Western Maine Neighborhood News, July 23, 2026
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).
Molly Ockett Day Medallion Hunt news from the Bethel Area Business Association:
Following the publication of Clue #3, the medallion has officially been found! We’ll announce our winner and present the prize during Molly Ockett Day on August 8, so be sure to stop by and celebrate with us!
But the fun isn’t over yet—we’ll continue sharing the remaining clues so everyone can keep playing along just for fun. Think you’ve solved it? Head out on the hunt, snap a photo at the spot you think is correct, and send it to us; we’ll let you know if you found the right location!
Thank you to everyone who has participated so far, and we can’t wait to see you all on August 8!
Andover News
Diana Nadeau
The next artist performing in the Andover Summer Concert series this Friday the 24th is none other than our own Pete Coolidge! It finally looks like it will be a beautiful night to enjoy some wonderful music on the Andover Common.
Concerts start at 6 pm, so gather up your chairs, bring along the family and come on up for an evening of entertainment. All concerts are free but donations are gladly accepted. Arrive even earlier and savor a nice meal at Mills Market or a delectable ice cream at Kate’s Kones.
Andover Olde Home Days is almost upon us. It is always such a fun day with lots to do. The Andover Service Circle needs some help this year for AOHD August 1st. They are looking for volunteers to help staff tables and to help with the 50/50 raffle ticket table and the ticket auction table. This is a great opportunity for high school students looking to earn community service hours while giving back to the community. Even if you can only help for part of the day, it would be greatly appreciated. Interested? Send their page a message on Facebook or contact group president, Andrea, at 207-392-1020.
The last meeting for the AOHD Committee will be at the Town Hall Monday, July 27, at 6 pm. Anyone can attend and I’m sure they would welcome any extra hands that would like to volunteer for the big day.
A reminder that the Photography Contest drop-off times are next Wednesday the 29th from 12-3, Thursday the 30th from 3-6, and Friday the 31st from 10-12. Photos can be dropped off downstairs at the Andover Town Hall. Thanks Chad!
The Andover Snow Valley Sno-goers has a great opportunity for one lucky person to experience a weekend at one of the Lone Mountain Campground’s A-frame cabins. The campground generously donated this to help support the snowmobile club. This is yet another reason why I love my little town, everyone pitches in to help one another. Tickets are $10 and the drawing will take place in September. Please visit the club’s booth this AOHD to purchase your ticket. All proceeds benefit the Andover Snow Valley Sno-goers. I’ll certainly be buying mine...those cabins are gorgeous!
This Saturday the campground will be having a visit from Dave’s Backyard BBQ from 2-7. They will also be at AOHD Friday night, July 31st, from 3-9 and all day Saturday August 1st. The menu looks amazing.
Reminder that there will be a special election to be held on August 10th from 2-6 pm at the Andover Town Hall to fill the empty selectman’s seat. Please come out and vote in this important election. Our town government is very vital for our town; the effort and time that is put in by our selectboard and town officials should not be overlooked.
If you are looking for some delicious Maine blueberries, you are in luck! Burke Hill Farms from Cherryfield, Maine will be delivering in our area on Wednesday, July 29. They will be at the Gem Theater parking lot in Bethel at 2:30 and at the Tractor Supply parking lot in Rumford at 3:05. They are organic wild Maine blueberries sold in 5 pound boxes, individually flash frozen so they are ready to scoop out in any amount needed. There will be no deliveries in August so get on the list now. I have purchased these multiple times and they are fabulous! Please visit their website for all info and to order.
https://www.burkehillfarm.com
I was recently lucky enough to capture a bobcat on my trail camera, such a beautiful cat not often seen.
There have also been quite a few deer passing through as well as a coyote, a waddling porcupine and a turkey or two. I really love to see what passes through and share those pictures with my dad. I know he would rather the deer take part in munching in the back field instead of his garden. The green beans and beet greens seem to be favorites. I always tell him it is so nice of him to plant the deer a salad bar buffet, haha.
Please send any news or events my way. If anyone wants any AOHD information or news added for next weeks column please get it to me as soon an you possibly can and I will certainly include it.
Bethel News
Linda Howe
Summer is moving forward at a fast speed. August is a great month for lots of fresh produce grown locally. Swain’s Farm Stand and Carter’s Farm Stand should begin to have local corn on the cob for sale. Tomatoes, zucchini, and blueberries are other crops that come on strong in the month of August. I need to collect the ingredients to make zucchini relish which is a two-day process but very well worth the time.
