August Festival final update
There are only two more days until the 2008 August Festival begins. Washburn booms with excitement and festivities through the weekend of Friday, Aug. 15, Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 18.
Congratulations go out to the 2008 grand marshal, everyone’s favorite farmer, Herman Doody, and the August Festival King and Queen Wendell and Joyce Doody.
The blue festival brochures are in stores and businesses throughout the Washburn area and are also available at the Town Office.
Friday, Aug. 15, special items include a free hotdog roast as part of the Katahdin Trust Company Customer Appreciation Day, and there’s a reading award presentation and story time at the Washburn Memorial Library.
The annual Alumni Banquet will be held at the high school starting with a social hour at 5 p.m. and supper to follow at 6 p.m.
The Aroostook County Bluegrass Band will be at the park from 6:30 to 8: 30 p.m. and JR Mitchell with feature entertainment and karaoke on the porch of the Town Office. The evening will end on a high note with the movie “A Night at the Museum” playing on the side of the Salmon Brook Historical Society barn.
The many Saturday, Aug. 16, events include a great breakfast at the Washburn Trail Runners clubhouse, featuring scrambled eggs, home fries, French toast, bacon or ham and coffee or juice.
Arts and crafts will be in the town park starting at 8 a.m. and there will be Bike and Baby parades on Main Street in front of the Town Office at 8 a.m. The big parade starts at 9:30 a.m. and goes from the corner of Berce and Main streets, and ends at the high school. There will be a living history display on the museum lawn and the Salmon Brook Historical Society museum opens at 9 a.m. Also at 9 a.m. at the town park, there will be an SCA Medieval Troup, and Maine Event horse-drawn wagon rides will go from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Washburn Fire Department Chicken Barbeque will be served starting at 11:30 a.m. at the municipal parking lot and there will be antique tractor pulls at the Penobscot/McCrum plant on the Parsons Road starting at 1 p.m.
A fun Kids’ Carnival will be held at the elementary school soccer fields from 1 to 4 p.m. and a wrestling demonstration will be at the bank parking lot from 1 to 4 p.m.
The horseshoe tourney registration starts at 1 p.m. at the Thomas Brewer Park with the double-elimination event starting at 2 p.m. A country music jam with Paul Clayton and Friends will be held at the elementary school from 2 to 4 p.m. and McLaughlin’s Big Band will be playing at the elementary school parking lot from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Washburn Rotary’s famous rubber Ducky 50/50 Derby will begin at 4 p.m. and the launch point will be at the Mill Pont Foot Bridge.
There will be a baked bean supper sponsored by the Lidstone Memorial Methodist Church at the Civic Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and a video dance for all ages with KC and Company at the high school gym from 6:30-8 p.m. and Randy Michaud will be playing at the elementary school parking lot from 8 to 11 p.m. Scapegoat will be presenting their music and a light show from 8 to 11 p.m. at the town park, with a starting time of 9:30 p.m. for the fireworks.
On Sunday, the famous Perham Ladies Brunch will be held from11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Civic Center. The Salmon Brook Historical Society museum opens. There will be ATV pulls on Gould Street with the registration at 11 a.m. and the pulls starting at noon. The Gospel Concert featuring local artists will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the high school gym.
Birthdays/anniversaries
Those celebrating birthdays this week include: Brandon Carlow, Brad Barbarula, Julie Doody, Amy Farley, Sheldon Cunningham, Bob Pribble, Brett Baker, Nicholas Crouse, Troy Heald, Cheryl Bolstridge, Bruce Turner, Christina Barnes, Kristen Durost, Terry Paradis, Melinda Farley, Rick Castonguay, Bill Sargent, Kori Tupper, Carroll Bragg, Kolbie Churchill, Frank Long, Gwen Drost, Donald Whipkey, E. B. Brown, John S. Drost, Matt Doody, Elaine Churchill and Connie Heald.
Anniversary wishes go out to: Bill and Helen Hause, Rodney and Cheryl Sperrey, Kevin and Hollie Tompkins, Lee and Heidi Farley, Brad and Alice Bragg, Donnie and Julee Maynard, Chester and Arline Akerson, Tony and Ginny Sellars, Stephen and Patti Irving,
Perham notes
The Perham Ladies Group is getting started in updating the Perham History Book. This is one of their “winter projects.” They hope to have others join them or help with this project. Some of the information in the book needs to be updated, and more photos or stories of interest will be included. Any new Perham residents who live in the town’s older houses will also be included and any other information, old or new, would be greatly appreciated. For more information, contact Joan Connolly at 455-4433 or 455-8340 or Ellie Snyder at 455-8016.
Events/reminders
Dow Post 48 of the American Legion is planning a Flag Retirement Ceremony to be held on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the town park on Main Street. The legion members will be assisted in this event by members of Boy and Girl Scouts, and the public is welcome to attend the ceremony.
This ceremony is being done in order to take care of old flags, those torn and frayed and in need of proper and honorable retirement. Anyone having flags is asked to contact Dale Whitten at 455-4905, Larry Harrison at 455-4074, Willie Drost at 455-4782 or Kermit Fuller at 455-0962 or 455-8034.
The Washburn Tax Club enrollment deadline is Friday, Aug. 15. Forms and information are available at the Washburn Town Office during regular business hours or by phoning 455-8485.
New summer hours for the Town Office are Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the lunch hour remaining from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Fridays from 7 a.m. until 12 noon. These hours will remain in effect through Aug.31.
