Western Maine Neighborhood News, March 19, 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
I must apologize for my short column this week. I have been under the weather since mid last week. I hope by the time this is published I will be on the other side of it. This one has really knocked me off my feet.
Well, Mother Nature has spoken. It was announced by the Andover Snow Valley Sno-goers that all trails are now closed. They have also had to cancel the sliding party event that was scheduled for this Saturday. They plan on holding one next winter.
I was saddened to hear that Justin Thacker will not be seeking reelection for the town of Andover’s Select Person seat. He has been a wonderful asset for our town and I was very fortunate to work alongside him for a time. He will certainly be missed.
Nomination papers are available at the Town Office during regular business hours for this position as well as two Andover School Board positions. These need to be submitted by Monday, April 27, before 1:00 pm.
If you have any news or events to share please send them my way. diananadeau@ymail.com
Bethel News
Linda Howe
March 20th! First day of Spring. It has been a cool start to Spring. I hear that the sap run has been slow. This upcoming weekend is Maine Maple Weekend, March 21st and March 22nd. We can only hope that the sap run will pick up next week. Collecting 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup is the goal. That is a lot of sap!
Here is a short list of upcoming events.
Church supper of soup, stew, chowder and chili will be served at the Methodist Church on Saturday, March 21, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This supper is open to the public with donations to help fund a new roof for the Church.
Saturday, March 28, is the monthly dance at the American Legion Hall in Greenwood located on Gore Road. The Fossils will provide live music from 6 to 8 p.m. Donations from this dance help the Legion Hall with their finances.
On Sunday, March 22, starting at 9 a.m. Reverend Donald Coverdale will be providing pulpit supply for the Methodist Church located on Main Street. Many folks may know Don from when he was involved in the Sunday River Ministry. His message will be “Looking For Love In All the Wrong Places.” It will be interesting to see how he ties scripture into his message. This service is open to all.
I have also been reading a book titled The Women of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream. This book tells of the Wisdom of 16 women and their lessons for today. In the month of April we will be having a book talk and sharing our thoughts on this topic. You do not have to read the book to join in or attend all the sessions. The goal is for folks to learn together and how we can apply the wisdom from the past into our lives today. This book talk is open to the Community. All are welcome!
Please send news and events for this digital column to lhowe7273@gmail.com
East Bethel
Wally Ritz
So far I only have three votes about my question concerning a favorite greenhouse. In order to ease minds, I will not say who voted how, rather merely give a tally of votes. Please, do join the fun. You may even find out about some places you didn’t know existed.
Happy Birthday to Madeline Lewis, daughter of Tonya and John Lewis, from the whole neighborhood on March 21.
Tammy Hinckley will celebrate her birthday on March 22. Happy Birthday from the whole neighborhood, Tammy. You are such an inspiration, defying the odds.
Mark your calendars for March 28th when the Fossils will be performing at the Locke Mills Legion again. Details will follow next week.
Amy Wight Chapman spoke to all of us at the Bethel Seniors Group about her book. It was very interesting and informative. Thank you, Amy.
Please, call me at 595-0691 or email heinrichcracker@gmail.com
It is always great to hear from you with news and interesting tidbits.
Think Spring!
Gilead News
Lin Chapman
Sunday: It was kind of a dismal day, but the sun tried to show up occasionally. By noontime, the temperature had climbed up to 38 degrees. The snowstorm overnight last Friday was all gone by Saturday afternoon.
Monday: We woke up to rain. At 9:30 AM, it was about 35 degrees and the rain was fairly heavy. The good thing was that the snow was melting!
Happy Birthday wishes go out to Lise McLain on March 20th.
There was a strange bird that stopped by for only a minute. It was brownish, had a long bill and looked something like a Woodcock. It was gone before we could really identify it.
Pete Risbara reports that his collection of sap to make maple syrup has not gone very well. The weather is not cooperating with cold nights and warm days.
Gilead Historical Society
Even though the GHS buildings have been closed this winter, there is still a lot to do to get ready for when we open up this summer. First of all, there is a meeting of area historical societies at the West Parish Congregational Church in Bethel, hosted by the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, on Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m. An email from Will Chapman included the following information: “The goal will be to discuss some of the shared challenges our organizations face and ways we might potentially collaborate. Last March about 15 historical societies from Oxford County met and all in attendance agreed that it was a great meeting and that we should pursue further collaboration. This year we want to extend the invitation to some towns from our neighboring counties in Maine and New Hampshire and to small history museums and other historical organizations as well.”
Historical Note: The Gilead Cornet Band — From the archives of the GHS
There seem to be more pictures than written records of the band. In the early 1900’s, Gilead and some of the other towns had a coronet band. They were quite popular and played in many of the neighboring towns. The Gilead band made several trips to Shelburne, NH to play at local functions. They were also the featured band in the 1904 Gilead Centennial Celebration. These are a few of the photos of Gilead’s band.
Got any news? Email chapmal@hotmail.com
Locke’s Mills News
Amy Wight Chapman
Spring officially arrives tomorrow, March 20, at 10:46 AM. It might be safe to stow away your snowshoes and high winter boots, but don’t pack away your warm jacket and mittens just yet.
No mid-March local column would be complete without a few observations (and complaints) about the weather. I know I said I wasn’t going to let March fool me—again—but I admit that a couple of warm days last week made me think that maybe, just maybe, what has felt to me like a long, cold winter might come to an early end.
