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2. welfare
3. healthcare
4. hospital

Auburn
Highlights
Directly mailed to the residents of Auburn and Danville
Maine’s largest direct mail community publication company serving nearly 250,000 homes and “It’s All Good” News!
January 2015 • Volume 14, Issue 10
Just Good News Since 1992
A Product of
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Turner Publishing Inc., PO Box 214, Turner, ME 04282 • 207-225-2076 • Fax: 207-225-5333 • E-Mail: [email protected] • Web: www.turnerpublishing.net
St. Louis Church Lit up on New Year’s Eve
Submitted by Rachel Morin
St. Louis Church lit up
on New Year’s Eve signaling a new beginning
for the New Year and for
residents of Auburn and
Lewiston.
On New Year’s Eve, the
lighted façade of the former St. Louis Church in
New Auburn graced the
chilly evening sky. After
100 years as the heart of
the New Auburn Catholic community, the building breathes a new life.
Pilotage, the new owner,
comprised of community
members, Mary Callahan,
Daniel Dube, Christine
Holden and Donna LeBrun, led by Noel Smith, arranged to light the façade
to signal a new beginning
to Lewiston and Auburn.
The lights were donated
by Kennebec Rental with
transportation and setup donated by Sundown
Construction. From 5 to 8
pm members of Pilotage
and local officials were
on hand to greet those
in attendance coming
from many Auburn and
Lewiston neighborhoods
drawn by the spectacular
lighting that was visible
from both sides of the
Androscoggin River.
Noel Smith welcomed
the crowd, thanking everyone for their attendance
and wishing St. Louis
Church a Happy New Year
and happy 100th birthday.
Father Robert LaRiviere
recalled the history of St.
Louis Church and spoke
of his gratitude that the
building, while no longer a religious institution,
would remain a vital part
of the community. Mayor Jonathan Labonte expressed his pleasure that
a benefactor had stepped
forward to keep St. Louis alive and his feeling
that the fate of the building couldn’t be in better
hands. Mary Callahan and
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Donna LeBrun thanked
those in attendance for
their support and enthusiasm for the work that lay
ahead for Pilotage and
the entire community.
Christine Holden and City
Councilors Tizz Crowley,
Belinda Gerry and Leroy
Walker, as well as Maine
Senator Eric L. Brakey,
were on hand throughout
the evening greeting participants and exchanging
memories of St.
Louis and the New Auburn Community.
At 8 pm the evening was
closed by the hardy individuals still in attendance
with a chorus of “Auld
Lang Syne” and a “toast”
to the New Year and a new
beginning for a New Auburn institution.
Pilotage is gratefully
accepting donations for
utilities, especially oil for
the heating season. Interested donors may send
contributions to Pilotage,
179 Lisbon Street, Suite
202, Lewiston ME 04240
or directly to the Pilotage
Account at the Great Falls
Federal Credit Union, 34
Bates St., Lewiston ME
04240.n
Photo by Rachel Morin
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7
Page 2
January 2015
Grange Collects Items
for Hope Haven
At a recent meeting of
Androscoggin Pomona
Grange members gathered for a their annual Christmas Program.
Members were also
asked to bring a wrapped
toy for the Hope Haven Gospel Mission in
Lewiston. During the
program a fun selec-
tion of humorous holiday readings were read
by the members and
traditional
Christmas
songs were sung. Pianist Louise Roberts won
the attendance drawing.
Members have all year
been doing the It’s in
the Bag Fundraiser and
turned in their funds at
FREE ESTIMATES
ARMAND’S
AUTO BODY, INC.
Rob Armstrong
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this meeting. Anyone
who forgot to bring there
It’s in the Bag project can
turn them into at the next
meeting which will be
on January 7 at Danville
Junction Grange. There
will be 6:30pm supper
and a 7:30pm meeting,
the program will be Lecturer’s Choice. n
9 to 5, the Musical
Auditions
Auditions for Community Little Theatre’s
third production of its
75th season, 9 to 5, the
Musical written by Dolly
Parton (book by Patricia
Resnick), will be held on
Sunday, January 4 at 1
p.m. and Monday, January 5 at 7 p.m.
Auditions will be held at
CLT’s home at Great Falls
Performing Arts Center,
30 Academy Street in Auburn. Show dates are over
two weekends, March 13
through 22.
The musical is based
on the seminal 1980 hit
movie. Set in the late
1970s, this hilarious
story of friendship and
revenge in the Rolodex era is outrageous,
thought-provoking, and
even a little romantic. It
will be directed by Paul
G. Caron. Rebecca Caron
is the musical director,
and Adam P. Blais is the
Choreographer Pushed to
the boiling point, three female co-workers concoct
a plan to get even with the
sexist, egotistical, lying,
hypocritical bigot they
call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy and Doralee live
out their wildest fantasy
-- giving their boss the
boot. While Hart remains
“otherwise engaged,” the
women give their workplace a dream makeover,
taking control of the company that had always kept
them down.
A choice of a musical selection from 9 to 5
is preferable for the audition. Music from the
show is available at the
audition. One may select and prepare a song
from another Broadway
show. Sheet music must
be provided to the musical director during your
audition. There will be no
a Capella singing for this
audition.
For the dance audition,
participants are asked to
wear appropriate clothing and footwear (women
Paul Caron
should wear heels). “We
need to see what everyone
looks like -- so no baggy
clothing”, said Caron.
For more information
on 9 to 5 auditions and
the details on the roles to
be cast, visit Community
Little Theatre’s website
or Facebook page. With
questions, please call Paul
G. Caron at 783-0774.
For more information,
about CLT’s fun and hilarious 75th season, or to
volunteer or learn about
becoming a show sponsor, visit. LACLT.com or
call 783.0958.n
Wishing a Happy
& Healthy New Year
to our communit�!
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Turner Publishing Inc., PO Box 214, Turner, ME 04282 • 207-225-2076 • Fax: 207-225-5333 • E-Mail: [email protected] • Web: www.turnerpublishing.net
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Published by Turner Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 214, Turner, ME 04282-0214. Advertisers and those wishing to submit articles of interest
can call, 1-800-400-4076 (within the state of Maine only) or 1-207-225-2076 or fax us at 1-207-225-5333, you can also send e-mail to us
at: [email protected]. Any views expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect those of this paper. This paper assumes
no responsibility for typographical errors that may occur, but will reprint, at no additional cost, that part of any advertisement in which the
error occurs before the next issue’s deadline. This paper also reserves the right to edit stories and articles submitted for publication. This
paper is mailed on a monthly basis. Founded by Steven Cornelio in 1992
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January 2015
Page 3
Lady Eddies Lose Close One
Edward Little junior, Emily Jacques, had 12 points in a one-point loss to Oxford Hills
on January 6. The 34-35 loss to the Vikings was a defensive battle with the score at the
half just making it to double figures. EL’s early season record: 6-3. (Photo by Bill Van
Tassel)
Big Foot
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Callie Murray in some defensive action against Oxford Hills’ Anna Winslow. Murray
is an Edward Little senior who plays the guard position for the Eddies varsity. The defense of both teams kept the scoring minimal from three quarters until the Vikings hit
some three-pointers. (Photo by Bill Van Tassel)
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Page 4
January 2015
Critter Chatter: We Hit Gold!
Carleen Cote
Fifty years...half a century...caring for Maine’s
wildlife...how time flies
when one is engaged in
doing what one loves!
Though my husband Donald and I have cared for
thousands of wildlife over
the course of the last 50
years, we cannot take all
the credit for our successes. Wildlife arrive with
injuries – wounds, broken
bones and worse, and we
have been extremely fortunate to have had caring veterinarians to donate their
expertise and services for
any animal that has needed
medical attention. These
began with doctors Langdon Davis (DEC), Frank
Hersom (DEC) and Peter
Davis of Pine Tree Veterinarian Hospital. Since Pine
Tree had federal and state
rehab permits, game wardens would bring injured
wildlife to the hospital
for initial treatment, then
the animals came to us
for continued care and ultimate release. It has been
a great pleasure knowing
and working with Maine’s
game wardens, who have
brought many abandoned
and injured animals to us
through the years.
As with many things in
life, change happens. We
would eventually take the
injured wildlife to Windsor Veterinarian Clinic
because it was much closer and saved us from the
traffic of Western Avenue
in Augusta. We were fortunate to meet Dr. Dale
Allerding (DEC), and his
wife Lynn, also lovers of
wildlife. They, too, were
generous in providing
medical care and donating
their time and necessary
medications. Dr. Allerding eventually retired to
pursue other interests, but,
again, we were fortunate
to receive assistance from
wildlife enthusiasts, doctors Erica Matthies Praul
and Darryl Praul of Windsor Veterinarian Clinic,
who volunteer their services. Vet tech Dale Turner
at the Windsor Vet Clinic is also appreciated for
putting up with our many
calls and questions.
