“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, East Bethel, and Locke’s Mills 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 Bethel, Gilead, Newry, and Woodstock columns (and all the town columns every week).
October will soon be here, and the next few weeks are filled with upcoming events! Some, like a series of Sunday afternoon cemetery tours and a Spooky Stories event at the Andover Library, will help you welcome “Spooky Season,” while others aim to inform and engage us as we continue the local celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Expand your horizons with a guided geology hike, learn a new skill at the West Bethel Makerspace, or share in one of several upcoming community meals.
Andover News
Diana Nadeau
This mid-September weather has been a bit chilly in the mornings. Still working on loading up my dad’s woodshed for him. We just broke down and started our wood stove this past Sunday and kept it going all day which felt so cozy on the rainy dreary day. We got our first oil fill-up last week and let me just say, we will be burning as much wood as possible, ouch!
Last Tuesday my bff Velora and I traveled to Waterville to see Celtic Thunder. It was a first for us, both seeing the group and the venue. Our evening started out with dinner at The Proper Pig. Everything was delicious and we left rather stuffed.
The Opera House is very beautiful and upon entering we noticed a sign that stated we could purchase a meet and greet with two of the group members after the show. We thought “Why not!” I’m so glad we did; it was great fun. There was a Q & A session, trivia questions from Neil and Ronan and time for autographs.
I won a signed Celtic Thunder poster during the trivia portion. We also ran into our High School English teacher, Mr. Abbott! Of course we had to grab a “selfie.”
Suffice to say that we both had an amazing time. PS If you haven’t heard “Seven Drunken Nights” it’s worth a listen and a laugh.
This past Saturday the Ellis River Riders had a show at the ERR grounds. On Friday evening some troublesome coyotes (we are really having a big problem with those in our neighborhood) spooked one of the horses out of its enclosure. The word spread and quite of few people from South Andover and beyond headed out to help. I went and walked my property with a spotlight hoping to find the runaway as it was loose in unfamiliar territory. The owner and others searched until 1:30 am to no avail. On Saturday morning he was found safe and sound at Kim and Danny Peare’s around 7 am. Thanks to Joe Martin for leading him off Route 5 and onto their property until the grateful owner came to retrieve him. We not only have a wonderful horse community, but a community of people that will drop everything to try and help when help is needed. So glad for a happy ending to the story.
Here is some news provided by our neighbors, The Ellis Pond Sidekicks, about their EPSK scholarships. Here are the highlights. Applications are open to anyone who will be between 9 and 18 during the summer of 2027 and are related to an EPSK member. The scholarships are $300 each for a 2027 summer program at the UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Application deadline is December 1, 2026. Right now it looks like we’ve raised enough for eight $300 scholarships. Provided below is the link to the camp.
What a great opportunity for some young folks!
https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond/summer-camp/
Just a reminder that there will be a potluck lunch this Saturday, the 26th, at 11:30 am, at the Andover Congregational Church. Please come join in the fun. Drinks will be provided. If the weatherman is right and it’s going to be a rainy day, what better way to spend it having some yummy food and conversation.
This coming Saturday, September 26th from 1-3 P.M. at the Andover Library, there will be a Fall Flavors Soup Share. Bring a small pot of your favorite soup and a recipe to share. Bowls and spoons will be provided.
Tuesday, October 20th, at 4 P.M., the Andover Library will host a Spooky Stories of Maine event. You can come and recount a scary story that you’ve read or experienced. Or share a favorite spooky story anthology (ghost stories of Maine, unexplained mysteries of New England, etc.)
These sound like fantastic events to welcome in the fall season. If time permits I would love to do both! There are more events coming up that I will post in a future column. Great things are happening at the Andover Public Library!
Last Saturday I had the honor and pleasure of attending the wedding of a former AES student of mine. We have kept in touch over the years and I was touched when I received an invitation in the mail. It was a very unique and beautiful ceremony held outside on the most perfect fall day. It was a Celtic/Medieval themed wedding, the likes that I have never seen before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Congratulations to the Thaxters on finding their happily ever after.
Please send any news or events my way...I really do appreciate all the emails I receive! diananadeau@ymail.com
Bethel News
Linda Howe
The Harvest Fest on the 19th brought many visitors to our town. The 19th was also the last Saturday Market on Main Street for the season. Below are two photos of locals who were vendors at the Market. Rosie Coolidge MacArthur with her hand sewn creations and Cathy Davis Autrey with her snowmen participated in the Market. The Church did well with their yard sale items, food and knit/crochet creations to help us raise funds for our Capital Improvement Projects. Many thanks to all who stopped by or participated in the Saturday Market on Main Street.
