January 26, 2023

Bragg to lead 4-H Foundation

The

Laurie has been with the Maine 4-H Foundation at the Magic Lantern Innovation Center since March of 2022 as the Assistant Director and has a wealth of experience to bring to this position. She was most recently the Outreach and Program Manager for EPSCor at the University of Maine.

Laurie has experience in fund development from her professional work as the Director of Outreach and Fundraising at Codman Community Farms, as the Campaign Manager at Youth Alternatives Ingraham, and in marketing and fund

$192K owed in Coastal Realty case

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer

NAPLES — There should be a sum by summer.

That sum will be the amount of money the Town of Naples is entitled to receive from incomplete projects that were approved for the Brandy Pond Crossing subdivision, also known as Front Nine Homes.

Coastal Realty Capital put up the money, as a sort of contingency fund, in case some items weren’t finished at Front Nine Homes. When the town tried to get money from the letter-of-credit in 2020, there was no funding.

On Jan. 18, Naples Town Manager John Hawley updated the board on the latest development since a judgment was made a few months ago.

The town’s claim is more than $192,000, he said.

“On Dec. 29, we received court documents that the Town of Naples vs. Coastal Realty Capital had been settled and a consent judgment was being circulated and was going to be to be filed in court, closing this case,” Hawley said. “What that means for Naples is that we now have to wait for the receiver, who was the court-appointed person, to liquidate the company to determine how the assets will be divided among the outstanding creditors.”

The town has been contacted and asked to provide the court-appointed receiver with what is owed.

“The receiver has notified all known creditors and has given them until June to make a claim on the assets. I’m

Chamber pushes project along

By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer

The Greater Bridgton Chamber of Commerce hit a home run in the eyes of local officials by making a major financial contribution to complete construction of a snack shack at the Ham Complex.

Chamber Executive Director Angie Cook presented the town a check for $20,000 to help push the project toward completion.

“That is amazing,” Bridgton Select Board

Naples board lines up gym roof solutions

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer

NAPLES — Local elected officials are addressing a town gym that is off limits to the public because of a roof that cannot bear much snow or water weight.

The Naples Board of Selectmen agree that the building needs to be demolished as soon as possible.

However, there isn’t time to prepare to hold a special town meeting prior to the annual town meeting in late April, according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley.

Most likely, the warrant article will ask residents whether or not to approve the cost of demolishing the gym.

But first, the electrical mechanisms must be rerout-

ed away from the gym. The board met on Wednesday after its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday was postponed.

On Wednesday, Jan. 18,

the gym was addressed in three ways. The selectmen 1.) Heard a Zoom presentation from an architect on a stand-alone gym design

chairperson Carmen Lone said. “It is important to get that project finished. We graciously accept this donation.”

The town took over the recreation complex from the Bridgton Recreation Advancement Group last July. Rec Director Gary Colello conducted a survey asking residents what types of events and what future site developments should the town pursue as part of his planning for the complex.

A check presentation photo (above) was taken, including Cook along with some Chamber members, Select Board members and town officials.

In other business:

Harvest Moon Fest to return. Following a very successful debut, the Harvest Moon Fest will return in September 2023 with a few tweaks, according to organizer Pam Ward.

This year, Ward will team up with Chamber Executive Director Angie

Cook. Ward said the Fest will retain the same mission — family oriented with hands-on activities and local talent featured — with a few changes.

Ward said the group will look to expand to possibly include old-fashioned car display and other activities to target teens and older generations.

“Something for everyone,” Ward said.

The group plans to reach out to more businesses to

Trickey Pond lot for sale by sealed bidding

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer

NAPLES — This town’s selectmen are confident that the sale of a tax-acquired waterfront lot could bring in close to $1 million.

The Naples Board of Selectmen was so certain of people’s interest in purchasing the parcel on Trickey Pond that the board set a minimum bid of $750,000.

The Trickey Pond lot has been referred to as the Mayberry Landing property.

Last month, on Dec. 12, at the urging of landowners around the pond, the selectmen decided to put up the parcel for sale rather than keep it for open space.

On Jan. 18, the selectmen voted, 4-0, to offer the land to the public through the sealed bid process with a deadline of Feb. 27, and to set the minimum price at $750,000.

Following the vote, Selectman Kevin Rogers commented.

“The net is pretty big. There is a lot of chatter out there,” he said.

Prior to the vote, Rogers responded to the topic of how long to offer the bid.

“We should test the water, put it out for two months,” he said.

In talking to people in the community, the price of $750,000 has come up a lot, he said.

“I don’t feel the urgency. We shouldn’t be sitting here wanting to get rid of it. We want to maximize what we can get for it,” Rogers said.

Jim Grattelo, who joined the meeting via Zoom, concurred with Rogers.

“There is no urgency. We should test the waters,” he said.

Like Rogers, he had heard prices attached to conversations and social media comments about the lot that the board had decided to sell.

“I heard the number $750,000. Someone would write a check for $750,000 and buy that property,” he said.

Grattelo suggested allowing real estate brokers with clients willing to spend more than the minimum bid to participate in the sealed bid process.

Voters support library repairs

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer

CASCO — Three times as many people voted to spend money on repairs to the local library as those who voted against the monetary assistance.

Casco residents voted, 62-22, to use $125,000 from the town’s Unassigned Fund Balance (USB) to help pay for repairs to the floor, cellar, and roof of the Casco Village Library as well as doing mold remediation in the walls.

Likewise, the vast majority of people voted to move $24,000 from the USB to increase the winter-time road maintenance contract for this season. That vote was 63-20 with three people abstaining.

Meanwhile, a moratorium on commercial solar projects passed by only 5 votes. This topic had the most discussion. When the vote was called, the final number was 45-40 with three people abstaining.

Casco held its Special Town Meeting Tuesday night. About 85 people registered to vote. All three warrant articles passed.

PITCHING IN — The Greater Bridgton Chamber of Commerce presented a check for $20,000 to the town of Bridgton Tuesday night to complete the concession stand at the Ham Complex. Pictured (left to right): Tori Hill, Community Development Director, Town of Bridgton; Jessica Putnam of Edward Jones Investments; Bill Macdonald of Macdonald Motors; Bridgton Rec Director Gary Collelo; Angie Cook, Chamber Executive Director; Heidi Edwards of Norway Savings Bank; Charlotte Kelly of Key Bank; Georgiann Fleck, Deputy Town Manager; Bob Peabody, Town Manager; Bridgton Select Board members Carmen Lone, Ken Murphy and Paul Tworog.

NAPLES GYMNASIUM, the section with flat roof, is off limits to the public. The roof is so dangerous that no one can stand on it to remove snow. Meanwhile the snow sloughs off the pitched roof. (De Busk Photo)

SIGN SAYS no access is allowed through this entrance because the Naples Gym is closed to the public due to roof deficiencies. (De Busk Photo)

Maine 4-H Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Laurie Bragg as the new Executive Director.

Board asks to see Naples budget before cuts made

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer

NAPLES— The annual mantra has been don’t raise the mil rate.

Each year, Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) are cut to adhere to that request.

During the most recent Naples Board of Selectmen meeting, the selectmen decided they would prefer to see the budget before it is pared down to a zero mil rate increase. Last week, on Jan. 18, the Naples Budget Committee started its weekly meetings. That same

night, the selectmen gathered for a make-up meeting so both groups were in the room at the same time.

On Jan. 18, the agenda item was the Fiscal Year 2023-24. Naples Town Manager John Hawley was specifically asking the board about any CIPs or major purchases that should be included in the proposed budget.

Chairman Jim Grattelo, who also sits on the budget committee, explained how those end up on the chopping block every year. The CIP list starts out long, and

Kent’s Landing to be dredged

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer

NAPLES — While going from shallow to deep sounds like a profound personality change, it is also what the Town of Naples would like to happen to the water at Kent’s Landing.

The constant shifting of sand at Kent’s Landing has made the water incredibly shallow and rendered the dock unusable to some boaters.

Several months ago, the town applied for a dredging permit through the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“We finally received our DEP permit for dredging of the boat launch at Kent’s Landing. The engineering firm that did the permitting for us is trying to get an estimate of the cost. And, we will then put it out to bid,” according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley.

“There is only a short window of opportunity to do this, as the DEP permit only permits dredging between November and April,” he said.

“That window of opportunity is closing pretty quickly, I would like to get it done this spring. As much as I would love to get this done before the spring, we will be at the mercy of the budget and the availability of dredging contractors,” he said.

Obviously, the town would prefer to get the work done before the boating season starts in May instead of waiting until November.

“Our goal is to get this done sooner than later,” Hawley said.

Knights to hold shooting contest

The Knights of Columbus Council 11376 of Bridgton/ Fryeburg will be sponsoring a Free Throw Basketball Competition on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lake Region High School gym on Route 302 in Naples.

The competition is open to boys and girls from 9 to 14 years of age. Age category and eligibility is determined by the age of the contestant as of Jan. 1, 2023.

Contestants will compete within their own gender and age. Winners are eligible to compete at the KofC state competition on Saturday, March 11 at 10 a.m. at the Old Town High School.

Entry forms are available at local schools and on the day of the competition. The forms are to be completed, signed and dated by the contestant and a parent or guardian.

Collaborative planning talk

stays intact until the end, he said. Then, those projects end up being cut out and postponed for another year, he said.

After some discussion, the board asked to view two versions of the budget.

“I’ve already gotten direction from the board to not rise the mil rate. If you are going to continue to live by the mil rate can’t change, it won’t do any good to show the numbers that were cut,” Hawley said.

Earlier in the conversation, the talk was about CIPs that couldn’t be avoided as well as a practical wish list.

“We haven’t had the discussion about what kinds of CIP items we want to budget for. One has to be gym demolition,” Hawley said. “I don’t know if you want me to start working on pricing. Do you have other projects that you wanted priced out?”

Selectman Ted Shane favored spending money on roads. Toward the end of the discussion, he asked to see the roads improvement plan.

“When you talk about taking money out of reserves, we have to put more money back into that reserve too. We have $510,000 for paving. That is for one year, gone. We have to put money back into reserves for paving,” Shane said.

Selectman Kevin Rogers mentioned the need for a public bathroom in the Causeway area. The first step for that would be purchasing land to build a bathroom facility.

“If we want to have money in reserve because we need money for it. It is an obstacle not having money for it. We probably want to start putting money away for that,” Rogers said.

Shane agreed.

“It would be great if the opportunity came along to build a bathroom this summer and we have the money already set aside,” he said.

Shane later returned to the topic of paving.

“Right now, we are asking for $500,000 and we have $500,000 in reserves. This summer, we could potentially spend $1 million,” he said.

Hawley said that was a possibility.

“I think we are going into budget season in a good position,” Shane said.

Hawley said the other

requests and price increases need to be taken into account.

“All the departments have increases for next year. If other departments come in higher, the hits come to CIP budget,” Hawley said.

Then, there is equipment for the maintenance department.

“Public works — do we start setting money aside,” Shane said.

Rogers reminded Shane that Naples has a maintenance department rather than a public works department. Still, the maintenance department needs machinery to complete jobs.

“If the town needs the equipment, if the town needs a tractor or a backhoe. It is equipment that needs to be bought and replaced,” he said.

Chairman Grattelo, who joined via Zoom, asked the town manager about the preliminary audit report.

“The auditor is still working on 2021. Not sure if we will have it before the end of the season. When budget committee meets [again] next week, I’d give you my best guess,” Hawley said.

Grattelo suggested that the selectmen see the budget before the CIPs are eliminated.

“Let the budget committee go through individual departments and make their cuts. Here is where we are at before we go whack the CIP budget,” he said. Hawley clarified this departure from the norm.

“Every year that I’ve been here, the guidance I hear is don’t raise the mil rate. The budget that select-board ultimately sees has already been cut by the budget committee,” he said. “Some of the comments have been, ‘We would have like to see what was proposed and cut by the budget committee.’ Do you want to see both numbers?”

Rogers responded.

“We don’t have a scary mil rate. We don’t want to rule out that we go up 5 cents or 10 cents if that is what we need to do to get our roads up to speed. That is a necessary evil. The maintenance department, the public bathroom don’t come out of thin air,” he said.

Selectman Colin Brackett asked if the board could see the budget earlier than usual.

BUDGET, Page 3A

Rec seeks Winter Carnival vendors

The Greater Bridgton Chamber of Commerce is hosting Winter Carnival on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Highland Lake Beach with events like a kids’ ice fishing derby, Chili and Chowder Contest, Family Movie, Ice Bar, Rail Jam, and fireworks.

The first Ice Queen pageant (18-plus) takes place on Friday, Feb. 17 at the Bridgton Town Hall at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Break Room. Cash prizes presented. To regis-

ter, send an e-mail to director@gblrcc.org with the following information by Jan. 30: name, age, location, short bio and picture. For complete list of rules, visit gblrcc.org/winter-carnival/

Harvest Hills Animal Shelter will be putting on their 20th annual Freezing for a Reason event at 1 p.m. Sponsor sheets can be downloaded from the shelter’s website (www.harvesthills.org) under the fundraising event tab.

Rail Jam is on Saturday,

$192K owed

assuming it is at that point that a determination will be made as to who is getting what,” Hawley said. “We will know in June. Who knows what the amount will be? We don’t know what the business is worth or how many people are putting their hands out,” he told the board.

Feb. 18 at the beach with registration starting at 10 a.m. More details to come.

The Bridgton Recreation will have the public iceskating rink open all day (conditions permitting). BR expects a lot of visitors!

All the events are less than a three-minute walk to Highland Lake Beach.

Lake Region Collective Action Network invites the public to the Bridgton Collaborative Planning Workshop with Craig Freshley on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Magic Lantern (9 Depot Street) in Bridgton.

This workshop will provide:

• A deeper understanding of basic principles and practices for cross-organization collaboration.

• A deeper understanding of regional challenges and learning about already established goals.

Freshley

• Make specific plans for increased collaboration on specific topics.

This collaborative planning workshop will bring together service providers and organizations that serve the Bridgton area in facilitated conversation to address the needs of our community and how our efforts can be combined for greater impact.

Cost: $20 per person (lunch provided). Space is limited. To register, go to the Magic Lantern website, LRCAN Bridgton Collaborative Planning Workshop.

Craig Freshley is a professional meeting facilitator, speaker, trainer, and author with an inspiring attitude and a well-earned reputation for helping groups be efficient, harmonious, and productive.

Craig has a bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Maine, and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the Muskie School for Public Service. In addition to working for himself, he has worked for the Maine State Planning Office and for the Maine Development Foundation.

In September, 2022, Craig’s third book was published, “Together We Decide, An Essential Guide for Good Group Decisions.” The book was a #1 New Release and Top-10 Best Seller on Amazon in several categories. “It’s packed with a wealth of inspiring ideas and practical information,” said Kirkus Reviews.

In 2019, Craig won the American Civic Collaboration Award for creating and facilitating Make Shift Coffee Houses: face-to-face places where conservatives, liberals, and all kinds of people meet to talk and understand each other’s political views. Craig was a founder of Sustainable Maine in 1996, Two Echo Cohousing Community in 1997, the Maine Downtown Center in 1999, GrowSmart Maine in 2002, and his company Good Group Decisions in 2003.

Riseman named to 2 committees

State Representative Walter Riseman (I-Harrison) has been appointed to serve on the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee (VLA) and State and Local Government Committee (SLG).

“I am honored to have been chosen for these two legislative committees due to my deep interest in both subject matters,” said Riseman. “I am thankful for the Speaker’s trust in me to craft good policy that impacts our local communities, strengthens our election laws and brings a common sense, independent voice to the table that will have a positive impact for Mainers now and in the future.”

The Vendor Fair will take place at the Bridgton Town Hall Gym, 26 North High Street. The cost is $25 per space, with a donation of an item for the Rec Department raffle. Vendors provide their own table. Electricity is available. Register at https://bridgtonmaine.org/ bridgton-recreation/

The VLA Committee’s jurisdiction includes, but is not limited to, alcoholic beverage laws, lottery operations, adult-use cannabis regulation, election laws and legislative ethics and the Maine National Guard.

The SLG committee oversees concerns related to municipal, county and regional government as well as the Legislature’s state contracts and state employees.

Both legislative committees will begin their work this month. Public hearings and work sessions for the

RISEMAN, Page 3A

FREE FIRST VISIT

If you’re tired of having back problems that are almost unbearable and have tried just about everything in the book, call our office now.

We are currently offering something that is unheard of in this area. No matter what kind of back problems you’re experiencing unless you tried this type of health care, you haven’t tried everything. At our health care facilities — we’ll do everything humanly possible to help you get rid of your back problems.

We are so confident that we can help you, we are offering the consultation and examination FREE OF CHARGE. No matter what you decide to do after the FIRST VISIT, there are no strings attached, no hidden verbiage, nothing! All we want to offer you is good old-fashioned service, with a smile and a handshake.

Call us at Fryeburg Chiropractic at 207-935-3500. Begin your journey to better health and a better world today.

Fryeburg Chiropractic and Wellness Center is a participating provider with most healthcare insurance, No Referral Necessary.

Guest Facilitator Craig

State Representative Walter Riseman (I-Harrison)

Naples lines up gym roof solutions

with offices and storage space; 2.) Received an update on future proposals for the electrical re-routing project; and 3.) Discussed how soon the gym could be demolished.

In new business, Hawley told the board that one contractor reached out to the town after no bid proposals were received by the deadline. The contractor agreed to physically view the scope of the work and put together a proposal prior to the board meeting in two weeks.

“We sent out notifications to 13 electrical contractors that we were accepting proposals for relocating the electrical service that comes into the gym. It was also posted on our website and picked up by the Construction Summary site of New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. It was publicly accessible to an unknown number of electrical contractors via that publication,” Hawley said.

“We did not get any interest,” he said. “However, on the day the bids were due, I received an e-mail from another electrical contracting company that was interested in the work but was not able to get a proposal prepared due to the short timeframe that we had it advertised. They asked for an extension of the proposal due date, which I said I could do, but because we didn’t receive any other proposals, I told them that the date was open-ended at this point.”

The plan is for the contractor to meet with Maintenance Supervisor Steve Merkle and go over the specifics.

Selectman Colin Brackett asked, “Can we just go out and get a bid?”

Hawley said that was possible.

The contractor recommended replacing the existing generator because it is designed was for single phase electrical service. The contractor’s plan was to do a three-phase service and (use) an alternate, upgraded generator for the remaining building.

Vice Chair Ted Shane concluded that the board will see the proposal at the next meeting, which will be Feb. 13.

