Western Maine Neighborhood News, March 5, 2026
Hi, 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
Andover will be the place to be this weekend if you love snow and are a snowmobiler or just an interested party. The Andover Snow Valley Sno-goers is holding their 50th anniversary celebration. It will be held this Saturday, March 7th, starting at 10 am at THE HUT club house, 205 South Main Street. The grills will be fired up around 10ish for burgers, dogs, and other goodies. There will also be limited edition 50th stuff along with other garb. Parking for vehicles and trailers will be at the park and ride on Elm Street (Grimaldi Field). All are welcome to attend. It promises to be a good time as it is a vintage ride in as well. Congratulations on 50 years!
If you are looking for something a little more low-key then maybe the Cabin Fever Reliever is for you. This Saturday, the 7th, is the only date for the month of March. It is held at the Andover Congregational Church from 10-2. Bring along your craft project and settle in with fellow crafters for a few relaxing hours. Bring along a snack; coffee and tea are provided.
The Andover Elementary students had the opportunity to have their PE and Art teacher, Mrs. Harris, visit the school and share with them the fascinating process of tapping maple trees and collecting sap. Her family owns and operates a sugar shack. Once the sap is collected, the students will have the incredible opportunity to visit Mrs. Harris’s family farm to see firsthand how the sap is boiled down and transformed into delicious maple syrup. A sweet learning experience awaits! A sure sign that spring is near when you see the maple trees being tapped. Always makes you wonder...who came up with this idea? Let’s take this tree juice and boil it...it will be delicious! Haha.
Here is some budget news from AES: The budget for FY 27 (26-27) is currently being finalized. The draft budget will be presented on March 11, 2026, at a regular school board meeting. We start at 5:00 p.m., and the meeting is held in the AES Library. All are invited to attend. The AES budget includes the cost for educating all Andover students in PreK - Grade 12. This is generally between 65-67 students. We pay tuition, special ed costs, and bussing for middle school and high school students attending both SAD 44 and RSU 10. We do have some middle/high school Andover students attending private schools, so we also pay that tuition. (The state sets the tuition rates.) All of these costs are covered in the budget each year. If you have questions, please contact a school board member, call the school and leave your name & number so Superintendent Leanne Condon can call you back, or email her at lcondon@andoverschoolmaine.org.
Nomination Papers are available for the following Town elected positions: Select Board Member, Assessor, Overseer of the Poor—one position; 3-year term Andover School Board Representative—two positions, each for 3-year term. Nomination papers are now available at the Andover Town Office from the Town Clerk during normal business hours (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8-1, Wednesday 12-5) and must be returned by Monday, April 27, 2026 at 1 p.m. The Town Election will be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 to coincide with the State of Maine Primary Election at the Andover Town Hall.
There are also some employment opportunities for the town:
Transfer Station Attendant: The Transfer Station is seeking a reliable person available to work per diem on weekends, as well as week days, as hours become available. This position requires communication skills, good decision making, working in all types of weather conditions, ability to lift up heavy items, ability to identify equipment issues and resolve with the proper resources, following safety regulations and working directly with the public. If you enjoy working in a very social environment and meeting people this might be the job for you!
Seasonal Worker – Public Works/Highway: The Highway Department is seeking a seasonal part-time employee May through October to mow lawns, remove brush, trimming, assist with maintenance and upkeep of town properties and green spaces. The preferred candidate will have experience safely operating landscaping and lawn care tools (mowers, weed whackers, leaf blowers, etc.), ability to lift equipment needed for the job, good communication skills, and be reliable in all types of weather conditions. Training is available if needed. If you are looking for a position mostly working outside during the warmer months of year apply today!
I was truly saddened to hear about the passing of Mike Hart last week. Condolences also go out to Ed Swain and Stacy Millett on the passing of Maureen.
