Rotary Club
The Mars Hill Rotary Club met at the Aroostook Health Center on Tuesday, April 1, at 6:30 a.m. The guest speaker was Nick McCrum of County Super Spuds. He spoke about some new equipment that they are using. An optical sorter uses two cameras to detect any green or black potatoes. The camera has set parameters and will release one of 60 1-inch paddles that push the bad potato off the belt if there is more than 15 percent color present. This allows for a consistent grade of potato on each load. The technology was created in Europe for use on tomatoes but is also working very well on potatoes.
They are also using global positioning on several of their tractors. This technology, along with the correction towers that are near each field, allow for the rows to be planted with sub-inch precision. This eliminates a ‘guess row,’ requires only one cultivation pass each spring and has reduced the sunburn rate from 5 percent to between 2 and 3 percent.
Celiac Disease support group
There will be a Celiac Disease support group meeting Monday, April 14. Stop in anytime between 6 and 8 p.m. at The Aroostook Medical Center in Conference Room 4 (use the entrance in the rear of the building).
Anyone who is affected with or has a family member affected with this disease is welcome to come and share their story or to just sit and listen. Health care professionals will be available to answer questions related to this disease and informational brochures will also be available.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Kassandra Dominique, RN, at 540-2177.
Please, if you can, bring a gluten-free recipe to share.
School registration
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registrations will be held in SAD 42, Mars Hill and Blaine, on Thursday, April 10.
Pre-kindergarten students must be four years of age on or before Oct. 15. Students who will be five years of age on or before Oct. 15, are eligible for kindergarten. Please contact Fort Street School (429-8514 or 429-8515) to schedule an appointment to register your child.
The state of Maine requires: (1) proof of immunizations, (2) birth certificate (Hospital copies are not acceptable. A copy must be obtained from the municipal office of the town or city where you were living when the child was born.) SAD 42 requires these documents at the time of registration.
If you are not a legal parent, a copy of guardianship papers (probate court) must be completed before registration.
Those students currently enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program do not need to be registered for the kindergarten program.
If you have any questions, please call the school for further details.
Youth Appreciation Day
The East Ridge Union Church will hold a Youth Appreciation Day on Sunday, April 13, during the 10 a.m. morning worship service. This is for all the youth from infant to college age. Leading the worship and music with family and friends will be Andy Shaw.
Everyone is welcome to enjoy a spaghetti dinner immediately following the service in the church hall.
Winter Mania
The Mars Hill Rotary Club is holding five Winter Mania raffles for a Dead River Card worth $100 each for gas, oil or food. For $5, you will have five chances to win one of these cards. The drawing will be held on April 15, so be sure to get your ticket now. Contact any Mars Hill Rotarian to purchase your ticket.
ACI/CAHS Reunion
Plans for the ACI/CAHS Reunion for 2008 are under way. A meeting was held to finalize the events planned, which include dinners, a parade, motorcycle rodeo, a variety show, gospel concert and dance. Make plans now to be around on July 24 – 26 for all the activities!
Revised and updated addresses need to be given to Kathy Miller at the Superintendent’s Office by April 15. There will be a meeting on May 8 at 6:30 at the high school to pick up the next informational letter to go out. They should be mailed or delivered by May 15.
Robinson School Reunion
As part of the Homecoming 2008 CAHS/ACI Reunion on July 24 – 26, plans are being made to hold a Robinson School Reunion on Sunday, July 27, at 1 p.m. at Bill Gardner’s in Robinson for a potluck picnic. Anyone who attended the Robinson School is invited to attend. Information is being sought as to when the school, which closed in 1965, was started. Anyone who has pictures or other memorabilia of their Robinson school days, is asked to bring a copy for display. Please call Mavis (Grass) Burtchell at 429-9837 if you have any questions or information.
Reading Hour
The Walter T.A. Hansen Memorial Library is pleased to continue with Co Co’s Reading Hour for children ages third grade and up on Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. This program will run every Thursday at the library.
Library
The Walter T.A. Hansen Memorial Library is continuing with an ongoing Book Sale. Cost for the books is .50 for hard covers and .25 for paperbacks. There are also bags available to fill for $5.