During a Friday morning in early January, the selectmen toured the Fryeburg Recreation Department building. This was to get ideas for a stand-alone gym.

Also, on Wednesday, the board heard Senior Architect Will Gatchell.

“The floor plan diagram is heavily based on the previous design. The gym is same size. The office block is representative of most of the rec space. There is storage and other support areas for recreation. The multi-purpose room is the same size as the one in last design,” Gatchell said.

Vice-chair Shane asked about including bleachers, which can be tucked into a storage space.

In the current design, the gym is 5,000 square feet, which is 92 by 74 feet. A bas-

ketball court is supposed to by 82 by 50 feet.

Other selectmen asked about the likelihood of having a box design. Instead of having the high roof only above the gym, why couldn’t the design have a tall ceiling for the whole building — providing more space.

I’m certainly on board with the efficiency of a square building. We need to makes sure that we are very conscious of what that square building looks like when we’re done. We cannot sit here and gripe about storage units going up everywhere and how ugly they are. Then, put up a square metal building just because we like how efficient it is. We can’t tell people in the community that we want to beautify our town, we want to create a mood [buildings with New England character], and then put up a building that we cannot even point out as a model of what we want in the community.

“Back to Colin’s [Selectman Brackett] point of having big box. They utilized the space above the office space and made more space. I saw value in that,” Shane said.

Architect Gatchell admitted he has not yet toured the Fryeburg facility but was familiar with it.

“It is an efficient layout. It creates space for viewing and overlooking for gym floor and an informal area for people to circulate,” he said.

Selectman Kevin Rogers said the tour of Fryeburg’s building caused him to think about what Naples needed.

“What do we need in addition to a gym? We certainly need as much storage as possible. There’s no question about that. You definitely need a couple offices and a meeting room that could reduce the load, and increase the space for this building while the second phase is being mulled over,”

Trickey Pond lot for sale by bid

(Continued from Page 1A)

“Realtors have a wider net. They might get $1 million. Bring somebody to the party from out of state who has deeper pockets,” he said.

“Kevin is right. There’s no rush. Take our time. Get the best deal for the taxpayers of Naples,” Grattelo said.

Earlier in the discussion, Naples Town Manager John Hawley introduced the agenda item, asking the board what method of sale it would prefer.

“At your last meeting, you determined that you would sell parcel 5A in the Mayberry Landing Estates. Now, you need to determine how you want to sell the parcel, whether it be by auction, by sealed bid or by listing it with a realtor,” Hawley said.

“I think sealed bid option is the best. You get the biggest bang for the buck in terms of competitors interested,” he said.

After Hawley advised using the sealed bid method, Selectman Ted Shane asked

if the town should require a minimum bid price.

Grattelo favored using a minimum bid, which is permissible in municipal government.

“Our obligation is to notify abutters, and we’ve done that. We have a right to put it out to bid and set a minimum bid and accept bids form anyone that is interested,” he said.

“What is number as a minimum? We should figure out what the price is and set a number higher than that. My recommendation

would be to set minimum as high as we think we can get,” Grattelo said.

Selectman Colin Brackett asked how the sealed bid process works.

Hawley explained that the town would advertise it for about a month.

“The last time, we shortened the timeframe, the responses were limited. We are not in any hurry to sell so we can afford a month,” he said.

“Word of mouth will generate interest,” Hawley said.

Bridgton Select Board notes

(Continued from Page 1A)

possibly become involved. The town-sponsored event is slated for Saturday, Sept. 16 with a rain date of Sept. 17.

Ward is debating a possible change in the evening hours, but no decision has

(Continued from Page 2A)

Most likely, the selectmen will see the budget by the first week of March just in time for their meeting on March 13.

Currently, the budget committee meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the large meeting room at the Naples Town Hall. As always, the public is invited to attend.

Riseman

(Continued from Page 2A)

VLA Committee will take place in Augusta in the State House, Room 437. The SLG Committee’s work will also take place in Augusta in the Cross Building, Room 214.

Riseman is entering his third term as a member of the Maine House representing Bridgton, Harrison and Denmark.

been made. Kids’ activities are featured in the morning and early afternoon, with the focus shifting to adult activities and performers in the evening.

The Select Board asked how the date relates to the Chamber’s Brew Fest, which is moving from Casco to Bridgton this year. Cook said the Brew Fest is slated for Sept. 30.

See how it goes. Justin O’Connor prides himself on being a “good neighbor” when it comes to running his business and co-existing with nearby residents.

The owner of King’s Head Pub in Portland for the past eight years, O’Connor said he has developed a “wonderful reputation” and done “charity work” to be an integral part of the community.

He wants to carry that approach forward at Bridgton’s newest business located in Pondicherry Square, Queen’s Head Pub, tentatively set to open next month.

O’Connor told Select Board members during the special amusement permit public hearing that he is “community oriented,” and one of the big reasons he and his wife moved to Bridgton this past August.

A native of upstate New York, O’Connor liked the “sense of community” he found here in Bridgton. He intends to donate profits from opening night at Queen’s Head to the Bridgton Food Pantry. He will run other fundraisers throughout the year.

O’Connor tipped his hat to developer Justin McIver and his MEH crew regarding the new commercial facility, The Gateway.

“It’s a stunning space,” he said. “MEH has done an amazing job. It’s good to be part of Bridgton. I love it here.”

O’Connor was seeking a special amusement permit for live music from 9 p.m. to midnight. Select Board member Ken Murphy noted that the area does have some residential units nearby, but is sitting in the town’s commercial district.

Select Board member Bob McHatton, however, had a “problem” with music being allowed until midnight. He thought an earlier start time, like 8 p.m. to 11 might be a better arrangement. Board chairperson Carmen Lone admitted she is “sadly more conservative” than McHatton, thinking it might be better if music ceased by 10 p.m.

O’Connor said the 9 p.m. start time would give restaurant personnel time to complete the dinner rush and then turn their focus to the crowd seeking a later meal and entertainment. He noted that if problems arise, he would reconsider the plan.

Select Board member Paul Tworog speculated that renters of apartment/Airbnb units at The Gateway would know up front that entertainment would be taking place at Queen’s Head Pub.

“That’s the nature in living in this development,” Tworog said.

The Select Board voted 4-0 to approve the special amusement permit (these permits are renewed on a yearly basis).

Lone gave a “slow yes,” and noted she would see what happens next year.

More debate on amusement permit. Lynn Williams says she and her husband have spent their first year as the new owners of Noble House Inn sprucing up the property inside and out, and seeking out ways to build their clientele.

As in the past, the inn has been the site of wed-

— Selectman Kevin Rogers, on gym design

Rogers said.

“I’m certainly on board with the efficiency of a square building. We need to makes sure that we are very conscious of what that square building looks like when we’re done. We cannot sit here and gripe about storage units going up everywhere and how ugly they are. Then, put up a square metal building just because we like how efficient it is. We can’t tell people in the community that we to beautify our town, we want to create a mood [buildings with New England character], and then put up a building that we cannot even point out as a model of what we want in the community,” he said.

Shane said the board should hold a workshop to discuss the details of a gymrecreation building design.

Casco meeting

(Continued from Page 1A)

Following the meeting, Librarian Michelle Brenner commented on the outcome.

“I was relieved. I am pleased that people came out to support us. We have been asking our patrons to come to town meeting. It was in our newsletter and I did remind people by email today,” Brenner said. “We are happy that the town is going to help us.”

A list of the exact projects and the cost estimates is listed on the town’s website. Thus far, the library has garnered $45,000 in grants to be used toward the repairs, she said.

Brenner went to the microphone to explain why the library repairs were needed. She said that completing these repairs — some more pressing than others — is an investment in the future of the library.

“We are here for the team to come study, for country village residents to read magazines and enjoy tea, … for readers to enjoy book club meetings,” she said.

Tuesday night’s special town meeting was the third time that residents had used the handheld clickers instead of holding up colored pieces of paper.

The solar moratorium was the warrant articles that generated the most discussion. More than a half-dozen people spoke on it.

Dave Fowler, the owner of Mainely Solar, LLC, said the moratorium would negatively impact the timeline for two proposed projects that he would like to see be successful. Those solar projects are on Carol Drew’s land 750 feet off Route 302 and Jeff Hall’s property in the woods between Route 121 and Quaker Ridge Road, he said.

“We’ve been working on the project for more than a year now,” he said.

That work includes collecting environmental data and filling out state-required paperwork. Additionally, he has been working with the utility company, Central Maine Power (CMP) to see if the capacity is sufficient in the chosen locations.

“I want a no vote. I’ve been to the [Casco] Planning Board meetings. The standards that are being proposed would prohibit any more solar projects in the Town of Casco based on how restrictive” the proposed standards are, Fowler said. “Specifically [solar equipment] couldn’t be seen from town roads, from Hacker’s Hill, from ponds and lakes.”

Both Dave Fowler and his daughter Lucy spoke about putting best management practices into place.

“If I was sure that the standards that are being proposed weren’t so prohibitive, I would support the moratorium,” he said.“My fear is that common sense won’t prevail, so I am asking for a no vote.”

Planning Board Chairman Ryan McAllister spoke.

“Right now, the ask for a moratorium is a short-term moratorium to go through the process of putting together the ordinance,” he said, adding that should reflect what all community members want.

Having no moratorium leaves the town open, he said.

“If a solar farm application landed on the CEO’s desk next week. If it is going in behind a neighborhood, it would only be 40 feet from the neighborhood for the next 20 years,” McAllister said.

Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the planning board will move forward with drafting an ordinance that addresses commercial solar farm, he said.

“To be honest, whether the moratorium gets voted down tonight or passes, the board will still work on a solar ordinance. The whole point is to give the town and the planning board the time to put together one. Whether it is a yes or no, we are still doing an ordinance,” McAllister said.

Selectman Grant Plummer spoke in favor of the moratorium.

“As you drive through the region, there are some that look like it should be there the one in Gray that’s near the Park & Ride lot. It makes sense there,” he said.

Other locations for solar farms seem less thought out, especially near residential areas, which causes the ‘not in my backyard’ mentality in people.

“Windham is going through same struggle. Their setbacks are 0 to 40 feet because solar farms fall under a public utility facility . . . There are a lot of communities that are trying to sort this out,” he said.

“Moratorium — it is terrible word. People hate to hear the word. Let’s give us a minute, rein this in so no one ends up with it in their backyard, if they don’t want it,” Plummer said.

Carol Drew is one the people who would like a solar farm in her backyard. Time has been invested. Arduous is the word she used to describe preparing

Bridgton Police Department blotter items

These items appeared on the Bridgton Police Department blotter (this is a partial listing):

Monday, January 16

7:02 p.m. Wallet found in the Walgreen’s parking lot by a citizen and turned over to police.

7:29 p.m. Car-deer collision on Burnham Road.

10:10 p.m. Police spoke to an individual involved in a dog-bite incident in Harrison; advised individual to contact the town’s Animal Control Officer.

Tuesday, January 17

7:55 a.m. Motor vehicle crash on Waterford Road.

12:46 p.m. Individual sought a police escort to retrieve belongings at a Main Street location.

1:56 p.m. Motor vehicle crash at McDonald’s. Wednesday, January 18

8:48 a.m. Deer struck on Harrison Road, police issued citizen a deer tag.

10:06 a.m. Criminal trespass complaint on Fox

Crossing Road.

12:34 p.m. Theft (nonsufficient funds) complaint at Portland Road location.

2:28 p.m. Criminal trespass complaint on South High Street.

2:44 p.m. Female turned herself in to police custody on an active arrest warrant.

2:45 p.m. Welfare check on Depot Street.

4:38 p.m. Suspicious activity report filed regarding ice fishing gear left on Moose Pond and no one around. Officer checked the area, and found the gear and owner, who was ice fishing.

Thursday, January 19

3:16 a.m. Mental health event on Kansas Road.

8:36 a.m. Disorderly conduct complaint on Iredale Street.

11:24 a.m. Police investigated a possible protection from harassment violation at Sawyer Circle.

1:13 p.m. Bail check at Howard Trail; no violation

Bragg to lead 4-H Foundation

development at the Sheridan Arts Foundation.

The Foundation is excited to announce the position change was effective Jan. 9 as Laurie will have the opportunity to work with the current Executive Director, Susan Jennings until she retires in May.

Laurie will be taking over Susan’s responsibilities when she retires from the University of Maine after 34 years of working with the 4-H Youth Development program, both as Extension Professor and Executive Director of the Maine 4-H Foundation. Susan retires with 34 years of working with the UMaine Youth Development program.

The Magic Lantern is hiring a new Assistant Director

of bail conditions found.

5:03 p.m. Report of a person allegedly attempting to purchase alcohol for an underaged female at a Main Street store. Purchase attempt denied by store staff.

6:13 p.m. Assist United Ambulance staff with a medical emergency on Portland Road.

Friday, January 20 12:58 a.m. Responding to a vehicle off the road on North High Street, police charged a male with operating while under the influence and violating conditions of release.

9:14 a.m. Citizen assist on Depot Street.

10:13 a.m. Vehicle off the road on North High Street; tow truck used to pull vehicle from a snowbank.

6 p.m. Citizen assist at Hospital Drive.

7:32 p. m. Pedestrian welfare check on Main Street.

8:52 p.m. Citizen assist on Mountain Road.

Saturday, January 21 12:32 p.m. Parking problem on Mountain Road with vehicles parked on both sides of the roadway creating a “hazard” and “difficulty for emergency vehicles needing to pass.” Vehicles were towed.

1:06 p.m. Police attempted to locate a vehicle, which reportedly traveling erratically on North Bridgton Road and Kimball Road.

5:27 p.m. Police requested a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit to assist searching for a juvenile lost in the woods off Buswell Road. Police say the juvenile was able to find her way out of the woods, and was reunited with her parents.

7:05 p.m. Suspicious person report on Sam Ingalls Road. Police found that the subject was the

Animal Control officer looking for a lost dog in the area.

8:46 p.m. Attempt to locate erratic operator on Route 302 and Kansas Road.

11:07 p.m. Assist United Ambulance staff at Campbell Drive.

Sunday, January 22

9:21 a.m. Theft (nonsufficient funds check) complaint at a Portland Road location.

9:57 a.m. Police arrested a male at a South High Street location, and charged him with domestic violence assault, assault, criminal threatening and violating conditions of his release. He was transported to the county jail.

2:40 p.m. A wallet was found on Sanborns Grove Road and turned over to police. The owner was

located.

3:42 p.m. Police responded to a “physical altercation” between a group of juveniles on Main Street.

5:51 p.m. Theft complaint on Mountain Road.

7:59 p.m. Police received a call from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office regarding a suspected hit-and-run occurring an hour earlier. Attempt to locate suspected vehicle on North High Street. A Center Conway, N.H. man was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking on East Main Street, near the Maine state line. Police later located the alleged vehicle in Fryeburg. Officials say the driver is “cooperating.” Monday, January 23 4:47 a.m. Pedestrian check on Portland Road.

Fryeburg Police

These items appeared on the Fryeburg Police Department log (this is a partial listing):

Monday, January 16

10:12 a.m. Motor vehicle stop on Lovell Road, warning issued.

10:49 a.m. Assist Fryeburg Fire Department at Old Saco Inn.

11:44 a.m. Civil matter on Main Street.

2:40 p.m. Unwanted subjects at Main Street business.

Tuesday, January 17

7:25 p.m. Animal complaint on Lovell Road.

Wednesday, January 18

9:33 a.m. 9-1-1 hang-up call on Main Street.

4:53 p.m. Animal complaint on Bridgton Road.

6:37 p.m. Non-reportable motor vehicle crash on Main Street.

Thursday, January 19

12:14 a.m. Suspicious activity at state Information Center on Main Street.

A

Bridgton Select Board notes

dings and special occasions. So, Williams expected renewal of a special amusement permit to go without a hitch.

On the SAP, the hours of entertainment planned, “12-9, always ending early...times of start different.”

“I have no interest in making enemies with neighbors,” Williams told the Select Board. “We have to get up early for breakfast.”

Charlie Simpson, who lives across the street from the Noble House for the past 12 years, noted that Highland Road is a “generally quiet residential neighborhood.” He has concerns about alcohol service and parking.

“I have no ax to grind with the Noble House. It’s an attraction and a landmark for Bridgton...They have always been good neighbors,” he said.

However, the change in ownership has resulted in some changes that worry Simpson. He posed three questions:

• Are there rules in place governing music, dancing and entertainment, if so where can I find them, if not, can they be implemented?

Williams said Noble

House has always had special amusement permit. “I’ve told people there is no music after 9 p.m. The airbnb across the street creates more noise,” she noted. “We’ve been working feverishly on the place.”

She noted that a “beer garden” has been developed — yet is more of a place where families can eat outdoors or guests can enjoy a comfortable drink from the inn’s bar.

• Simpson brought

attention to a sign that was posted on Highland Road that the “bar was open.” Is the house bar open to anyone passing by; don’t remember former owners advertising? Simpson said/ Williams said it was simply an opportunity on a Saturday-Sunday, for two hours, for Highland Road residents to stop by, sit on the porch and enjoy a drink and tour the facility.

“We did it twice, didn’t advertise it. A number of people drive by Noble House but had never been

in. It was an opportunity to see it; I don’t know we’ll do it again this summer,” Williams said.

• Simpson noted that the inn’s website includes various wedding and private party packages, “up to 150 guests.” He wondered if that is too large a crowd for a residential neighborhood. “It creates the possibility for problems including loud raucous noise, behavioral problems, potential disturbing the peace, and a public health safety issue,” he said.

Williams said “everything has been under 100. We were asked about 200 and said no.” In most case, event planners arrange transportation for guests to be dropped off at the inn.

“They always had weddings at Noble House,” she added. “It was sold to us that way. I worry about the neighbors.”

If people want an afterparty, Williams will suggest they go to the new brew pub. “It can’t be at the Noble House,” she said.

One person noted that other wedding venues exist on Highland Road.

The Select Board questioned whether a 100-person limit could be included in writing, but Town Manager Robert Peabody said the special amusement

NOTES, Page 5A

10 a.m. Suspicious person at Bridgton Road business. 12:34 p.m. Criminal mischief complaint on Main Street.

Friday, January 20

1:35 a.m. Theft complaint at Main Street business.

3:08 a.m. Assist another agency at Butter Hill in Chatham, N.H.

