A one-person play and the dedication of a new tribute at the Washburn Area Veterans Memorial Park will be among highlights of the town’s summer festival.
The Washburn August Festival is slated this year from Friday, Aug. 16, to Sunday, Aug. 18.
The weekend draws people from around The County, Maine and beyond for reunions, a parade, music and other events to celebrate the shared communities of Washburn, Perham and Wade. Along with the installation of a battle cross at the veterans park, the play “The American Soldier” will premiere in Maine, said veteran and longtime Scoutmaster Larry Harrison.
The play marks actor Douglas Taurel’s first visit to Maine, Harrison said. In the play, Taurel adopts the personas of soldiers in every military conflict from the Civil War to Afghanistan, voicing their different accents and experiences.
“He changes his dialect 14 times to match those eras,” Harrison said. “It’s to honor the veterans and their families. He’s done 46 cities in 34 or 35 states, but has never been to the state of Maine.”
The characters are drawn from letters and actual soldiers’ experiences, according to the play’s website. Taurel has appeared in television shows including “Blue Bloods” and “Person of Interest,” and movies such as “The Gabby Petito Story” and “The Cobbler.”
He earned best actor and best first-time director nominations at the GI Film Festival for his television series “Landing Home,” which follows a veteran who has come home and finds it difficult to adjust to civilian life. The series won awards for best drama and best feature.
“The American Soldier” is slated at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, at Washburn District High School. Admission is free but donations will be accepted toward the production’s cost.
This year will also see the installation of a battle cross at the Main Street veterans park.
The park has expanded since its start in 2018, when three prospective Eagle Scouts designed it for their service projects. A fourth Eagle effort added flagpoles and flags for each branch of the military.
Two years ago, Rotarians started raising funds for a brick walk, for which people could purchase bricks with the name of a veteran or servicemember. The walk now has more than 300 bricks, Harrison said.
2023 saw the installation of a monument to Edward Dahlgren, a Perham native and one of Maine’s five Medal of Honor recipients.
“The battle cross is to honor those that have fallen during battle. It started out in the Civil War and has gone right up through to Afghanistan when servicemembers honor their fallen comrades,” Harrison said. “It used to be a cross, but now they take the combat boots, the rifle, butt down, with the helmet on top and dog tags.”
The $7,000 bronze sculpture was paid for with donations and has arrived in Washburn, he said. It is mounted on a piece of granite, altogether standing about six feet.
A dedication ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the park.
Gene and Londa Brown will preside as this year’s festival king and queen, said Cindy Richendollar of the organizing group, the Washburn Rotary Club.
“Washburn Rotary is honored to continue a tradition that four ladies started in 1981 to celebrate community spirit,” Richendollar said. “This is funded by donations and we’re grateful for the tri-town support.”
Gene Brown grew up in Washburn, while wife Londa is originally from Pennsylvania. The two recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Alaska, Richendollar said.
Gene was a Boy Scout and pursued a master’s degree at Bob Jones University when he was called home due to his father’s health. He worked in the potato industry for a while, then completed his education and served as a high school guidance counselor in Ashland, Presque Isle and Washburn.
Londa earned degrees in English and Spanish from Bob Jones and tutored in South Carolina. The couple moved to Washburn in 1974, and Londa completed her master’s in education. She served as librarian in Caribou and Washburn.
The Browns are retired and have three children. They enjoy ATV riding, reading, traveling and spending time with their grandchildren.
For complete details of the Washburn August Festival, visit the event’s Facebook page.