I’m planning on attending the Friday morning 8 a.m. class at the Community Annex on the subject of breathwork. T.J. Farnum is the instructor so I am looking forward to learning about more practices for self-care.
This Saturday, on lower Main Street at the Philbrook Place you will find Randy Bennett signing his White Mountain books from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Talking with a Maine historian always provides a treasure trove of information. Stop by and visit Randy as well as check out the offerings inside the Philbrook Place. (This book signing was rescheduled from July 18 to this Saturday, July 25.)
Events next week include the monthly Community Supper at the Bethel Alliance Church on Wednesday, July 29, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. The church is located across from Telstar on the Walkers Mills Road. This meal is free and open to the public.
On the topic of meals, the recent Neighbors Feeding Neighbors in July provided free meals and donated provisions for our local food pantry. The hamburger that was grilled came from Blake’s Farm which is supporting our local farms in our area.
Folks also donated salads, which is always a blessing. The next Neighbors Feeding Neighbors will take place on Tuesday, August 11, at the Methodist Church.
I graduated from Mexico High School in 1972 and over the decades I still get together with some of my classmates/friends. Joanie Dawson and I have been friends for decades. Joanie lives in rural Maine with her husband. She worked for over 40 years with juveniles who got into some legal troubles. Upon retirement, she took up watercolor painting and still continues with that art. Joanie then decided to try her hand at writing short stories and recently had her first book published.
Her book, Something For Everyone: Three Short Stories From Maine, features three stories. “Starting Over” is a love story. “The Old Seaman’s Chest” is a mystery. “Finding A Home” is written for middle grades, ages eight to 12, but adults enjoy the story, too. What makes this book unique is she is not only the author but the illustrator as well. It’s unusual to see the same person as author and illustrator, but Joanie is very talented along with being humble as well. I hope she continues to paint and write, for these gifts to make life more enjoyable for us all.
Please send any news or events to lhowe7273@gmail.com
East Bethel News
Wally Ritz
July is moving right along. I hope everyone made it through the extended power outage last week.
The Locke Mills Union Church had a very nice turnout for the spaghetti supper. The community spirit was up. Lots of volunteers made the work easy and the food donations were amazing. Special thanks to Howe Family Farm and John Carter Farm and Maine Line Products. Comments were, when are you going to do this again! So look for another spaghetti supper in September.
The Craft and Yard Sale at the Locke Mills Union Church is coming up soon also. Check the flyer for more details and contact information. The church would also appreciate donations toward their yard sale.
Sonny Hastings will celebrate his birthday on July 23rd. Happy Birthday from the whole neighborhood, Sonny. Make sure to beep your horn if driving by to let him know you are thinking of him.
Call me at 207-595-0691 email heinrichcracker@gmail.com with all your news and information.
Enjoy your summer!
Gilead News
Lin Chapman
Well, we survived a couple of power outages recently. The first one was close to 12 hours long. That was brought on by the wind and rain that we were having at the time. It really wasn’t a surprise like the power outage on Monday, the 20th. We were having nice weather and all of a sudden, around 10:30 am, the power went off. A call to CMP got a work order started and a restoration time of 1:00 pm. Then it was revealed on Facebook that a pole on the North Road had just fallen over. Restoration was then pushed up to 5:00 pm. The North Road was shut down just past the Gilead green bridge heading towards Bethel. CMP appeared and power was restored around 4:30 pm. Let’s hope we are done with power outages for a while.
Pete and Claudia Risbara entertained some company last week. Their granddaughter, Campbell Perrine, from South Carolina spent some time with them here in Gilead and traveling around the Portland area.
Gilead Historical Society
Last week I posted photos of the new lights in the schoolhouse and station. I thought I included a thank you to Derek and his crew from Simpson Electric 207 LLC for a job well done. We appreciate the quick response from them. They are located in Dixfield, Maine. (207) 491-6373.
This week’s history is from some letters that were written in 1905. They were received by the GHS in 2006. The letters were transcribed by Cindy Bennett, who is a direct descendent of the Gilead Peabody family. There were thirteen letters in all that the sister of her great-grandfather had written on her trip through Europe in 1905. Some letters are quite long, so we will start with the introduction by Cindy Bennett and then include Letter #1. These letters are very well written and quite interesting with an insight into what was happening in 1905, so we hope they are to the readers of this column. (Letters were published in the GHS newsletter-Fall ‘06 & Spring ‘07)
Introduction by Cindy Bennett
“On May 30, 1905 May Peabody and her three friends left New York City on the German ship “Prinz Adelbert,” bound for Naples. In the course of the trip through Europe, which lasted until early September, May wrote 13 letters home to her family describing her experiences.