6:15 a.m. Assist Fryeburg Rescue on Portland Street. 10:44 a.m. Assist Fryeburg Rescue on Main Street. 12:30 p.m. Responding to a disturbance on Maple Street, police charged Joshua Merchant, 32, of Fryeburg. 6:03 p.m. Motor vehicle crash on Haley Town Road.

Saturday, January 21

9:06 a.m. Suspicious activity on Bridgton Road.

10:22 a.m. 9-1-1 hang-up call on Recreation Drive, unfounded.

1:26 p.m. Parking problem at the intersection of Main Street and River Street.

2:55 p.m. Disturbance on Portland Street, warning issued.

9:14 p.m. Assist citizen on Main Street.

Sunday, January 22

1:21 p.m. Assist Fryeburg Rescue on West Fryeburg Road.

6:38 p.m. Assist another agency on East Main Street, Conway.

Monday, January 23

12:30 a.m. Assist another agency on Elm Street.

to work directly with team of amazing individuals at the Magic Lantern Innovation Center. The position will have responsibilities as a business manager and program director. Applications are available at the Magic Lantern or can be requested from Susan Jennings at susan.jennings@ maine.edu.

review of applications will begin in early February.

Senior Living opens

Woodlands Senior Living has opened the doors to the first and only purpose-built memory care community in the Lakes Region area.

Woodlands Memory Care of Bridgton held a series of open house events earlier in the month. The first residents were welcomed beginning Tuesday.

“There is nothing more important to families than making sure their loved ones are given high quality care close to home and near their family and friends,” said Matthew Walters, managing member of Woodlands Senior Living. “The Lake Region now has a purposebuilt memory care community, which means it is specifically built to serve the unique needs of individuals living with memory impairment.

Woodlands has more than 20 years of experience developing and operating this type of specialized community with the knowhow and skillsets to provide the best possible care for our residents. We are excited to start accepting new residents and provide this service for the good people of the Lake Region.”

The 48-bed Bridgton community is 24,000 square feet, features 16 private rooms and 16 shared rooms, and will employ more than 30 staff. The community’s amenities and features include abundant natural light, home-scaled areas for resident engagement and safety systems.

Woodlands Memory Care of Bridgton is Woodlands’ second location in Cumberland

Eco challenge — upcycle waste

teacher or advisor.

County, and also includes on-site features like a beauty salon, a physical and occupational therapy area, and a large outside courtyard. Like its other communities, Woodlands Memory Care of Bridgton will accept both private paying and MaineCare eligible individuals and families.

Woodlands Senior Living started in 1980 with a 39-resident boarding home in Hallowell. The organization has since grown to include 16 communities in 10 locations with the addition of Bridgton. The company was recently included in the 2021 Argentum & Lument Largest Providers Report, which provides data and information on 150 of the largest senior living providers in the United States. Woodlands ranked at #131 on the list, and is the only Maine-based senior living provider to make the 2021 list.

Woodlands was also honored earlier this year with the Large Business of the Year Award from the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Persons interested in more information about the community or to inquire about care are invited to call 207-8036615, or visit https://www. woodlandsmaine.com/location/bridgton/

ecomaine has launched its 2023 school-based Upcycle Challenge, which will award $500 to a participating student’s school.

The Upcycle Challenge asks students in ecomaine’s member communities to use items that ordinarily would have been disposed of, to make all-new, functional ones and submit them by Friday, March 31. From the submissions, ecomaine’s Outreach & Recycling Committee will select a group of finalists, based on the incorporation of post-consumer materials, the ingenuity and functionality of the new creation, inclusion of students in the process, as well as the approval from a

Following the determination of finalists, the designs will be voted on by the public through the end of Earth Month, April 2023.

In the past, the Upcycle Challenge has seen entries including:

• A working chandelier made from old plastic bottles

• A bike rack made from old bicycles

• Clothing fashioned from plastic, old fabric, and other materials

• Old clothing turned into hair scrunchies

• Furniture from old tires

• Movie projectors made from all kinds of would-bejunk materials “Every year, we’re

College honors

David J. Marshall of Denmark has been named to the Fitchburg State University Dean’s List for the fall 2022 semester. A student is placed on the Dean’s List for the semester if an average grade of 3.20 or better is attained, and the student is attending the university full time.

Emily Freid of Bridgton, who is majoring in Biological Science, has been named to the Dean’s List for

the fall 2022 semester at the University of Vermont. To be named to the Dean’s List, students must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and rank in the top 20 percent of their class in their respective college or school.

Rebecca Roy of Bridgton was recently named to the Castleton University (Vt.) President’s List for the fall semester of the 2022-23 academic year. To qualify for

blown away by the creativity of Maine’s students,” said Matt Grondin, ecomaine’s Director of Communications & Public Affairs. “It’s clear that these young ecomaineiacs have the desire to keep materi-

als out of our landfills and have the ingenuity to make some incredibly fun, functional, and resourceful new designs.”

Guidelines, rules, and the entry form can be found online at ecomaine.org.

this highest academic honor, students must maintain fulltime status and a semester grade point average of 4.0.

Tyler Hunter of Fryeburg, Emily Wallace of Harrison, Ellery Hunt of Bridgton and Reilly Brown of Stow have been named to the Plymouth State University President’s List for the fall 2022 semester. To be named to the President’s

List, a student must achieve a grade point average of 3.7 or better.

Kaia Staples of Brownfield (High Honors), Sydney Lisowski of Harrison (Honors) and Jonah Eng of Waterford (Honors) have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of New Hampshire for the fall 2022 semester.

More Bridgton Select Board notes

permit does not address such limitations — occupancy is determined by state permit.

Lone noted that she lives across the street from a motel turned to a venue. There were concerns about

traffic, noise, peace and harmony in the neighborhood. Every event last two years were “well thought out and planned, not intrusive,” she said.

The board voted 4-0 to approve the permit.

Some short takes from Deputy Town Manager Georgiann Fleck’s report:

No Parking: If going to Pleasant Mountain for the pleasure of skiing please park in the parking lot(s). Do not park on the sides of the road. There are signs for the parking lots and signs restricting parking on the sides of the road. Vehicles were towed last week for illegal parking on Mountain Road.

Give Your Thoughts : Bridgton is in the process

of developing an Open Space Plan which will guide the future of public access to the town’s natural resources and recreation areas. Your input is important! There is one week remaining to take the public survey. Please visit the Community Development webpage to learn more.

Wreath Work: A letter of recognition has been received from Wreaths Across America (“WAA”) recognizing Bridgton Police Officer Michael Chaine’s contributions and commitment to planning and executing WAA’s 2022 escort for the Arlington convoy.

“With logistical operations this size, planning occurs twelve months out of the year and for the past

three years, Officer Chaine has volunteered countless hours in completing his roles of route mapping, fire department liaison, and parking coordinator within the WAA Law Enforcement Planning Team. His contributions to the planning and executing of the escort have been instrumental in further developing our logistics and operations each year.”

Budget Work nears. The Select Board will soon be wading through sheet after sheet in oversized binders as they begin their budget review process.

The Select Board will meet with department heads and outside agencies over two days, March 6-7. Select Board member

Paul Tworog asked if on opening day a half-hour could be taken prior to the start of the review to hear an overview from Town Manager Bob Peabody.

The overview would look at “how it is going to all add up; if all comes together as proposed; get individual items, concept whether thinking as a board reduce, minimal increases with an opportunity to do more,” Tworog said. Lone was thinking along similar lines; “the bigger picture, keep concise time frame.”

All agreed to the prebudget overview.

Next Meetings : The Bridgton Select Board meets Feb. 14 and Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.

Raider ‘D’ swarms Knights

(Continued from Page 7A)

lapsing on us with two or three people. We spent time at practice this week keeping our eyes up, looking right away to find the open person,” Coach Stacy said. “We have players with good mid-range jump shots.”

Alysa Grawe added an exclamation point, draining a right-corner 3-pointer to end the quarter with FA up 33-19.

Sometimes, a team can cool off and take their foot off the gas pedal after intermission and holding a big lead.

Fryeburg kept motoring.

And, they did it with everyone contributing.

Jilyan Byrne (8 points) swished a baseline pull-up, and Shaw netted a 3-point-

er. Pintor Gali added a pair of inside buckets and the FA lead swelled to 20 points.

Poland struggled offensively, committing six turnovers while only scoring 5 points — 4 on strong takes to the rim by Thornton, who scored a game-high 23 points. For the game, the Knights turned the ball over 24 times.

Fryeburg showed no letdown, as Shaw fueled a 13-0 run to close the third quarter, scoring 7 points and setting up Byrne for an easy bucket.

With Coach Stacy going to her bench in the final quarter, the teams played to a 9-9 standoff. Milosevic, who scored 6 points in the quarter, remained on the floor until 2:02 was left

on the clock. Ana Maillett scored in the lane for FA, while Eden True made 1 of 2 foul shots to figure in the scoring.

“We need to work on Mina’s body control. She anticipates the pass well, but then plows through people every now and then. She’s come a long way,” Coach Stacy said. “We told Mina when she is in the lane, even with people hanging all over her, to keep the ball high, and either shoot or look for the open player on the outside. She did a really nice job deciding where to go with the ball. Those second chance shots have changed her game completely. We weren’t rebounding it earlier in the season, but now, we’re getting more second

chance tries.”

At 4-8, the Raiders were ranked ninth in Tuesday’s Class A South Heal Ratings. The top 10 teams qualify for the tournament.

“We just need to be consistent. It really depends on how they show up that day mentally. I can teach and motivate as much as I can, then it’s up to them. Hopefully, these recent wins will improve their confidence and consistency,” Coach Stacy said. “If we can stay consistent and aggressive — yes, a little smarter at times (we tend to get a little foul happy). Our focus is to be aggressive, but smart. And consistent, hopefully. If we do that, we can continue to get better and get a few more wins.”

Casco meeting

the paperwork for a commercial solar project. The town should take the normal pace to write a new ordinance rather than slap in a moratorium, she said. A moratorium is for an emergency situation, and this is not one.

“This is not a reason for a moratorium. The current ordinances were enough to approve two — one that is on town property,” Drew said.

BOXED IN — Poland’s Althea Thornton tries to escape a trap along the sideline set by Raiders’ Sydney Shaw (#12) and Celia Hernandez. (Rivet Photo)

LANTERNS lighted a path in December at the annual Sebago Elementary School Lantern Walk.

Fryeburg Academy Semester 1 honors

FRYEBURG — Fryeburg Academy is pleased to announce students who have earned the academic distinction of Honors and High Honors for Semester I in the fall 2022-23:

Grade 9 Honors: Alexander Allain, Francesco Artigau Aleu, Tucker Barnaby, Kiley Bellamy, Adger Bowen, Cody

Boyd, Jordan Brown, Tyler Canfield, Megan Clement, Dilen Drew, George Drew, Jacob Eveleth, Thomas Guthro, Holym Han, Jared Hayes, Merrik Iacozili, Jaxson Kubichko, Eduardo Madrazo Zertuche, Richard Massey, Rylan McBride, Andrew Meier, Gaige Mitchell, Kaelan Moser, Jeronimo Patino Aguayo,

Alpine racing times

WESTERN MAINE CONFERENCE Giant Slalom at Pleasant Mountain, Jan. 18 GIRLS’ STANDINGS Racer 1st

Total 1. Brooke Boone, YAR 36.36 37.98 1:14.34

Lauren Roy, LR 40.01 40.56 1:20.57

Sam Winterbottom, FA 40.38 43.97 1:24.35

Caslida Hughas, FA 46.34 45.55 1:31.89

Reannah Dingley, LR 46.42 48.81 1:35.23

Clara Yagar, FA 45.66 49.88 1:35.54

Katie-Anne Clark, FA 47.09 49.47 1:36.56

Laura Dutton, LR 48.90 50.51 1:39.41 14. Madison Frost, LR 49.47 51.08 1:40.55 15. Madison Murray, FA 47.67 54.21 1:41.88 18. Lilia Vishnyakov, FA 52.75 54.32 1:47.07 19. Lyla Levesque, LR 51.25 55.90 1:47.15 20. Maleu Tottgaard, FA 52.79 56.18 1:48.97 21. Leire Achurra, FA 53.42 55.74 1:49.16 22. Haley Spofford, FA 52.97 1:00.33 1:53.30 23. Elsie Leonard, FA 55.02 1:01.67 1:56.69 24. Andrea Martinez, FA 1:00.73 1:00.46 2:01.19 — Ashley Pelletier, LR DNF 40.83 BOYS’ STANDINGS

Racer 1st Run 2nd Run Total

1. Tyler Moore, YAR 35.28 36.16 1:11.44 2. Holden Edenbach, FA 37.91 38.55 1:16.46 4. Chandler Thorne, FA 38.91 40.72 1:19.63 6. Brady Chappell, FA 38.47 43.24 1:21.71 8. Gabe Grace, FA 40.80 43.59 1:24.39 9. Jordi Gimeno, FA 43.57 42.05 1:25.62 10. Hogan Bemis, FA 35.40 50.51 1:25.91 12. Ryan Meade, FA 44.33 45.52 1:29.85 13. Corbin Blake, FA 43.46 46.52 1:29.98 15. Adrian Wozich, LR 48.29 50.09 1:38.58 16. Bennet Harper, FA 51.13 52.70 1:43.83 17. David Bellis-Bennett, FA 51.39 52.80 1:44.19 18. Russell Carbonaro, FA 50.31 54.14 1:44.45 19. Myles Coleman, FA 53.62 55.91 1:49.53 22. Connor Spofford, FA 1:05.32 1:08.09 2:13.41 23. Joshua Wake, FA 1:08.24 1:14.96 2:23.20 24. Colin Varney, LR 1:40.49 50.99 2:31.48

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Triple C Giant Slalom at Pleasant Mountain, Jan. 17 GIRLS’ STANDINGS

Team Score: Yarmouth 10, Greely 44, Molly Ockett no score Racer 1st Run 2nd Run Total

1. Josie Malin, YAR 26.61 26.75 53.36 14. Avery Turner, MO 32.38 31.50 1:03.88 19. Mercedes Hopler, MO 1:00.08 54.89 1:54.97 BOYS’ STANDINGS

Team Score: Yarmouth 13, Greely 31, Molly Ockett no score Racer 1st Run 2nd Run Total 1. Caleb Rand, YAR 27.05 27.01 54.06 3. Marley O’Donnell, MO 29.28 28.95 58.23 — Ronyn Cox, MO 51.43 Triple C Slalom at Pleasant Mountain, Jan. 17 GIRLS’ STANDINGS

Team Score: Freeport 20, Windham 36, Falmouth 45, Lake Region 45, Racer 1st Run 2nd Run Total 1. Maddy Cannan, FRE 31.64 32.79 1:04.43 2. Addison Klimek, LR 32.45 33.98 1:06.43 12. Winter Higgins, LR 45.50 50.12 1:35.62 14. Olivia Lindsay, LR 45.49 53.20 1:38.69 17. Isabella Collins, LR 49.47 52.97 1:42.44 20. Sirena Thompson, LR 50.84 55.38 1:46.22 Triple C Slalom at Pleasant Mountain, Jan. 17 BOYS’ STANDINGS Team Score: Falmouth 23, Freeport 24, Lake Region 34, Windham 74 Racer 1st Run 2nd Run Total 1. Bowden Hodgkin, FRE 31.67 31.49 1:03.16 3. Peyton Toomey, LR 33.85 33.35 1:07.20 7. Remi Sirois, LR 35.88 42.61 1:18.49 10. Abe Grace, LR 39.94 44.13 1:24.07 14. Wyatt Levesque, LR 47.22 54.94 1:42.16

Noah Pierce, Sharis Santos, Caleb Snow, Connor Spofford, Haley Spofford and William Twigg-Smith.

Grade 10 Honors: Kialana Adams, Ellis Andrews, Madeline Beckwith, Russell Carbonaro, Sofia Chakoumakos, Brie Charest, Aidan Clement, Zoe Daigle, Charles Day, Holden Edenbach, Bri’Anna Evans, Preston Field, Cheyenne Fox, Sierra Fox, Carter Franks, Mackenzie Gilpatric, Jordi Gimeno Massot, Alysa Grawe, Quinn Hagerty, Gretchen Harding, Benjamin Harnden, Nolan Harriman, Jagger Helwig, Bo Greta Hermanson, Casilda Hugas de Olabarria, Seth Hunter, Sophia Jacobs, Junsung Lee, Hazel Lewis, Olivia Lewis, Annabelle Longpre, Andrea Martinez Rodriguez, Keegan McAllister, Gwendolyn McDougall, Madeline Nylin, Miguel Pascual Rodriguez, Makayli Perreault, Patricio Pineda Fernandez, Sarah Priestman, Kylie ProutyAllen, William Robblee, Natalya Roberts, Gabriella Rothermel, Jocelyn Roy, Grace Rydman, Luke Staires, Isabel Trueba Relimpio, Reuben Voter, David Webster, Carter Welton and Cara Sia Yoo.

Grade 11 Honors: Jack Bagdis, Natalie Berry, Alexis Castillo, Lorenzo Catana Vallemani, Emily Chaine, Minjun Choi, Maisie Corbridge, Sean Davis, Jonah Densmore, Eliya Deri, Vitoria Do Espirito Santo Teixeira, Austin Dorner, Olivia Doyle, Amber Gagnon, Miata Grandchamp, Harper Greenblatt, Tayla Gross, Emerson Hall, Emily Hess, Samuel Johnson, Sebastian Kellas, Yeonghyeok Kim, Florian Koeppel, Kardelen Lacinok, Helena Landry, Elizabeth Littlefield, Trung Luong, Avelyn Marques, Caroline Masterman, Asher McKenney, Mina Milosevic, Laura Myers, Tasia Nason, Lillian Openhym, Samuel Perez Rodrigo, Melanie Perreault, Rachel Pizzo, Abigail Pratt, Dustin Rhoda, Gideon Richard, Parker Rokes, Samara Santos, Heather Shackford, Sydney Shaw, Jacob Sparks, Hunter Tripp, Tanner Tripp, Isabella Voie-Andersen, Kara Willette, Mary Wing, Jiayi Zhou and Zhenhua Zhou.

