Race/walk planned
The Ashland Summerfest Committee will be sponsoring a community fitness race/walk Saturday, July 5 at 8 a.m. with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. It will start at the bandstand and cover 3 miles around town.
We are hoping everyone who likes to run or walk will join us in this celebration of fitness. For the race, there will be ribbons for male and female racers in three different categories. Kids take note: there will be prizes for you at each mile marker to encourage you to keep it up and finish the 3 miles. Afterwards, there will be watermelon for all participants, young, old, and in between. Cost is just $3, so please join us in this community event.
Perfect Attendance
ACS held a small assembly on the last day of school to pass out ribbons for field day, as well as congratulate those students who never missed a day during the 2007-2008 academic year. Students with perfect attendance in grades pre-K through second grade were: Olivia Tardie – grade 1; Mackenzie Hall – grade 1; Sam Craig – Pre-K; Briana Harris – grade 2; Megan Cote – grade 2; MacKenzie Carter – grade 2; and Morgan Stevens – Pre-K. For grades 3 through 5, the students receiving perfect attendance were: Brandon Condon – grade 5; Carley Fredericks – grade 3; Alex Gillis – grade 4; Brittany Harris – grade 5; Cassidy Pelletier – grade – 3; Alex Lewin – grade 4; and Sophie Theriault – grade 5.
95th Birthday Party
Vera Steinbeck celebrated her 95th birthday in style at the Ashland Motor Lodge May 18. She received lots of wonderful gifts, flowers and cards from the many friends and relatives in attendance that day. Vera would like to express her gratitude to everyone, and she hopes that she did not forget anyone when she sent out her thank you notes. If so, please accept this as a note of thanks for anything that you did.
Annual ACS Art Show
For the past 14 years, Susan Beaulier, Art and G-T director for SAD 32 has been displaying her students’ work throughout the halls of Ashland Central School for all to enjoy. Even though the annual art show is a culmination of what has been created by all of her grade school students, the artwork only represents a small part of the learning that took place during the school year.
Experiences in the arts offer opportunities for children to develop their motor skills, practice both creative and critical thinking, become problem solvers in both independent and cooperative situations, and to develop an appreciation for the beauty of the world in which they live. Mrs. Beaulier’s students were taught about the elements of art and the principles of design while working with various forms of media. During their classes, students also learned about the lives and works of master artists.
Some of the displays throughout the hallways of Ashland Central School included: It’s Not Easy Being Green – an exercise in color mixing by third grade students; Going Buggy – first grade; Matisse’s Goldfish – second grade; All Stuffed Up – second grade; The Weather Outside is Frightful – a child’s view of what he/she would see while looking outside on a wintry day – second grade; Penguins – kindergarten; Leaves – actual leaves as subject matter with the advancement of warm colors and receding of cool colors, with salt used on wet paint to create texture – fourth grade; and Oodles of Noodles – patterns and colors within line shapes – third grade. Also, for the first time in the history of the ACS Art Show, some of Mrs. Beaulier’s high school students displayed their artwork. One display entitled, “Diving into Watercolors” was the culmination of a series of watercolor lessons. Requirements for this final assignment were for students to include five ocean creatures from at least three species in their art piece, it had to give a sense of depth, and include three watercolor techniques such as: wet on wet, dry brush and splattering salt.
Mrs. Beaulier knows that her students were challenged in her classroom this year and she hopes that the enthusiasm and imagination that they showed as a result of their art experiences will spill over into other aspects of their lives.
Mother/Son Birthday Bash
Mother and son, Wilza and Allen Robertson of Portage Lake, recently enjoyed a birthday barbeque at Allen’s home.
The event was hosted by Penny Richardson, and the menu included a barbecue fare of steak, sausages, hot dogs and chicken along with a buffet including several salads, a delicious fruit plate, lemonade and chips. The guests also enjoyed a birthday cake.
The honorees enjoyed sharing the event with friends and family while opening many cards and gifts. Also enjoying the event were the Robertson dogs, Daisy and Isabella, and a doggie bag was taken home to another Robertson dog, Gooby, who was unable to attend.
Those attending included Alyce and Linwood Kinney of Washburn, Penny Richardson of Portage Lake, Allen Robertson of Portage Lake and sons, Ian, of Portage Lake and Sean of Presque Isle; Dan and Tamra Robertson of Woodland, Wilza Robertson of Portage Lake, Danna Johnson of Mapleton, Christie Cochran of Washburn, Emily Robertson and Mark Condon, both of Mapleton.
Lunch Program to Kick-off
The Ashland School Nutrition Program will offer FREE lunches Monday through Thursday to all children under the age of 18 beginning Monday, June 23 and ending Thursday, July 31. Meals will be offered at the Ashland Middle/High School cafeteria this year, and will run from 11-11:30 a.m. (No forms need to be filled out for this program). Adults are welcome to eat, as well, and can purchase lunch at a cost of $2.75. Due to federal regulations, all meals must be eaten on school grounds. Any questions or concerns about this program should be directed to: Nan Belskis, food service supervisor, Ashland School Nutrition Program, P.O. Box 289, Ashland, Maine 04732, or call 435-8423.
Tag & Bake Sale Rescheduled
Originally scheduled for June 13-14, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will now be holding its annual tag and bake sale Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both days and will be at the VFW Hall on the Portage Road. For more information, you can call 435-7137 and speak to Julie.
Ongoing Events
The Ashland Area Senior Citizens group meets every Thursday at noon at the Ashland Rec. Center. Any senior citizens wishing to participate in the potluck lunches and meetings are always welcome.
The Portage Lake Seniors’ Lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11 a.m. at the Town Hall. All seniors are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share or give a cash donation. For more information, contact Wilza Robertson at 435-6211 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet the second Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time, too! FMI, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
If you can help plan for Portage Lake’s Centennial Celebration, contact Barb Pitcairn at 435-2368 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
Ladies, are you interested in crafts or have some that you’ve started and just can’t seem to finish? If so, take yourself over to the Portage Lake Municipal Building for Girlz Night every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy the company and the satisfaction of finally completing a project!
(Julie Graham-Berry is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and surrounding townships. She can be reached at 435-7137).
Photo courtesy of Julie Graham-Berry
VERA STEINBECK of Ashland celebrated her 95th birthday recently with many of her relatives and close friends. Pictured are some members of Vera’s extended family, front row, from left: Jason Levesque, Adam Michalka, Vera (Birthday Girl) Steinbeck, Ian Rafford and Arnold MacDonald (Vera’s son). Middle row: Lee Parker, Kay Parker, Keith MacDonald (Vera’s son), Beatrice Morin (Vera’s daughter), Judie MacDonald, Pam MacDonald, Gail Libby, Dan Libby and Nancy Rafford. Back row: Kathy Levesque, Dan Levesque, Mark Rafford and Dave Back.
Photo courtesy of Julie Graham-Berry
SUSAN BEAULIER, Art and G-T director for Ashland Community Schools, hangs student artwork in preparation for the 14th annual art show that was held May 22 at the grade school.