About the author of the letters: At the time she set out, May Peabody was 41. Unmarried, she was a teacher at the Horace Mann School in New York City. The school was an experimental school closely associated with the Teachers’ College of Columbia University, teaching boys and girls. In the letters, she occasionally refers to “Whittier Hall,” which houses the Teachers’ College. We know nothing of May’s companions on the trip to Europe, not even their first names.
Besides the trip described in these letters, there is another story available in which Aunt May took part. Around 1884, she and some friends had an outing to the top of Mt. Washington in a carriage. A description can be found here: http://www.bethelhistorical.org/Mountain_Days.html
On the recipients and the house in Gilead: The recipients were:
“Mamma” - her mother, Mary E. Peabody, born in 1841
Her sister Ada and brother-in-law Arthur Roberts living at Waterville Maine, where Arthur was on the faculty of Colby College. He served as President of the college from 1908 to 1927.
Her brother Will and sister-in-law Lily Peabody (CB’s great-grandparents) and their son Walter (then age 8), living in White Plains, New York, at the time. Will was a civil engineer. His most “visible” project was Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts (1920s), Boston’s water supply.
Her brother Frank and sister-in-law Ethel Peabody, living in Akron, Ohio.
The Peabody family was from Gilead, Maine (originally called “Peabody’s Patent”) and was descended from some of the first settlers of Gilead, Thomas and Mary Peabody. One of the main businesses in the area was logging and lumber.
Their house had originally been built as a tavern in 1799 and is on historic registers as the “Peabody Tavern,” but was no longer in use as such. It is still standing and has recently been renovated. It is now situated between the railroad line and US Route #2. In 1905 the house was only used by the family in summer. (It was considerably cooler than New York or Boston.) The summer get-togethers in Gilead continued into the 1940s: my mother remembers plagues of mosquitoes in summers at the “red house”.
Letter #1
Prinz Adelbert [a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean]
Sunday, June 4, 1905
My dear Family,
There are so many things I want to tell you that I hardly know where to begin. We have been out almost a week and a more restful and delightful seven days I have never known. We have had all kinds of weather, cold and warm, windy and calm, sunshine and rain and the sea has changed accordingly. Sometimes as calm as a mill pond and sometimes like the sea as I have seen it at Cape
Elizabeth after a storm.
Since Saturday we have had ideal days, warm enough to sit on deck without jackets or gloves. No, I’ve had not the slightest touch of seasickness. I’ve enjoyed every minute since we came on board. I sleep like a top and eat every time anything is offered. In fact I’ve never felt better. This is an ideal morning and we are all on deck. The sea is blue as sapphires, not a white cap to be seen. The boat moves along so steadily that I hardly know we are on the water. Nothing to be seen but the beautiful blue sky and the sea almost as blue. This afternoon we have seen a great many porpoise and this evening the phosphorescent lights in the water have been
beautiful. It has been an ideal day, never to be forgotten.
Wednesday, June 7, 1905.
We passed the Azores yesterday. The only island we were near was Flores. We were about an hour passing it and it was a beautiful changing picture to be long remembered; the color of houses, soil, grass and rocks, the mist, and the sea on every side were
indescribably beautiful. The ship is becoming a very familiar place but I am not one bit tired of it. Naturally the passengers are
becoming very friendly. We have found some very pleasant Cleveland people, Dr. and Mrs. Lewis, Mr. and Mrs. Austin. They are to take much the same trip that we do so we are hoping to meet them again.
Such good meals we have had and so many courses! At luncheon we generally have soup, fish, and two meat courses beside desserts. For dinner soup, fish, three or more meat courses, dessert (usually ice cream) fruits, nuts, cheese, coffee. I’ve had a ravenous appetite all the time and now feel thoroughly rested.
Thurs. June 8.
I have not told you how much I enjoyed my steamer letters. When I first got on board I found fourteen but none from any of my
family. After we started I found letters from Mamma, Will, Lily, Walter, Ada, and Arthur. Thank you all for giving me so much pleasure. Lily, your letter was particularly clever, my friends thought. I had a letter from Aunt Hattie enclosing [a] check for $10. and Jessie Guernsey sent me $2. to buy something I wanted in Florence. So you see my friends and relatives have supplied me with means to purchase souvenirs, for Ada gave me $1. and Kathleen sent the same amount. I suspect Mamma of some such thing too for I found a nice little package in the pocket of my skirt marked for my birthday.