Grade 12 Honors: Haden Andujar, Morgan Barrett, Aron Bartal, Alegra Bartlett, Kevin Briggs, Bethany Burnell, Brady Burnell, Jaden Davis, Meredith Day, Liberty Deiter, Jeremy Deschambeault, Christopher Drew, Zachary Eastman, Astrid Eklund, Trysten Fisher, Haden Fox, Owen Galligan, Myles Garland, Myla Gillis, Dylan Gilpatric, River Grigar, Victoria Harris, Ransom Johnson, Kwanyung Lee, Elsie Leonard, Bryan Martinez Chavez, Derek Maxim, Rylee McCabe, Ty McCormack, Eleonora Mela, Caleb Micklon, James Morrison, Anna Morse, Hannah Nguyen, Thao Nguyen, Chloe Nkuranga Kampire, Thomas Ontengco, Edgar Real, Matteo Sbuell, Kaylee Snyder, Allison Southwick, Tamaz Tsabria, Nicholas Turner, Isaac TwomblyWiser, Jose Manuel Urquiza Frances, Samantha Videtta, Joshua Wake, Nella Warren

and Amelia Zimmel.

Grade 9 High Honors: Sally Baptista, Camden Blake, Brady Boucher, Sophia Brown, Lily Bryan, Burke Callen, Brooke Chadwick, Brady Chappell, Brackett-Anne Clark, Liam Cummings, Rowan Davidson Pullan, Ella Dean, Elise Dunn, Delaney Dutton, Annabelle Harnden, Bennett Harper, Rhett Harper, Aspen Hazelwood, Jihun Kang, Abigail Lain, Jeehoo Lee, Meagan Mansfield, William McDonnell, Enzi Moore, Emily Osborne, Kate Owens, Olivia Sandahl, Logan Smith, Tokunari Takakura, Elizabeth Thurston, Eden True, Lilia Vishnyakov, Clara Yager and Yunhao Zhang.

Grade 10 High Honors: Trinity Alanskas, Benjamin Allocco, Julia Altenburger Chavenco, Adriana Andrada Vanderwilde, Selim Arkut, Mia Astrauskas, Grace Audette, Alejandro Batalla Alvarez, Hazel BryantBurdett, Enna Carbone, Gaeun Choi, Hyeonmi Choi, Owen Crowe, Albin Darby, Samuel Day, Quinlan Dickey, Maria Teresa Doncel Gimeno, Ethan Ela, Dakota Fox, Griffin Gillis, Gabriel Grace, Yeomee Haung, Celia Hernandez Carretero, Isaac Houghton, Matthew Huff, Reid Irwin,

Lillian Kiley, Matthew Kim, Minchae Kim, Paige Lanouette, Chaeeun Lee, Haley Littlefield, Rosalyn Lounsbury, Autumn MacDonald, Michael Malia, Krista Mercier, Emily Moll, Hung Ngo, Anh Sao Mai Nguyen, Caitlin Nippins, Leire Oliver Achurra, Sullivan Olsen, Danha Park, Owen Reinbach, Faith Rider, Phoebe Sartory, Sarah Shackford, Ezra Stuart, Lance Thibodeau, Chandler Thorne, Khang Nguyen Tran, Rayna Wales, Alexis Wentworth and Bridget Whelan.

Grade 11 High Honors: Spencer Adams, Margaret Albert, Arthur Baptista, Tyler Bartick, Lauren Berge, Tamara Brain, Yunji Chang, Jiwon Choi, Devin Conder, Lily Day, Jihwan Do, Boone Douglass, Zachary Emery, Aidan Flanigan, Gal Hanan, Soleil Huang-Dale, Gabriella Jacobs, Emma Keaten, Mingang Kim, Mingeun Kim, Matteo La Porta, Tuvana Lacinok, Seayoung Lee, Chloe Longpre, Brian Lucy, Kevin Lucy, Sebastian Lund, Isabel Macht, Maya Mahan, Andrew Matarese, Thom McClurg, Ryan Meade, Natalie Merriam, Natalia Millan Arenas, Albert Miller, Aleigha Monroe, Anh Sao Bang Nguyen, Bach Nguyen,

Kyurim Noh, Idan Or, Park Seojeong, Carla Pintor Gali, Winter Raymond, Esther Renauld, Sierra Rullman, Kaitlyn Sakash, Egemen Sari, Emily Schrader Pejic, Jordan Smith, Lamar Smith, Ethan St. Pierre, Barbara Stumpf Artero, Livne TayorGrinberg, Malou Toftgaard, Timothy Watson and Olivia Wentworth.

Grade 12 High Honors: Lilianah Amazeen, Charles Anderson, Ashleigh Bariteau, Anna Bondar, Beverly Brooks, Sofia Cerritelli, Kacey-Jane Clark, Daniel Day, Patrick Drosa, Ainsley Foster, Ava Frechette, Brooke Gerry, Omer Gunduz, William Guthro, Patrick Harris, Baylee Hutter, Jacob Indeck, Andrew Irwin, Suhyun Jeon, Ava Kiesman, Chaewon Kim, Jaemin Kwon, Isabella Lane, Phuoc Le, Kyungyoon Lee, Gege Liu, Gabriel McKenney, Grace Murley, Thac Nguyen, Sooeyeon Oh, MaryJane Owens, Sungmin Park, Abigail Paulding, Magnolia Peirce, Pauline Peirce, Virginia Priestman, Seth Riddensdale, Alanna Ring, Chiara Saronni, Chloe Sartory, Eli Schor, May Ki-ok Shin, Olga Sliwinska, Lavinia Stallone, Georgiana Steadman, Yunfei Sun, Rose Tepe, Eliza Thorne, Michael Trumbull, Siqi Wang, Ashley Watson, Jordan Westerberg, Samantha Winterbottom, Yongjin Yoo and Grady York.

BA: Wolverine tracks

Spreading Holiday Spirit

In early December, several members of the Bridgton Academy Class of 2023 took a break from their studies, athletics, and other commitments to get out in the community and make a difference.

Over the course of two days, approximately 40 Wolverines (and a few faculty members) gave of their time at the Harrison Food Bank, which is located just a few miles from campus.

The food bank serves those in need from across the Lake Region and western Maine by helping them

to stock their pantries and refrigerators with healthy, nutritious foods at no charge. Bridgton students joined an enthusiastic group of volunteers, helping to prepare items for distribution by organizing the staging area, making room for deliveries from partner organizations, as well as participating in distribution efforts.

School Nurse and Student Life Director, Kate Tucker, was thrilled with the outcome.

“The students who volunteered at the Harrison Food Bank — over 40 of them! — were compassionate,

concerned, and kind to those they were serving, as well as the many long-term volunteers who they helped,” Tucker said. “The average age of volunteers at the pantry is 68; adding in the support of so many strong, young people was exceedingly helpful. The regular volunteers were so appreciative — what a beautiful gift to give the community right before the holiday season. Thanks to all the students for reminding all of us of the true meaning of this season!”

HELPING THE FOOD BANK, BA students Jackson Dresens, Lucas Mouthaan and Dylan Joyner.

Regional Sports

Hardwood HigHligHts

GIRLS’ VARSITY

LAKERS 56, WAYNFLETE 29: Center Ava Smith scored 10 points in the first half and 8 points in the second half as the Lakers won their fourth straight game with a double-digit victory over the visiting Flyers. Smith’s 18 points were a game high as the Lakers improved to 9-2.

Leading 11-7 after the first, the Lakers opened up a 33-17 halftime margin as Margo Tremblay (10 points) knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, while Melissa Mayo (11 points) converted on a 3-ball.

The Lakers went on a 23-12 run in the second half to put the Flyers away. Bella Smith netted 5 points, including a trey, Kasey Johnson 4, Carly Dyer and Olivia England each connected on a 3-pointer, and Allison Bourgoin had 2 points.

Lucy Hart was high scorer for Waynflete with 15 points, including three 3s.

GREELY 62, LAKERS 53: After a good 9-6 start on the road against the Rangers, the Lakers had trouble keeping pace with Greely (7-4) in the middle frames — out scored 15-8 and 21-16 — as the home team handed LR just its third defeat of the season.

Melissa Mayo knocked down three 3-pointers and went 6-for-6 from the foul stripe to finish with a game best 19 points. Margo Tremblay netted a trey and went 6-of-9 from the foul stripe to finish with 13 points. Other LR scorers were: Ava Smith 12, Bella Smith 5, Olivia England 3 (trey) and Kasey Johnson 1.

LAKERS 50, CAPE ELIZABETH 30: Bella Smith netted a game-high 13 points, while Melissa Mayo and Margo Tremblay each added 12 points as the Lakers cruised to a road win Tuesday night over the Capers. The Lakers stormed out to an 18-4 first quarter lead, and put the game away in the third quarter with a 21-4 surge.

Carly Dyer chipped in 8 points, with a pair of 3-pointers, while Jordan Blanton scored 4 points and Ava Smith 1.

UP NEXT: The Lakers (10-3) host Poland tonight (weather permitting) at 6:30 p.m. LR hosts Gray-NG on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and travels to Wells on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. contest.

HEAL WATCH: After their win over Cape Tuesday, the Lakers sit at #4 in Class B South. Big games ahead include the 10-2 GNG Patriots, #3 in Class A South, and 10-2 Wells, #3 in Class B South.

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS’ REPORT

Traip Academy 45, Lakers 41: In a tightly-fought battle, Traip Academy broke a 34-34 tie in the third quarter with an 11-7 run in the final period to edge the Lakers.

Jacoby True knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 8 points, while Aiden Roberts connected on a trey and scored 7 points. Other scorers were: Matt Plummer 6, Jacoby Bardsley 6, Trevor Belanger 5, Wildr Hart 4, and Noah Peterson 4 (all from the foul line).

Lakers 50, Yarmouth 45: Jacoby True went 13-of-17 from the foul line and scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Lakers past the Clippers.

The Lakers led 13-9 and 23-18 at the half. They extended the lead to seven points entering the final quarter, which saw True walk up to the foul line 14 times, making 11 shots.

Noah Peterson dropped 12 points, including a 3-pointer, while Aiden Roberts added 7 (a trey), Jacoby Bardsley 6 (trey), Trevor Belanger 2, Jayden Meehan 2 and Wildr Hart 2.

Lakers 71, Mountain Valley 57: The Lakers got out to a quick 24-11 start in Rumford as Jacoby Bardsley netted a pair of 3-pointers, scoring 11 of his game-high 22 points in a win over the Falcons.

Bardsley connected for four 3-pointers, while Jacoby True made two jumpers from behind the arc to finish with 10 points. Noah Peterson scored in every quarter to finish with 16 points. Other scorers were: Trevor Belanger 6, Stephen Stewart 4, Joe Deschenes 4, Jayden Meehan 3 Michael Clark 2, and Wildr Hart 2.

Driving for the win Duprey scores winner with 1.2 left

By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer

For Evan Duprey, it was a moment most passionate basketball players fantasize about while shooting hoops in their driveway or playground.

6.7 seconds left on the clock

Game tied 60-60

I want the ball.

I look right, then go left.

I see a small crease in the defense, and power dribble into the paint.

I confidently cut past two defenders.

A third defender drifts my way.

I’m forced to twist my body to avoid the shot blocker.

I put up a shot.

Fans go wild.

My teammates explode off the bench.

Opposing players just stare in shock.

I win the game.

After missing two key free throws that likely would have sealed a big victory Friday night against Greely, Duprey wanted a chance to redeem himself.

The fantasy became the senior guard’s glory moment. Duprey scored 9 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead Lake Region to a thrilling 62-60 win over the Rangers (7-4).

take it,” Duprey said. “I definitely should have ended the game on those free throws. I knew because of those free throws, I had to come back and do something about it. I needed some redemption.”

Laker Coach Ryan Martin added, “Evan knew he had to get to the rim quick. He had one guy to finish over, and it was a tough finish. It was a big time play by Evan. He needed that, we needed that.”

Greely tied the game as Hayden McArthur (24 points) made an acrobatic shot in the lane with under 10 seconds left. Seamus Raftice canned a clutch 3-pointer to pull Greely to 59-58. Duprey had a chance to extend the LR lead when he went to the line with 27.5 seconds and 19.1 seconds, but made just 1-of-2 on each trip, leaving the door open for Greely.

Greely had a final chance to tie or win the game, but a long pass from the end line with 1.2 seconds left was caught by a Ranger near the sideline, and he lost the ball out of bounds.

Lakers 58, Maranacook 38: Jacoby True sank four 3-pointers in the opening frame to get the Lakers out to a 20-11 lead, and made two more long-range jumpers to JUNIOR VARSITY, Page 8A DUPREY, Page 8A

“I knew with little time left, we had just one chance. I was looking to drive and dish off to one of my teammates. When I had the lane and I saw the chance to shoot, I had to

“Ever since I’ve been playing basketball, I’ve been placed in situations — down 2, down 3, not much time left — and know how it feels. I knew what I had to do,” he said. “But, that play wasn’t the only play that defined the game. We did a lot of good things as a team that got us this win. Everybody has to do their job for us to get a

Milosevic owns paint vs Knights

By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer

FRYEBURG — Mina Milosevic owned the paint Saturday.

Fryeburg Academy’s junior center dominated the lane, hauling down 23 rebounds and scoring 18 points to lead the Raiders to a 64-33 victory over Poland at Wadsworth Arena.

Coach Kristen Stacy employed full-court pressure most of the game, and it paid off big time. FA forced 12 Poland turnovers in the second quarter as they took control of the game with a 19-8 run.

Junior guard Sydney Shaw caused havoc at both ends of the court, forcing turnovers that led to several easy buckets while also showing off her soft shooting touch, knocking down pull-up jumpers to the tune of a team-high 22 points.

“Our focus has been our defense. We try to put in offensive plays, but it seems forced. If we focus on our defensive game, the

offense will come. I really wanted a strong zone, and a strong man (defense) so we could switch throughout the game and keep them off-balanced,” FA Coach Kristen Stacy said. “We spent a lot of time at practice during live play switching defenses on the fly. They love it. They love the 1-2-2. We like to trap because we have great anticipation, and we make people panic and make bad passes.”

Poland stayed close early behind the sharp-shooting of junior Althea Thornton, who knocked down three 3-pointers, scoring 9 of her team’s 11 points.

After Carla Pintor Gali (10 points) hustled for an offensive rebound and scored on the put-back, Shaw netted 6 straight points — a fast-break score, a driving shot and a pair of foul shots, showing her full repertoire of offensive skills.

Up 14-11, FA guards sought out Milosevic in the

lane. She responded with a bucket-and-one, a pair of foul shots, and a onehand floater as the Raiders opened up a 9-point lead. Fryeburg controlled the

boards, 40-23.

“We played them on Tuesday, and we realized that as soon as we got into the middle, they were col-

LAKER BENCH ERUPTS in celebration after senior guard Evan Duprey weaved through the Greely paint defense to score a difficult lay-up with 1.2 seconds left on the clock against Greely. (Photo by Kevin Murphy)

TRIGGER MAN — Senior Evan Duprey had a much-needed big game to lead the Lakers past Greely last Saturday. (Rivet Photo)

TOUGH TO FIND SOMEONE TO PASS TO — Fryeburg Academy’s Sydney Shaw applies pressure against Poland. (Rivet Photos)

A KNIGHT IN THE WAY — FA guard Carla Pintor Gali looks to dribble past a Poland defender.

Duprey makes amends, drives for game winner

win. If we all work together and keep picking each other up mentally, then we’ll be good.”

The Lakers shot the ball well early as Jacoby Bardsley (10 points) sank a 3-ball from the corner, and Jacob Chadbourne (19 points) swished two from behind the arc.

“Jacoby is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and is giving us another scoring option,” Coach Martin noted. “He’s a freshman, but doesn’t play like one. He runs the offense, takes care of the basketball. With

BA tracks

he and Evan together, it’s a cool dynamic — two guys who can do sort of the same thing.”

A smooth baseline jumper by Chadbourne closed out the first quarter with the Lakers up 16-12 as McArthur stole some momentum with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The LR offense had a bit of a roller coaster ride in the second, up one minute, down the next. The Rangers went on a 12-5 run to take a 24-21 lead, but Bardsley evened the count with a long-range jumper from the left corner. After a strong drive to the rim by Jackson Libby (10

Junior Varsity hoops

finish with a game-high 22 points in a victory over the Black Bears.

Jacoby Bardsley added 10 points while Noah Peterson chipped in 8, Jayden Meehan 6, Jackson Rinnocario 3, Raymond Tucker 3, Michael Clark 2, Joe Deschenes 2 and Wildr Hart 2.

Lakers 61, Poland 57: The Knights nearly erased a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, but Jacoby Bardsley scored 7 of his 22 points in the final stanza, and Jacoby True went 5-of-6 from the foul line as the Lakers pulled out the victory. True finished with 13 points, while Noah Peterson also added 13, which included a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Lakers put up 24 points to build a 34-25 halftime lead.

Trevor Belanger and Wildr Hart each contributed 4 points, while Glynn Ross had 2 and Matt Plummer 1.

points) for a bucket, Bardsley sank a pair of foul shots to put LR back on top, 28-26.

“They run great half-court sets, and are tough to stop. We made adjustments to switch everything, and the guys did a great job communicating that. We played with good energy on defense. I thought we were okay rebounding, not giving them too many second chances. We need to continue to improve,” Coach Martin said. “We’re taking the right steps.”

Greely took a 31-30 lead at the break, attacking the paint area, scoring on an offensive rebound, while Raftice drained a pair of foul shots. He was 11-for-12 from the charity stripe.

Raftice picked up where he left off, scoring the first 4 points of the second quarter as the Rangers built a 5-point lead.

The Lakers answered with a Chadbourne jumper, a 3-pointer by Brock Gibbons (6 points) and two foul shots from Libby, who crashed the offensive glass to earn the freebies. Libby hauled down 11 rebounds (Greely won the rebounding matchup, 33-30).

The Lakers closed the third with a 9-6 run as Jack Bueler sank a foul shot, Ian Brogan converted a nifty baseline pull-up jumper, Libby swished a shot from the foul line and Duprey went on the attack, scoring a drive to the rim and adding a floater over Raftice to give LR a 48-45 lead.

With Chadbourne on the bench with four fouls, Duprey took the scoring load into his own hands to start the final period. He knocked down a 3-pointer, and then kissed a shot off the glass for two more points. Chadbourne made his presence felt upon re-entering, making a pair of foul shots as the Lakers went up 8 points.

Greely, however, made their run. McArthur drained a 3-pointer, but Chadbourne answered going 4-for-4 from the foul line.

With 1:44 left and up six, the Lakers looked to be in the driver’s seat. But, turnovers and missed foul shots left the door open for Greely to rally and nearly swipe a hardearned win from the Lakers.