TOPS will be meeting each Monday at the Washburn Trailrunners clubhouse, starting with weigh-in at 4:15 p.m. and the meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For further information, contact Birdena Cochran at 455-8353.
Birth announcement
Malcolm and Tandy Easler are pleased to announce the birth of their second child, a beautiful daughter, Silvia Wren Easler, who was born on Wednesday, June 11. She weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 and one-quarter inches long.
Silvia joins her big brother Miles Harrison Easler, and the family lives in LaFayette, Ind. The proud grandparents include Dale and Cindy Easler of Washburn; Mike and Diane Hoover of Plymouth, Ind.; and Bruce and Darla Bordnell of Wakarsua, Ind. The great grandparents include Marie and the late Freeman Drost, and the late Miles and Helen Easler.
Rec Center schedule
The soccer season is in full swing, and grades K-2 will meet on Thursday, Aug. 14, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and on Tuesday, Aug. 19, from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Grades 3 to 4 will meet on Thursday, Aug. 21, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For further information, contact the Rec Center at 455-4959.
The summer programs are completed, and Recreation Director Marcie Barbarula wishes to thank the cooks who provided the summer lunch program throughout the six weeks of Recreation programs. Also thanks go to Washburn’s summer Recreation staff for their great job in making the summer programs work. The staff included Lottie Doody, Stina Snyder, Kayla Schurman, Amy Reed, Amanda Libby and Brian Schurman. Also much appreciation goes out to the volunteers including Scott Olson and Leland Caron who coached the Major League team, Andy White and Randy Thompson who coached the Minor League team and Owen James for doing scorebooks for the Jr. Girls and Major League games.
Several participants enjoyed a fun day full of activities at Birch Point in Madawaska. The trip was combined with other rec departments. Washburn rode together with Ashland, with Washburn native and Ashland Rec Director Lendal Tarr driving the Ashland bus and taking the Washburn students along with Washburn Recreation Director Marcie Barbarula.
The day included kayaking, canoeing, swimming, a bouncy house and slip and slide events and lunch provided including hotdogs, chips and drinks along with homemade ice cream.
The final Friday field day was based on the TV show theme, “The Amazing Race.” Clues were left at lots of places around town for the four teams to find. Even the pouring rain didn’t deter these teams and all made it to the end at the cafeteria at the elementary school where participants enjoyed a lunch and ice cream sundaes.
Little building’s big history
The newest owners of Washburn Redemption Center, Gerald and Darcy Carney, were beginning to settle in as new businessfolk in town, when a bump and rumble got their immediate attention recently. It turned up to be a cave in of the foundation that demanded fixing right away. While cleaning up the collapse and starting the repair, a large wooden “nail” was discovered that apparently helped hold the cellar beams together.
No real date of origin was found, but plenty of history was discovered while looking into the building’s past. Most of the older residents remember it being Vesta and Frank Beaulieu’s home, and Vesta, known to many as “Grammy Vesta,” had a beauty shop in the front as well. Their entry door is still there, and it led into their sitting room. The next room was a kitchen and dining room, followed by a bathroom and bedroom. The beauty shop was where the window and collection room for the redemption center is now and their laundry room was in the cellar.
Frank Beaulieu sold Massey Harris tractors from the building next door which eventually became Harold’s Barber Shop. He used the large room for his garage and the small one room apartment as his office. Frank also sold a few cows, some machinery and an automobile now and then from about 1940 to 1946. He also had a Chevy cattle truck which he kept on the property. This office also became a store owned by Dwight Cary and was known as Cary’s Economart, selling meats, produce and other grocery items. Dalton Sperrey also had a store in this building and Lois Spooner and Lynn Mills had a beauty shop there as well. The building is currently owned by Kermit and Sue Fuller.
Several fellows had redemption centers in the building including Terry Plummer, Kenny and Ken Wells Jr., along with David Gardner, and Galen and Pat Good eventually sold it to the current owners. The Goods built on the loading dock, and the Carneys are just now putting on a new steel roof. Hopefully, this building and the nearby neighbor building will remain as Washburn businesses for a long time to come.
N.H. contestant has local ties
Abby Woodman, daughter of Wally and Becky Woodman, of Marrimack, N.H., starred as a contestant in the N.H. “Idol” contest at Meadowbrook, U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Guifford, N.H.
Abby was chosen as one of the top 25 from a total of 40 contestants and performed again on Thursday, Aug. 7, at Meredith, N. H., with results to follow as soon as possible. Her song selection was “Someone to Watch over Me.”
Abby is a graduate of St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, N.H, and is the granddaughter of Ellsworth and Dolores Woodman of Washburn and Rodney and the late Esther Lord of Patten.
Boy Scouts in catering business
Several members of Boy Scout Troop 177 recently assisted Gagnon’s Auto Sales during an Antique Auto and Truck Show. This was the third year that the Scouts participated by selling hotdogs, water and chips during the event. As a more than generous supporter of the troop, Gary Gagnon purchased all the food items and the Scouts kept the profits for their efforts, with Gagnon’s Sales matching what the Scouts brought in. Those working the food booth included: Stephen Kinney, Andy White Jr., Kody Brissette, Adam Wilcox, Keegan Page, Daniel Roy, Greg Page, Don Wilcox, Scoutmaster Larry Harrison and Troy Wilcox.
Christie Cochran is the correspondent for Washburn, Wade and Perham. She can be reached at 455-8034 or gramchristie@yahoo.com.