East Bethel News
Hayli Tuttle
Hello neighbors! I hope you all had a wonderful week! I’m writing this column much later than I would like to be; unfortunately, it was a very hectic and chaotic week.
This past Saturday I attended the last Saturday Market and Indoor Yard Sale at Bethel Methodist Church. I also attended Harvest Fest. Both had many beautiful pieces of art to check out. It was definitely a beautiful day for it.
I also want to mention I had a lovely neighbor reach out to let me know about the wonderful job the public works department did on the ditching on Intervale and their care for the Lady Slipper habitat. Thank you from the whole neighborhood!
Howe Family Farm is having their 7th annual Pumpkinfest from 10am-2pm this Saturday, September 26th. I hope to attend!
I hope to get out sometime this week to see the leaves in East Bethel. I hope to get some pictures of the foliage. I’d love to see any pictures you may have of the changing leaves!
Call me at (207) 595-5930 or email me at haylist.laurent22@gmail.com. I look forward to
connecting with you. Have an awesome week!
Gilead News
Lin Chapman
October is right around the corner and the cooler nights are beginning to appear. Weatherman said possibility of a frost.
Pete and Claudia Risbara recently traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to spend some time with their family.
When they returned to Gilead, there were plenty of things to catch up on around the garden. Claudia also reports that Pete dug some of the potatoes that he planted. There is nothing like a new potato. They have been picking tomatoes and getting them ready to can. The sunflowers that are growing in their garden and on the hill are beautiful. We saw them when we rode by the other day.
Locke’s Mills News
Amy Wight Chapman
I blinked, and the month of September sped by! Next Thursday is October 1, which, I’ve just learned, is not only International Coffee Day, International Day of Old Persons, and World Vegetarian Day (all of which have some special significance for one or more members of my family), but also—and most important of all—National Black Dog Day!
The Greenwood Board of Selectmen, which usually meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 5 p.m., will be altering their meeting schedule for the next few months. The board will meet next on September 29, then will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays in October (the 13th and 27th), November (the 10th and 24th), and December (the 8th and 22nd).
The last few days of September and all of October are jam-packed with events! Here are some that I know about—be sure to let me know of others I may have missed.
Friday, September 25, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. at West Bethel Makerspace, 10 Ferry Road, Bethel: Community Mending Group monthly meeting. Feature Focus: All Things Adhesive with Susan Barras. Susan will cover the basics of how adhesives work, the range of options when choosing an adhesive, and tips for getting the best adherence. Join us drop-in style. The Makerspace team has created a fantastic working environment, and they look forward to making new connections that support our community. As always, rally up a friend, and bring your own project (it doesn’t need to be the Feature Focus) along with some donation money so our group can continue to grow and thrive.
Tuesday, September 29, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Telstar High School Library: To Your Health presents “A Guide to Healthy Living” with Dr. Kevin Finley of the Bethel Family Health Center. This event is FREE and open to all ages. Students and families are encouraged to attend. To Your Health is in its 21st year of providing free health wellness programs to the greater Bethel and Western Maine communities.
Sunday, October 4, at 2:00 p.m.: Cemetery Tour of Woodland Cemetery, Route 5, Bethel. Kick off “Spooky Season” with the first of four October Sunday afternoon cemetery tours! Every Sunday in October, join Museums of the Bethel Historical Society Executive Director Will Chapman at one of Bethel’s historic cemeteries to learn about some of the town’s permanent residents. In keeping with the Independence 250 theme, special attention will be given to Revolutionary War veterans. First up is Woodland Cemetery, a beautiful tiered cemetery located on Route 5 (Songo Pond Road), just about a mile south of Bethel village. The rest of the cemeteries on the tour are Riverside (North Road) on October 11; Pine Grove (West Bethel) on October 18; and Middle Intervale Cemetery on October 25.
Sunday, October 4, at 5:00 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Robinson House at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society (10 Broad Street): “The Painter’s Fire,” a special Independence 250 talk by Zara Anishanslin, Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware. The war that we now call the American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists armed with paint, canvas, and wax played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. In her 2025 book The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution, Zara Anishanslin charts the intertwined lives of three such figures who dared to defy the British monarchy: Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright. From London to Boston, from Jamaica to Paris, from Bath to Philadelphia, these largely forgotten patriots boldly risked their reputations and their lives to declare independence.
Monday, October 12, at 9:00 a.m.: Geology hike at Buck’s Ledge Community Forest with Myles Felch. Meet at the Route 26 trailhead parking lot.
