MARS HILL NEWS
by Tomi Henderson
The first Mars Hill Drug Awareness meeting was held at the Mars Hill Library on April 17. There were some really great speakers, including Chief Darrell Crandall of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Shawn Gillen, Pete McCorison from AMHC, and Mark Shea from Power of Prevention.
It was a very informative meeting for all those concerned with substance abuse in town, because the drug abuse problem here in Mars Hill is bigger than all of us. It will take everyone’s support to eradicate and educate the people in the community.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 29, at 6:30 pm at the Walter T.A. Hansen Memorial Library. Light refreshments will be served.
Discussion topics will include: prevention, treatment, recovery, a community mentoring program, an AA/NA meeting place in Mars Hill, a family support group, employment resources, overcoming social barriers, grants and fundraising possibilities.
All ideas and suggestions are welcome. For more information, call 429-9873 or email kutoja06@aim.com.
Aroostook Health Center
Upcoming events for the week of May 28 to June 3 include: Wednesday will also feature the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Wii Bowling at 9 a.m., Table Tennis at 9:30 a.m. and Crossword Puzzles at 1:30 p.m. Thursday will feature the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Bingo at 9:30 a.m., Horse Racing at 1:30 p.m. and the Old Fashioned Revival Center at 6:30 p.m. Friday will feature Shopping Bingo at 9:30 a.m. and Dayroom Cinema at 1:30 p.m. Saturday is a free day. Sunday will feature Sunday Service with Jonathan at 1:30 p.m. Monday will feature Coffee Chat at 9:30 a.m., Nail Beautiful at 10 a.m., Catholic Mass at 1:30 p.m. and Gospel Group at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday will feature the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Bingo at 9:30 a.m. and Card Games at 1:30 p.m. All of these activities are subject to change. If you would like to volunteer to help with any of these activities, call Connie or Vicki at 768-4915.
Rotary Club
The Mars Hill Rotary Club met on May 20 at 6:30 a.m. at the Aroostook Health Center. The special speaker was Steve Agius, assistant refuge manager at Moosehorn and Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. Steve spoke about the time he spent working at the U.S. Antarctic Program as station supervisor on penguin research. He was there for two six-month sessions around 2004 — from September through March.
Getting there involves flying to Chile, taking an icebreaker to Antarctica and getting to shore on a Zodiac. They had to take everything with them, including fuel, food, clothing, etc. If they forgot something, they had to do without.
Their home base was called COPACabana, which was built in the early 1970s. There is a windmill and solar panels for energy, but propane is also used — dozens of tanks of propane each season.
They studied Chinstrap penguins, Gentu penguins and other birds and seals. The ecosystem in Antarctica is very fragile and climate change is very noticeable there. The cycle includes algae being trapped inside the ice as it forms in the winter season. As the ice melts in the spring, krill feeds on this algae, which in turn feeds the penguins, birds, seals, whales and more.
There is a marked receding of the glaciers on Antarctica, with grass now growing around the station. It actually gets warm enough at times to work in T-shirts, although the wind is constantly blowing.
One of his memorable experiences was the polar dip he took on his birthday. The team traveled about three miles away to visit the Polish station and, as tradition has it, he either jumped into the 28 degree water willingly or would have been thrown in!
Homecoming 2014
Plans for Homecoming 2014 are underway. This year’s events will be held on Aug. 8-10. Plans include various activities at the high school on Saturday afternoon; the committee is looking for crafters and more to set up booths with crafts, foods, etc. New events this year already include a photo booth; the FFA booth with baked potatoes, hotdogs and fries; and a cribbage tournament at 1 p.m. The Mars Hill Fire Department will hold a mini muster this year as well as doing the chicken barbecue dinner on Saturday.
The next planning meeting will be at the Community Center on Monday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. All interested people are encouraged to attend.
Library happenings
The Walter T.A. Hansen Memorial Library plans to hold their annual Tag Sale on Fridays and Saturdays, June 13-14 and 20-21. Anyone willing to make donations for this sale are asked to call the library at 429-9625 to make arrangements to drop stuff off or to have it picked up. Everyone’s willingness to help with this fundraiser is greatly appreciated.
Legion activities
The William Cousins Post 118 of the American Legion in Mars Hill is holding a canoe raffle on a red Discovery Old Town canoe with two paddles and two life vests. Tickets are $6 each or three for $15 and can be purchased from any member of Post 118. The drawing will be held at a post barbecue on Saturday, June 14. You do not need to be present to win.
Tomi Henderson is the correspondent for Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater and Westfield. She can be reached by emailing tomihen@yahoo.com.
