Swain, (207) 392-2572.
Now here is a message from the Andover Common Folk: Now that the holidays are over and the lights on the common are off (the gazebo stays lit until Feb 1), we would like to thank everyone that made this year’s lighting as special as it was…folks that donated funds, those that gave their time to help set it up, those that built structures, those that donated greens, the Congregational Church for hosting the service of hot cocoa and cookies, folks that made cookies, the Calvary Bible Church folk for gracing us with hymns of the season, our Santa Claus, whose name I shall not disclose, you know, just in case, our Andover Fire Dept. for carrying Santa over to greet the littles and always being willing to participate in any way, and our Highway Dept. for setting up their display, the Andover Elementary School’s creative folk and our public library for their contributions, the families that brought in and decorated trees (the “Angel Tree” was a beautiful idea!), and the Andover Historical Society for their participation.
Andover is always a special place but when our community comes together the way it did for this holiday season, it really shines! So again, from all of us in the Common Folk, thank you, and may 2026 be a blessing for all of us. See you in the Fall!
The January 6th presentation of financial reports has been rescheduled to January 27th, at the request of the Superintendent of Schools, Leanne Condon. At the board’s meeting at the Andover Town Hall on January 27th she will present a year-to-date update on the finances and projects related to the Andover School Department. The meeting begins at 6 pm.
I would love to hear from some people that have followed me from the BC to this platform...just a quick email to let me know. As always please reach out with any news or events. Stay safe and warm everyone. diananadeau@ymail.com
Bethel News
Linda Howe
There are 3 events next week in Bethel.
On Tuesday, January 13th, is Neighbors Feeding Neighbors from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Methodist Church dining room. This is a Community event where folks are able to enjoy a hot meal. Donations are accepted to help our local food pantry. There is always plenty of food so come and meet your neighbors!
The Bethel Senior Citizen Club will hold their monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 14th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Folks will gather in the dining room at the Methodist Church located on Main Street. The free meal will be provided by a local farmer. No View Farm located in Rumford will be the featured farm for January. Annette Roy is a great cook and I am sure our local Seniors are in for a culinary treat. There will also be a guest speaker to educate folks about a voucher program from Seniors Plus. All area Seniors are welcomed to attend. This Senior Club has been meeting in Bethel since 1962!
Don’t forget the Sound Matters Session that is happening on Wednesday evening, January 14th, in the Community Annex at the Methodist Church. This is an opportunity to educate oneself on the health benefits of sound healing. Rebecca Fraser Douglass is a certified sound healer who will lead this educational session. It starts at 6 p.m and is open to the public.
Bob and I still remain in contact with Jeff and Doreen Johnson, who live in Australia. Jeff grew up in Locke Mills and Doreen grew up in Berlin, New Hampshire. In Australia a pack of cigarettes costs $65.00 and a quart of vodka cost $75.00. At those prices I think people would want to quit! Prices are high because so much of the merchandise has to be flown into Australia which drives the prices up. There are a lot of sheep in Australia so lamb is reasonable and abundant. How interesting to see how other countries operate and what is available.
Please send any news or events for this digital column to lhowe7273@gmail.com
East Bethel News
Wally Ritz
I hope everyone’s year is off to a good start and the kids will be back in school. So, please, be mindful of the school buses out and around.
Lily Lewis, daughter of Tonya and John Lewis, will celebrate her 14th birthday on January 13th. Happy Birthday from the whole neighborhood, Lily.
Our hearts go out to Eva and John Coolidge and family on their loss of their granddaughter Corey. She was taken way too soon and will live on in our hearts.
On Tuesday, January 13th, another Neighbors Feeding Neighbors will happen from 4:30 till 6:30 at the Bethel Methodist Church. Come and enjoy a warm, free meal. If you can, bring along some non-perishable foods to be donated to the Food Pantry, or take what you need.
Then on January 14th the Bethel Seniors Group will have their monthly meeting from 11:00 till 1:00 at the Bethel Methodist Church. Dinner will be served by one of the local farms.
Call me at 824-1113 or email heinrichcracker@gmail.com
Have a great week.
Gilead News
Lin Chapman
Well, 2026 has decided to arrive and bring cold temperatures with it. Most of the time the temperature starts out with single digits in the morning and rises to the mid-teens by afternoon. If the sun comes out, the thermometer might get into the mid 20’s. At least the days are getting a little bit longer now, minute by minute.
It seems like that now the holidays are over, people have headed back home after their family vacations. Hopefully, they are headed to a warmer climate.
Not much to report on birds at the feeder this week. There seems to be just the usual ones. Pete Risbara reports that they have seen a large number of Blue Jays and Evening Grosbeaks at their feeder.
I saw a post on Facebook that Phil House made. He stated that he has been organist at First Universalist Church in Auburn, Maine for 41 years. Congratulations, Phil.
The recent bad weather caused a lot of problems with the slippery roadways in the area. It seems that Route 2 in Gilead was not kind to a few drivers. In case you missed it, the following is a post on Facebook from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office:
“On 12/31/2025 at approximately 0628 hours US Rte 2/Gilead Rd was reduced to single lane traffic with periodic closures during recovery efforts of a tractor-trailer truck combination which had been involved in an accident. Investigations found Mark Keddy of New Hampshire had been driving westbound on US Rte 2 in Gilead in a 2022 Western Star owned by SDS Logging INC of Jefferson, New Hampshire. Keddy was not injured. The Western Star truck had significant damage. The truck trailer was not loaded.”
The Gilead Fire Department has been busy on other calls after that truck accident. On Saturday, January 3rd. they were toned out to respond to a motor vehicle accident on Route 2. Deputies from Oxford County responded, along with Bethel Rescue. They were also called out Sunday, January 4th for a chimney fire on the North Road.
Gilead Historical Society
Historical Note: Excerpt from GHS publication, {School Days by Howard C. Reiche, Jr, Hugh G. Chapman, Linsley A. Chapman, 2014}-“HISTORY OF GILEAD SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION: These early Gilead records of education and the schools are scattered throughout several sources: the incomplete Town Reports, Town Meeting Warrants and the two note books of The Ministerial and School Committee.
Also, there aren’t many early State records. Primarily, because the towns were not interested in having the state involved in their business. It wasn’t until 1846 that a State Board of Education was formed. Its main purpose was to examine and correct the defects in the existing “district” system. Remember, each town district ran their own school, not the town or state. The State Board tried to make suggestions to the Town District Systems for the arrangements of the districts, uniformity of schoolbooks, teacher qualifications, the location and uniformity of schoolhouses, and the school year. It must have been like trying to herd cats! Nothing happened.
The Gilead Selectmen decided that no child should have to walk more than a mile to school. So, in 1836, the Gilead School Districts were set up by the selectmen. They created six districts with boundaries and a seventh called “the bog”! They were #1, #2 and #3 on the North side of the river from Bethel to the New Hampshire line and #4, #5 and #6 on the South side going downstream from the New Hampshire line to Bethel. No further references were found for “the bog”, or #7 school.
Also, there doesn’t appear to be any reason in the records why the Gilead selectmen would be interested enough to designate such a school. This could stand some deeper research.”
Got any news? Email me at chapmal@hotmail.com
Locke’s Mills News
Amy Chapman
I’ve been reading about First Day Hikes, guided or self-guided hikes offered in state parks across the country, including several here in Maine, on New Year’s Day, to encourage people to start the year with some exercise and fresh air. The program started in Massachusetts in 1992, went nationwide in 2012, and now attracts tens of thousands of participants each year.