Along with our sincere
thanks to all the veterinari-
A fox peers at a snowy world at the Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center. Photo by Donald Cote.
ans who have cared for our our Center. We would be They have bottle-fed ba- you have been appreciatwildlife, we thank their up- remiss not to include our bies, cleaned pens, washed ed.
front staffs who help with volunteers in this reflec- animal dishes, took aniCarleen and Donald
our endless calls during tion of our 50 years rehab- mals to the veterinarian, Cote operate the Duck
“baby season.” Through bing wildlife. Operating laundered the loads of
friends, we met Lisa Mo- the Center involves hours towels needed every day, Pond Wildlife Care Cenrin, DVM. Lisa comes to of hard, dirty work. We mowed lawns, cleaned ter on Rt. 3 in Vassalboro,
our care center to adminis- have been so blessed to out buildings and animal Maine, a non-profit facilter to the large animals that have volunteers who have beds – whatever needed to ity, supported entirely by
cannot be taken to a veteri- come – some every day, be done, there was always the Cotes’ own resources
narian hospital.
some a few days a week, someone willing to do it. and outside donations.
We have met hundreds some for several years – I won’t list these wonderof wonderful wildlife to carry out the work in ful folks by name for fear Call the Cotes at 445-4326
lovers through the years. all weather, whether in of omitting someone, but or write them at 1787 N.
Some drive many miles to sweltering heat or pouring Donald and I want all to Belfast Ave., Vassalboro,
bring an animal in need to rain or ice road conditions. know how much each of ME 04989.n
Odd Fellows and Rebekahs Home Christmas Party
The residents of the
Odd Fellows and Rebekahs Home located at
85 Caron Lane in Auburn
were treated to four days
of Christmas festivities
planned by the President
of the Rebekah Assembly, Verna Jones, and her
Home Committee.
Wednesday,
December 10, the Committee of
twelve spent the morning
decorating the two wings
in the Nursing Home with
a tree in each wing and
the three floors in the Residential Home with a large
tree in the living room.
Garlands, angels, Santas, elves were places
throughout the Home. The
Activities Room had been
decorated by the Activities Directors and residents with a tree covered
with their hand crafted
decorations. Wednesday
afternoon each member of
the Home Committee was
given six names of residents to visit and to find
out what they might like
Santa to bring them. After
that the shopping began.
On Thursday shopping
continued, the wrapping
started and completed
on Friday. The residents
put on a program for the
Home Committee Friday
afternoon. Friday evening
the Home kitchen staff
put on a banquet for the
Committee. Saturday was
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the big day when Santa
and Mrs. Claus with two
of their elves visited first
in the Nursing Home at
1 PM and the Residential
Home at 2 PM to distribute the gifts. Present
Company, with Lorna
Jollymore at the keyboard
and with the beautiful harmony and vocal solos by
Margaret Dix and Diane
Meservier, furnished entertainment at each party.
The names of all on the
Home Committee are Verna Jones, President of the
Rebekah Assembly; Ernestine MacMillan; Vice
President of the Rebekah
Assembly; Sharon LaSota, Warden of the Rebekah
Assembly; Sharon Leeman, Assembly Marshal;
Marilee Perkins, Glenda
Knights, Terry Tisdale,
Juanita Dinsmore, Polly
Burlock, Jane MacCollister, Muriel Elkins, and
Esther Tucker. Elaine
(Diddie) Barry, Assembly Treasurer, decorated
a small Christmas tree in
honor of President Verna
with decorations depicting
her theme for the year, the
Beehive, the Moon and
Seven Stars, the Dove and
the Lily that exemplify
the work of the Rebekahs.
Family and friends, and
Odd Fellows and Rebekahs came from all over
the state to help celebrate
this annual event. n
“Cold Paws, Warm Heart”
Raffle Winners
Steven Dostie, Executive Director announces
the winners of the Greater
Androscoggin
Humane
Society’s “Cold Paws,
Warm Heart” Annual Raffle. With over $10,000 in
tickets sales the winners
were: Anne Csplikas of
Auburn winning $600 of
home heating oil, Bruce
Wilson of Hanover, MA
with $300 of home heating oil, Pamela Rietschel
with $200 of home heat-
ing oil and Peter Murphy
of Lewiston with $100 of
home heating oil. All proceeds from the raffle directly benefit the Humane
Society.
The Greater Androscoggin
Humane Society provides
a safe haven for over 4,000
sick, homeless and abused
animals in the greater
Androscoggin area per
year. The primary support
for the shelter comes from
fundraising events and do-
nations of concerned citizens.
The GreaterAndroscoggin
Humane Society is located
at 55 Strawberry Avenue
in Lewiston. If you are
interested in learning more
about volunteering at the
Shelter or adopting an animal call 783-2311 or visit
the website at www.SavingPetsInMaine.org. You
can also join them on www.
facebook/GAHumane. n
WAP Chapter Calendar
We are having monthly
meetings @ 6 pm at 175
Blake street Lewiston for
a while during the winter
months.
Grateful for your generosity. Thank you very
much!!!
WAP Chapter Meetings - Wise Foods: Good
Fat, Fermentation, etc.
Did you know that
Modern Foods are Destroying your Health?
Meeting times:
Usually 1st Monday of
the month @ Community Concepts except Jan
15th
175 Blake Street,
Lewiston, 6pm .
Oct - April 2015 Call
225-6125. n
January 2015
Page 5
Ostrander Joins Minot Ave. Family Medicine
James R. Ostrander,
D.O., a family medicine
physician, has been appointed to the Central
Maine Medical Center
Medical Staff. He is practicing at Minot Avenue
Family Medicine in Auburn.
Ostrander most recently
worked for eight years as
a family medicine physician at Winthrop Family
Practice in Winthrop. For
the past seven years he
also served as medical director for Heritage Rehabilitation and Living Cen-
ter in Winthrop, a facility
that provides geriatric and
long-term care. His experience includes two years
as a family medicine physician at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in
Lewiston, and some 25
years as a paramedic and
firefighter on Cape Cod in
Massachusetts.
Ostrander earned his
doctor of osteopathy from
the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford. He completed his
residency training at the
Central Maine Medical
Center Family Medicine
Residency in Lewiston.
Ostrander holds a bachelor’s degree in biology
from the University of
Massachusetts in Boston,
an associate degree in
nursing from Cape Cod
Community College in
West Barnstable, Mass.,
and a bachelor’s degree
in liberal arts from Amherst College in Amherst,
Mass. He was a brother in
the Community of Jesus
in Orleans, Mass., for 27
years.
He is certified by the
American Board of Family Medicine, and is a
member of the American
Academy of Family Physicians.
Ostrander is practicing
in association with Dana
W. Little, M.D., Carolyn
R. Pece, D.O., and Gerald
G. Lachance, D.O. Minot
Avenue Family Medicine
is at 789 Minot Avenue in
Auburn. The practice can
be reached at 795-8475. n
Perlman Returns to CMMC Neonatal Care Unit
Marc B. Perlman, M.D.,
a neonatologist and pediatrics hospitalist, has been
appointed to the Central
Maine Medical Center
Staff. He will serve as medical director of the CMMC
Neonatal Intermediate Care
Unit, a service dedicated to
the inpatient care of babies
with special medical needs.
CMMC’s Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit (NICU)
specializes in caring for
premature babies and in-
fants with developmental
problems or medical complications, including infections, breathing disorders,
traumatic injuries, and metabolic and neurologic disorders. The CMMC NICU
also evaluates and stabilizes babies for the treatment
of cardiac and surgical
problems at other medical
facilities.
Perlman practiced medicine previously at CMMC
from 1997 to 2008. He was
the medical director of the
NICU from 1999 to 2008,
and the unit’s associate
medical director from 1997
to 1999. He served as director of CMMC’s pediatric
hospitalist program from
2004 to 2007.
Before returning to
CMMC, Perlman worked
as a pediatrics emergency
and urgent care hospitalist
at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Care
Network at Chester County
Hospital, West Chester, Pa.
Prior to that, he was a pediatrics hospitalist at several
campuses of AtlantiCare
Regional Medical Center,
based in Atlantic City, N.J.
He also worked as a pediatrics hospitalist and hospitalist medical director for
the Lehigh Valley Health
Network at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center in
Pottstown, Pa., and at Nemours/AIDHC Pediatric
Partners at Lancaster Gen-
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eral Hospital in Lancaster,
Pa., where he served as
chief of hospitalist service.