“Finding the balance of keeping your foot on the gas and understanding time to

score can be tough. When you are up 6 or 8 points with 3 or 4 minutes left in the game, we want to keep our foot on the gas but we also can only take great shots. I thought we did a great job securing the ball. We didn’t shoot well from the foul line, but we did a great job getting to the foul line. If we do a better job at the foul line, the game doesn’t come down to the final possession,” Coach Martin said. “Our guys are doing a better job understanding there are going to be calls that don’t go our way. That happens in life. They’re learning to play through a little adversity. We’re a young team, but we’re slowly growing in that department.”

“It’s a big win for us, coming off a five-game losing streak. Now, we’ve won two in a row and need to keep going,” Duprey added. “After this game, it shows we are really coming together as a team — we’re playing

together, which we need to do to make the playoffs this year.”

What did Duprey see in this one that seemed lacking in their loss to rival Fryeburg Academy?

“The biggest difference tonight vs the game against Fryeburg is that we picked each other up. If someone did something wrong, all of us came over, made contact, high-fived him and said, ‘Get the next play.’ We stayed together as a team,” Duprey said.

Coach Martin echoed that observation.

“It’s as simple as us staying together as a team,” said Coach Martin on what it will take for the Lakers to crack the Top 10 in the Heal Ratings and earn a playoff spot in Class B South. “When there is positive energy within your team, you play better, play harder for each other. We need to keep getting better one day at a time.”

a Taste of Home Bridgton Academy was delighted to host the first Taste of Home Cook Off! on Saturday, Dec. 10. Sponsored by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, the event was designed to allow students a creative outlet to showcase their backgrounds and culture by sharing their families’ culinary traditions.

The event brought together nearly 30 student and faculty chefs who vied to have their creations awarded as the “best dish.” In the lead up to the tasting and judging, several faculty members graciously opened up their kitchens to give the students a place to cook. An impressive array of recipes — from Rasta Pasta to Brigadeiro and others in between — were served to hungry attendees and judges alike.

Tyler Palumbo ’22 earned first place with his expertly braised Coq Au Vin, and second place went to Dylan Joyner ’22, whose banana pudding tickled the judges’ taste buds. Tyler and Dylan were excited to claim their prizes, gift cards to Dick’s Sporting Goods, which were sponsored by an Academy Trustee.

DEI Committee member Ms. Kayleigh Lepage was instrumental in organizing the event.

“It was a unique opportunity for our students and staff to come together and prepare a home-cooked dish to share with our community. I was thrilled to see how excited our students were to cook for their fellow classmates and how creative they were with their dishes,” Ms. Lepage said. “Everyone who participated did a stellar job, leaving our judges feeling very full and inspired. It was a perfect send off for the guys right before the holidays!”

Judges were Jude Lindberg and Tom Washburn.

Learn more about Bridgton Academy A Virtual Open House will be held on Monday, Feb. 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. Prospective and incoming students wanting to schedule a campus tour and interview should contact admissions@ bridgtonacademy.org or call 207-647-3322 ext. 1 for more information.

ELEVATING toward the rim is Lake Region guard Jacoby Bardsley in last week’s nail biter against Greely. The Lakers prevailed 62-60. (Rivet Photos)

UP

THE SCORE, Lake Region center Jackson Libby nets a short jumper against Greely.

Opinion & Comment

January 26, 2023, The Bridgton News, Page 1B

Dietitian’s Corner

by Donna Dodge Registered Dietitian & Nutrition Consultant

Sweet Sabotage

I recently went to lunch with my friend, Claire. As we ordered our sandwiches, she grabbed a Pepsi from the cooler and sheepishly put it on the counter whispering, “I normally don’t drink these, but I’m treating myself today.”

Later, nearing the end of lunch, the conversation turned to the Pepsi bottle sitting half empty between us. Maybe because she knows I’m a dietitian, Claire felt obligated to justify her drink choice, “I know soda is high in sugar, but I just love the flavor and the fizz.” Now, if there is one thing to know about dietitians, we are teachers at heart. Counseling is in our blood. It’s rare that we pass up the opportunity for a teachable moment and this was one of those moments. I took the bait.

“Just how much sugar do you think is in this 16-ounce bottle?”

Claire answered, “Two teaspoons?”

“Nope, more.”

“Four teaspoons?”

“Keep going.”

“Six?”

“How about 14,” I muttered.

With eyes widened, Claire jerked the bottle away from her lips, her shock was palpable. I wish the number weren’t true. I wish there was a lot less sugar in many drinks, but dietitians don’t run the beverage industry or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our influence is limited to education and damage control.

With eyes still wide, Claire asked, “So why the fuss regarding sugar? Why is too much bad?”

“Cavities for sure,” I responded, “but this pales in comparison to long-term effects. For one, sugar contains zero nutrients. No vitamins, no minerals, no fiber, no antioxidants, no protein. Nothing. This is especially concerning for children and teens who need substantial amounts of nutrients for developing brain, bones, and neuromuscular system. Using sweetened drinks in place of better options can lead to deficiencies that can have serious, lifelong consequences. Secondly, sugar acts like a wet blanket on our immune system making us more susceptible to illness. And if that’s not bad enough, sugar causes elevated insulin levels. You know about insulin, right? Its job is to take blood sugar and shuttle it into cells or whisk it away to the liver where it is turned into fat. The more sweet drinks, the more body fat we accumulate and the greater our risk of developing diabetes.”

At this point, Claire was staring at the soda as if it would bite should she reach for it. Faintly, she replied, “I don’t want to get diabetes, my sister has that and she has to give herself a shot every day. I could never do that.”

After a moment, she went on, “Ok, so you convinced me. I’ll cut my soda. But labels are not particularly user friendly, I mean, what does 58 grams look like?”

I agreed. Most of us can’t visualize grams, so it’s meaningless. And here we arrived at another teachable moment of which I was powerless to pass up.

“To calculate sugar in your favorite beverages,” I replied, “find Total Sugars on the label. You will see a gram amount. Divide this number by four. The answer is the number of teaspoons of sugar. This works because there are four grams of sugar per teaspoon. So, for example, a medium French Vanilla frozen coffee at Dunkin Donuts

SWEET, Page 2B

Republic vs Democracy

To The Editor:

A comparison of policy initiatives by those who believe in our Constitutional Republic (Republicans) and those who believe in Social Democracy (Democrats).

Property Rights: “… the rights of persons, and the rights of property, are the objects, for the protection of which Government was instituted.” (President James Madison, 1829)

Constitutional Republic (Republicans) Policy: Individual owner-

Red Stems add color to winter

EP w4 Red Stems in Winter with pic

By Nancy Donovan, Ph.D., PT Master Gardener Volunteer

With the snow that arrived this week, I was finally able to unzip the bag that holds my snowshoes and remove my cross-country ski boots and skis from storage. I always look forward to going outside right after a snowstorm because the air smells fresh and clean. As I create a new pathway through the snow on my snowshoes or skis, I take the time to identify the animal tracks that criss-cross the open area, creating a new highway of sorts.

I also often take some pictures because a friend “from away” asks for pictures of the snow on the trees as she lives in a state where the trees remain free from the collection of white crystals. When I am inside, my attention is grabbed when a red cardinal sits among the white puffs while it waits for a turn at the feeders.

In the previous two columns, I wrote about plants that produce red berries that stand out in the winter. Another source of red color in the winter is that of a native shrub called the Red-osier dogwood (Swida sericea, Cornus sericea). On the website Gardenia.net is the comment “… Red Osier Dogwood certainly adds a WOW! To a winter landscape.” The website for the Native Plant Trust (https:// plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/plant/Swida-sericea) offers

Down the Garden Path

by Nancy Donovan, Ph.D., PT Master Gardener Volunteer

that “One of the best shrubs for winter interest, red-osier dogwood, produces deep red twigs and stems.”

The Red-osier dogwood is a deciduous (seasonally drops leaves) shrub that can be found naturally in wetlands, meadows, fields, shores of rivers and lakes, swamps and tidal marshes. The rapidly spreading shrub grows to a height of 3 to 8 feet with many stems extending up from the base of the plant. It will grow in sun to part shade areas and prefers average to wet soil, though it will tolerate dry soil and clay. The medium to dark green leaves and the new growth stems will display fine hairs on the surfaces in the spring, and tiny, fragrant off-white flowers will appear in late spring. Later in the summer season, clusters of white berries will develop, much to the delight of birds.

RED STEMS, Page 4B

Recycling Awesome Aluminum

Even as the oceans swirl with human-generated trash and as we devote more precious land to landfills, we hear that recycling isn’t worth the bother. How untrue! Surely, the difficulties of recycling plastic need to be addressed. More progress needs to happen with the different plastic formulas taken in to account. There is one commodity, however, where no difficulties exist for ease of recyclability: aluminum.

Recycling Matters

Lettersship of property is what gives real power to the people’s ability to check the government’s corruption and abuse of power.

Socialist Democracy (Democrat) Policy: Government should control the distribution of property in a manner that makes outcomes equal for all regardless of input. Translation: Slavery and Poverty for the many; Property, Privilege, and Wealth for the few.

First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ,

Religious Freedom: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” (Amendment I, US Constitution) [emphasis mine]

Constitutional Republic (Republican)

The applications for aluminum are woven into modern life. It is a lightweight, sturdy metal necessary for the infrastructure we see all around us, as well as for products we use daily. What an awesome material! When we learn how it is produced, we may give it the respect it deserves by being more vigilant about recycling our cans, bakeware and aluminum foil.

I recently came across a lot of good information about aluminum from Wasted: How We Squander Time, Money, And Natural Resources — And What We Can Do About It by Byron Reese and Scott Hoffman. The chapters devoted to aluminum revealed both the difficulties of mining bauxite, the ore from which aluminum is made, as well as the ease of recycling aluminum. We can and should do better to make sure we always have a plentiful supply of aluminum. Throwing aluminum in the trash or littering the roadsides with it is a shame.

Policy: Freedom to worship God in the manner that they choose; the obligation to equally allow others a like freedom to worship their God as they choose. The freedom from fear of conversion through coercion, intimidation, or violence.

Socialist Democracy (Democrat) Policy: Remove God from the marketplace, government,

and all public places. Religious observance is limited in every way possible. Atheism replaces God in their brave new (actually retro) world of socialist conformity to the antigod; particularly intolerant toward Christianity.

Freedom of Speech: “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech or the press…” (Amendment I, US Constitution) [emphasis mine]

Constitutional Republic (Republican) Policy: Individual right to express one’s opinions, without interference from government, hostile groups, academic monopolies, or individuals.

Socialist Democracy (Democrat) Policy: Limiting speech, political speech in particular, is a basic tenet of policy of the Socialist Democracy. Anyone who disagrees with the official word is a heretic and needs to be canceled and driven from society.

The policies of our Constitutional Republic are diametrically opposed to the policies of the Socialist

By Sally Chappell Bridgton Recycling Committee

Bauxite is mined in far flung places on the earth. Australia, China, Brazil, Guinea, and India are the top five bauxite producing countries according to World Atlas. Ideally, the refining of aluminum from bauxite would be done near the mining site. Due to the high amounts of electricity needed to refine aluminum, however, most often the bauxite ore needs to be shipped to places where electricity is cheap. Iceland is one example because of its plentiful supply of geothermal energy. 70 percent of all the electricity generated on Iceland is used for its three aluminum refineries. Cheap electricity, on the other hand, can also come from coal-fired power plants.

In contrast to the mining, shipping and refining of bauxite ore into aluminum, recycling aluminum is a simple

ALUMINUM, Page 2B

espoused by Progressives. Jock MacGregor Sebago

That was disgraceful

To The Editor:

As I gazed upon Mr. Laven’s smiling picture and then read his words, it occurred to me if his smiling visage was cloaked in the Grim Reaper’s cape it would be more appropriate.

It’s also amusing he casts himself as a professor of conflict resolution when each time he opines conflict creation would be more accurately descriptive.

Finally, the most disturbing thought I’m left with as my oldest granddaughter, a freshman at Wellesley, is exposed to people who share his dark clouded thoughts, being young and impressionable they might actually think he’s worth listening to.

As a typical lefty, he throws out outrageous statements with no elaboration, and just moves on to the next one.

Apparently, he thinks possession of a Ph.D. entitles him to oracle status. Well, some of us consider it manifestation, at least in social sciences, as allegedly knowing more and more about less and less.

What the heck does he mean when he states, “Republicans are responsible for normalization of dishonesty and gaslighting.” Apparently, he missed the courses highlighting the Democrats of the solid South creating and perpetuating Jim Crow, and that the first civil rights legislation in 100 years originated and was passed under Eisenhower, and the landmark legislation of the Sixties passed only by reason of Everett Dirksen and his caucus overcoming the solid South Dem resistance.

If Laven wants to live in the past, he needs to acknowledge ALL of it.

Ironically, to a great extent, economic problems exist today because of democratic fascination and misplaced belief that the government can solve all problems and ignores

Democracy

CALM BEFORE THE NEXT STORM — John Schoenfeld photographed this view of Mt. Washington from Little Mountain in West Bridgton.

AFTER THE STORM, a view from the Naples Causeway last Friday. (Photo

Opinions

the attendant dependency evolving therefrom. Classic projection flows from his pronouncement of current day racism. To the extent it exists, it’s now reversed and the worst racists are minorities and their fool woke allies.

REFLECTIONS at the Bridgton Ice Skating Rink, located behind the Town Hall. After a slow start due to warm temps, the ice is starting to take shape. (Photo by Pam Ward)

LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE

Casco Self Storage

Pursuant to the rental agreement between Casco Self Storage and party named below, their personal property shall become the property of Casco Self Storage on February 10, 2023, in order to satisfy all liens brought on by default of payment.

Danielle Pierson, Casco Maine 2T4

PUBLIC NOTICE

Town of Waterford

WATERFORD PLANNING BOARD

The Waterford Planning Board will hold a public hearing at the Waterford Town Office on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss proposed revisions to the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance regarding allowed uses in the 100-year floodway/Resource Protection Zone. Public Welcome. 2T4

TOWN OF BRIDGTON

3 CHASE STREET, SUITE 1 BRIDGTON, MAINE 04009

Keeping Cumberland County Warm Grant

Bridgton was awarded grant funding through Cumberland County to provide additional support heating assistance for persons or families that otherwise would not be eligible to receive funding via general assistance due to income guidelines. The goal of the funds is to target families with incomes above the general assistance and LIHEAP income caps for Cumberland County. Please visit our website for additional information and application: keepingcumberlandcountywarm – Town of Bridgton, Maine (bridgtonmaine.org).

1T4,6

TOWN OF BRIDGTON

3 CHASE STREET, SUITE 1 BRIDGTON, MAINE 04009

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

HIGHLAND ROAD SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS

SEALED BID PROPOSALS DUE 12:00 p.m., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Sealed bids for the project named above will be received at the Town of Bridgton Community Development Office, 3 Chase Street Suite 1, Bridgton, Maine 04009 until 12:00 pm (prevailing time) on Friday, February 17, 2023. Bids received after this time will not be accepted. Thereafter, bids will be opened in public and read aloud. Construction is expected to begin on April 3, 2023 and be substantially complete no later than June 30, 2023. In general, the project consists of construction of approximately 350 linear feet of new sidewalk, including installation of granite curb, paving and ADA improvements. The Project is being bid and any bids submitted are subject to the conditions set forth in Section X of the “Municipal Purchasing and Sale of Supplies, Materials, or Equipment Policy” approved 9/22/2015, as amended, and the resulting Contract is subject to the laws of the State of Maine.

The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is:

Community Development Bridgton Town Office 3 Chase St., Suite 1 Bridgton, Maine 04009

Prospective Bidders may examine the Bidding Documents at the Issuing Office on or after 8 a.m. on January 19, 2023 and on Mondays through Fridays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and may obtain copies of the Bidding Documents as described below.

ONLY electronic (PDF) copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained from the owner’s representative, during the hours indicated above or may be requested via e-mail and Dropbox. Request for bid documents should be made via e-mail to Hannah Schulz, EI at hschulz@woodardcurran.com.

Any questions concerning the project named above should be directed to the following: Hannah Schulz, Woodard & Curran via e-mail @ hschulz@woodardcurran.com. Applicants shall have obtained at least one set of electronic Proposal Documents to be considered a responsive applicant.

This project is being partially funded by HUD Community Development Block Grant funds. Davis-Bacon Federal Wage Rates apply to this project, please take notice to the wage rate determination attached to the bid documents. 1T4

Have you ever noticed “white supremacy,” a favorite shibboleth of the left is not defined or explained? That’s because it means a system based on responsibility, hard work, and meritocracy with different results to individuals. The left doesn’t like that.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Town of Waterford

PARKING BAN

From November 15, 2022 to April 15, 2023, no vehicle shall be parked on any public street or way from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., as per MRSA 29A Section 2068-2069. Vehicles may be towed at owners’ expense. 2T4

PUBLIC NOTICE

Town of Waterford

SNOW DEPOSIT WARNING

Warning is hereby given that no person or persons shall plow, shovel or otherwise deposit snow, or cause the same to be done, into the limits of any traveled public way. Pursuant to MRSA 17 A, Section 505, “Placing Obstructions on a Traveled Road” and MRSA 29A Section 2396 “Snow, a person may not place and allow to remain on a public way snow or slush that has not accumulated there naturally.” Persons in violation of these laws shall be subject to legal action. 2T4

Public Notice

TOWN OF SEBAGO

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Town of Sebago Planning Board will hold the following Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 6 p.m. at the Sebago Town Hall Building.

ZONING AMENDMENTS

Proposed Amendments to the Land Use Ordinance of the Town of Sebago to Prohibit Quarrying in the Village and Rural Residential Districts. These Amendments also redefine Mineral Extraction. These Amendments Are Proposed by the Ordinance Review Committee. Copies of the Amendments Are Available at the Town Office. 2T4

TOWN OF BRIDGTON

3 CHASE STREET, SUITE 1 BRIDGTON, MAINE 04009

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS HIGHLAND ROAD SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS

SEALED BID PROPOSALS DUE 12:05 p.m., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Sealed bids for the project named above will be received at the Town of Bridgton Community Development Office, 3 Chase Street Suite 1, Bridgton, Maine 04009 until 12:05 p.m. (prevailing time) on Friday, February 17, 2023. Bids received after this time will not be accepted. Thereafter, bids will be opened in public and read aloud. Construction is expected to begin on April 3, 2023, and be substantially complete no later than June 30, 2023. In general, the project consists of construction of approximately 700 linear feet of new bituminous sidewalk, including installation of granite curb, paving and ADA improvements. The Project is being bid and any bids submitted are subject to the conditions set forth in Section X of the “Municipal Purchasing and Sale of Supplies, Materials, or Equipment Policy” approved 9/22/2015, as amended, and the resulting Contract is subject to the laws of the State of Maine. The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is:

Community Development Bridgton Town Office 3 Chase St., Suite 1 Bridgton, Maine 04009

Prospective Bidders may examine the Bidding Documents at the Issuing Office on or after 9 a.m. on January 19, 2023, and on Mondays through Fridays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and may obtain copies of the Bidding Documents as described below.

