On Tuesday, August 8 at 7 p.m. the Machias Bay Chamber Concerts (MBCC) will present a concert featuring classical bass trombonist Dan Barrett and pianist Laura Artesani, both members of the Music Faculty at the University of Maine in Orono (UMO). Their program will include compositions by Egberto Gismonti, Daniel Schnyder, and additional works by contemporary composers.

The Eastport Arts Center’s Summer Workshop Series, which runs through August 22, will feature a double-header of offerings on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Patricia and Noel Brennan, professional musicians from Brooklyn, NY, will take turns leading musical workshops, with Music from Mexico for Children first from 1-2 p.m.

The team of Peter Berry, Gary Derickson, Lynn Bjornson, and Paul Rudd were winners this past week at the Barren View Golf Course weekly senior scramble held on Wednesday mornings. Congratulations winners!

by Phil Stuart

The Quoddy Baseball League in Washington County is just a memory. now but years ago it was a major part of many Downeasters’ lives. Men’s baseball hasn’t been very active Downeast for over three decades, and it is doubtful that it will ever return due to the lack of interest at the high school level.

In the 1950s, the Quoddy League might have been at it’s best. For most of that decade the three most dominant teams were the Jonesport Jets, the Eastport Lobsters and the Dixie Eagles.

by Phil Stuart

The 2017 Northern Maine Class D Boys Most Valuable Player, James Mersereau of Machias, is slated to take his talents 200 miles north to the St. John Valley this fall and play for Tom Bid’s University of Maine at Fort Kent Bengals.

Mersereau, a talented and versatile athlete, is very athletic and very creative around the basket. He has tremendous jumping ability and his slam dunks brought the crowd to their feet on more than one occasion.

by Phil Stuart

The 4th Annual Dale C. Lincoln Kids One-Mile Fun Run held on July 3 in Eastport drew a record number of participants this year.

Sixty-two young runners finished the Lincoln One-Miler named in honor of Dale C. Lincoln of Perry, an early pioneer in Washington county running who also is in the Maine Running Hall of Fame.

Andrew Burke of Pembroke covered the course in 6:08 with Tabor Helton and Lulu Calame finishing second and 3rd in 6:19 and 6:58.

Linda Yaroch will be the August featured artist at the Henry D. Moore Library in Steuben.  

Yaroch was born in Chicago and started oil painting at the age of 12 in a small town in Southern New Jersey. She graduated from Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia. 

In 1976, she illustrated a book for the National Bicentennial Celebration in the city of Philadelphia. She also designed and constructed holiday interiors for the Rouse Corp. malls in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, illustrated children’s school textbooks, and worked with seniors in an art program.

Wyles, Frances Agnes, age 90 of Digby, Nova Scotia passed away July 6, 2017 in Digby General Hospital. She was born in Lubec Maine, the youngest daughter of the late Howard and Theresa (Sullivan) Gardner. Frances attended the Halls Mills School and Washington Academy. She graduated from a High School in Connecticut as her parents went there to work for the war effort. She also graduated from Beauty school in Bangor.

John D. Curtis, Trustee under the John D. Curtis Revocable Trust of Maitland, Florida to Christopher Curtis of Boulder, Colorado certain real property together with any improvements thereon located at Roque Bluffs described in a deed from Trustees of Edith Willy Family Trust

by  V. Paul Reynolds

As former Maine deer biologist Gerry Lavigne reported recently in the SAM News, there has been a flurry of media coverage purporting that Maine’s Eastern coyote is getting larger and taking on more wolf-like characteristics. On TV, Bill Green’s Outdoors featured a segment and the Portland Press Herald carried a story by Diedre Fleming.

Is it true? Is our coyote, which started showing up in the 1940s, evolving into a new canid, one that is worthy of the new, catchy name, Coywolf?

Saturday’s Bold Coast Sea & Sky Festival drew families out to enjoy free festivities in Machias. The festival, which featured kite flying on the riverside hill of Schoppee Farm, was sponsored by Pat’s Pizza, the Machias Rotary Club, and other local businesses. See p. 10 & 11. Photo by Bill Kitchen.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The classic progressive rock band, Kansas, will headline a day of events geared toward remembering and celebrating the contributions of the U.S. armed services. 

The festivities are sponsored by Wreaths Across America (WAA), a local nonprofit which works to lay balsam wreaths on the graves of soldiers on cemeteries in all 50 states, most notably in Arlington National Cemetery.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The Machiasport Selectboard has placed Donna-Jean Metta on paid administrative leave, according to Metta, who said she was informed of the action after the monthly selectboard meeting on Monday, July 17.

In July last year, 28-year-old Jon Popham, a Machiasport lobsterman, died when he was pulled overboard after getting tangled in a line on board his lobster boat. Maine’s fishing community promptly extended financial and emotional support to Popham’s widow and 2-year-old son. The Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance, a non-profit organization whose mission includes charitable support for distressed fishing families, did just a little bit more.

Hunters may apply to enter into the Maine Any Deer Permit Lottery by visiting this website: www.maine.gov/online/nedeer. 

From the list of lottery applicants, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will administer a chance drawing to select winners for a Maine Any Deer Hunting Permit. To hunt Any Deer in Maine, hunters must have one of these special Any Deer Hunting Permits.

by Nancy Beal

Although the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) website did not show an award for bids on the Beals Island bridge replacement at the end of last week, information on the site indicated that the Freeport firm of CPM Constructors was the low bidder on that project. The state opened the bidding in Augusta on July 12. On the same day during the weekly selectmen’s meeting, Selectman Billy Milliken said that he had already been contacted by the job supervisor in connection with hiring local labor and housing for out-of- town labor.

Jonathan Fulford from Monroe is running for Congress in the 2nd Congressional district. He released the following statement:

I am running for Congress because it is time for an economy that works for everyone.

It is time for government to invest in the well being of its citizens and build a fair and prosperous economy with jobs that pay enough to live on. We need more freedom and more opportunity to support ourselves, raise our families, and live together in peace and prosperity in our communities.  

 Dear Editor,

     I’m writing as program coordinator for the Pembroke Historical Society to ask the folks in our communities for information of any kind about the West Sunset Packing Company sardine cannery that operated many years ago in West Pembroke, or about the sardine fishery on upper Cobscook Bay. The Society is gathering information for a program on Pembroke’s sardine history to be presented to the public in mid-October. 

by Ann Carter

by Nancy Beal

In a Jonesport Elementary School board meeting July 12, a letter of resignation from Principal Debra Lay was accepted with regret, but was neither presented nor read, as is usual, by Superintendent Beth Anne Lorigan. Board members knew what was in the letter, however, because Lay had sent copies to them. In broad strokes and without giving specifics, Lay pointedly criticized Lorigan and targeted the superintendent as her reason for leaving (see MVNO, July 19).

Wesley

Phylis Dennison had her sister from Milbridge, Vonalee Huckins, visiting with her and Tinker for a few days last week. They took her home on Friday. Tinker also brought me some blueberry muffins that Phylis made.  Thank you.

Linda got lobster for Ron’s  birthday and got three for me so Dianne and I could have a special treat. The ducks are also having a great time in their pond.

Thank you to the Johnsons from Bog Lake for leaving bottles here for the Wesley Historical Society.