Prior to joining CMMC
in 1997, Perlman worked as
an attending neonatologist
at Albany Medical Center
and St. Peter’s Hospital,
both in Albany, New York.
He also held the position of
director of Newborn Services at Berkshire Medical
Center in Pittsfield, Mass.
A graduate of Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.,
he earned his medical degree from Albany Medical
College of Union University in Albany, N.Y. His
specialized medical training includes a pediatrics
residency, a neonatal fellowship, and a postdoctoral
fellowship in physiology
at Albany Medical Center
Hospital in Albany, N.Y.
He is certified in neonatal-perinatal medicine by
the American Board of Pediatrics. n
The New Outdoor
Partners Program
The endless outdoor
recreational opportunities that can be found all
across Maine would not
be possible without the
state’s many landowners
who allow public access
on their land.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries
and Wildlife’s Outdoor
Partners Program recognizes the importance
of that access and works
to preserve and enhance
it while improving relations with landowners
and providing an opportunity for land users to
show their support and
gratitude.
“The recreational use
of private property is extremely important for our
outdoor enthusiasts, and
respecting landowners
is essential to that use,”
said Governor Paul R.
LePage.
The new Outdoor
Partners Program is an
updated version of the
Department’s Supersport
program, which began
in 1996 and had at least
1,000 participants every
year.
Joining the Outdoor
Partners Program is simple and can be done when
you purchase any license
or through the Department’s online store at
www.mefishwildlife.com
for just $15.
People who join the
program agree to abide
by a code of ethics that
includes respecting the
law, public land, landowners, other outdoor users, fish, wildlife and the
environment. Those who
join this program also
agree to assist a landowner in the upcoming year.
In return, Outdoor
Partners receive valuable benefits, including
periodic electronic newsletters with timely information from Maine’s
biologists,
wardens,
guides, snowmobilers,
landowners and others,
free passes to the Maine
Wildlife Park, Swan Island and the North Maine
Woods and discounts to
a variety of places such
as Kittery Trading Post,
DeLorme, Cabelas and
more.
Also, Outdoor Partners
are automatically entered
for a chance to win 1 of 6
gift cards valued at $500
each from either Cabelas,
Kittery Trading Post or
LLBean. A chance drawing will be held December 31, 2015.
“When you join the
Outdoor Partners Program, your money helps
fund enhanced law enforcement details in
problem areas, equipment to investigate and
prosecute
landowner
abuse and criminal trespass complaints and
promotional and educational programs designed
to improve and maintain access,” said IFW
Commissioner Chandler
Woodcock.
“Funding
also goes towards IFW’s
landowner sign program,
which aids landowners in
managing access to private land by offering an
alternative to ‘No Trespassing’ signs.”
For more information
on the Outdoors Partners
Program, go to www.mefishwildlife.com.
Support public access
and sustain Maine’s outdoor traditions by becoming an Outdoor Partner today! n
We have December Contest Winners!
FIND THE PHONY AD!
Congratulations!
Country Courier: Mindy Hinckley
Country Connection: Dawn Franklin
Auburn Highlights: Traci Dennis
Franklin Focus: Skyler Morse
Lake Region Reader: June Leighton
Kennebec Current: Janice Kincaid
Good News Gazette: Katy Stebbins
Western Maine Foothills: Dale Harris
Lisbon Ledger: Vickie Cuff
Two Cent Times: Deborah Colangelo
Oxford Hills Observer: Dan Trouant
Moose Prints: Charles Shugars
Lewston Leader: William Meader
Somerset Express: Joseph Nickerson
All of the winners listed have won gift certificates to one of our advertisers.
If you haven’t won - keep playing! We get hundreds of entries each month!
It’s easy to enter - read through the ads in this issue and find the phony ad, fill out the
entry form found in this paper and mail it in. If you have the correct answer, your
name will be entered into a monthly drawing!
WWW.TURNERPUBLISHING.NET
2
Page 6
Business
January 2015
Business
Plan and grow your business
with monthly Tips on various subjects such as Taxes,
Human Resources, and Marketing.
State and Federal OSHA
Ring in 2015 Changes
for ALL Businesses
While there is still
plenty of room for improvement, I must say
that the Maine DOL is
not only surprisingly
transparent but also a top
performer in customer
service. If you have ever
attended one of their sessions for HR folks, you
will know what I mean you receive, among other
things, the direct phone
numbers and emails
of everyone there in a
management position!
So, with that in mind, I
checked in with Maine
SafetyWorks to see how
Maine was responding
to the new federal OSHA
requirements. Some of
those requirements apply to recording, where
the size and type of your
business makes a difference. The new reporting
requirements apply to everyone; the fact that you
have a smaller business
or run an office place
doesn’t make a difference.
On the issue of recording, OSHA has changed
the lists of businesses required to maintain OSHA
Recordkeeping
forms
based on their NAICS
code. Specifically automobile dealers, certain
real estate lessors, janitorial businesses and
certain social service
agencies will now be
required to record and
maintain OSHA injury
and illness forms, assuming the business has 11 or
more employees. Some
businesses will now be
exempt from maintaining
the forms such as publishers, gasoline stations
with convenience stores
and corporate headquarters.
On the issue of reporting, there are new rules
on reporting fatalities,
amputations, loss of an
eye, and inpatient hospitalizations - these rules
apply to ALL businesses.
No business is exempt
from this reporting requirement. SafetyWorks!
can provide your organization or business with
an overview on these up-
dates. Call Steve Laundrie at 207-623-7903
if you have questions.
SafetyWorks will be offering free courses in
2015. The next recordkeeping course is March
26 in Augusta. Further information on the changes
is available at https://
www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014/index.html.
Employers will now
be required to report all
work-related
fatalities
within 8 hours and all
in-patient
hospitalizations, amputations, and
losses of an eye within
24 hours of finding about
the incident. Previously,
employers were required
to report all workplace
fatalities and when three
or more workers were
hospitalized in the same
incident. There will be
three options for employers to report. They will be
able to call their nearest
area office during normal
business hours, call the
24-hour OSHA hotline
at 1-800-321-OSHA (1800-321-6742), or report
online at https://www.
osha.gov/report_online/
The
Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
published its semiannual
regulatory agenda, listing
projected actions on 26
regulations and announcing its top priorities for
2015. Those priorities include: controlling exposure to crystalline silica,
enhancements to current
infectious disease protocols in health care and
other high-risk environments, completing the
small business review
process for a possible infectious disease standard,
and reviewing the agency’s bloodborne pathogens standard.
The Maine DOL will
be targeting fall protection, hazard communication, scaffolding, respiratory protection, and
electrical/wiring among
its top concerns. n
The Wheel to
Marketing Success
In any business 3% to 6% of gross revenue should be spent on marketing your business. There are many forms
of marketing but the top 7 Must of Marketing, in this order are:
References: Chet Holmes International Fortune 500 Marketing Trainer
1. Personal Contact - Word of mouth.
2. Direct Mail – A form of marketing that directly reaches the masses in their homes or community.
3. Internet - Website and social media methods.
4. Brochures - Literature about your company that will create a visual and educate the client.
5. Advertising – Ads that will attract attention and create a consistent and constant visual – (TOM) or (TOMA)
Top Of Mind awareness.
6. Public relations – Building a relationship with press and community.
7. Client Education – Participation in trade shows, business events, business networking.
Think of your marketing and advertising as a wagon wheel with 7 spokes. Every time you take away a
spoke you weaken you market opportunities. The more spokes you have the stronger the wheel and a wheel
cannot roll on just 1 or 2 spokes.
Stay tuned to next month’s wheel to marketing success as we elaborate on 1 of the 7 spokes in this series
of Marketing Your Business.
To Your Success!
Perks and Parties
How year-end gifts are taxed
During the holiday
season, it’s not uncommon for businesses to
treat employees with
vacation time, holiday
parties and bonuses.
The type of gift - not
the reason for it - determines whether it
will be taxable to your
employees.
Fruit baskets, turkeys, wine or other
inexpensive items are
considered
noncash
gifts. As long as the
noncash gift is of nominal value and given
infrequently, the gift
will be considered a de
minmis fringe benefit
and will not be taxable.
Expensive noncash
gifts, such as watches
or iPads, are considered taxable as wages.
Cash, checks and gift
certificates are also
considered
taxable
as wages. This means
Run an Ad
in the new B2B
section for as little as
$60/month!
