Folk medicine in Ashland, historic restoration in Lille, a World War II pilot from Castle Hill, and a Swedish family’s migration to Stockholm are among the topics of features in the new Echoes released this month.
A Houlton native celebrates the ritual of fiddleheading and a Blaine native reflects on the significance of a family heirloom, while graduates of Caribou and Presque Isle high schools address issues of energy conservation and climate change on the pages of the 108th edition of the Caribou-based magazine.
Caribou native Clark Brewer and Presque Isle native Corey Park are both living in urban settings, but their essays show that the values of their childhood remain strong.
In “A 1960s Legacy” Brewer describes how he applies what learned about conservation in high school and college to his work as an architect.
In “A Tradition at Risk,” Park issues a wake-up call to Aroostook County to recognize the effect climate change could have on agriculture.
Dramatic images of a bobcat on the front, back and inside back covers of the current Echoes were captured in February by Orono photographer Kathy Lena before Inland Fisheries and Wildlife officials live-trapped and relocated the animal from the yard of an Orono resident.
The center spread in Echoes No. 108 features the poetry of Mary Dickinson Bird of Orono, illustrated by photographers for the Avian Haven Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Freedom.
Ashland native, Armand O’Clair, now of Hermon, recounts several examples of his grandmother’s and his father’s ability to stop bleeding in a family story titled “The Power of Belief.”
“My grandmother and my father believed that their gifts were not theirs but powers mediated through God,” O’Clair writes. “These are matters of faith. My own faith is uncertain, but I do know, if nothing else, I believe in the power of belief.”
In a story titled “Ten Dead Men,” Ron Laing of Oxford, pays tribute to Dana Dudley of Castle Hill, whose heroism as the pilot of a B-17G bomber during World War II impressed war correspondent Ernie Pyle. Laing relates the remarkable recovery of a bullet-riddled aircraft after a bombing mission over Tripoli.
Dana Nelson of Ellsworth continues the story of his Swedish ancestors in Part II of “A Stockholm Family,” detailing the trip from Sweden to Maine and the challenges faced by many immigrants.
In Part IV of “Our Lady of Lille,” Don Cyr continues his first-person account of the conversion of the Notre Dame du Mont Carmel church building into an Acadian cultural museum.
Dedicated to rediscovering community, Echoes is published quarterly by Echoes Press and printed in Presque Isle by PrintWorks. The magazine is sold on northern Maine newsstands and by subscription. For information visit echoesofmaine.com.
