by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Following the cancelation of the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival for the second year in a row, many have feared the iconic harvest festival might never return. But never fear, says festival director Ellen Farnsworth. The Machias Wild Blueberry Festival will be back in 2022, and better than before.

“I’m getting contacted three and four times per week from new vendors that want to be a part of the 2022 festival,” said Farnsworth. “So that’s exciting, we’ll probably see lots of new faces next year.”

by Nancy Beal

by Jayna Smith

Downtown Calais rumbled loudly on Saturday morning when the Red Knights Maine Chapter 5 motorcycle club hosted a ride in memory of Blaine McLaughlin.  

The ride saw around 50 bikes and nearly ten other vehicles that took off from Papa’s Auto on Main Street in Calais.  The group made its way down Route 9, across the Cooper Road to 191.  From there, they proceeded to Pembroke via 214 and back along Route 1 to Papa’s Auto.

by Jonathan Reisman

Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Maine Community Foundation for their Incredible Edible Milbridge project.

“Support from the Maine Community Foundation translates to expanded food production for the 2021 growing season.  This means we can feed more of our neighbors,” said WHRL executive director Christine Kuhni. “The gardens have become a point of pride for local residents, providing food, educational experiences, and a sense of community.”

by Hazel Stark

by Nancy Beal

In a special town meeting preceded by a public meeting May 25, Beals voters adopted a six-month moratorium on the erection of windmills, during which time town officials will draft a windmill ordinance to present to the town for approval. Another measure called for an outright ban on windmills on the two linked islands that house the town’s living quarters—Great Wass and Beals Island (the latter of which some in the audience were surprised to see identified on the meeting warrant as “Little Wass”).

by Phil Stuart

It is not too far-fetched to think in the very near future that high school baseball and softball might become extinct in some area schools. For some reason, fewer students are involved in athletics today. Spring sports occur at a time when many students are anxious to get out of school, and if they play at this time of year, in their minds it might prolong the school year and shorten their summer vacation.

by Nancy Beal

Jonesporters hoping to turn part of the town campground on Henry Point into a commercial fishing hub got some good news last week: the grant givers they hope will help finance the project agreed to an extension of the application deadline. The current marina is owned by the state and is designated a recreational facility. Town fathers and fishermen fear that they could lose the use they currently make of it.

The latest in EAC Video’s Studio Visit series is Cynthia Morse, pastel painter, who recalls her earliest artworks, the exploration of many art forms in her 20s, and her eventual choice of pastels as a primary media. (Cynthia is still a media experimenter, and spent some of the pandemic time dyeing roving and creating large felted pieces!).

Healthy Acadia is hosting an online, “Healthy Food For All” silent auction throughout the month of June to raise funds to support the Downeast Gleaning Initiative. Up for bid are an array of enticing local experiences, including a private, four-course dinner for eight people prepared by Sassafrass Catering, an overnight stay in Lubec, fresh Maine lobster, a Bar Harbor getaway package, and a lakeside sauna and dinner at Kendall Farm Cottage on Boyden Lake.

by Ruth Leubecker

Although there may be no blueberry festival this season and no lobster festival, Milbridge Days promises a big shebang, with an exciting theme, plus The Codfather.

The annual multi-faceted celebration, held this year from July 27-31, hopes to attract many parade participants beyond Milbridge.

by Nancy Beal

The Pleasant River Solid Waste Disposal District (PRSWDD) is a small entity with a big name and a recent history of many problems, some solved, some pending. Those worries have ranged from non-functioning truck scales and an unstable wall that denies the plant insurance to the withdrawal of two of its six member towns and the in-progress retreat of a third. (Of the original six, Addison, Jonesboro and Beals remain. Jonesport and Columbia Falls pulled out last year, and Columbia is in the progress of leaving.)

Sipayik Elementary School also known as Beatrice Rafferty School Teacher Diana Mahar is the 2021 Washington County Teacher of the Year, announced during a virtual ceremony Wednesday, May 12.

The Maine Teacher of the Year program honors the contributions of Maine Teachers. The County Teacher of the Year is committed to excellence and nurture the achievements of all students and his/her exemplary skills inspire students and colleagues.

Ms. Mahar has been teaching at Sipayik since 2014 and currently in her 4th year of teaching 5th grade.

The Wild Blueberry Heritage Center and Museum, a community-minded nonprofit showcasing one of Maine’s most iconic crops, invites your stories and your stuff.

That is, if you raked blueberries every August in your childhood, or if you have old rakes or winnowers or boxes needing a new place besides your old barn – you are welcome to contribute both memories and items, including photographs, to the museum’s exhibits.

by Joseph Horn

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Former Machias Town Manager Christina Therrien issued a 110-day notice of resignation in March, but shortened that timeframe with a written resignation notice sent Friday, May 14, effective immediately.

The resignation followed a tense meeting held on the evening of May 12, when the four-person selectboard went into executive session with town counsel Sarah Newell of Eaton Peabody. Returning to the waiting audience on Zoom, selectboard chairman Joshua Rolfe asked Therrien to go into an executive session with the board.

by Ruth Leubecker

Prioritizing education and honoring a promise unmet for 15 years, Gov. Janet Mills unveiled her $8.8-billion budget to much bipartisan fanfare.

It was an historic investment in education, with $187 million going to public schools, and satisfying a 55-percent long-standing obligation.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Machias residents voted overwhelmingly to support a Community Block Development Grant (CDBG) application on behalf of Bad Little Brewing Company, a craft beer and farm-to-table restaurant soon to be located at 101 Court Street in the historic Clark Perry House.

The dining and taprooms will be located in the property’s barn, which will be moved to begin construction on a new foundation as early as next week.

It was a thankful day indeed for the parents of Richard “Dick” Holbrook Grant, who was born Nov. 24, 1927, in New Briton, Connecticut, two days before Thanksgiving,

His father was a teacher, and his mother stayed at home to care for Dick and siblings Robert, Leighton, and Madeline. The Grants moved more than 400 miles to Columbia Falls, Maine, when Dick was just six months old.

by Wayne Smith

I have to look back this week. I think about my Uncle Stanley as he talked about blueberrying in the day. Stanley is the only living uncle on my father’s side of the family. He always has been a special uncle now and in the day. This week I would just like to honor him. This is my favorite article on my uncle that I ever wrote. It’s kind of a late birthday present and captures a family's tradition and a little bit more.