Contact Paul or
Dede at
1-800-400-4076
that the fair market
value of the gifted item
or amount must be
added to the employee’s payroll wages and
is subject to typical
payroll taxes including FICA and FUTA.
Another way to show
appreciation to your
employees is by throwing a company party.
Good news! The cost
is 100% deductible to
the business - not just
50% deductible, like
typical meals and entertainment expenses.
The party cannot be
lavish and extravagant
and must be primarily
for employees who are
not highly compensated. Attending the
party is a nontaxable
de minmis fringe benefit to your employees.
Article courtesy of Tax
Tips and Austin Associates.n
JUST GOOD
NEWS!
www.turnerpublishing.net
January 2015
Complete this word search puzzle and mail it to us for a chance to win a
GIFT CERTIFICATE to one of these fine restaurants. Have fun and good luck!
Page 7
Beer Garden · Fish & Chips Shop · Seafood Restaurant
DAILY
SPECIALS!!!
December Word Search Winner: Lucille Gelinas - Congratulations!
Tailgate Gourmet
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Page 8
January 2015
Healthy Androscoggin to Present at National Conference
Healthy Androscoggin has just been selected
to present on its successes around underage
drinking prevention at an upcoming national
conference. The local coalition will be one of
twenty-eight coalitions nationwide, and the
only coalition from Maine, to present at the
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America National Leadership Conference this February in
National Harbor, Maryland. The focus of Healthy
Androscoggin’s presentation will be on the partnerships with law enforcement and alcohol retailers to reduce access and prevent underage
drinking.
Healthy Androscoggin partners with several
law enforcement departments in Androscoggin
County through the Androscoggin County Alcohol Enforcement Team, or AET. The members of
the AET include the Lewiston, Auburn, Sabattus,
and Lisbon Police Departments, along with the
Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department, the
Maine State Police and Lewiston/Auburn 9-1-1.
The AET member departments carry out details
in their communities, and jointly as a countywide team, enforce the underage drinking laws
of Maine. This includes party patrols, where they
investigate tips on underage drinking activities,
and compliance checks where they ensure that
retailers aren’t selling to minors. The AET has
been active for many years and has contributed
to the continued falling rates of underage drinking in the county.
Another important partner in underage drinking prevention are the stores and on-premise establishments that sell or serve alcohol. Healthy
Androscoggin has collaborated with these businesses on several programs. One program is the
Responsible Beverage Service training program.
Healthy Androscoggin holds six of these trainings a year where licensees send their staff to
receive training to help ensure they don’t sell
or serve to minors. Several retailers make it
company policy to send all of their new staff to
these trainings. Many retail locations have become sponsors of the “Parents Who Host, Lose
the Most” campaign. This is a public awareness
campaign that educates parents on the risks and
liabilities of hosting an underage drinking party.
Some retailers, such as Roopers, have even do-
Relay For Life of Androscoggin
County Kick-Off
and Survivor Celebration
Relay For Life of
Androscoggin County is
Kicking Off their Relay
Season on January 28, 2015
with a Survivor Celebration.
This event will take place
at Legends Restaurant,
128 Center St., Auburn,
Maine from 5:30 to 7:00
p.m. Please RSVP to Lisa
Dunham at the American
Cancer Office Topsham office, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island,
Topsham, Maine 04086 or
at 207-240-8128 or Lisa.
[email protected].
HOMETOWN
Pellet-Gas-Wood
Relay For Life of
Androscoggin County is
going to change it up this
year! The event will be June
5, 2015 at Edward Little
High School track. Teams
can start setting up at 4 p.m.
and Opening Ceremony/
Survivor Lap is at 6 p.m.
The theme for this year is
“Under the Sea.” The big
change is that Relay will
end at midnight. There is
still time to join the fun by
forming a team or joining
the Event Leadership Team.
For more information go to
www.relayforlife.org/androscogginme or contact Lisa
Dunham at the American
Cancer Office Topsham office, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island,
Topsham, Maine 04086 or
at 207-240-8128 or Lisa.
[email protected] FINISH THE FIGHT!n
Left to right Standing: Elaine Dumont, Lorraine Sarrazin, Hope Hughes, Rena Williams & Pauline Muldoon, sitting Bert Dutil, Ray Ouellette, Betty Swanson & Peggy
Rollins. Absent when the photo was taken, Rose Robbins & DJ Sargent.
The Meadowview Senior
Tenants Council of Spofford St in Lewiston recently helptheir installation of
new officers for the year
2015.
The installation officer
was Mr. Arthur Raymond,
and the new officers for
the year are: President,
Bert Dutil; vice President,
Ray Ouellette; Treasurer,
Peggy Rollins; Secretary,
Betty Sawnson; Directors
are Hope Hughes, Lorraine
Sarrazin & Elaine Dumont;
Associate Directors are
Pauline Muldoon, Rose
Robbins, Rena Williams &
D.J. Sargent.
The installation was held
on New Year’s evening,
with a lunch and several
games with prizes, over 40
tenants were attending this
special event. Activities
for January are the Senior
Complex are,every Thursday at 5PM Bingo in the
recreation hall, every Monday of each month is the
tenants general meeting at
10 AM, 3rd Sunday of each
month is the game “Pass
The Buck” at 5:30 PM and
on Saturday the 24 at 3 PM
will be the Ice Cream Social, served by Bates College Students.n
Custom, T-Shirt Design • Embroidery • Logo Wear
Corporate • School • Sports
877 - 687 - 4887
Sales, Service, Installation
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1288 Roosevelt Trail • Raymond, Maine
Healthy Androscoggin
Healthy Androscoggin is the Healthy Maine
Partnership for Androscoggin County. We work
to create a healthier community by supporting tobacco free lifestyles, preventing youth
substance abuse, encouraging physical activity,
promoting healthy eating, and preventing childhood lead poisoning. For more info on our programs, visit www.healthyandroscoggin.org or
contact us at 207-795-5990.
Meadowview Council
Let’s Get Fired Up!
207-655-HEAT • 1-844-655 HEAT
nated print advertising space and placed Parents Who Host banners in their stores.
Working together, Healthy Androscoggin, the
AET, and the alcohol licensees in Androscoggin County have helped create a community
norm that discourages and prevents underage
drinking. We see this in the data. Since 2009,
the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey has
shown Androscoggin County to have the lowest
underage drinking rates in the state. But there
is still much more progress to be made, and this
continued partnership will ensure that progress
is achieved.
Derek & Dave McLaughlin
41 Chestnut St. Lewiston, ME 04240
www.actionscreenprinting.net
January 2015
Page 9
Saint Dom’s Has Accepted The School Spirit Challenge
Saint Dominic Academy
has accepted the School
Spirit Challenge sponsored
by WGME Channel 13
and Fox News to benefit
the Good Shepherd Food
Bank. The student body
is excited to show what St.
Dom’s is all about while
lending their support to
the Good Shepherd Food
Bank. This challenge will
involve an ongoing food
drive for the next eight
weeks. The School Spirit Challenge is a friendly competition between
schools to show school
pride and spirit, all while
helping the community.
The students from both
campuses participated
in The “Ugly Sweater”
dress down day, which
was the kickoff event
to the eight week food
drive. The dress down
day garnered over $700,
this translates to over
$5,600 of food for those
in need. This community activity is one of
the many ways that St.
Dom’s strives to fulfill
its mission. The WGME
Channel 13 & Fox News
School Spirit Challenge
which will be held at the
Auburn Campus on February 6, 2015.n
Dozens of beautiful
ways to say
I LOVE YOU!
Did you know you can
get the good news one week
before it reaches your
mailbox by going to
www.turnerpublishing.net
Be the �irst to know!
You can read this publication and all of
Turner Publications Good News Papers online
FREE one week before they reach homes.
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Reading
Since 1992!
Hugs and
Kisses
Bouquet
with Red
Roses
Teleflora’s
Happy Hearts
Bouquet
Ann’s Flower Shop
Market Survey’s of
America Best of Best.
Our business hours are:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
We are closed on Sundays.
Taylor Brook Mall - Auburn
782-3457 • www.annsflower.com
Page 10
January 2015
Auburn Concert Band Invites New Members
these free, 75-minute performances take
place at Festival Plaza
in downtown Auburn.
Starting this summer,
concerts will take place
indoors at the Franco Center in Lewiston
during
inclement
weather. A different
selection of music is
featured each week,
appealing to audiences both young and old.
The 2015 summer concert series is expected
to begin on June 17th,
and run through August
26th .
This summer will
mark the organization’s
34th season. Director
Milt Simon formed the
group in 1981 to offer
musicians, who had
once been members
of their high school
and college bands, an
opportunity to continue using and improving their performance
skills. Members of the
ACCB currently range
in age from 15 to 90,
and represent some 15
central Maine towns.