I was able to travel to Locke Mills last Saturday night to be entertained by the Fossils at the American Legion. We had a gathering for my friend Tracy’s birthday. It was a great evening spent with friends. So thanks to my hubby for going along (I made him, he enjoyed it!) and Amy, Steph, Tracy, Stacy, Tammy and Velora. I was also fortunate to see quite a few people that I hadn’t seen in quite some time.
If you have any news or events please send them my way. I like to have them by Tuesday night if possible. Just a reminder that we “Spring ahead” this weekend. Don’t forget to set the clocks forward one hour and change those smoke detector batteries. diananadeau@ymail.com
Bethel News
Linda Howe
Here are some upcoming events for your calendar:
These next two events take place at the West Parish Congregational Church on 32 Church Street in Bethel.
Thursday, March 5, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. is a free health wellness program titled Caring For Your Heart. Guest Speaker is cardiologist Dr. Daniel vanBuren who will provide valuable information on heart health.
The second event at the Congregational Church you will find Janet Willie on Friday, March 6, sharing information on treating soldiers in Ukraine with scars. It starts off with a potluck meal at 5 p.m. with the speaker, Janet Willie, starting at 6 p.m. These two events are open to the public with a theme of heart health and touching the scars of War.
The following week the Methodist Church on Main Street in Bethel will have three events.
On Tuesday, March 10, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. is Neighbors Feeding Neighbors. This is a free event where community comes together to feed one another and also bring awareness to the Bethel Food Pantry. Folks can bring non-perishables to the Church which will be brought to our local food pantry.
On Wednesday, March 11, the Bethel Senior Citizen Club will meet at 11 a.m. for their local monthly meeting. Guest speaker for this meeting is local author Amy Chapman who will discuss her recent book, Just Like Glass. This book has a lot of local names which many of our members have connections with as long time locals. The shepherd’s pie meal will be provided by Annette Roy from No View Farm. This will be a great meeting with an interesting book talk along with a delicious luncheon.
On Friday, March 13, starting at 6:00 p.m. Rebecca Fraser Douglass will present a talk on the benefits of sound healing. This will take place in the Community Annex at the Methodist Church. Fascinating topic for wellness.
This past week I went to Polished Dental located at 44 Mayville Road in Bethel. Tara Lunney Savage cleaned my teeth. She has a fancy camera and TV screen so you can see how your teeth look up close and personal. It was very beneficial and helpful. This is a great dental service where she can send the results of your cleaning to a dentist of your choice. Booking an appointment is easy and she can accommodate folks in a more timely manner. Recommend Polished Dental for dental cleanings, dental x-rays, dental sealants, in-office whitening, fluoride treatments, scaling/root planing, periodontal maintenance and full mouth debridement. Good to have dental services in our hometown.
The Bethel Library has several regularly occurring programs to keep in mind:
This upcoming weekend we will need to set clocks ahead one hour. Spring is on our doorstep. Mother Nature will begin to wake up from her winter slumber. Four seasons in Maine. You just gotta love it!
Please send any news or events to lhowe7273@gmail.com
East Bethel News
Wally Ritz
Happy March everyone!!! Spring is just around the corner now and it’s time to browse seed catalogs and plan the gardens.
I am already looking forward to visiting the various greenhouses in the area. Which greenhouse is your favorite and why? Let’s do our own little neighborhood survey. It will be interesting to hear your answers. Call me at 595-0691 or email heinrichcracker@gmail.com. You can also find me on facebook to get in touch with me.
Tuesday, March 10, the Neighbors feeding Neighbors community supper will be at the Bethel Methodist Church from 4:30 till 6:30. Come and enjoy a nice dinner and if possible donate some non-perishable food to help with food insecurity in our community.
The Bethel Senior Group will meet on Wednesday March11 at the Bethel Methodist Church from 11:00 till 1:00. New members and visitors are welcome.
Think Spring!
Gilead News
Lin Chapman
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
Locke’s Mills News
Amy Wight Chapman
I’m always happy to see March arrive. Even though I know in my head that it can be (and often is) just another long, cold, snowy winter month, as soon as I turn that calendar page, my heart starts to think it’s spring.