ONLY electronic (PDF) copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained from the owner’s representative, during the hours indicated above or may be requested via e-mail and Dropbox. Request for bid documents should be made via e-mail to Hannah Schulz, EI at hschulz@woodardcurran.com.

Any questions concerning the project named above should be directed to the following: Hannah Schulz, Woodard & Curran via e-mail @ hschulz@woodardcurran.com. Applicants shall have obtained at least one set of electronic Proposal Documents to be considered a responsive applicant.

This project is being partially funded by HUD Community Development Block Grant funds. Davis-Bacon Federal Wage Rates apply to this project, please take notice to the wage rate determination attached to the bid documents. 1T4

Are there any interpreters out there that can translate what “a historical denial of inequality and threat posed by prejudice” means? That sounds like a sentence dreamed up by a “local contributor.” In any event, if there are none, don’t worry because much like the sentence the entire paragraph doesn’t belong and a freshmen English teacher would have X’d the entire thing.

At this point, mindful of the BNews word restrictions, reluctantly comments must stop but with the comment that the last half of his commentary missed reality by as wide a margin as the first.

God help our kids if they and their families are incurring huge debts to be fed this so-called wisdom. Don Vose

Naples

Sweet Sabotage

contains 132 grams of total sugar. 132 divided by 4 = 33 teaspoons.”

“That’s two-thirds of a cup of sugar in one drink! That’s one whopping visual,” cried Claire.

“When counseling clients,” I continued, “I recommend that instead of a latte at their favorite eatery, they order coffee and add small amount of sugar or add stevia, a natural sugar-free option. But the occasional sweetened drink is fine, I enjoy ginger ale now and then. It’s the routine use that affects our health. You mentioned liking fizz. Instead of soda, try flavored seltzer. Juice is high in sugar, too, try diluting it.”

Claire chimed in, “I suppose artificial sweeteners have their own risks and are not a healthy substitute.”

I nodded in agreement adding, “Many brands have answered consumer demand and now offer options with less sugar; some even use stevia as a sweetener. Look for these. Gatorade has Gatorlyte and Zero, with little and no

from Page 1B) SWEET, Page 4B

MAINE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT NO. 61

NOTICE TO ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The Maine School Administrative District # 61 wishes to procure architectural/engineering services to conduct a feasibility and planning study at Stevens Brook Elementary School and Lake Region High School in Bridgton and Naples, Maine. Qualifications packages are due at 2 p.m. on February 9, 2023, as stated in the RFQ.

MSAD #61 is looking for firms to study and analyze existing district schools to identify additional space needs at Stevens Brook Elementary School in Bridgton and needed renovations and additions at Lake Region High School in Naples as well as study all remaining schools in the district for future needs.

Responding firms must comply with the detailed RFQ Information for Architects and Engineers on the MSAD # 61 or State of Maine Bureau of General Services website: www.lakeregionschools.org or www.maine.gov/dafs/bgs/ business-opportunities 2T4

January 16, 2023

ABUTTER NOTIFICATION PUBLIC HEARING

This Notice is being sent to inform you of a Preliminary Subdivision Application submission regarding the planned Azwelikeit Road subdivision, located in Casco, Maine. The applicant is OMM24, LLC, of Casco, Maine.

The project proposes five new single-family residential lots along the middle section of Azwelikeit Road, located off Heath Road.

The Casco Planning Board will begin review of this application at the Casco Town Office on February 13, 2023.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns prior to this meeting, the Preliminary Plan application of this project is on file at the Casco Town Office and is available for viewing. If we can answer any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely, Michael Bolk Randy Miller Owner, OMM24, LLC Owner, OMM24, LLC (207) 310-0398 (413) 222-2356 1T4

In Ye Olden Times

by Michael Davis BHS Assistant Director

Reflections on Past Historians

Howdy neighbor!

Today’s column is a combination article and obituary from The Bridgton News of Jan. 26, 1934, on the Cram family of Bridgton. I consider myself lucky today as a historian to be able to share a fine piece of writing by a former Bridgton historian, Ruth Barnard Sanborn, discussing the local family that produced Bridgton’s first historian. The historic appeal here is just too good to pass up, so please enjoy as we reflect on the life and career of Prof. Marshall Cram, and his grandfather the Hon. Marshall Cram. Enjoy!

“Death of Bowdoin Professor Recalls Local Connection”

The recent death of Marshall Cram, of Brunswick, for twenty-five years professor of Chemistry at Bowdoin College brings to the minds of our readers the connection of that name with the history of Bridgton.

Hon. Marshall Cram, the grandfather of Prof. Marshall Cram, conducted a general store at South Bridgton a century ago. He married Sarah Perley, a sister of Col. J. Putnam Perley. He built and occupied the house for many years, the home of Albert Berry and family, now owned by Albert Kilborn. His two sons, Nelson and Gardner, were born in this house. On the site of the present home of B.A. Whitney, Mr. Cram’s brother, Rensellaer, built the house now owned by

HISTORIANS, Page 4B

Christopher A. DeCapua

Christopher A. DeCapua Sr., 63, died Friday, January 13, 2023. He was born in Wiscasset on May 15, 1959, the son of Wesley and Gloria (Swearingen) DeCapua. Christopher attended Cape Elizabeth High School and was a member of the class of 1978, he also attended Eastern Maine Vocational Technical Institute for mechanics. On October 9, 2005, he married Cheryl Johnson.

Christopher was a member of both Oriental Masonic Lodge #13 and Delta Masonic Lodge #153, He served on the 16th District board of trustees, and was involved in the Cora Shrine Temple for a period. He enjoyed being around his kids and liked to ride his Harley and let the wind blow thru his bald spot.

Christopher is survived by his wife of 17 years Cheryl A Johnson and her children, Peregrine Starr and family, Roland W. Bracy III, Michael J. Hethcoat, his son Ethan D. Hethcoat, Patrick Sean Hethcoat, and wife Kaylyn, stepson Christian, his son Christopher DeCapua Jr., his wife Amy and children Anthony and Samuel, a daughter Kimberly Nelson, her husband Cory and children Brooke and Hannah DeCapua and four step-grandchildren.

Visiting hours will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., on Sunday February 5, 2023, at the Bridgton Oriental Masonic Lodge #13, RR 117, Bridgton. A Masonic service will be held at 3 p.m., at the Lodge. In lieu of flowers donations in his name may be made to the Square and Compass Fund, Oriental Lodge #13, RR117, Bridgton ME 04009 or to Stoneham Rescue, 8 Butters Hill Road, Stoneham ME 04231. To share memories and condolences with the family please go to www.chandlerfunerals.com

Opinions

War: Madness by Unlimited Means Independent Thought

“God makes wars cease all over the world; He breaks bows, destroys spears, and sets shields on fire. ‘Stop fighting,’ He says, ‘and know that I am God’” (Psalm 46:9-10).

That biblical passage has stuck in my craw since I first learned it. It makes a promise that never has been fulfilled, a divine commandment that we’ve ignored for 2,500 years since it first was written down. Historians of warfare agree that, probably, there never has been a year in recorded history during which, somewhere on earth, a clan, tribe, nation or empire wasn’t fighting a war against its neighbors.

We’ve made massive attempts to excuse our inability to banish war from human civilization. The “just war theory” has been around in some form since the ancient Greeks. Sadly, the butchery of war cannot be justified by theologizing. The Church long has sought to use the idea of just war, only to watch in horror as Christian nations slaughtered each other’s people, century after century.

A famous example of futile human rationalization comes from the Napoleonic Era. Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz wrote the multi-volume treatise, On War, which includes his famous declaration, “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” That theory arose from his bitter experience of sending Prussian troops into battle repeatedly against Napoleon’s Grande Armee, then seeing them repeatedly routed. He thought that reforming military doctrine, making it more rational, could negate the wholesale human slaughter caused by total war. Those reforms, however, were followed by the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the RussoTurkish War and finally, two worldwide bloodbaths during the 20th century.

The end of World War II in 1945 brought nuclear weapons and the Cold War, with its malign doctrine of “Mutually Assured Destruction,” into the equation. In the 21st century, war isn’t the continuation of politics by other means; it is madness by unlimited means. The ancient Sword of Damocles hangs over human existence itself. Since the first nuclear fireball, the idea of waging war has degenerated from political decision to insanity.

Only madmen and fools start wars today. That happened in Ukraine last year. I had long assumed that Vladimir Putin was a coldly rational person, too intelligent to do what he did last February. I was wrong. Instead, he’s operating under the sort of grandiose delu-

Judy Hetzler Shedd

1946 – 2023

I have had an adventurous and diverse life, and was fortunate enough to spend my life with my Angel daughter and grandson.

I have celebrated many years of love, support and happiness in marriage and friendship, living a life of love and compassion, with no regret. (Any sharing of happy stories should be with Anna Rose Shedd — who will miss me desperately.) Online condolences may be shared at www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

Gordon McLaren

It is with deep sadness that the family of Gordon McLaren of Englewood, Fla., announce his passing on Friday, January 6, 2023.

Born in White Plains, N.Y., on May 22, 1953, Gordon is survived by his wife of eight years, Karen Phillips, and sister, Alice Thomas, of Englewood, Fla.; special grandson, Edward “Robby” Storey Jr. (Kendra) of Harrison; stepdaughters Oliva (Seth) Grass, Lake George, N.B., and Gillian Christie, Oromocto N.B., Canada; nephew Ryan Thomas, Las Vegas, Nev.; two great-nephews; several stepchildren, step-grandchildren, and great-step-grandchildren, step-nephews and step-nieces as well as many friends including Richard “Ernie” Evans.

Gordon was predeceased by his parents, George and Jean (nee Smith) McLaren; his first wife of 32 years, Ruby McLaren (nee Andrews); and nephew Jason Thomas.

Gordon graduated from Daycroft School in 1971 and went on to earn two bachelor degrees in business and forestry from Unity College in Maine. He spent his career as woodworker and school custodian.

Outside of his work, Gordon enjoyed many years as a base umpire for the baseball league in Harrison, and was a member of the committee that created the Field of Dreams. Gordon spent over 30 years as a volunteer for the Red Cross as well as 10 years as a volunteer camp host at Sebago Lake State Park and eight years with Donate Life New England. Nothing would make Gordon happier than knowing you have made the decision to become an organ donor.

Gordon’s family would like to express our profound gratitude for the care Gordon received by his many doctors and nurses who helped him maintain a vibrant life following a liver transplant in 2011. You are all greatly appreciated.

A memorial service will take place in Harrison, at a date in the spring, to be determined.

If you wish, donations in Gordon’s memory to Donate Life New England would be appreciate.

by Rev. Robert Plaisted Guest Columnist

sions that have destroyed one tyrant after another across the centuries. Delusional leaders never know when to say “Enough!” They believe themselves to be invincible. They’re always wrong.

With her pioneering research into the social behavior of chimpanzees, Dr. Jane Goodall overturned the longstanding assumption that Homo sapiens are the only species that wages war. Chimps are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. We share 98.5 percent identical DNA. Goodall documented that chimps, like humans, do indeed plan, organize, attack and kill other groups of chimps, in what only can be described as warfare. Humans simply are more sophisticated and destructive about it. War appears to be baked into the DNA we share with our closest evolutionary cousins.

How will this madman’s ongoing folly in Ukraine end? Who knows? The certainty is that no one will win, but millions of innocent people will lose, yet again. That’s the inescapable conclusion, based on centuries of bloody human history, plus contemporary science. It also suggests a possible chilling answer to the theological dilemma posed by Psalm 46:9-10. How can serious Christians trust a promise of God that clearly never has been fulfilled, and gives no indication that it ever will be fulfilled? How can God keep a promise that warfare will cease on earth, while humans remain incapable of choosing to stop making war?

Consider this: Suppose God doesn’t have to do anything to end warfare. If God allows our warlike ways to continue unchecked, one day we surely will decide to start what actually will be “the war to end all wars.” God doesn’t need to intervene to end human warfare. We’re more than capable of doing that any day, all by ourselves.

Rev. Robert Plaisted is a retired United Methodist clergyman, formerly of Bridgton, now residing in Bath.

Obituaries

Catherine M. Prouty

LACONIA, N.H. Catherine Marie Prouty, 89, of Bridgton, died on Sunday, January 15, 2023. She was born in Boston, Mass., on January 20, 1933, the daughter of Joseph A. and Edith M. (Jennings) Maron.

Catherine attended schools in the Boston area. On June 18, 1950, she married Milton Prouty and they enjoyed 61 years together before his death on October 20, 2011. Catherine worked as a Certified Nurse’s Aide at Bridgton Hospital and Bridgton Healthcare, as well as a retail aide at Reny’s.

Catherine enjoyed quilting, rug making, reading, and going to the beach.

Catherine is survived by her children Karen O’Shea and her husband Tom, Bob Prouty and his wife Teresa, Stephen Prouty and his wife Susan, and Paul Prouty; her twin sister Edith Maron Brookings, special niece Elaine Roberts, honorary son Bob McHatton and his wife Deb, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Milton, her parents Joseph and Edith, and three brothers Joseph, Richard, and Charlie.

A Celebration of life will be held at a later date. To share online memories and condolences with the family please go to www.chandlerfunerals.com.

Militarism: Collateral Damage and Other Slippery Slopes

The beginning of the war on terror at the turn of the century coincided with the creation of new euphemisms to describe things that were already well defined. Although military idioms have long tortured language for the sake of specious arguments, there was a new audacity in the way it was being reshaped to excuse the previously inexcusable.

Torture, for example, became ‘enhanced interrogation’ and it didn’t take long for images to leak from Abu Ghraib in Iraq showing the sadism that condoning it had unleashed on those held there, 70-90 percent of whom were innocent.

Even the supreme international crime, what amounted to a war of aggression, was sold as a ‘humanitarian intervention’, in Libya, a country that is still in the throes of violent chaos more than a decade later. The slippery slope represented by this NATO action has become clear in the years since as various regional powers like Turkey, the UAE and Qatar have themselves intervened there and thrown money and arms at a variety of unsavory local actors.

It can be argued that we are seeing the fruits of the acceptance of wars of aggression in Iraq and Libya in Ukraine, as the Russian Federation follows these interventions with one of its own, illegally trying to impose its will on what seemed like a much weaker neighbor.

The 2003 ‘Shock and Awe’ air campaign in Iraq targeted that country’s civilian infrastructure. So enthralled were the pundits promoting it in the media by the colored lights and explosions of a tragedy played as entertainment on cable news that they didn’t bother to think about the human costs of bombing things like power stations and water treatment facilities.

Now many of these same voices are indignant when

Guest Columnist

by Derek Royden Canadian Journalist

Russia commits similar war crimes in Ukraine.

One term that has established itself in the talking points of those who promote militarism throughout the world is ‘collateral damage.’ It will live on in the lexicon of conflict as it’s useful in sanitizing the murder of innocents that is always one of the cruelest consequences of modern warfare. The term can and probably should be viewed more broadly, as when conflicts in one area or region have serious impacts outside of it, spreading misery in unforeseen ways.

Today, we are seeing collateral damage from the war in Ukraine in many poorer countries that relied on food and fertilizer from both it and the Russian aggressors. Instead of bombs and bullets, it is hunger that stalks these innocents.

Rather than recognizing the slippery slopes they’re standing on, Western policymakers and the pundit class who act as their salespeople rely on our collective lack of memory and a philosophy based around the principle of ‘do as we say not as we do’ when discussing matters of war and peace. In doing so, they sow the seeds of future tragedies, most of them unintended.

Derek Royden is a Canadian journalist.

Recycling Awesome Aluminum

(Continued from Page 1B)

process. Our used aluminum merely needs to be melted into more aluminum. We have hundreds of aluminum recycling plants spread across 31 states and two Canadian provinces that use one-fifteenth the energy of bauxite ore smelting plants. According to “Wasted,” “if you drink a soda today and throw the can in your recycling bin, odds are someone else will be drinking from that same aluminum in just two months.”

In the United States, only 40 percent of the aluminum used is recycled while the need for aluminum keeps rising especially for the long-term use in infrastructure and home and commercial construction. Think of the benefits if that 40 percent was substantially increased. Think of the benefits to the climate, the money saved and the jobs generated!

Finally, we have to consider how to increase the recycling of aluminum. Remember when cars didn’t have cup holders? How about making standard trash and recycling receptacles in all vehicles?

A national bottle bill would be very welcome; presently only 10 states have bottle bills that vary from state to state. If

there were a national bottle bill, increasing the deposit on all cans and bottles to 25 cents would surely give people pause before trashing them. This would be difficult to enact because the beverage industry has historically opposed bottle deposits and has funded campaigns to discourage such laws.

Several European countries have remarkably high return rates on bottles and cans through “deposit return schemes” running between 13 and 30 cents depending on the size of the container. Norway is a leader in this regard attracting attention from other countries as to how their system can be duplicated. The political will to adopt such “schemes” here in the United States is slowly trending in the European direction despite a voter base that presently prefers freedom from regulation.

In the meantime, we could make roadside clean up a year-round volunteer activity with recognition going to participants who do this exceptional public service. Also, we need to promote with consistency the high value and importance of recycling.

Aluminum is awesome! Let’s recycle it, conserve it and respect the process of making it.

Reflections on Past Historians

(Continued from Page 3B)

Harry Wentworth.

Later, Mr. Marshall Cram moved to North Bridgton, that his sons might have a better opportunity to attend Bridgton Academy. While living at North Bridgton, he occupied the house later owned by Byron Kimball, now the home of Alpheus Holden. (I think he built this house but am not sure.)

While living there, he prepared and delivered at the dedication of the Town House, on Jan. 8, 1852, an address — consisting of a very complete and instructive history of Bridgton. At the annual town meeting, held on March 16, that same year, a committee was appointed to procure the printing of this address. One each was to be delivered to every legal voter of the town. It would be interesting to know how many copies of this address are in existence now — eighty-two years later. Certainly, his accomplishment is a lasting memorial to the ability and painstaking effort of Mr. Cram to leave a correct and authentic record of the early history of his town.