Old and new copyrights for adult and children are available. Fiction, nonfiction, westerns, science fiction, and romance are among those currently on hand. There are also children’s books for sale, so plan to stop and check things out. Stock up now for your winter reading! Monetary donations will also be accepted.
Bridgewater family Sundays
During April, the Bridgewater Recreation Department will be offering Sunday afternoon activities for families. Please plan to bring your family each Sunday for a few hours of fun. These will be family days, so no drop-offs will be allowed!
The dates for these fun days will be April 13, 20 and 27 at the Bridgewater Grammar School from 2 – 4 p.m. A variety of activities will be offered from snowshoeing, sliding, open gym, board games and more.
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Finemore at 425-6606. Hope to see your family there!
The Recreation Department is looking for some more board games. If you have any that your family does not use and you would like to donate them to the Bridgewater Recreation Department, they would greatly appreciate the donation. Donations can be dropped off at either the Bridgewater Grammar School or at the Bridgewater Town Office. Contact Chris Finemore if you have any questions.
Bridgewater creative crafting
On the first and third Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Community Center in Bridgewater, crafters are encouraged to join together to work on various projects. Bring your own supplies and projects as you share your knowledge of various crafts. Work together or individually with quilting, knitting, sewing, embroidery, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc. Everyone is welcome!
For more information, please contact Chris Finemore at 425-6606 or Melody Goff at 420-4002. Come relax and enjoy yourself as you socialize with other crafters.
BHA Book Sale
Would you like to buy a copy of “The History of Bridgewater”? To raise money for their sesquicentennial events, the Bridgewater Historical Association has copies of the book, “The History of Bridgewater,” by Annie Rideout, for sale. The book is a hardcover and sells for $35 each ($29 plus $6 S/H). To avoid the shipping costs, books can be picked up at a BHA meeting.
During the winter, the BHA meets the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center on Main Street in Bridgewater. Only prepaid orders will be accepted. For more information, contact Denis Gagne at 429-8290 or Jann Votaw at 425-7901. Orders with a check for $35 can also be sent to: Bridgewater Historical Association, P. O. Box 341, Bridgewater, ME 04735. Information on the BHA can also be found at www.bridgewatermaine.org.
Sesquicentennial events
A display of quilts and quilted items is being planned as part of Bridgewater’s July 24 – 26, 2008 Sesquicentennial Celebration.
This event, “Quilts Old and New,” will be held on Saturday, July 26, at the Bridgewater Free Baptist Church from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Everyone in the area is invited to provide new or vintage quilts, wall hangings, quilted apparel and quilted bags for the show. The Quilt Show Committee wants to create a display that is rich in history and, to that end, requests that all items submitted for display, especially vintage quilts that have been passed down in a family, include as much as is known of the item’s history.
The Quilt Show Committee invites your participation in the planning. The next meeting is scheduled for April 12 at 11 a.m. at the Bridgewater Free Baptist Church. Additionally, the Committee hopes that the event will result in a group of people who are interested in meeting on a monthly basis to encourage and support both new and experienced quilters. For more information or to get involved, please call Rita Hersey at 425-4492.
“The History of Bridgewater”
The Bridgewater Sesquicentennial Committee has received copies of “The History of Bridgewater, Maine,” written and originally published by Annie E., Rideout in 1953.
The Henrietta Bradstreet family and Helen Rideout, heirs to the copyright of the book, graciously granted written permission to the Sesquicentennial Committee to have the book reprinted as part of the town’s celebration activities planned for July 21 – 26. The Committee received the permission just before Henrietta’s death this fall, and an acknowledgement to the heirs of Annie Rideout has been included in the reprint of the book.
Net proceeds from the sale of this copy of “The History of Bridgewater, Maine” will be donated to a charity designated by the Rideout heirs in memory of Megan Bradstreet, Henrietta’s great-granddaughter, who died in a tragic accident in 2005.
The cost of the book is $25 plus $1.25 sales tax plus $5.25 S/H for a total of $31.50. Anyone wishing to purchase a copy can e-mail Diane Clough at e&dclough@ainop.com, Rita Kingsbury at rmkme@ainop.com, or call Rita Kingsbury at 429-9359.
Tomi Henderson is the correspondent for Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater and Westfield. She can be reached at 429-9126 or e-mail tomihen@yahoo.com.
