By Paul Sylvain

“Surreal” best describes the mood in Machias following the sudden passing of its beloved town manager, Bill Kitchen, on Sept. 9. He was 65.

Kitchen served a three-year term on the town’s selectboard, from 2017 to 2020. Then, on May 18, 2021, the selectboard unanimously voted to appoint Kitchen as interim town manager, after previous town manager Christina Therrien resigned, and then vacated her office six weeks sooner than expected. The board made Kitchen’s appointment permanent that October.

Search for a Permanent Town Manager Begins

By Paul Sylvain

In what visibly and emotionally was a difficult but necessary meeting for the Machias selectboard on Sept. 11, the five-member panel voted unanimously to appoint Christina Therrien interim town manager to temporarily fill the void left by the sudden passing of Bill Kitchen on Sept. 9.

By Will Tuell

By Paul Sylvain

Machias residents will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Machias Memorial High School gym to act on a 55-article annual town meeting warrant, fueled by a sharp spike in discretionary or non-essential spending. 

Earlier this year Machias joined a small but growing list of towns that have moved their annual town meeting dates from June and July to late in the first quarter of the new fiscal year. The reason is simple. 

By Will Tuell

Going into last season’s Class B State Championship game against Yarmouth, the Washington Academy Raiders had not lost a volleyball contest in some sixty matchups, cementing an already impressive program as one of the state’s all-time great squads despite their heartbreaking loss in the state championship. That defeat may serve as the catalyst for Coach Corey Schwinn and his girls in the weeks ahead, but as with years past, the team’s approach, Schwinn said in a recent pre-season interview, has not changed. 

By Porter Memorial Library 

This week we pause to reflect on and remember the incredible life of library friend Bill Kitchen. 

“Bill was always a believer in the important services Porter Memorial Library offers our community. But he also believed strongly in the library's contribution to the overall well-being and economic vitality of Machias; we are forever grateful for his faith in us and for his support.” -- Sarah Dedmon, President, Board of Trustees, Porter Memorial Library. 

Weekly rehearsals for the fall season of Quoddy Voices, a community chorus led by Gene Nichols with accompanist Jane Lanctot, will begin Wednesday, Sept. 25, 6-8 p.m., at Eastport Arts Center. Performances are scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8. The group welcomes new singers, with no audition required. 

By Paul Sylvain

“The show must go on,” is a well-known saying in the entertainment business. Nobody would probably know that better than late Machias Town Manager Bill Kitchen, who worked professionally in the music and entertainment industry for many years.

While the daily workings of town government may not equate to being part of the entertainment industry — even though it can be entertaining at times (though usually for the wrong reasons) — a ship doesn’t stop just because its captain dies.

By Paul Sylvain

Residents in Machias and neighboring communities awoke Tuesday morning to the tragic news of the sudden passing of the Shiretown’s energetic and much loved Town Manager Bill Kitchen. 

Kitchen, who passed away sometime Monday, Sept. 9,  will be remembered for his tireless devotion and efforts to help promote and grow the town that he so clearly loved. He was Machias’ biggest cheerleader and will be sorely missed.

By Will Tuell

By day, Elm Street School in East Machias educates some 200 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students, but this weekend one of the area’s largest elementary schools will be transformed by an eager group of “fiber fanatics” into a yarn connoisseur’s paradise as the annual Machias Fiber Festival gets underway Saturday, Sept. 14.