Wednesday, October 14, at 4:00 p.m. at the Bethel Library (6 Broad Street): “Ghosts of Mount Washington,” a presentation by author Marianne O’Connor. She will discuss the memorials on Mount Washington. Several of these memorials are associated with mysterious events, and there are a total of eight, each representing a tragic story of immense loss.
Saturday, October 17, at 2:00 p.m. in the Howe Exhibit Hall of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society (Mason House, 14 Broad Street): “What Revolution?” Just how revolutionary was the American Revolution? Two historians, David Jones and William Andrews, will take up this question in a spirited discussion of the events of 1776 and their place in history. If you know William from his popular Western Mountains Senior College courses or David from his Bethel Village walking tours, you’ll know that both men are deeply passionate and wide-ranging in their knowledge of American history. This is sure to be one for the history books!
Friday, October 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Gould Academy fieldhouse: 46th Annual Bethel Outing Club Ski and Snowboard Sale. Get that unused gear ready to sell! As well as the opportunity to buy from multiple shops in the same place, 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
Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 7 p.m.: Trick-or-Treat Broad Street. Round out a busy month with some family fun! Be sure to stop by the Bethel Library and the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society for our fifth annual Trick-or-Treat Broad Street. We will be distributing candy to trick-or-treaters at the Bethel Library, Robinson House, and Mason House. We’ll also have a mini haunted house full of creeptastic historical oddities in the Twitchell Education Center!
And here’s one upcoming event for November, which will be upon us before we know it:
Thursday, November 5, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Telstar Library: Mary Morton Cowan will give a presentation on the history of logging in New England. She is the author of Timberrr! A History of Logging in New England, written for middle-grade readers. Spanning four centuries, the book explores the true story of how logging shaped the economy, culture, and forests of New England—from colonial mast cutting to the rise of sawmills and modern sustainable forestry. This program is presented by the Western Mountains Senior College, and is free and open to the public.
Although I was sorry to miss all the Harvest Fest goings-on last Saturday, I spent a wonderful weekend in Milford, Connecticut, where I grew up. On Friday morning, I drove to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where my best friend (of 61 years!), Donna, lives. After half a century spent almost entirely in Oxford County, my highway and traffic driving skills have become pretty rusty, and I’ve vowed, if at all possible, not to drive any further south than Portsmouth, so I was glad to ride with Donna the rest of the way. Her parents still live in Milford, in the same house where she grew up, so she travels that way fairly often and is a much more intrepid driver than I am.
After we got settled in our perfect little Airbnb overlooking the Gulf Pond estuary, where we could watch egrets and other wading birds from the sunroom, we went to visit Donna’s parents and went out to dinner with them at their favorite Italian restaurant, Mama Teresa’s.
Before we went to dinner, Donna’s mother, Marie, took us across the street to meet a family from Iran who have become her dear friends. She first met them two years ago, when she learned that their daughter, Nila, would be going to kindergarten the next fall and had not yet learned to speak English.
Marie (who is 93) had worked in a preschool for many years; she decided she would become Nila’s tutor, and began teaching her English lessons twice a week. Nila learned quickly, and was soon not only speaking, but also reading and writing English. Now in first grade, she is able to act as a translator for her grandparents, who live with the family and speak Persian. Her grandmother, Tahi, picked up some English from Marie’s lessons with Nila, and she recently decided to enroll in ESL classes, to which Marie now accompanies her.
Tahi, who adores Marie, often brings traditional Iranian foods she makes across the street to share with her and Donna’s father, and Marie held a birthday party for Nila last month when she turned six. It is so heartwarming to see the love and respect that has developed between these two families from very different backgrounds. But Nila’s family still has many friends and relatives in Iran and, sadly, when I told Donna this morning that now, whenever I hear news about the war in Iran, I keep thinking about the family and wondering how they feel about their adopted country and the current administration, she replied, “I think they’re afraid all the time.”
On Saturday, Donna and I attended our high school class’s 50th reunion, the first one I have been to. We were fortunate to have perfect weather, and we had a wonderful time reconnecting with the 80 or so members of our class of 300 who attended. When we were in school, our town had three high schools and 17 elementary schools. My own elementary school, West Main, was well represented at our reunion.
Then it was off to visit our friend Maria for a couple of hours at her farm, which was started by her grandparents in 1942; her grandsons, Oskie and Auggie, are the fifth generation of her family to live and work on the farm.
Before we headed north on Sunday, we stopped in Branford for a visit with my brother Andy and sister-in-law Marleen. I can’t believe it had been almost two years since I had seen them!
Being away for three days meant I didn’t make any progress at all last weekend on my attempt to settle back in at home and Organize All The Things, and from the looks of my October calendar, I’m going to have to settle for little snippets of time here and there when I can tackle small projects, rather than the unbroken stretch of project time I’ve been dreaming of. Oh, well…the important stuff will get done eventually, and as for the rest, I’ll try to remember something Tony told me early in our relationship: “Some things get done by not being done.”