Membership is open to
anyone knowing how to
play a wind or percussion instrument.
Before joining the
The month of January
marks the Auburn Community Concert Band’s
annual open-membership period. All musicians who wish to take
part in the band’s annual summer concert season have until January
28th to join the group
and start participating
in weekly rehearsals.
The concert band has
an immediate need for
flute, clarinet, tenor
saxophone, French horn
and tuba players, along
with percussionists who
can read music.
The 45 member performing group meets
every Wednesday from
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. from
January through May.
Weekly
rehearsals
take place at the High
Street
Congregational Church, located between High and Pleasant Streets in Auburn.
Musicians must have
their own instrument
and music stand, and be
able to commit to most
of the Wednesday evening rehearsals. From
mid-June through late
August, the band presents weekly Wednesday evening concerts.
Weather
permitting,
ACCB, many of the
group’s volunteer musicians had last played
their instruments anywhere from 10 to 40
years ago, according to
band director Simon.
“New members are often nervous when they
attend their first few
rehearsals,
because
of the length of time
since they last held
and played their instrument.” Simon added
that most people regain
their former musical
skills within a short period of time. “It’s like
riding a bike; once you
have learned how to do
it, you never forget.”
He stated that the opportunity to perform in
front of audiences numbering 300 to 400 people on a weekly basis is
typically quite appealing to both amateur and
experienced musicians.
Additional information about the group is
posted on the band’s
web site: www.auburncommunityband.com.
Interested musicians
are asked to call Simon
at 782-3917 prior to
attending their first rehearsal. n
CENTRAL MAINE
U RO LO GY C E N T E R
Christopher Henry, M.D.
An author, researcher, and skilled urologist, Dr. Henry joins the
surgical team at Central Maine Urology Center.
After earning his medical degree from the
University of Missouri School of Medicine,
Dr. Henry completed a general surgery
internship and urologic surgery residency at
the University of Tennessee Health Science
Center in Memphis.
Christopher Henry, M.D.
SPECIALTY
Surgical Urology
MEDICAL SCHOOL
University of Missouri School of Medicine,
Columbia, Mo.
RESIDENCY & INTERNSHIP
University of Tennessee Health Science
Center, Memphis, Tenn.
Co author of numerous professional
articles, Dr. Henry has worked as a
research associate at the University of
Kansas Health Science Center and at
Proteon Therapeutics in Kansas City.
His healthcare background also includes work
as an EKG technician and an emergency room
technician at North Kansas City Hospital.
Dr. Henry’s diverse educational background
includes time at the Goethe Institute in Munich,
where he studied German, and Bowdoin College
in Brunswick where he earned his bachelor’s
degree and graduated with honors. He subsequently studied at Western State College in
Gunnison, Co., Rockhurst University in Kansas
City, Mo., and the University of Missouri.
A member of the American Urological Association, Dr. Henry is eligible to gain certification
from the American Board of Urology.
Dr. Henry is pleased to join urologists Michael
Corea, M.D., Jordan M. Kurta, and Paul R. Mailhot,
M.D., nurse practitioner Rosa Hamilton, and
physician assistant Heather Renihan at Central
Maine Urology Center.
MEMBERSHIP
American Urological Association
287 Main Street, Suite 404, Lewiston, Maine 04240 | (207) 795-2171 | www.cmmc.org
January 2015
Page 11
Succeed at Your New Year’s Resolution with These 6 Tips
Jodi Cornelio
Live Long, Live Well
Jodi R. Cornelio, AS, BA, MBA
Nutritionist, Personal Trainer
and Motivational Speaker
[email protected]
It’s a beautiful thing
when people are all excited to do something
positive for themselves
their family or for the
people around them for
their new year’s resolution. Exercise more,
lose weight, quit smoking, quit drinking, spend
more time with your parents and family, eliminate stress in your life,
write that book or get
that new job or promotion and get more rest.
These are some New
Year’s resolutions I hear.
I am going to pick
on a couple of the most
common, For example,
“Quit drinking.” Ouch,
yes. You tie one on New
Year’s Eve and the next
day you say, “That’s it
I’m quitting drinking!”
Two days later you’re
ioral and cultural changes which require many
steps and a few baby
steps. Try some of these
simple techniques for
those bad habits.
1. Find your WHY?
It’s very important that
Don’t set yourself up for failure.
having wine with dinner at a friend’s birthday party. Or, you ate
a whole box of holiday
chocolates and wake up
with a sugar hangover
and say, “I’m not having
any more chocolate!”
Mid-week the 4pm craving comes along in the
middle of a high stress
day and before you know
it you have munched
through a whole dish of
M&M’s left in the office
reception area.
Don’t set yourself
up for failure. Many of
these goals are behav-
your goal is important
to you and it’s not something that your friends
dared you or family guilt
got you to do. You’ve
got to want it and believe in it so ask yourself why? For our example of quitting drinking,
one why would be that
many studies have indicated that consuming
more than one beverage
a day can damage vital
organs in your body and
can lead to heart disease,
obesity, cirrhosis of the
liver and many different
types of cancer. That’s
a pretty big why if you
care about your health.
If you are kicking the
chocolate habit, your
why may be weight control or preserving your
teeth.
2. Secondly, the plan,
How? How can you do
anything if you don’t
know how? Here is
where the baby steps
come into play. The plan
includes a process and
dates. So maybe your
plan looks like this. One
drink a day or one chocolate a day or one drink
a week or one chocolate
a week, one drink every
other day or one chocolate every other day.
Savor it and make it last.
Also set a time frame of
a period of 2 weeks. You
can do anything for two
weeks can’t you? After
two weeks, re-evaluate
your progress, pat yourself on the back, “hopefully” and take another
step and set another time
goal.
3. Write down your
goal. Research conducted by the University of
California has shown
that writing down goals
has shown a higher success rate than simply
stating goals. A written
goal with the plan is a
commitment and one
that you can review and
hold yourself accountable.
4. Post your goal
where you can see it
often. This may be on
the refrigerator, on the
bathroom mirror or on
the office candy dish.
Marvin D. Seppala,
M.D., of Hazelden, says,
“Your will matters most
the moment you make a
resolution — and you’ll
want to be able to recapture the intensity of
that moment again and
again.” This can be done
by posting it and reading
it.
5. Tell your family and
friends of your written
goals. The Dominican
University of California
study found that those
who told friends or fam-
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ily about their goals did
better than those who
didn’t, and people who
e-mailed their support
team weekly progress
updates did best of all.
Social approval — as
in “You look great!” —
gives your brain a surge
of soothing oxytocin,
explains Joseph Shrand,
M.D., of Harvard. When
you take on a challenge
you will find that your
friends and family will
be very supportive and
often time will help you
control your urges when
you are at your lowest.
Lean on them.
6. Tip number six, find
a behavior substitute. If
you are trying to give
up drinking use a cocktail glass or wine glass
and fill it with club soda
with a splash of cranberry juice. Sometime it’s
all about the glass, club
and lime juice works too
or sparkling grape juice,
maybe apple juice. To
substitute chocolate try
frozen grapes instead of
digging into the candy
dish. Frozen strawberries work too as they are
both sweet treats that
you can savor. It’s all
about substituting the
bad habit with good habit and behavioral modifications. Other great
ideas to avoid the urge
to break your resolution
involve keeping yourself busy. Go to a movie
or go for a walk and just
don’t put yourself in situations where you are
tempted. Pray or reach
for your higher power
to help you succeed and
make 2015 a great New
Year.
Live long, Live well n
Page 12
January 2015
The Healthy Geezer
NewsBites
from the desk of Connie Jones...
HAPPY New Year?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been
wondering if this can be a HAPPY New
Year. Hasn’t the world gone mad over
the last year? Is there any hope of turning
that around and people and nations
becoming sane?
They say that every older generation
says the same thing, and they’re right, I
guess. The world has been going mad
for many generations now, if you listen
to the older people. And the next logical
question is – what can I do about it? Too
old, too tired, too unimportant to think I
can change the world.
I caught a snippet of a song the other day
that said “Light your world”. Our world
might be small, but if we can light up the
world for even one or two, the world is
changed.
This is the answer – we may not shake
the world, we may think our usefulness is
over. But if we can give our love to even
one or two people, we are still useful.
