BHA
Now that the snow is gone and the temperature’s rising, the Bridgewater Historical Association is kicking into gear with their live music on Thursday evenings from 6 – 9 p.m. The music night is a fun time. The atmosphere is laid back and the musicians joke around a bit. They play old time rock and roll, country, standards, originals, etc. So put your dancing shoes on and come on down to the BHA Hall (formerly the Odd Fellows Hall), across from the post office.
On Saturday, May 24, the BHA will hold a Cookie Walk and Bake Sale. With the Cookie Walk – you get a container at the door, fill it with your choice of cookies and then pay for the contents. You can also purchase the container. There will also be other baked goods for sale. You will also be able to buy a piece of something sweet to enjoy with tea or coffee as you sit and chat for a bit.
The BHA will end the month of May with a Potluck Dance on Saturday, May 31. Bring a dish to share and then get ready to kick up your heels on the dance floor. Supper begins at 5 p.m. and the music will start at 6 p.m.
All proceeds from the music events will go toward a new P.A. system for the hall. The proceeds from the Cookie Walk will go toward the Building Fund. The BHA would like to extend their sincerest thanks to all who support their efforts. It is very much appreciated. To contact the BHA, their mailing address is P. O. Box 341, Bridgewater, ME 04735. The president is Denis Gagne (429-8290), secretary is Jann Votaw (425-7901) and historian is Toby Hall (429-8207).
United Methodist Women
The May meeting of the United Methodist Women was held in the church vestry at noon on May 12, with 12 members and one guest attending. Each one brought their own sandwich, with drinks and dessert provided. Hostesses Donna Brewer and Janice Footer were assisted by Elaine Bailey, who made the delicious dessert.
President Janice opened the meeting by having all repeat the Purpose Pledge and Prayer. For devotions, several responded with a favorite scripture verse.
The secretary’s and treasurer’s reports were read and accepted as read. Several thank-you notes were received.
President Janice gave a very special report on her trip to Bangor to the UMW Northern Maine District Spring Retreat on May 2 and 3. She was accompanied by Cindy Anderson. Janice reported that it was very worthwhile, informative and enjoyable. She and Cindy, in their spare time, got acquainted with others in the different UMW units.
The Trash and Treasure Sale will be held in the church vestry on Saturday, June 14, beginning at 8 a.m.
At the program, Donna Brewer introduced Mona Lynch from Fort Fairfield, who spoke on emergency and preparedness planning as well as Medicare fraud. She passed out several helpful brochures and gave examples of being unprepared in times of emergencies. She was presented with a gift.
Following the benediction, the meeting was adjourned. Attending the meeting were: Mona Lynch – guest speaker, Janice Footer, Diane Ketchum, Frances Banks, Ruth Sylvester, Joan Boone, Joan Walsh, Winnie Anderson, Cindy Anderson, Elaine Bailey, Donna Brewer, Goldie Folsom and Clara Hussey.
Rotary Club
The Mars Hill Rotary Club met at the Aroostook Health Center on Tuesday, May 13, at 6:30 a.m. Andrew York was a special guest. He thanked the club for helping to sponsor his summer mission plans with Athletes in Action. He will begin training on June 1 and will participate in a 44-game baseball schedule. He will be pitching. Andrew has been attending Liberty College but will transfer to Cedarville Christian College in Ohio this fall, where his brother Cameron will also be starting as a freshman.
The special speaker was Tonya Alexander. She spoke about her work as a physical therapist. She graduated from St. Joe’s College in 2003 with a degree in exercise science. She worked for three years in Florida at IMG Academies, a 300-acre state-of-the-art, multi-sport training and educational facility. Begun in 1978 by Nick Bollettieri and others, the facility started as a tennis boarding school that combined athletic training and academic education in one integrated curriculum. It has now expanded to include many other sports, including golf, soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, swimming, fishing and mountain sports.
There are two private K-12 academic schools on campus with students from over 46 states and 80 countries. IMGA also delivers world-class sports training to over 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult and professional athletes each year, as they train during their off season.
Tonya worked in the sports medicine department, doing both rehab and “pre-hab” – or helping an athlete develop habits designed to prevent injuries. Tonya moved back to Maine in November 2007 and currently works at County Physical Therapy in Houlton.
ACI/CAHS Reunion
Plans for the ACI/CAHS Reunion for 2008 are under way. Make plan now to be around on July 24 – 26 for all the activities!
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 cover 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 summer reading! Monetary donations will also be accepted.
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, contact Chris Finemore at 425-6606 or Melody Goff at 420-4002. Come relax and enjoy yourself as you socialize with other crafters.
Boston Post Cane
The Bridgewater Historical Association is seeking nominees for its Boston Post Cane presentation. Over the years Bridgewater’s cane disappeared. Not long ago it turned up and someone was thoughtful enough to
return it. The town is very thankful for its safe return. Now that its back, the Association would like to reinstate the tradition as part of the town’s sesquicentennial this summer. In order to preserve the cane, the BHA will do what many other towns have done and present a plaque in lieu of the cane to the honoree. The cane will be kept on display at the BHA Hall. It has always been considered an honor to be chosen to receive the cane. If you would like to nominate someone, you can obtain a nomination form at the Bridgewater Town Office or by contacting the BHA. Please keep in mind that the nominee must be willing to accept the honor. The BHA still has hard-covered copies of Annie Rideout’s book, “The History of Bridgewater” for sale. Included in the book is the information that was on the jacket of the original book. They would make an excellent gift to a loved one. The cost is $35 ($29 plus $6 shipping). To save on shipping, the book can be picked up from any BHA member. Proceeds from the BHA copies of the book will go toward the BHA’s planned sesquicentennial events.
Sesquicentennial events
The Bridgewater Sesquicentennial Committee is comprised of members of the general public, the BCA Reunion Committee, Bridgewater Historical Association, Bridgewater Fire Department and Bridgewater Recreation Department. The Committee is in the final planning stages for the July 24-26 celebration of Bridgewater’s sesquicentennial, and anyone who is interested is invited to attend the meeting. For more information, please contact Mike Crawford at 764-0202 or by e-mail at dcrawford@maine.rr.com. To enhance the festivities, the Committee encourages everyone to dress in 1850s’ period costumes during the celebration. This is the chance to sew creative outfits for the whole family to wear, and with costume patterns available from the major pattern manufacturers and the new spring fabrics in the stores, now is the time to begin. The Committee will also hold a beard-growing contest during the celebration for the men. Those who don’t normally sport a beard may want to throw away their razors until the celebration is over. A display of quilts and quilted items is also being planned. This event, “Quilts Old and New,” will be held on Saturday, July 26, at the Bridgewater Free Baptist Church from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Everyone is 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 and 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 last 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.
