Boy Scout news
Members of Boy Scout Troop 177 were in Presque Isle Dec. 1 selling Christmas trees as part of their annual fund-raising program. Trees this year are from Triple L Tree Farms in Easton. The troop will be selling trees until Christmas and will be delivering each Saturday to the immediate Washburn Area. You may also stop by Ron Rand’s home on the Washburn Road to pick your own tree and set a delivery date or take it with you. The cost of trees are $20, $22 and $24 for 5, 6 and 7 footers.
A special thank-you to the troop’s chartered organization representative from the Rotary Club, Keith Brown. Keith has delivered trees for the annual program for many years and is an important part of the tree sales each year.
Birthdays/anniversaries
A belated birthday wish goes out to Dale Knowles. Those celebrating birthdays this week include: Kelly White, Chad Tuttle, Wyatt Carson, Robert Kennedy, Christopher King, Seth Robertson, Wendy Myshrall, Rena Pinette, Eric Brown, David Easler, Lloyd Baker, Don Doughman, Jill Maynard, Crystal Hobbs, Megan Farley, Sharon McPherson, Mary Baker, Jerry Tompkins, Kris Tarbox, Tyler Turner, Mike Brooker, Jill Maynard, Lindsey McKeen, Carl Pinette and Mary Laughland.
Anniversary wishes go out to: Wallace and Linda Tupper.
Perham notes
The Perham Grant Writing Board has been combined with the Perham Planning Board and will be holding their meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Perham Town Office. Due to the holiday, the next scheduled meeting will be on Jan. 8.
The Perham Selectmen will be meeting the first and third Mondays of each month. The next scheduled meeting of the Perham Selectmen will be held on Monday, Dec. 17, at the Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. Anyone wishing further information on Perham meetings or events is asked to contact Town Administrator Michelle McLaughlin at the Town Office on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number is 455-5887 and the office is closed Fridays and holidays.
Also available at the Perham Town Office are a few copies of Perham’s recently approved Comprehensive Plan. The vote concerning this plan will be held during the March annual meeting.
Surveys concerning Perham residents have been mailed out. For those wishing further information or more surveys, contact Committee Chairperson Jan Grieco at 455-4907 or Committee member Deb Viola at 498-3433.
The information provided by these surveys are important as is the citizen input, so please fill one out and return your completed survey as soon as possible.
Events/reminders
TOPS will be meeting each Monday at the Washburn Trailrunners clubhouse, starting with weigh-in at 4:15 p.m. and the meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For further information, contacts Birdena Cochran at 455-8353.
Bingo games are held at the Washburn Trailrunners Snowmobile clubhouse each Tuesday starting at 7 p.m.
The members of the Women, Work and Community group will meet at the library on Wednesday, Dec. 12, from 9 to 11 a.m.
There will be a meeting of the Washburn Memorial Library Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m.
On Monday, Dec. 17, there will be a Story Time activity at the library. The theme is Monkey See, Monkey Do and the fun begins at 5:30 p.m.
Members of the Dow Post 48 of the American Legion will begin their new season of meetings on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the Washburn Civic Center. Meetings that include a potluck supper will begin at 6:30 p.m. and regular meetings will start at 7 p.m. For further information on the Legion, contact any member or Kermit Fuller.
There are only a few of the cookbooks put out by the Crouseville Advent Christian Church left, just in time for Christmas gift giving, why not support the hard work of the church ladies. They are aiming for a ‘sell-out’ and will not be ordering any more of these special cookbooks. The recipes include some time-honored and treasured family recipes from local cooks. To get your copy, please phone Sherry Thibodeau at 764-0397 or Carolyn O’Donnell at 455-8437.
Also just in time for holiday gift giving is the Washburn Rotary 2008 Faces and Places calendars. The cost is $10 and the calendar consists of a cover photo and 12 photo collages depicting Washburn, Wade and Perham at their best. The cover photo is of several of our more ‘down-to-earth’ Rotarians, and January’s photo includes lots of children involved in the various Washburn Memorial Library programs.
The calendars are available from any Rotarian; ask for them at White’s Exxon, Katahdin bank or phone 455-8034. This is an important fund-raiser for this civic-minded group, and they are asking for your support.