Examples? I’ve heard of older adults,
homebound, who answer the Santa hot
line at Christmas time. Others who are
pen pals (or should we say email buddies)
with children in a classroom. Every time
you smile at a cashier and say thank you,
when you teach the children next door to
make chocolate chip cookies, when you
compliment a mother or father on their
parenting skills, when you watch your
neighbor’s house while they’re away,
when you write a real letter, mailed
in a real envelope with a real stamp,
delivered by the good old postman, you
are lighting up with world…and helping
it remain sane.
Every time we connect with another
human being, not look past them or
through them, we are making the world
human. There is still power in love and
goodness.
Yes! Happy New Year!
Aging & Disability Resource
Center for Androscoggin,
Franklin, and Oxford counties
8 Falcon Rd.
Lewiston, ME 04240
‡
www.seniorsplus.org
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By: Fred Cecitti
Q. I’ve been getting
bruises lately and I can’t
remember hurting myself. Should I see a doctor?
A tendency to bruise
easily is common when
you age. It’s especially
common among women.
A bruise—also known
as a contusion—occurs
when the tiny blood vessels under your skin break
after being struck. When
you bruise, the blood
leaks under the skin and
leaves a black-and-blue
mark. The harder the
impact, the bigger the
bruise. As the blood is
reabsorbed by your body,
the bruise goes away.
You can enhance healing by elevating the injury
and applying a cold pack
for a half-hour at a time
for a day or so after you
are injured. After there is
no swelling, a warm compress can accelerate reabsorption.
Blood-thinning medications can contribute to
bruising. So you might
bruise more easily if you
take Plavix or Coumadin.
Aspirin will have a sim-
ilar effect. The thinners
allow more blood to pool
under your skin. So, if
you’re taking one of this
drugs, what seems like a
harmless bump against a
coffee table could lead to
a nasty bruise.
Some dietary supplements can thin your
blood, too. Be careful if
you are consuming more
than normal amounts of
fish oil, ginkgo, ginger
and garlic.
It’s easier to bruise if
your skin is thin. With
age, your skin becomes
thinner and loses some of
the fat that protects your
blood vessels. Corticosteroids are known to make
your skin thinner, so these
drugs can make you more
bruise-prone
Aging capillaries contribute to bruising, too.
Over time, the tissues
supporting these vessels
weaken, and capillary
walls become more fragile and prone to rupture.
There is a special type
of bruising known as
“Bateman’s
purpura,”
which usually is seen on
the back of the hands and
forearms. Unlike everyday bruises, the bruises
you get with Bateman’s
purpura are not tender and
last longer. They start out
red and become purple.
They darken and then, in
time, fade. They can last
for weeks.
This condition, also
known as “actinic pur-
pura,” is usually seen in
seniors. It is caused by
blood-vessel walls that
have been weakened by
years of exposure to the
sun. In addition, the skin
is sun-damaged and thin.
Daily application of
alpha hydroxyacid lotions to the skin have
been shown to increase
skin thickness up to 15
percent in patients with
sun-damaged thin skin.
This occurs through the
stimulation of collagen
production, the skin’s natural support protein. For
women, the hormone progesterone in lotion may
also help.
Most bruises are not
a cause for concern, but
you should have bruising checked by a doctor
if you are experiencing
the following: unusually
large or painful bruises,
bruises that seem to have
no cause, abnormal bleeding elsewhere, sudden
bruising after beginning a
medication.
These symptoms may
mean that you don’t have
enough platelets in your
blood. Platelets help your
blood to clot.
You can take steps to
prevent bruising from
falls and collisions. Here
are some:
* Always hold the
handrails on stairways.
* Don’t stand on a chair
to get to something.
* Clear floors where
you walk.
* Mount grab bars near
toilets, tubs and showers.
* Place non-skid mats,
strips, or carpet on all surfaces that may get wet.
* Put night lights and
light switches close to
your bed.
* Tack down all carpets
and area rugs.
* Close cabinet doors
and drawers so you won’t
run into them.
* Be especially careful
around pets.
If you would like to ask
a question, write to fred@
healthygeezer.com. n
Wytopitlock Nights
John McDonald
I got a Christmas Letter the other day from
some distant relatives
up-country. The way I
see it any relatives you
have to drive almost four
hours to visit is a distant
relative - even if they’re
a brother or first cousin.
For the past several
years these folks have
been including a nice
letter (remember them?)
in their card to let friends
and relatives down this
way know about all the
exciting things that have
gone on in town in 2014.
You have to understand
that “exciting” as it’s
used here is a relative
term (no pun intended)
because the town I come
from - the town these
relatives write about in
their letter - was never
known as a good place to
find excitement.
A tourist once asked a
resident of the town what
he did for excitement
and he said, “To tell you
the truth, I’ve never been
excited.” The town manager has a little sign on
the wall behind his desk
that says, “So little time;
so little to do!”
According to this letter 2014 started off with
a bang and everyone for
miles around drove over
to Wytopitlock Grange
Hall for their big Year
End Variety Show. The
slogan for the event is
“Make the Wonder of
Wytopitlock part of your
family’s 2015.” Now,
that clever slogan probably wouldn’t be enough
to get me to drive over
100 miles round trip on
snow-covered roads but
it seems to work for the
people up that way.
Imitating the big cities
the folks in Wytopitlock
cap off the year ending
with a big show in the
Grange Hall on Main
Street and they pack that
place right up to the rafters. They say there were
cars parked along both
sides of Main Street for
over 50-yards.
Like I said, normally
the idea of driving over
to Wytopitlock is not my
idea of how fun times
begin but friends and relatives who’ve been to it
say this Year-End event
is worth the trip - even to
Wytopitlock.
The featured performer was supposed to
be the magician from
Waterville. No one knew
much about him but the
committee
members
said he had an impressive brochure and everyone figured if he’s from
Waterville he must be
pretty good, right? Well,
I guess he wasn’t all that
impressive. Some in the
audience thought the
most impressive thing
he did was find his way
from Waterville to Wytopitlock.
The crowd’s favorite
performer, by quite a
margin, was Alton Peasley from neighboring
Passadumkeg who for
his big finish juggled six
flaming, double-edged
axes while carving a
large chunk of ice into
a moose. as a local musician played “Lady of
Spain” on his accordion, Peasley juggled and
carved and two-stepped
all around the stage to
thunderous applause. Everyone was so absorbed
in the drama of the moment that they hardly
noticed the EMTs who
arrived to transport the
injured in the front row.
In fact, some thought the
EMTs were just part of
the finale.
Fortunately
there
weren’t too many serious
injuries and most of the
injured were treated and
released.
As per Maine statutes
that regulate artistic performances, there were
several clogging groups,
eleven or twelve country
and western bands and
for the real ‘arty set’ a
mime.
The whole thing was
over and done with by
eight-thirty and the town
was completely deserted
by nine. Even on New
Year’s Eve, folks up
that way figure you’re
only looking for trouble if you’re still driving around after nine at
night.
Even though the show
lost money local sponsors say they plan to do
it again. If I don’t see
you this year in Wytopitlock, I hope your 2015 is
a happy one. n
January 2015
Page 13
Nothin’ But Small Talk…Dashing through the Snow!
Jess Small
GET ON B
OARD!
The story of transportation in America is the
constant shuffle of people
on the move, always in a
hurry, and on the go non
stop. Before the birth of
automobiles people could
travel over land on foot, on
horseback, or in a horsedrawn vehicle. Americans
were continually searching
for new and better ways to
transport themselves and
their goods. They wanted
safe, dependable, fast transportation, and they started
with the horse.
When winter arrived, the
weather caused the modes
of transportation to change.
Deep snow on trails made
walking impossible and too
much for wagon wheels to
get pulled through. Rivers
and lakes froze so boats
could not get across. So
people traded in their wagons and boats in the winter
for a horse drawn sleigh.
Sleighs were similar to
carts they horses pulled
but they had no wheels.
Instead they had two flat
metal bars called runners
that slid easily over snow
and ice. Cutters were small
sleighs that were pulled by
a single horse. “Over the
river and thru the woods”
was exactly what a horse
pulling a sleight could do in
the dead of winter when all
other means of travel could
not happen!
Traveling in the snow
with a sleigh was a smoother ride than traveling in a
wagon. But those along
for the ride had to be prepared to keep warm! Most
sleighs were not covered,
so the ride could be a frigid one. People kept warm
by covering themselves
with fur blankets and with
heavy coverlets called “lap
robes.” Lap robes (which
were designed to cover a
rider’s legs, lap, and feet)
came in many kinds of designs and colors. They often
featured pictures of flowers,
horses, dogs, or other sporting scenes. People also used
foot warmers to keep warm
in a sleigh or carriage. A
foot warmer consisted of
a metal box that was filled
with hot coals and placed
on the floor inside the vehicle.