Some years later, with the higher education of his boys in mind, he moved from North Bridgton to Brunswick. Near the Bowdoin campus on Federal Street, he built a fine residence, which by Prof. Cram’s will, becomes the property of

This week’s puzzle theme: Super Bowl

Sweet Sabotage

sugar.”

As we packed up to leave, I felt compelled to mention one last piece of advice. “Sugar is addictive and it can be difficult to give up. Do it slowly, perhaps swap just one favorite sugary drink for a better option. And build on this. You won’t regret it.”

As we walked out the door, I glanced back to see that Claire had left her Pepsi, still half full, on top of the recycle bin. I smiled to myself. My inner counselor was satisfied.

Donna Dodge of Denmark has 30 years of experience as a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant. Do you have a diet or nutrition question? E-mail The Bridgton News at bnews@roadrunner.com for a chance to have your question featured in next week’s paper. All questions will remain anonymous.

Red Stems add color to winter

(Continued from Page 1B)

The shrub also attracts butterflies and other pollinators. Thus, the red-osier dogwood is an attractive and functional addition to any wildlife garden.

In the fall and winter, the leaves will turn orange and red and purple, and will drop off and allow the appearance of the intense red stems/twigs. Several authors recommend planting the red-osier dogwood in front of evergreens for the contrasting colors.

When you look at a red-osier dogwood, you may notice that some of the stems are no longer red. The loss of the red winter color is due to the age of the stem. After about three years, the stem will appear gray in color. In a process called renewal pruning, it is recommended that the oldest one-third of stems that are woody and gray be removed down to close to the base of the plant every year or two. This will allow for growth of the younger and more colorful stems. The best time to perform the pruning is just before the buds have begun to open in the early spring.

For the rest of this winter season, I will obviously not be completing the fun work that gardening provides. Instead, as Whoopi Goldberg advises at the close of the show she moderates, I will “Take a little time to enjoy the view” as I complete some of the activities that winter allows.

Nominate for Glover Award

Bowdoin College. For many years, it has been flanked on one side by the home of the college President and the home of a Professor on the other; and has always been closely associated with the life of the college. Nelson Cram, the elder son of Hon. Marshall Cram, graduating from college during the Civil War entered the Union Army but died soon after. To his memory, his parents established the Cram scholarship at Bowdoin ‘to assist students — preferably from Bridgton.’

President Sills in his tribute to Prof. Cram at the Memorial Exercises held at the College Chapel on the Sunday following his death said — ‘Some of the best blood in New England flowed in his veins. His grandfather was a prominent citizen of Brunswick, and an Overseer of the College.’ Surely Bridgton too, has a prior claim on this grandfather.”

Speaking from our modern vantage, I can well attest to the good deeds of Marshall Cram and his family hereabouts, as his 1852 history of Bridgton remains our best account of the early settlement of the village. I have recently had the privilege of examining the bundle of old letters and early Bridgton papers, which Cram used as his sources, which were brought to light last year following a research dive involving

The Bridgton Lions Club is seeking nominations for the third Al Glover Nonprofit Leadership Award from all nonprofit organizations in Bridgton and surrounding communities of a candidate — either a staff member or volunteer — whom the organization believes deserves recognition of their exceptional leadership efforts to the organization.

Nomination for the annual award shall be made by a letter outlining the reasons for nominating the individual, approved by the organization’s board of directors or governing agency, and mailed on or before Feb. 28, 2023 to: Bridgton Lions Club, Glover Award Committee, PO Box 103, Bridgton, ME 04009 or e-mail to: brentuchon3@gmail.com

Please include the name of a contact person, with a phone number and e-mail should the selection committee need additional information.

Past nominees will be considered, so please feel free to resubmit a candidate.

The Glover Award will be presented to the winning candidate at a special dinner in his/her honor on May 9, 2023, at which time the honoree will be presented with a plaque stating the honoree’s accomplishments and the organization will receive a $1,000 check to be used at the discretion of the agency.

Notification of the winner and details for the award presentation will be sent upon the selection of the honoree on or before April 10, 2023.

Bear Mt. Inn to Host Rotary

Bear Mountain Inn in Waterford will invite donations for the BridgtonLake Region Rotary Club’s long-time project in Kakamega, Kenya, at its Winter Pub this Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. There will be live music, as well as food and beverages for purchase.

“When I went to Kakamega in March of 2018 with a team of Rotarians from southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire, I was overwhelmed with the work taking place there encouraging education for children and entrepreneurship for women. We met children, families and women students learning business planning, farming and animal husbandry. This allowed these women to take an active role in

communities most of them were not born into,” Carol Madsen remarked. “From the 13 bins of supplies we brought with us to funding for latrines and roof repairs and most recently a Rotary Global Grant for the education in entrepreneurship, the work of Kenya Rising is fully supported by our Rotary Club, the region and the world.”

Rotary President Aaron Hagan said, “I hope that folks will come by the pub and talk to us about our work in Kenya. We’ll have some fun while talking about the good news in Kakamega.”

For more information about the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club, check out its website at https:// www.lakeregionrotary.com or its Facebook Page

Chief Jones to Speak on homeless

The Deacons of the First Congregational Church of Bridgton, Maine – UCC are very pleased to announce that Bridgton’s Chief of Police Phillip Jones will be a guest speaker at the Sunday, Jan. 29 10 a.m. service, where he will discuss issues surrounding homelessness in the community.

First Church eagerly welcomes all members of the community to attend.

Chief Jones and his wife moved to Bridgton in 2005, and he joined the Bridgton Police Department in late 2006. Chief Jones has held several positions within the Department including Patrol Officer, Investigator, Training Officer and Community Policing Officer, where he taught the fifth grade Drug Awareness Program. He was named Sergeant in 2017 and just three years later was promoted to Chief of Police.

Chief Jones currently serves on the Executive Board of the New England Chiefs of Police and is actively involved in the Maine Special Olympics Torch Run. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from New England Bible College.

The First Congregational Church is an Open and Affirming church and welcomes everyone. The pastor is Rev. Emily C. Goodnow. Sunday services are held at 10 a.m. Childcare is available. For more information visit www.bridgtonucc.com or call the church office at 207647-3936.

Past Historians

the back catalogue of the local library, the archives of the Maine Historical Society at Portland, and a team of Mormon Genealogists from Salt Lake City, and I can well attest the thoroughness and scope of his undertaking. It is a very creditable piece of scholarship, and of absorbing interest to any resident of Bridgton. I too am curious how many of these pamphlets are still out there; our society has perhaps half a dozen, and would thank the Hastings family of Fryeburg for recently donating our best-preserved copy. I believe one is presently for sale at an excellent little antique bookstore down in Alfred, but barring these few Cram’s dear little history is becoming quite a precious commodity. If any reader of the News wishes to consult a copy, several are available for reference at the Bridgton Historical Society.

I also did some checking and it appears that the Cram Memorial Scholarship, in the sum of $1,000, is still being awarded by Bowdoin College today — so if any local sons of Lake Region or old BA are looking to go to Bowdoin, the advantage offered them by our dear former townsman is still to be felt today. Till next time!

Maine Senior Games Returning

Advance planning is now underway for this statewide competition, which will be held here on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, starting at 10 a.m. There will be five-year age brackets, starting at 45 years of age.

Several days ago, Jo Dill, retiring Senior Games coordinator since 2009, and Karen Reardon, incoming Senior Games coordinator, met at the Town Hall with Bridgton Recreation Director Gary Colello and Bill Preis, volunteer coordinator of Bridgton Ping Pong. It was a time to meet Ms. Reardon, view the facility, and finalize the date of the tournament. Karen Reardon recently retired as chairperson of the Health and Physical Education Department at South Portland High School. She has participated in Maine

competed at the National Senior Games, bringing back to Maine a total of nine medals in the shot, discus, and the hammer throw.

“We welcome Karen to the position,” Preis said. “Special thanks to Jo Dill who has shown great leadership for the last 13 years.”

The Bridgton Town Hall is an outstanding facility for Ping Pong, with four Ping Pong tables, excellent lighting, wood floors, high ceilings, bathrooms, and plenty of parking. Ping Pong is offered there on Sundays, from 1 to 4 p.m., at no cost. Ping Pong paddles and balls are available to use for free. The game offers good aerobic exercise, is low impact, and is fun! Wear sneakers, bring a partner or find a playing partner there.

For information on Maine Senior Games check out http://www.maineseniorgames.org

Free Baby Items at Mother Seaton’s

FRYEBURG — All are welcome to swing by the hall of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, located on 857 Main Street in Fryeburg, for a massive giveaway of free baby items on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 9 to 11 a.m.

“All of the items are free to pregnant women and any parent in need. We have lots of free baby clothes, diapers, formula, swings, bouncy seats, tubs, cribs, and toys,” said

Cyndi Broyer,

is

the give-

The Mother Seton House in Fryeburg is a non-profit home for pregnant women in difficult circumstances. The organization offers education, counseling, and support to all women in need regardless of race or religion, providing a safe haven for women as they prepare to give birth and nurture their newborns.

Cupcake Battle 2/26

NORTH CONWAY, N.H.

— The 11th annual Cupcake Battle, a fund-raising event for Mount Washington Valley Promotions, will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the North Conway Community Center.

Bakers will square off in three categories (professional, home, under 16) with a winner selected in each division.

Bakers must supply a minimum of 220 mini cupcakes, all the same flavor, and set up a display table for the duration of the event.

Attendees purchase a $12 ticket, which entitles them

Set-up on Battle day is between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Doors will open to the public at 1 p.m. and tasting will run until 3:30 p.m., followed by awards. The winner in the Professional category receives a $350 cash award, while the top home baker earns $150 and the under 16 winner $50.

Space is available for interested bakers and sponsors are being sought. For full details, contact Lisa DuFault, 603-374-6241.

“The most important thing we provide is a place of comfort and learning,” said Broyer. “This safe, secure environment provides women with a chance to build confidence and acquire the skills needed to break the cycle of poverty. We help moms learn about cooking, nutrition, baby care, child development, budgeting, and housekeeping. Anything moms tells us they want to learn.”

The house depends on

volunteers and donations for its ministry. Every dollar counts and makes a real difference. If you are able to assist in any way or for more information about the Mother Seton House and its available services, call 207-935-1066, e-mail info@mothersetonhouse. com, or visit www.mothersetonhouse.com. You can also follow the organization on Facebook at www. facebook.com/mothersetonhouse.

Local Happenings

Pancake Breakfast

The Lopeman-Potts American Legion Post 67 in Bridgton will be serving breakfast on the first Saturday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Bridgton Community Center on Depot Street. The next breakfast is Feb. 4. Suggested donation for the pancake and sausage breakfast is $8 per person. All proceeds benefit American Legion Post 67.

Clothing Give-away

CASCO — Free clothing give-away at the Casco Village Church, 941 Meadow Road (Route 121) Casco on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Park behind the church, enter lower level and please come with bags!

Chili, Soup, Chowder Fest

OTISFIELD — With great enthusiasm, the annual “Soup, Chowder and Chili Fest” at the East Otisfield Free Baptist Church, 231 Rayville Road, Otisfield, returns on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A host of delicious choices such as Dutch Split Pea Soup, turkey and wild rice soup, corn chowder, fish chowder, butternut squash soup, curried carrot and ginger soup, turkey chili, and more will be served. All will be accompanied by your choice of rolls or biscuits and a selection of preserves and jams. Dessert consists of cookies, bars and sweets.

Donations are graciously accepted, and will benefit local community needs of our friends and neighbors.

PLANNING FOR SENIOR GAMES RETURN to the Bridgton Town Hall on North High Street in August 2023 were (pictured, left to right) Gary Colello, Karen Reardon, Jo Dill, and Bill Preis.

The Maine Senior Games Ping Pong Tournament will to return to the Town Hall in Bridgton for the third year.

Senior Games since 2008 in track and field. She also

director of the Mother Seton House that

organizing

away.

to sample one cupcake from each baker and to vote for a favorite in each category.

BRIDGTON’S CHIEF of Police Phillip Jones will be a guest speaker at the Sunday, Jan. 29 10 a.m. service.

Bridgton Farmers’ Market recipe It’s Pizza Night!

By Nancy Tripp Bridgton Farmers’ Market

This past weekend was a busy one on the football field and in our living room. I decided on Sunday to start early in the afternoon and make my own pizza dough. I love doing this in the winter and after trying many different recipes I return to this one. I use Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, which does require an extra rising, but if you use allpurpose flour that can be eliminated.

I use a tomato sauce that I canned this summer (you may use a jar of sauce from the market). I top it with almost any fresh veggie I have in the fridge, or the tail end of a package of sausage, burger or bacon (why not!) and cheese. The cheese does not have to be mozzarella, it can be feta, jack, muenster or whatever you have on hand. Pizza does not have to be classic pizza. Use your imagination and pair the flavors that you like or in my case the ingredients I have on hand.

Don’t want to bother with making a crust or need something gluten free? 3 Fold Bakery at the Bridgton Farmers’ Market sells gluten free pizza crusts you can dress yourself or LolliPapa Farm bakes a wonderful fresh pizza flatbread all dressed up and ready to pop in the oven and warm.

Wednesday, January 25

Cybersecurity at 6 p.m. at Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library in Lovell, offered both in-person and via Zoom. Laptops, tablets and mobile hotspots available for class use and for checkout.

Thursday, January 26

Gary Colello, Bridgton’s Director of Recreation, will speak to the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club at 7:30 a.m. This will be an in-person meeting only at Stella’s on the Square, 6 High Street, Bridgton. He will talk about the Rec Department: past, present and future.

Ribbon cutting and open house at Tucker’s House, Women’s Recovery Residence, 120 North Bridgton Road, Bridgton, 4 to 8 p.m. Tours of the facility, dedications, fellowship and snacks.

Speaker Series at Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library presents Roseanne Montillo at 7 p.m. Join the Zoom discussion of Montillo’s book, “Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire’s Wife, and the Murder of the Century.” Zoom link available at library’s website (www. hobbslibrary.org)

Saturday, January 28

Church supper, Casco Village Church, United Church of Christ from 4:30

Shift a quarter turn and continue kneading until the dough is no longer sticky. This should take about 5 minutes. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic and shiny, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Or, if you have a heavy duty stand mixer, you can use the dough hook and at medium speed mix the dough to the smooth, elastic and shiny consistency.

So many options for those snowy winter weekends when you want something fun and easy.

Basic Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup warm (110-115 degree F) water – warm to touch 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

3 1/4 cups bread, semolina, or unbleached flour, or a combination 1 tsp salt ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar or honey (which ‘feeds’ the yeast) in warm tap water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and gently stir until it dissolves, about a minute. Let stand in a warm spot for about 5 minutes until a thin layer of foam covers the surface.

Combine 3 cups of flour and the salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast and olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir the flour into the well, beginning in the center and working to the sides of the bowl until the flour is just incorporated and a soft dough just begins to hold together.

Turn the dough to a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands and begin to knead the dough gently by pushing the heels of your hands into the dough and pushing away from you, then partially fold the dough back over and repeat.

Shape your dough into a ball and roll it in a well-oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a towel and set in a warm place to rise until it doubles in bulk. About 45 to 60 minutes.

If you use bread flour you will punch the dough down, reform the ball and cover and place back in a warm place to rise again. Another 45 minutes. If you used all-purpose flour you may omit the second rising.

If you cannot bake your pizza in the next 2 hours, punch the dough down, roll the ball in the oil in the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to roll out. Bring the dough back to room temp before using.

I roll my dough out with a rolling pin and then pull and press to shape my pizza to my pan, whatever size you choose!

We have had pizza that has resembled various states of the union in the past, but after perfecting this recipe I find that I can make a lovely evenly rolled and shaped dough.

Top your dough with your chosen toppings. This is where it is fun to let the family dress their own side or corner of the pizza and pop in a preheated 500-degree oven for 12 to 13 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Bridgton Winter Farmers’ Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through April 22. The new winter location is the Masonic Hall, Oriental Lodge #13 at 166 Harrison Road (Route 117).

For a full list of vendors and information on ordering visit https://www.facebook.com/BridgtonFarmersMarket/ or contact BFM at bridgtonfarmersmarket.me@gmail.com

Please no dogs. Sorry, we have a lease to honor.

BFM accepts credit cards and EBT. See you there!

Calendar of Events

to 6 p.m. This month’s dinner will be a “Traditional Maine” supper and will feature casseroles, roasted turkey, baked beans, salads, rolls, beverages, and homemade pies for dessert! It’s all for only $10 for adults, and $5 for children ages 8 and under. Please come join us at 941 Meadow Road in Casco.

Sunday, January 29 Crafting with Sarah Curran at the Wilkins House (19 Plummer Road) in Waterford from 2 to 4 p.m. Sarah will be sharing her love of up cycling fabrics and doilies into beautiful wall art. She will supply all materials needed. Please sign up ahead of time to ensure we have plenty of supplies. E-mail by Friday, Jan. 27 to attend: waterfordcommunity coordinator@ gmail.com

Thursday, February 2 Bradley Backstage at 7 p.m. at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, located on the Fryeburg Academy campus, Bradley Street. South African musician McCoy Mrubata will be joined by his musical collaborator, guitarist Gary Wittner. Tickets: $20 for adults, $5 for students. Website: www. fryeburgacademy.org/pac.

Telephone: 207-544-9066.

Saturday, February 4 Pancake breakfast. The

Lopeman-Potts American Legion Post 67 in Bridgton will be serving breakfast on the first Saturday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Bridgton Community Center on Depot Street. Suggested donation for the pancake and sausage breakfast is $8 per person. All proceeds benefit American Legion Post 67. Huge Giveaway of Free Baby Items, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, located on 857 Main Street in Fryeburg, from 9 to 11 a.m. Soup, Chowder and Chili Fest at the East Otisfield Free Baptist Church, 231 Rayville Road, Otisfield, returns from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Community Snow Day with Lovell Rec and The Lodge at Pleasant Point, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a wide variety of outdoor activities at various locations. More details to come. No registration necessary. Winter Fest. Chocorua Lake Conservancy and

Tamworth Outing Club will hold Winter Fest at The Preserve at Chocorua, N.H. from 2 to 7:30 p.m. Winter camping expo, winter adaptation learning station, scavenger hunt for kids, bonfires, indoor winter crafts, treats, supper, beer & wine, storytelling, music and dancing, silent auction, moonlight Owl Prowl, and, depending on conditions, sledding, a communal snow sculpture, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. By donation; suggested: kids $5, adults $10-25. More info and please register in advance at bit.ly/CLC-TOC-winter23. Please register separately for the Owl Prowl at bit. ly/CLC-020423 as space is limited.