Christmas events
The town of Washburn is beginning to take donations and toys for the Christmas for Tots program. There are lots of ways to contribute, such as a food box for a family costs $25 and families or individuals can donate everything from socks, underwear, mittens, boots and toys. Anne Carter at the Town Office has a list of items needed and would be glad to talk with you about it. You can reach her at 455-8485. If you know of a family or someone who needs help during this season, please call Anne, as sometimes these are the people who hesitate to ask for themselves.
All donations must be in by Wednesday, Dec. 19, in order to get the boxes ready for delivery. Please also note that all the donations of money, food or gifts go directly to the needy in Washburn. If toys or clothes are left after all needs have been met, the town shares them with Perham and Wade. Last year over 40 children were taken care of. With the price of gas and fuel, likely the total will be more this year. Any assistance you can give will be appreciated.
There are Christmas ‘angels’ ready to give to the children of Perham. For those wishing to donate gift items, stop in at the Town Office or the post office to pick up your angel. Also feel free to phone Michelle to add your name (or someone you know) to the list for giving of some special toys from the United Way.
The town of Washburn will once again be having a Christmas light decorating contest. The judges will be going out on Friday, Dec. 21, and checking all around Washburn, but if you want to be sure your home is judged, please phone the Town Office at 455-8485 to be added to the list. The contest will not cover homes in Perham or Wade. The judging will cover six categories including: Best Winter Wonderland Theme, Best Use of Lights and Color, Best Patriotic Theme, Best Youth Category, Most Decorative and Most Original. There will be one prize given for the winner of each category.
Rec Center schedule
There will be a holiday gift-making event held at the Washburn Rec Center on Wednesday, Dec. 12, from 2:45-4:30 p.m. On Thursday, Dec. 13, there will be basketball at the elementary school from 6 to 7 p.m. for grades 3-4. There will be a fun Build a Bear Workshop for grades K-4 held at the Rec Center on Monday, Dec. 17, from 2:45-4 p.m. There will also be men’s basketball at the high school gym from 6:30-9 p.m.
On Tuesday, Dec. 18, there will be basketball for grades K-2 at the elementary school from 6-6:45 p.m. The basketball program for grades K-4 will end the week before Christmas vacation.
The grades 5-6 girls’ and boys’ basketball program will start during the Christmas vacation.
For further information on any Rec Center programs, contact Director Marcie Barbarula at 455-4959.
Library ‘bookmarks’
The Women, Work and Community group met recently, with the group sharing the various things going on in each participant’s life. The group discussed having workshops in the near future, and some of the topics mentioned were self-esteem and stress management. For those wanting to know more about this group, feel free to phone the library at 455-4814 or Suzanne at the office of Women, Work and Community at 764-0050. The next scheduled meeting of the group will be on Wednesday, Dec. 12.
The Middle School Book Group met at the library in November and held a discussion on the novel, “My Friend Flicka.” As usual, the discussions were lively, and the students enjoyed pizza and punch. Participants included Izia LoBue, Darbie Koch, Mykayla Espling, Kolby Koch and Brook LoBue.
A special guest will be joining the Story Time on Monday, Dec. 17. The theme is Monkey See, Monkey Do and the fun begins at 5:30 p.m. Local author William Tasker will be reading two of his new books and will also have some for purchase after the event. These great books make excellent Christmas gifts and are enjoyed by both students and adults.
The Washburn Memorial Library is now ‘home’ to Boo, the Library Cat. On Halloween, a patron opened the door and in ran Boo. He laid down and started to purr as if to say ‘Ok, I’m home.’ Patrons are contributing to a fund for a trip to the vet for Boo, and the library thanks everyone who has brought in gifts for the Library Cat.
The November Story Time was all about baseball and football. Bobby Joe Drake read the book “Hello, Wally!” and Maria Flood read “Wally the Green Monster and his Journey Through Red Sox Nation.” Ardis Humphrey read “Let’s Go Patriots!” and door prizes were given out and refreshments were served. Those winning prizes included: Rebecca Savoy, Scott Flood, Skylar Mette, Mykayla Espling, Jenica Harris, Adriana Arribas, Tal McCoy, Laina Mette, Valerie Flood and Dawson McCoy.
Christie Cochran is the correspondent for Washburn, Wade and Perham. She can be reached at 455-8034 or gramchristie@yahoo.com.