Monday June 12.
The end of our voyage seems very near for tomorrow we reach Naples. These last days have had more variety. On Friday afternoon we passed Cape St. Vincent, and all the evening we could faintly discern the lights of the Spanish shore. We were all up early
Saturday for we were to pass Gibraltar. Gibraltar itself was grand, a huge mass of rock towering up into the sky. Apparently entirely separated from the mainland until we were close by. The finest view of the rock itself is after we have passed it and are in the blue Mediterranean. Then it rises to an immense height and its sides are almost perpendicular. This is the view we most often see. Saturday was a gala day on the ship too. The captain celebrated his twenty fifth anniversary of his life on the sea.
Today we expect to see Sardinia and between ten and twelve tomorrow reach Naples. I am anxious to hear from you all, but hope all is well. Shall be especially glad to hear how Ethel is getting on.
Tuesday a.m.
Our bags are packed and we are all ready to leave the steamer. I want to mail this at Naples as soon as we land so shall add only a word. Last night was the Captain’s dinner. About the same things to eat except for an extra meat course, but the dining room was decorated and everybody dressed in his or her best.
Goodbye for this time. Everybody is astir and I cannot write. Much love to you all.
May
Got any news? Email chapmal@hotmail.com
AFCI News
Melinda Remington
Hello Everyone,
July has been busy, and I imagine many of you feel the same. I try to eat well, exercise, rest, nurture relationships, keep up with home and yard, serve as your Community Connector—and still make time for sewing. At 74, I’m learning it’s okay to slow down a little while enjoying the things that help me stay balanced and healthy.
I want to share a small snippet of my personal life with you so you can get to know me better. You will see the kinds of activities I attend, mostly community related that are listed in our Monthly Events handout. Pictures speak louder than words; I will share some of my favorites with captions.
After seeing my pictures, I sincerely hope you will share with me your photos and favorite activities. Just write a brief description. This way we can all get to know our neighbors better.
Also, if you would like to receive the Monthly Events handout via email, please just reach out and send me an email.
Enjoy each day!
Melinda Remington
AFCI Community Connector
melindaremington@yahoo.com
After Tuesday’s 9:00 am walk at ‘Buck’s Ledge Trail for All’ , Ed Rosenberg and his wife Leslie led us out to meet the trail crew from the Maine Conservation Corps. The young hearty folks hailed from Arizona, upstate NY, and PA. They are doing fabulous work. Coming from the other direction we met Marcel Polak. Also checking out the work were Jane Chandler and Dick Stratton. It is a busy place up there as we also met a large group from the Maine 4-H Camp in Bryant Pond and a large family group from Exeter, NH. The members of the Woodstock Conservation Commission are to be commended for their dedication to developing this local treasure.
Another day involved a walk on the Davis Park trail. I love the paintings on the sidewalk. The solar system and brig descriptions of each planet. Walking with friends is always a good idea. Lots of stories to share or quiet companionship.
Last weekend I attended the annual ‘ Smith Cousins Reunion ‘ at Kiwanis Beach in Standish. I grew up in North Windham and Portland, so not related to any local Smiths. Had a wonderful time catching up with those who live in Maine, Washington state, Georgia, North Carolina and New Hampshire. The next day it was back to Standish for a gala wedding party that included lobster dinners and dancing to a fantastic dance band. I am so happy for my older sister and new husband. The theme of the commitment ceremony was ‘It Is Never Too Late;’ the bride and groom looked joyous and the flowers that adorned the venue were outstanding!
The Thursday “Mornings at the Museum” are a big hit with local and visiting children and their caregivers. Teachers and students from Mahoosuc kids walk from Crescent Park for the 9:30-11:00 sessions of art, music, crafts, and museum exploring. Older volunteers and young “docents” work together for an enjoyable and meaningful experience. This year I sewed felt hand puppets for the children to personalize. It was a fun time and the children are very sweet, polite and appreciative. A joyful experience for me.
Docent Mia enjoyed working with the children. The nanny to three children proudly displays her charges’ creations.
Locke’s Mills News
Amy Wight Chapman
It’s the height of summer, and time for wild blueberries. The bushes at the edge of the water in front of our camp were covered with blossoms back in June, and then with more green berries than I ever remember seeing on them, and I was looking forward to an abundant harvest. That is, until I realized that the berries were disappearing as fast as they ripened.
