Mapleton teen follows Baby Beef tradition

6 years ago

Another successful 4-H Baby Beef season concluded at the Northern Maine Fair. This year Mapleton 4-H member Amanda Winslow carried forward with the family tradition of membership in the Aroostook Valley 4-H Baby Beef Club.  She raised a Red Angus Steer named “Reese” that weighed in at 1392 lbs. and placed as the 5th Heavyweight Steer.

This is Amanda’s second year in the Baby Beef Club, but she is an experienced 4-H animal exhibitor having participated for several years in the sheep and goat competition.  Now she follows her older sister, Stephanie, who participated in the Baby Beef program for four years.

Her past experience as an exhibitor helped her this year as she was awarded the 4-H Baby Beef Showmanship Award.  Her smile was infectious as she controlled Reese and connected with the audience.

She is the daughter of Willie and Nancy Winslow.  Her father said, “Amanda was going the vintage at the fair this year.”  

Getting ready for the fair, Amanda used her father’s bright green painted tack box with his name painted in bright yellow, and also found her father’s 4-H belt buckle and had it fitted with a new belt to wear for the show and auction.  

However, the surprise of the year was her discovery of an old show harness that belonged to her grandfather, Carl Winslow, who used it 60 or more years ago.  The harness had dull brass fittings and the leather had hardened. Amanda worked to rejuvenate the piece, and proudly carried on the family 4-H Baby Beef tradition by using her grandfather’s show harness.  

She now looks forward to the coming year’s program.

Meet the pilots

On Saturday morning, August 25, the Chapman Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club will host a pancake breakfast at their clubhouse, 94 Town Hall Road, Chapman, where the public can meet the pilots taking part in this year’s Crown of Maine Balloon Festival.  

This is a chance for everyone to ask questions about the pilots’ flying experiences and how their hot air balloons work.  Breakfast will be served from 7 to 10 a.m. and is open to the public. The menu includes: pancakes, beans, bacon/sausage, fruit, muffins, juice, coffee.  

Shown here is Amanda Winslow with her 4-H Baby Beef named Reese who weighed in at 1391 lbs. and was the 5th heavyweight. Amanda received the Showmanship Award for the 4-H Baby Beef Judging. (Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)

The cost is $8 per adult, $3 for ages 6-11 and free for those under 6.

School open house

Parents of children who will attend Mapleton Elementary School are invited to the school’s Open House on Wednesday, Aug. 29.  

Parents will be able to visit their child’s classroom as well as tour the school before the 2018-2019 school year begins.  Parents are encouraged to bring their children to the open house to see their classrooms and meet their teachers.

There will be two cookie and juice gatherings for pre-K and kindergarten students and their parents.  The morning session gathering will be from 5 to 6 p.m. and the afternoon session gathering will be from 6 to 7 p.m.

The open house for grades 1-5 is scheduled for the same day, also from 6-7. All parents and students in these grades are invited.

Museum dinner

The Haystack Historical Society will host its annual baked ham dinner on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Haystack Historical Museum in Mapleton from 4 to 7 p.m.  The cost will be $10 for adults and $3 for children.

Town Office News

Voters can request an absentee ballot by completing and submitting their request form online at  http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl. The form can also be printed out and mailed or hand-delivered to the town office clerk.

West Chapman Road Work

Due to the replacement of the box culvert on the West Chapman Road in Chapman, a 14 day detour went into effect Aug. 8. Traffic will follow the detour signs around the project using the Grendell Road, with local traffic only on the West Chapman Road.   

Terry Sandusky is the correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.