Tuesday, February 7 Climate Health Roadshow, 7 p.m., Cook Memorial Library in Tamworth, N.H. and the Chocorua Lake Conservancy live via Zoom for a presentation by retired cardiologist Bob Dewey of NH

Healthcare Workers for Climate Action. Bob will share climate science basics and discuss the health risks posed by climate changerelated phenomena, discuss climate and clean energy solutions, and answer questions. More info and please register in advance at bit.ly/ CC-020723.

Wednesday, February 8 Virtual Lecture, 7 to 8 p.m., Earl Smith, a Waterville native and retired Colby College professor, will talk about writing his book Downeast Genius, speculating on Maine’s prominent inventors, especially during the Industrial Revolution, while sharing some curious discoveries and near misses discovered along the way. This is a free (suggested donation $10), virtual event presented by the Rufus Porter Museum; www.rufusportermuseum.org/events

Local author Robert

W. Spencer will read from and discuss his latest book, Francena Hallett’s Heart: A Novel of Romances and Revenge, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. at the Norway Memorial Library.

Friday, February 10

Bridgton Easy Riders meeting is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Bridgton Community Center, with the fabulous pot-luck supper followed by a business meeting at 6:45 p.m. Hope to see you there.

Saturday, February 11 Free clothing give-away at the Casco Village Church, 941 Meadow Road (Route 121) Casco on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Park behind the church, enter lower level and please come with bags!

Tuesday, February 14 Ribbon cutting at The HeartGlow Center, 328 Main Street, Bridgton, 10 a.m.

Weekly Schedule

Mondays-Fridays

AA Bridgton New Day Group, 12 to 1 p.m., Lake Region Recovery Center, 2 Elm Street, 803-8707, www. lrrcbridgton.org

Walking 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Bridgton Town Hall Gym.

Tuesdays-Wednesdays

Free Clothing. The Table continues to offer free clothing from 1 to 5 p.m. as well as the last Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. There is a variety of clothing available for both genders and many sizes. The Table is located at 160 Main Street in Norway (across the road from the hospital).

Mondays

Jumpin’ Janes Senior Fitness, 9 to 10 a.m., at Bridgton Town Hall, North High Street, no charge.

Knitting & Crocheting Group meets at the Caswell Conservancy Center in Harrison from 1 to 3 p.m. All levels of knitting are welcome.

Stamping Up Class at the Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine, Norway, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Space limited, masks required, materials provided. Sign up at info@ crcofwm.org

Chair Yoga (presented by Cancer Resource Center of

Western Maine) at Caswell Conservancy Center (42 Main Street) in Harrison with Susan Kane from 11 a.m. to noon. Open to public ($10), free to cancer patients and their caregivers. No registration required.

Jigsaw Puzzle Library, North Waterford Church (Route 35), the lending library is open every Monday from 1 to 3 p.m. All are welcome.

Tuesdays Open Pickleball Play from 9 a.m. to noon Sebago Rec. Adult players of all skill levels welcome. For more information, go to www.townofsebago.org/recreation Harrison Food Bank, 12 to 6 p.m., located at the Harrison Food Bank, Ronald G. St. John Community Center located at 176 Waterford Road in Harrison. Telephone: 207647-3384.

Bridgton Food Pantry, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., former Methodist Church building, Main Street.

Naples Food Pantry, 10 to 11:30 a.m., located at the Naples United Methodist Chuck; open to Naples residents, distribution is drivethru.

Tai Chi Maine Set Practice at the Bridgton Town Hall (North High Street) at 10 a.m.

For more information, go to the Tai Chi Maine website or e-mail Taichiinmaine@gmail. com. A new beginner instruction takes place at 9:30 a.m.

Jeannette’s Closet, 9 to 11 a.m., free clothing, First Congregational Church, South High Street, Bridgton.

Caregiver Support Group, 1 to 2:30 p.m., MWV Adult Day Center, 987 East Main Street, Center Conway, N.H. This support group offers education, support and coping skills for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s or Related Disorders. Pre-arranged car is available for the family member while the caregiver attends the meeting. For more information, call 603-3564980 or online at mwvadultdaycenter.org.

Al-anon, 5 to 6 p.m., Lake Region Recovery Center, www.lrrcbridgton.org

Free Narcan Training every other month, third Tuesday, 10 to 11 a.m. by Lake Region Recovery Center. Zoom at https://us02web. zoom.us/86337728738.

Meeting ID: 86337728738 (You can use our computers to do this, or at home)

Wednesdays

Storytime at the Denmark Public Library at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Librarian Robin Gosbee at 452-2200.

Jumpin’ Janes Senior Fitness, 9 to 10 a.m., at

Bridgton Town Hall, North High Street, no charge.

Morning Coffee, 9 to 11 a.m., American Legion Post 67, 25 Depot Street, Bridgton. Stop by and have a coffee on us, and see what has been happening with the American Legion. All are welcome!

Chair Yoga (presented by Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine) at Caswell Conservancy Center (42 Main Street) in Harrison with Susan Kane from 11 a.m. to noon. Open to public ($10), free to cancer patients and their caregivers. No registration required.

Thrift Shop at the Lovell United Church of Christ (1174 Main Street), open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; $2 bag sale on the last Wednesday and Saturday of each month.

Family Caregiver Support Group, second Wednesday of each month, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Bridgton Community Center (15 Depot Street), confidentiality respected, sponsored by Southern Maine Agency on Aging; tel. 647-3116.

Sweden Food Pantry, open the first and third Wednesday of the month, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shoppers must wear a mask. For a To-Go box, call 647-5735 the Monday before pantry. The pantry is in the basement of the Sweden Community Church, 137 Bridgton Road, near Sweden’s Four Corners (intersection

Classifieds

BN 4 ATTENTION

Classified line ads are now posted on our website at NO EXTRA CHARGE! www.bridgton.com

HELP WANTED

MSAD72 SCHOOL DISTRICT (EOE) in Fryeburg, Maine has immediate openings: custodians, van drivers, bus drivers, bus aides and substitutes. Visit www. msad72.org, call 207-935-2600 or pick up an application today at Door #10, 25 Molly Ockett Drive, Fryeburg, ME tf2

FUTURE LEADERS WANTED — Q-Team Tree Service in Naples. Visit Q-Team.com/benefits for info. tf51

PART-TIME — Children’s Librarian. Responsibilities include storytime and other programs, collection development and customer service. FMI or to submit resume: JDupree@HobbsLibrary.org 3t4x

FOR SALE

DRIED FIREWOOD — Dried twelve months. Selling seasoned hardwood year-round. One cord $350, cut, split, delivered. Call 207-595-5029; 207-583-4113. maineseasonedfirewood.com 52t31x

Maine 4-H Foundation Assistant Director

Located at: Magic Lantern Innovation Center

Bridgton

Salary Position: Salary negotiated based on experience

With an expectation of high levels of autonomy and selfmotivation, this position is charged with managing and executing a wide range of administrative, development, and operational support activities in collaboration with the Maine 4-H Foundation Executive Director. This position executes the day-to-day activities of the Maine 4-H Foundation, Magic Lantern Innovation Center all while maintaining confidentiality and integrity.

Essential Duties of the Job

As Assistant Director this position requires: Program oversight, management, and supervision Fund development, fund management, and donor relationship building Organization and scheduling

Direct work with a non-profit Foundation Board Financial management and investment collaboration Non-profit business management

Salaried position with occasional nights and weekends Materials must be submitted to the Maine 4-H Foundation via e-mail to: Angela Martin at angela.martin@maine.edu Please include:

a cover letter which describes your experience, interests, and suitability for the position 2.) a resume/curriculum vitae

3.) contact information for three professional references or letters of reference (preferred) 4.) Degree information/transcript. Revue of applications will begin on February 1. 2T3CD

FOR SALE

$5 FOR TATTERED — U.S. Flag when purchasing new U.S. Flag 3’x5’ or larger. Maine Flag & Banner, Windham, 893-0339. tf46

VEHICLES FOR SALE

JESUS IS LORD — new and used auto parts. National locator. Most parts 2 days. Good used cars. Ovide’s Used Cars, Inc., Rte. 302 Bridgton, 207-647-5477. tf30

BUSINESS SERVICES

DENMARK HOUSE PAINTING — Since 1980. Interior and exterior painting. Free estimates. Call John Mathews 452-2781. tf40x

LAKE REGION — Transportation Service. From shopping trips, pick-up and delivery to personal errands, airport, and special requests. Call or text your request to 207-2910193. 4t3x

WANTED

Retired Professor seeks temporary, preferably long-term housing beginning February in quiet Bridgton/Waterford/Harrison area. Nonsmoker. Have older cat. Please contact Paul at 207-393-0411. 1t4x

of Route 93 and Waterford Road).

Alateen Meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., PVHI Outreach/ Legion Hall, 47 Bradley Street, Fryeburg. For more information, chris.whitaker@ pvhi.org or call 207-3327735.

Wednesdays and Saturdays Thrift Shop, Lovell United Church of Christ, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Wednesdays and Thursdays

Fryeburg Historical Society Osgood House Museum, located at 83 Portland Street in Fryeburg, is open for tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information e-mail the Historical Society at info@fryeburghistorical. org or visit the webpage at fryeburghistorical.org

Thursdays Open Pickleball Play from 9 a.m. to noon Sebago Rec. Adult players of all skill levels welcome. For more information, go to www.townofsebago.org/recreation

Tai Chi Maine Set Practice at the Bridgton Town Hall on North High Street at 10 a.m. A new beginner instruction takes place at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, go to the Tai Chi Maine website or e-mail Taichiinmaine@gmail. com NA (Narcotics Anonymous), 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Lake Region Recovery

Center, 25 Hospital Drive, Suite E, located behind the old hospital using a private entrance, 803-8707, www. lrrcbridgton.org

Women for Sobriety, 3 p.m., Lake Region Recovery Center, 25 Hospital Drive, Bridgton (behind old Bridgton Hospital). Open meeting. In-person or Zoom (https://us02web.zoom. us/j/89816213447). Meeting ID: 89816213447.

Trail Runs. Every Thursday, May to September, 5:30 p.m., Greater Lovell Land Trust, Lovell Rec, and Upper Saco Valley Land Trust will co-host Roots & Rocks Ramblers Fun Trail Runs. Check gllt.org to register for e-mail announcements of weekly locations.

Harrison Maine Climate Action Group has changed its meetings to the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 2 p.m., at the Harrison Village Library. Next meeting is Oct. 13. This is a non-partisan group. Masks are encouraged, as the space is small. Interested but can’t attend? You can participate without attending meetings: Join the Facebook group: Harrison Maine Climate Action or e-mail Andrea at: harrisonmaineclimateaction@ gmail.com.

Lovell Area Food Pantry open the second and fourth

SCHEDULE, Page 8B

Kearsarge North as the DMH since October 2020. This is a more difficult alternate to the Peaked Mountain hike the same day. Postponed from December 2022. Earlier start because evening darkness comes early.

Church

Raymond Community Forest

The morning of our first hike of December dawned cold, at 25 degrees, under a cloud-filled sky. However, as weather often does here in Maine, the temperature warmed as the day continued to the high 30s and low 40s, and the blue sky dominated, vanquishing most of the clouds. A perfect early winter hike day, and we left our microspikes in the cars as the trail was ice and snow-free.

Fourteen Denmark Mountain Hikers hiked the trails in the Raymond

up the trail to Pismire Bluff and around the Highlands Loop and back down the Pismire Bluff trail to the parking lot. Total mileage hiked was 3.6 miles and took us about 3 hours hiking time, not counting the time spent at the top of Pismire.

Spiller Homestead Denmark Mountain Hiker Donna Morton’s greatgreat-grandparents were JD and Melvina Spiller. They owned 285 acres including the Pismire Bluff and had their homestead under the

Spillers sold their land to Edward, now memorialized as Edwards Road in the area.

The 356-acre Raymond Community Forest is one of the land acquisitions of the Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) and is located on the eastern side of Crescent Lake in Raymond. Under the stewardship of the nonprofit LELT the land has been permanently conserved and offers long-term multiple benefits back to the community, including protection of the quality of Raymond’s

Senior Rambles

add a trip to the Raymond Community Forest to your plans.

Raymond Community Forest in Cumberland County, Raymond, ME

Hiking Trips & Tips

when it becomes Conesca Road where Mountain Road diverges to the left. Continue straight on Conesca Road for 0.7 miles to the Raymond Community Forest parking lot on the right. There is room for several cars.

Take a Hike in January

• Meet at the Denmark Church (times vary, check each hike listing). All welcome.

• It is winter, and you must have a full winter pack for all hikes. This includes puffy jackets, head lamps, microspikes and snow shoes. Also, please note that hiking times will vary greatly based on trail conditions.

• If you have questions about the difficulty of a hike, or for any other information, please call John Patrick at 207-756-2247 (johnfp@ earthlink.net). If you would like to meet us at a trail head or somewhere along the route to the trailhead please contact Allen Crabtree at 207-6539271 (denmarkmthiker@ gmail.com).

Community Forest, a property of the Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT). From the trailhead/parking lot, Denmark Mountain Hiker Jeff Sturgis led the group around the Spiller Homestead Loop, then

shadow of the cliffs there. The homestead buildings are long gone but the granite cellar hole is located where the Pismire Bluff trail crosses Conesca Road – look for it when you hike the trail. The

Weekly Schedule

Thursdays of each month, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Lovell Lions Club, 2081 Main Street, (North) Lovell. E-mail: Lovellareafoodpantry@ gmail.com or call (207) 5427239.

Fridays Coffee Call, 8 to 10 a.m., Caswell Conservancy Center (42 Main Street) in Harrison, pastries and donuts available,

lots of hot coffee, stimulating conversations and time to share memories of time in the military and more.

Jumpin’ Janes Senior Fitness, 9 to 10 a.m., at Bridgton Town Hall, North High Street, no charge.

Coffee Café at the Waterford Library, 10 a.m. to noon, a weekly gathering with your friends and neighbors.

waterways and wildlife, as well as exceptional views to and from Pismire Mountain. Traditional uses such as hunting continues on the property, and sustainable forest management will also continue, providing necessary income to support the management of the land and trails into the future. Sensitive plant communities will be protected.

Trails are open for hiking, snowshoeing and back country skiing. The Grape Expectations and the Spiller Homestead Trails are also open for mountain biking. Foot traffic only is allowed on the section of the property on the north side of Conesca Road and to the top of Pismire Bluff to help protect sensitive plant communities there.

This is a delightful area to hike and enjoy, and the experience is made even more enjoyable knowing that the Raymond Community Forest is protected and will be available for generations of outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy. If you haven’t travelled here,

Denmark Library Coffee Café every Friday, 9 to 11 a.m., Denmark Public Library 121 E. Main St, Denmark, (207) 452-2200

Saturdays Free Breakfast. The Table is excited for the return of in-person breakfasts with the option of pick-up to go meals at 9 a.m. at the Norway Grange on Whitman Street in Norway. The Table is always interested in other teams who would like to take a Saturday and serve breakfast. The inperson breakfast has been a great way to combat food insecurity as well as fulfilling a social need for many in the area.

Sebago Yoga classes on Saturday mornings at the Sebago Town Hall gym. Sign up at www.sebagoyoga.com.

Difficulty – Easy Trail distance – A network of about 4.0 miles of trails Hiking times – 1 ½ to 3 hours depending on trails taken Elevation – 600 feet Vertical gains – 350 feet Coordinates – 43° 59› 08» N 70° 26› 42» W

Topographic Map – USGS Raymond 7.5-minute quad, / 44.10567; -71.094

Directions to the trailhead: From the junction of US 302 and ME 11 in Naples, head north on ME 11 for 7.0 miles to Edwards Road on the right, just past the intersection with ME 85. Turn right on Edwards Road for 0.9 miles

Hikes are subject to change or cancellation.

January 27: Meet at Denmark Church at 8 a.m. Difficult – Mount Kearsarge North (3,268 feet), North Conway, N.H., 6.2 mi RT, 2,600 feet elevation gain. RT hiking 7 hours. RT driving 2.5 hours.

We haven’t climbed

RAMBLES, Page 7B

Thrift Shop at the Lovell United Church of Christ (1174 Main Street), open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; $2 bag sale on the last Wednesday and Saturday of each month.

Painting classes for beginners and intermediates at 1 p.m. at the Caswell Conservancy Center, 42 Main Street, Harrison. Landscape techniques will be will taught and all materials will be provided. Cost is $20. Instructor: Sandra Kimball. Call (207) 6935655 for subject matter for the coming weeks.

Art Classes at the Caswell Conservancy Center from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Open to all levels. Call for information 207-693-5655.

All About Books, third Saturdays at the Waterford

Library at 11a.m. All About Books offers Maine authors a platform to talk about their writing process, evolving journey, and their books. Recent challenges have made these conversations especially poignant. Program to be held at the library. All welcome. Free. Zoom attendance available upon request.

Cornerstone Gospel Church, the third Saturday of each month, 7:30 to 9, Tel. 693-6102 or e-mail pastorjimmarstaller@yahoo.com

Sundays Church Service at the North Waterford Church will now be held in person, at 10 a.m. on Sundays. All are welcome!

Ping Pong at the Bridgton Town Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. All welcome. Equipment

provided free! 4 tables! FMI 647-2847.

South Bridgton Congregational Church service at 6 p.m. The church is located at 16 Fosterville Road, Bridgton. All are welcome.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Sunday Service, 42 Sweden Road, Bridgton, 10 a.m. All are welcome! Grief Support meeting, 11:30 a.m., through September. Be with others who understand. For more information, call (207) 3100576.

Open Pickleball Play from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Sebago Rec. Adult players of all skill levels welcome. For more information, go to www.townofsebago.org/recreation

THE SPILLER FAMILY gathered at the Spiller homestead at the Raymond Community Forest in 1913. The building is now gone but the granite foundation remains. (Photo courtesy of Donna Morton)

VIEW OF CRESCENT LAKE from the top of Pismire Bluff at the Raymond Community Forest. (Photo by Jeff Sturgis)

DENMARK MOUNTAIN HIKERS on the Raymond Community Forest trail. (Photo by Allen Crabtree)

DENMARK MOUNTAIN HIKER Dale Nelson at a large trail cairn along the Raymond Community Forest trails.

(Photo by Allen Crabtree)

by Allen Crabtree