Ashland, Portage host holiday fun

Portage Lake festivities
Tuesday, July 3 through July 7 – Kiddie Carnival by Eastern Amusements.
    Wednesday, July 4 – Lighted boat parade at dark.
Saturday, July 7 – Annual Pig Roast, hosted by the Portage Lake Tourism Committee. Serving will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; face painting 11 a.m. to noon; fireworks at dusk.
Sunday, July 8 – Parade at noon.
 Ashland Summerfest
Thursday, July 5th: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. girls’ softball tournament at T. Guy Kirk Field; 5 to 8 p.m. car show sponsored by the Ashland Motor Lodge in the Ashland Motor Lodge parking lot; 6:30 p.m. Little Miss Ashland Pageant at the grade school gym, sponsored by M. Rafford Trucking.
Friday, July 6: 10 a.m. girls’ softball tournament at T. Guy Kirk Field – awards after the games; Katahdin Trust Bank Customer Appreciation Day (popcorn and door prizes); 5 to 7 p.m. – public spaghetti supper at the Ashland Advent Christian Church; 5 and 6:30 p.m. – Annual Salmon Supper at the Union Congregational Church. Tickets sold in advance by contacting Jean St. Pierre at 435-6638; 6 p.m. – Citizen of the Year awarded at the bandstand; drive-in movie at the Trotting Park beginning at dark. Music at the bandstand: 4 p.m. – Ashland Community High School Bodacious Brass Band, 5 p.m. – Bob Frame (rock and pop music), 6:30 p.m. – Cross Over (country and bluegrass music with Warren Charette), 8:30 p.m. – Randy Michaud (country music). Music at Ashland Central School: 6:30 p.m. – Two And A Horn (jazz music) donations only. Music at Ashland High School: 8 p.m. – Heath Bartley (if you haven’t heard him play guitar, you definitely should) donations only.
Saturday, July 7: 7 to 9 a.m. – public pancake breakfast at the Masonic Hall. $5 for adults, $2 for 12 and under; 9 a.m. – good dale at St. Mark’s Catholic Church; 11 a.m. – parade, contact Bobbi Jo Condon at 435-3992 of 435-7160 to register. Line up at 10 a.m. at the high school, 12 noon – steak and chicken BBQ at the Ashland Fish and Game Club. $12 for adults, free to children ages 10 and under; 12:30 p.m. – kids’ games at the bandstand; 1 to 4 p.m. – Bingo at the VFW hall. Hotdogs, chips, homemade pastries and beverages for sale; 3 p.m. – beachball race sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 179 at the Fish and Game Club. See any Boy Scout for a ticket – $5 each or 5 for $20; 4 to 6 p.m. – spaghetti supper at the Masonic Hall sponsored by the Ashland Area Ski Club; 7 p.m. – nuild your own baked potato, located on Main St., next to Freem’s. sponsored in part by the Ashland Community Playground Committee and M&M Graham, Inc. Proceeds to benefit the Ashland Community Playground Fund; 9 p.m. to midnight – Street Dance with Too Far North, sponsored by the Ashland Fire Department. Rain location will be at the high school.
Sunday, July 8: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – poker run sponsored by the Ashland Fire Department. Motorcycles, pickups and cars are welcome; 3 p.m. – chicken BBQ and all the fixings at the Ashland Fire Department, open to the public; 3 p.m. – Joe White and Friends (blue grass and country music), donations only, at the high school; 5 p.m. – New Found Hope Evening Service. Join us for a time of praise and worship followed by a message from Pastor Roland Wortman at the bandstand. Rain location at the Ashland Central School;
6:30 p.m. – gospel singing at the bandstand. Rain location, Ashland Central School; 9 p.m. – fireworks at the Ashland Fish and Game Club.
Correction to Summerfest flyer
The Early American Festival listed in the flyer to take place on Sunday, July 8, at the Ashland Logging Museum has been cancelled. More information about this event will be printed as it becomes available.
New Ashland correspondent
Julie Graham-Berry is the new correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and surrounding townships. She can be reached at 435-7137.
Special thanks
The Ashland Summerfest Committee would like to thank the residents of Ashland and the surrounding communities for their support of the Summerfest as well as the following contributors: Seven Islands Land Co.; North Maine Woods, Inc.; Stimpson-Ouellette Funeral Home; Ashland One Stop; M&M Graham, Inc.; Norstate FCU; Babe’s Variety; Ashland Food Mart; Boralex; Garfield Plantation; TAMC; The Sign Shed; Modern Roofing & Siding; the town of Ashland; Robert and Kathi Beaulieu; Fred’s Auto Repair & Service; Rafford’s Bridges; Ashland Motor Lodge; Aroostook Music Co.; and any other contributor that may have been inadvertently left out of this list.
Ongoing events
The Ashland Area Senior Citizens’ Group will meet every other Thursday starting June 7 for the months of June, July and August. The meeting time of 12 noon and location of the Ashland Rec Center will remain the same. Any senior citizens wishing to participate in the potluck lunches and meetings are always welcome.
The Portage Lake Seniors’ Lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11 a.m. All seniors are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share or give a cash donation. For more information contact Wilza Robertson at 435-6211 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet the second Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time too! For more information contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
Anyone interested in planning for Portage Lake’s centennial celebration, please contact Barb Pitcairn at 435-2368 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
Ladies, are you interested in crafts or have some that you’ve started and just can’t seem to finish? If so, take yourself over to the Portage Lake Municipal Building for Girlz Night every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy the company and the satisfaction of finally completing a project!
The infant to pre-K playgroup which meets every Friday from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Ashland Rec Center is changing it’s location and will be ending when the new school year begins. For more information please contact Andrea White at 435-6363.