In the 19th century, harness racing was an extremely popular sport in towns
throughout New England.
During the winter months
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sled racing became a favorite recreational event.
Straight roads covered in
packed snow made for excellent racing lanes, and
horsemen hitched their finest trotters for organized
and fun races, much to the
excitement of onlookers.
Local newspapers from the
1800s and early 1900s reported on the latest sleigh
racing reports, describing
the race conditions, listing
the winners, and analyzing
the breeding of the best
horses. For many, sleigh
racing was a cold-weather
pastime that they enjoyed
as much as sledding, skiing
or making snowmen.
James Pierport’s catchy
Christmas tune “Jingle
Bells” was inspired by the
sleigh racing in his hometown in Massachusetts. The
jingling bells now forever
remembered in Pierport’s
catchy chorus describe the
bells that lined leather harnesses or sleigh shafts of
the time. It was custom,
and in some cases even a
law, to drive with bells on
the horses harness or shafts
of the sleigh as a precautionary measure. Sled runners glided smoothly over
the ground and snow muffled the sounds of horses’
hooves, making horsedrawn sleighs almost si-
Taproot Molly Stark, a Morgan mare, has some fun in the snow at a sleigh rally last
winter! Molly is owned by Emily Hawkins of Wesley, Maine.
•Chase Farms Sleigh
lent. The loud bells helped and tack.
Today a sleigh ride is Rides, 1488 North Berwick
drivers avoid collisions at
intersections and alerted fun recreational event to Road, Wells, 646-7888
•High View Farm Sleigh
passersby when sleds were be shared with family in
friends. You can hire farms Rides, 48 Leander Harmon
approaching or passing.
Road, Harrison, 595-1601
Any horse or pony could for private or group rides.
•Maine Horse Drawn
•Meadow Creek Farm
pull a sleight but only the
Sleigh Rides, 58 River
best were hitched up for the Services in Fairfield
•Northern Heights Farm Road, Sumner, 388-2044
sleigh races. The “finest”
•Northern Heights Farm
races were bred not for the in Waterford
•Hideaway Farm in Top- Sleigh Rides, 211 Rice
speed at the gallop but at
Road, Waterford, 595-3377
the trot. A horse that could sham
•Rockin’ Horse Stables
•Rockin’ Horse Stables in
trot “two forty” like the
Sleigh Rides, 245 Arundel
bobtailed bay referenced in Kennebunkport
“Jingle Bells” could trot a
•High View Farm in Har- Road, Kennebunkport, 967mile in two minutes and 40 rison.
4288
seconds! Horses had their
•Hideaway Farm, 132
•Meadow Creek Farm
tails bobtailed or docked to in Sumner, Maine Horse Katie Lane, Topsham, 522prevent getting long tails Drawn Services, 100 Covell 3866n
entangled in their harness Road, Fairfield, 453-0128
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Jennifer St. Pierre and Vanessa St. Pierre
On December 12th of
2014, Vanessa St. Pierre
of Lisbon presented the
Greater
Androscoggin
Humane Society, with the
donations from her 7th
birthday. Vanessa, a 2nd
grade student at the Lisbon Community School,
asked for donations for
the pets in lieu of birthday
gifts. Party guests generously donated cat food,
litter, dog bones and toys;
all of which will help with
the care of the thousands
of unwanted animals the
Humane Society helps
each year.
The Greater Androscoggin
Humane Society provides
a safe haven for more
than 4,000 sick, homeless
and abused animals in
the greater Androscoggin
area per year. The primary support for the shelter
comes from fundraising
events and donations of
concerned citizens.
The Greater Androscoggin
Humane Society is located at 55 Strawberry Ave-
nue in Lewiston. If you
are interested in learning
more about volunteering
at the shelter or adopting
an animal call 783-2311
or visit the website at
www.SavingPetsInMaine.
org. You can also join
them on www.facebook/
GAHumane. n
Page 14
January 2015
Checking the Backtrack
V. Paul Reynolds
The New Year is almost
always a welcomed event.
The slate is clean. As we
look ahead, it’s a lot like
a field of virgin snow. As
we move on, the tracks
we leave will take us to
unseen ground. This is especially sweet for outdoor
people who have an affinity for exploration, for finding what is just beyond the
hill, or on the other side of
the cedar swamp.
Move on, yes. But don’t
forget to check your backtrack! Animals do it for
survival. For the rest of
us contemplative bipods,
who struggle for understanding and perspective,
a check of what already
took place can often divulge clues or insights
into what lies ahead. Let’s
check that backtrack for
the Maine outdoors, circa
2014.
Of course, the big outdoor story of 2014 was the
favorable outcome of the
bear referendum. That we
were able to save Maine’s
traditional bear hunt and,
in turn, preserve our excellent bear managment
program is a tribute to the
hard work of sportsmen,
sportsmen’s organizations
and our own Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Our opponent, HSUS, asserts that it has not given
up. SAM plans to introduce this winter a package of legislative changes
that will make it increasingly difficult for HSUS
to exploits loopholes in
Maine’s citizen referenda process. Sportsmen
who have never belonged
to SAM might want to
reconsider and join up.
SAM has proven its worth
in spades.
Although no deer harvest numbers are yet
available the anecdotal
evidence indicates that,
despite
uncooperative
Move on, yes. But don’t forget to check
your backtrack!
A critical, key crusader
in this battle was SAM,
the Sportsman’s Alliance
of Maine. Dave Trahan,
SAM’s director, acknowledges that, though the battle has been won, indeed,
the war may not be over.
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Outdoor Unit
hunting weather, it was a
pretty good deer season.
The best news is that north
woods deer are on the rebound! My hunch is that
the deer kill will be down
some from earlier projections.
It was a good bear hunt
with a high participation
rate. Some suspected that
it might have been their
last Maine bear hunt.
As a result of heavy
winter mortality from
tick infestation, this past
fall’s moose harvest quota
had been reduced. Still, it
was a successful hunt for
many of those fortunate
enough to draw a moose
tag. What is not known
is how Maine’s moose
herd will fare this coming
winter and how continued
tick infestations will impact winter mortality. Last
winter, heavy tick laods
took down a lot of moose.
Moose biologist lee Kantar reported that there was
a 30 percent mortality rate
on female moose. Yearling
moose were also hit hard
by the tick infestation.
The grouse season appeared to be a mixed bag.
Some hunters I talked
with said that grouse were
veryplentiful, while others
aid just the opposite. Bird
biologist Brad Allen gives
it a B-.
How was the fishing in
2014?
From all reports, anglers from all areas of the
state, from competitive
bass fishermen to salmon
trollers and brook trout
acolytes, found plenty of
action at their favorite fish
haunts. The most cynical
anglers among us can’t
help but be impressed year
after year by this state’s remarkably rich and diverse
sport fishery. From Kittery
to Fort Kent, Jackman to
Vanceboro, we have the
expansive
watersheds
and the fish. Credit must
be given to the wardens,
fisheries managers and biologists for safeguarding
Maine’s natural treasure
and working hard to make
it better.
An exciting twist in the
trout-stocking department
is the introduction this fall
of the native Nesowadnehunk strain of brookies into the trout ponds of
Baxter Park.
As always, it was a
year of mixed news in the
realm of outdoor politics.
The re-election of Governor Page, who has shown
himself to be a solid ally
of the Maine sportsmen,
was good news. Insofar
as we know, there are no
shakeups in the works in
the leadership realm of
MDIF&W.
Word has it that there
are a number of bills
pending in the state legislature that are sure to draw
some controversy. One
that caught my eye would
“generalize” the turkey
season and make it much
like the grouse season.
There would be no special
fees or tags. There would
be a three-bird limit, and
the hunter could register
his birds online without
visiting a state tagging station. Although there may
be a downside to this that
escapes me, why not? say
I.
Turkeys seem to be faring better than anyone’s
wildest dreams.
Now let’s see what the
new year brings. n
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January 2015
The Outdoor Adventure Club
The Outdoor Adventure
Club at USM’s Lewiston
Auburn Senior College,
led by co-chairs Patricia Vampatella and Cindy Boyd, participated in
National Wreaths Across
America Day on December
13. They were among 100
volunteers laying wreaths
on Veterans’ graves at the
Togus National Cemetery.
Michael Edgecombe of
Spruce Head, coordinator of volunteers and the
wreath distribution, greeted everyone from the back
of the huge truck filled
with cardboard cartons of
wreaths.
He thanked the volunteers for their enthusiasm
and dedication and directed them to the section of
the cemetery chosen for
this year’s wreath laying. It
is hoped that one day ALL
graves will be so honored
with a wreath. Within half
an hour of receiving the
wreaths, volunteers had
decorated 1400 Veterans’
graves in the designated
section at Togus.
