Portage Lake to hold first ever Whoopie Pie Festival
ASHLAND NEWS
by Susan Feeney Hopkins
The town of Portage Lake will be holding its first annual Whoopie Pie Festival Saturday, Aug. 27.
The event will take place on Main Street (Route 11) next to Coffin’s Store from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be samples to try and pies available for purchase throughout the day.
Vendors are invited to “buy” a table to sell their items (crafts, etc.) and/or whoopie pies for $10 per table. Each vendor will be asked to provide whoopie pie samples to stay with the theme of the day.
Admission is free though there will be a small “sample” fee for those who wish to sample all the goodies before purchasing them. To keep things exciting, awards will be given for the Best Traditional and Most Original pies.
Another fun feature for the day will be “Meet the Machine.” Two local equipment operators will be bringing their big machines (backhoes, excavators, etc.) in to town for the children (and adults) to experience these machines close up. The kids will be allowed to sit on them, take photos and ask questions. What a great opportunity for the young ones to get to see these big machines!
The whoopie pie is on track to become the state of Maine’s official dessert thanks in part to the efforts of some of our local students who wrote a bill in their “Youth in Government” project at school several years ago.
Come on out to support the town’s tourism while spending some time doing something fun, locally! For more information call 435-6373.
LIFE’S A BEACH
Photo courtesy of Sheila Whitish
Dr. David Scullion of Portage Lake was the lucky winner in the Ashland Boy Scout Troop’s annual Beach Ball Race held during the Ashland Summerfest. Here, Scullion is presented with his prize winnings by Scouts Otis Nelson, front, and Malcolm Milligan.
ASHLAND BOY SCOUT TROOP 179
Photo courtesy of Polly Libby
ASHLAND BOY SCOUT TROOP 179 proudly walked in the Ashland Fourth of July Parade representing their troop and the Boy Scouts of America. The participating Scouts were, from left, front row:
Daniel Kane, Dylan Haley, Reese Deabay and Lucas Deabay. Middle row: Andrew Libby, Polly Libby, assistant Scoutmaster; Otis Nelson, Peng Cheng, Wyatt Carr, Linda Milligan, Scoutmaster; and Henry Milligan, who rode his unicycle. Back row: Zach Carr, Airin Harmon, Steven Bellanceau, Daniel Rafford, Mason Deabay, Mickenzy Ronco and Garrett Graham.
Chili and hot dog roast fundraiser
The Portage Lake ATV Club will be sponsoring a chili and hot dog fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 3 from 3-6 p.m. at the Pavilion to support the Portage Lake Housing Committee (PLHC). All proceeds will go to the PLHC to assist them in meeting their goal for the housing land purchase. ATV Club members will be on hand to give rides to those who don’t have their own 4-wheelers. Sounds like a fun and delicious way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Ride out to Portage Lake for a good meal and a great cause!
Ongoing events
The Portage Lake ATV Club will meet every first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Office. All are welcome to attend. Contact Rena Belanger for membership or more information at 435-2780.
The Ashland Area Senior Citizens meet every Thursday at noon for a potluck luncheon at the LeBlanc Junkins VFW Post 9699 on the Portage Road. This active and growing club of senior citizens also takes trips to various restaurants throughout The County, hosts cookouts, enjoys guest speakers and entertainment such as musicians. For more information, contact Roberta Savary at 435-6422.
The Portage Lake Over 50’s Club lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Hall. All individuals 50 and over are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share. 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! For more information, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
Susan Feeney-Hopkins is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and the surrounding areas. She can be reached at 435-8232 or Feenhop@aol.com.