This online newsletter is intended to keep our communities informed, so if you have news, events, or photos you’d like to have included here, I hope you’ll share them with me! You can reach me by email at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or by phone or text at 207-890-4812.
Where crooknecks are coiling and yellow fruit shines,
And the sun of September melts down on the vines...
~John Greenleaf Whittier, “The Pumpkin”
Newry News
Amy Henley
We checked off fair number two for the season by attending the Oxford County Fair. The first goal was to get food while there were no lines. We settled on some fries, chicken fingers and of course lemonade. After checking out the animals and the tractors, antique as well as new, we went to get a good seat for the demolition derby. If you have never attended, this is definitely something to put on the list for next year. They have it two nights so pick which works best. Personally, I like Friday with the ladies and the RunWutChaBrung.
Saturday, it was time to do some baking. First up was a couple of loaves of zucchini bread and I grated and froze four bags for later use.
Woodstock
Linda Stowell
Happy fall! It sure feels like fall, and is starting to look more and more so each day. Color is starting to pop up here and there. The far side of the bog has colors all along the shore line. I still have flowers in bloom, though fewer now. I’m still getting tomatoes, and even summer squash. My one plant that I bought, has been producing for quite some time now. It is also trailing, like a pumpkin, which hasn’t been characteristic of any other summer squash I’ve grown. Maybe it’s the norm for this particular type, who knows?
AFCI
Melinda Remington
Happy Fall to Everyone!
Hope everyone is well and enjoying their week. I have a few things to report:
Last Saturday’s Annual Chamber of Commerce HarvestFest was well attended, and AFCI’s booth was quite busy. People from near and far are interested in hearing about our volunteer efforts to serve our older citizens. The main goal of being an “age-friendly” community is for everyone to thrive throughout the lifespan. We try to address the physical and social needs of those aged 60+ by providing or supporting existing programs.
We do offer one program for people of all ages, made possible through our partnership with the Bethel Rotary Club. Members of both organizations work together to provide medical equipment from the Lending Closet. People of any age may occasionally need wheelchairs, walkers, commodes, shower stools, crutches, or canes. If you know someone preparing for surgery or dealing with an unexpected medical event, please ask them to call AFCI at 207-824-4444 and leave a message. A volunteer will return their call as soon as possible.
It was a beautiful sunny day for the festival. Along with informational handouts and brochures, we displayed a brand-new, large strip-quilted tote bag being raffled by the Bethel Senior Citizens Club. The bag has two large pockets: one for a cell phone and one for an iPad. Tickets are available for a donation of $5 for six, and the winner will be drawn in December. Proceeds will help fund a special Christmas and holiday party for members and their guests. I hope the chance to win this tote bag encourages you to donate, but more importantly, I hope you will join us in honoring, supporting, and bringing cheer to our older citizens.
The Bethel Senior Citizens Club meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for a meeting and lunch. The club is open to people age 50+ from all area towns, and membership dues are $10 per year. If you would like to attend as a guest, please contact me. The club has a special “Turkey Train” outing in New Hampshire planned for October 16. All ages are welcome. Look for more details in next week’s column.
Besides the candy and apples, people were drawn to our booth by the smiling welcome of our volunteers throughout the day. A sincere “Thank You” to: Moriah McDonough, Bob Elliot, Susan Mckay Parker, Scott Parker, Charlie Raymond, Kathy McMahon, Steve Wight, and Katina Colombotos. And a special thank you to RePant for collaborating with us, with a Big Shout Out and Thanks to Sue Lowe and Judy Rose.
(I just love living in this caring community!!!)
We also held a free raffle for a fall-themed wreath for anyone who shared their email address to receive AFCI’s monthly events calendar. Steve Wight was the lucky winner. Printed copies of the calendar are available at Mainely Provisions, but we encourage you to help AFCI reduce printing costs and paper waste by choosing a digital copy instead. To receive the calendar by email, please contact melindaremington@yahoo.com.
Another fun update: on Monday, two other women and I attended the free Adult Ed Tech Talk/iPhone Play Date. Adult Ed Director Terry Childs guided us through steps to become more familiar with our phone’s features. It was both helpful and funny to discover what we didn’t know and then practice as we learned. By the end of the two-hour session, we were all pleased with what we had learned, both individually and together. The next session is Friday, October 2nd, 12:30-2:30 pm. Please call the SAD44 Adult Ed office to reserve your free space. 207-824-2136 Ext. 1341