Entrance to Togus National Cemetery
The wreaths are provided by the Worcester Wreath
Company of Harrington in
Washington County and it
is now in its 23rd year of
providing wreaths for Veteran servicemen and servicewomen’s headstones.
The noontime Ceremony
held simultaneously across
the country and synchronized with the Ceremony at Arlington National
Cemetery honoring the
fallen Veterans was due
to start in a half hour. This
gave us time to talk with
Jim Doherty of Brunswick
who is an historian and
a longtime employee in
charge of the cemetery.
Doherty gave us many
interesting facts about the
cemetery and took us to
see the grave sites of two
Congressional Medal of
Honor recipients. One was
Landsman John Preston
who served in the Union
Navy onboard the USS
Oneida during the Civil
War. The other recipient
was Pvt.
David John Scannell
Page 15
who served in the U.S.
Marine Corps during the
Boxer Rebellion in China.
Both men were seriously
wounded and remained
in battle despite their
wounds.
We attended the noontime ceremony held at
the flagpole. Representatives from all branches of
the U.S. Services laid a
commemorative wreath at
the base of the flagpole.
A Three Gun Salute was
fired followed by a bugle
playing “Taps” concluded
the ceremony. Senator Angus King was unable to be
present, being detained in
Washington, DC, and sent
Elizabeth M.S.
MacTaggart, Regional
Representative, to speak in
his behalf. Senior College
members were honored
to participate in Wreaths
Across America and found
the experience moving and
gratifying to be part of the
nationwide event. It was
their first time, but it will
not be their last time.n
Your Local Marketing Consultant
USM’s Lewiston Auburn
Senior College Outdoor
Adventures Club. Front,
Irene Marshall; L to R,
Anna Boyce, Joyce Berg,
Charlotte and Les Bosworth, Cindy Boyd, Patricia Vampatella, Susan
Matthews, David Marshall, Sandie Crossley,
Elaine McDonald.
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Androscoggin County.
A native of Maine, Paul graduated from Edward Little High School in 1980. He resides
in Lewiston with his wife of 16 years, Anita
Masse Gagne and their lab mix, Grizzly.
Paul and Anita have three children, Joshua
Gagne, 24, in Chicago; Keenan White, 24, in
St. Leo, Fla.; and SPC Kendrick White, 22,
and his wife, Ashley, stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
He has many years of retail experience and
previously worked as the manager of GM
Pollack, Shawn Pools and Heritage Lighting. He is a Past President of South Lewiston
Little League and was a Sabattus selectman
from 2013-2014.
He enjoys golfing, listening to classic rock
and reggae and watching Quentin Tarantino
movies. He is a member of IAABO Board 21
(basketball referee) and SCMBASO (soccer
official).
Paul may be reached by phone at 576-3426 or by email at [email protected].
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Page 16
January 2015
Cuba: Intriguing and Inviting
Playing dominos.
By Victor Block
Lying on a white sand
beach at the edge of the
turquoise sea, I could
have been at any Caribbean destination. The major
difference was that I was
enjoying an experience
which few Americans
could share for more than
the past 50 years. That is
likely to change somewhat
in the future under the recent agreement for Cuba
and the United States to
reestablish diplomatic relations, lift trade barriers
and ease restrictions on
travel to Cuba by people
from this country.
Since 2011, people
from the United States
have been able to travel
to Cuba as part of a group
sponsored by a licensed
tour operator and going
there for one of several
purposes, including educational, cultural and
religious. That’s the way
I went. While President
Obama’s recent order will
expand the list of reasons Americans may visit
there, lifting all restrictions on travel, including
for tourism, would require
approval by Congress.
Those who go to Cuba
under the new regulations will find a country of
contradictions that make
it an intriguing and inviting place to visit. The
streets of Old Havana
(Habana Vieja), the original 16th-century walled
city, are lined by a treasure-trove of architectural
Flower stands.
gems. Mountain ranges
rise dramatically from
verdant valleys and fields
of sugar cane. And almost
everyone I met welcomed
visitors with a warm smile
on their lips, music in
their souls, and a mix of
both resignation and humor about the challenges
of their lives.
Even vintage American-made cars from the
1950s, a prized possession for those who can
afford them, add to the dichotomy. Some have been
lovingly restored by wellto-do owners with the resources to do so. Most are
junkers kept running by a
combination of mechanical innovation, imagination and luck.
In recent years, renovations to formerly stately
private homes in Havana many of which now house
several families- have
been underway, especially in areas where tourists
congregate. Given the
backlog of structures that
have deteriorated, however, there still are countless
buildings whose former
glory is hidden beneath
crumbling facades and
flaking paint.
Behind its faded beauty, Havana has attractions
enough to fill many an
interesting day.
Some
three dozen major museums make the city an
art lover’s paradise. A
number of them offer the
usual propaganda, and
praise for socialism and
the Revolution, that visitors to Cuba soon learn
to expect. Others would
rank as world class wherever they were located,
displaying works of art by
the likes of Renoir, Rodin
and Picasso.
The aptly named Mu-
Rolling cigars.
and the sea, is frequented
by strolling, fishermen
and lovers walking handin-hand. The stately old
villas of sugar barons and
other wealthy Cubans
who once resided in the
upscale Miramar neighborhood, which were
“This friendliness of people whose lives
are challenging and lacking in luxuries is
one of my lasting memories of Cuba.”
seum of the Revolution
focuses upon the uprising
(1953-1959) that led to
the downfall of the dictatorial ruler Fulgencio Batista and the rise to power
of Fidel Castro
Maps,
weapons and other exhibits - many with English
descriptions denouncing
U.S. oppression, imperialism and capitalism - trace
the Revolution in detail.
An outdoor display area
includes the tiny yacht in
which Castro and 81 other men landed in Cuba to
begin their improbable,
and ultimately successful,
revolution.
When I sought to exchange the confined space
of museums to the world
outside, I found the streets
and neighborhoods of Havana to offer an introduction to living history. The
Plaza de Armas, the most
important square, was laid
out in 1519, and served as
the center around which
early Havana arose. The
Malecon, a sweeping boulevard between the city
abandoned following the
Revolution, now house
government agencies, foreign embassies and business offices.
To gain a more complete
understanding of Cuba, I
also explored other areas
of the island. Fields of sugar cane and what many cigar aficionados rate as the
world’s best tobacco yield
to rolling plains where
cattle graze. Cowboys
(vaqueros) riding horses,
and farmers guiding plows
pulled by oxen, come into
view. Hills where coffee is
grown rise into mountain
ranges.
The northern coastline
is rimmed by the best
beaches on the island. The
resort complex at Varadero, a two-hour drive east
of Havana, has long attracted vacationers from
Europe and Canada who
have been free to visit
Cuba..
Explorations elsewhere
on the island provide a
wealth of experiences
and impressions. Strolling
the narrow, cobblestone
streets of Trinidad, which
was founded in 1514, is
to be immersed in a time
capsule of Cuba’s colonial
past. Santiago de Cuba,
the second largest city, is
perched in hills overlooking the southeastern coast.
Its past includes serving
as the capital city during
the mid-16th century, a
slave port and a refuge for
French settlers from Haiti.
In the little village of El
Cobre just outside Santiago, even the most ramshackle houses are neat,
tidy and often decorated
by foliage and flowers.
Many of the people I encountered there, and elsewhere in Cuba, looked at
me with curiosity, then
smiled and offered a greeting in Spanish. One man
gestured for me to enter
his modest hut for coffee
and to meet the family I
spotted inside, an invitation that my schedule unfortunately prevented my
accepting. After looking
around to make certain no
one was observing us, another rolled up the sleeve
of his T-shirt to display
for me an American flag
tattoo on his upper arm.
This friendliness of
people whose lives are
challenging and lacking
in luxuries is one of my
lasting memories of Cuba.
Together, my experiences
combined to form the confusing, often conflicting,
impressions left by that
country.
At Turner Publishing
we publish 20 papers monthly,
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Those recollections linger, along with images
of Cuba’s natural beauty,
glorious if often faded
architecture and other attractions. With the lowering of barriers for people
from the United States to
visit that country, more
Americans are likely to
take advantage of the opportunity to follow in my
footsteps and return home
with their own impressions.
Victor Block is an
award-winning
travel journalist who lives
in Washington, D.C.,
and spends summers in
Rangeley, Maine. He is
a guidebook author who
has traveled to more than
70 countries. His articles appear in newspapers
around the country, and
on travel websites. n
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