This week’s edition!
Archive for August 2012
Musician’s Hub celebrates grand opening
Musician’s Hub, an independent musical instrument store located at 120 Center Street in Auburn, celebrated their much-anticipated grand opening in front of city officials and the public this week.
Musician’s Hub offers new, used and vintage instruments, as well as tube and solid state amplifiers, PA systems, percussion instruments and accessories, guitar and vocal accessories, and lesson books. The showroom features a repair workshop for stringed instruments and two near-soundproof rooms for lessons and personalized acoustic guitar demos. A showcase at the front of the store spotlights local band merchandise.
“Aurore: My Franco-American Mother”
On Thursday, August 30, local author Marguerite Roy will be at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College for a reading and discussion of her memoir, “Aurore: My Franco-American Mother,” sponsored by USM’s Franco-American Collection.
Aurore was the youngest of nine children of French-Canadian parents who immigrated to Lewiston in the 1890s. The loss of her mother when she was just two years old affected her throughout her life; for her nine children and two stepsons, she strived to be the mother she always wished she’d had herself. At times unconventional, but always devoutly Catholic, she triumphed over circumstances that were economically difficult and sometimes personally lonely.
“This is a great addition to Maine’s Franco-American literature,” says USM Franco-American Collection Coordinator James Myall. “Aurore’s experiences echo those of many other local women in the early twentieth century, and readers, especially those from Lewiston-Auburn, will find this memoir both familiar and engaging.”
Great Falls Balloon Festival lifts off!
"Arky," which visited the very first Balloon Festival 20 years ago, has returned to float over the skies of L-A this weekend.
The Great Falls Balloon Festival celebrates 20 years of soaring over Lewiston-Auburn, starting tomorrow and running through Sunday. The spectacular balloon launches are scheduled for 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, Friday through Sunday, weather permitting.
Moon glows (hot air balloons tethered and lit up with propane) are scheduled for the evenings, following the 6 p.m. balloon launches, at Simard-Payne Memorial Park.
The balloon festival is well known for its line up of live entertainment. See the schedule of music, entertainment and activities for the festival on Page 12. For more complete information, see www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org
L/A Cash Mob strikes again
The L/A Cash Mob has struck again! This time the target was Dube’s Flower Shop, located at 195 Lisbon Street in Downtown Lewiston. Locally owned and operated since 1936, Dube’s happily weathered the August 9 visit from over 30 friendly cash-mobbers.
Designed to provide an economic boost to local businesses, cash mobs consist of shoppers patronizing a targeted business with cash in hand. Primarily organized through social media, the secret of the location isn’t released until just minutes before the event.
“I think the news is out,” said co-event organizer Travis Dow. “When you support local businesses, the money stays in the community. Money that stays in the community gets circulated, supports neighboring businesses and acts as a clear economic benefit to the area.”
Enough is Enough: Lewistonians, come out and enjoy your parks
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
Early morning. The rays of the sun break over the horizon. Quiet and tranquility dance through the air. Morning dew covers the grass. Chirping birds, squirrels and chipmunks forage for their breakfast. A soothing peace envelopes Kennedy Park.
Then, out of nowhere, the din of morning strikes. Public Work employees reinforced by workfare clients descend on Kennedy Park. Their mission: clean up the trash before the working people descend on the downtown.
The Herculean task created by an abundance of local layabouts, improperly discarding an excessive amount of waste, is methodically addressed. Monday through Friday, the task is successfully completed because of the dedication and pride of these workers.
Former mayor Larry Gilbert attempted to address this annoyance by placing trash cans in the park. While this failed to reduce the problem in Kennedy Park, it has proven very effective in other Lewiston Public Parks throughout the city. It further allows the city to pinpoint the problem areas and address them.
LETTER: No-tolerance, respectful behavior needed in schools
To the Editor:
For years, I have written about the failure of public education. I did so, always fearful that I was the only reader. Now, someone, in last week’s Twin City TIMES, has responded. I am, of course, truly delighted. (Letter to the Editor:“Teachers have to tolerate belligerent, rude students,” TCT, August 9, 2012)
I have been, I believe, in a precarious position. Convinced that our public schools were failing—and failing terribly—I still harbored a fragile hope that I was mistaken and that someone would rush forward to point to the irrefutable truth of their success.
For me, that would have caused mixed emotions; I would have been overjoyed, but also embarrassed because it would have revealed me as an ignorant fool who should have kept his mouth shut. Actually, I hear that a lot, although not always as clearly expressed. Sometimes, it’s just eye rolling.
Out & About with Rachel Morin: John Ford:“Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine”
Text and photos
by Rachel Morin
John Ford came to the Auburn Public Library at the end of July to tell the story of his 20 years as a game warden in Waldo County. A native Mainer, with the endearing accent to prove it, he had wanted to be a game warden from early childhood.
Most of his family was in law enforcement, and his mother worked for the Dept. of Inland Fish and Wildlife. He grew up loving the land, nature and animals. You could say he was born to be a game warden.
John, now retired, is a warm, friendly and an all-around good guy who the audience could not help but smile, laugh and just be “down home” with. He is a gifted storyteller and humorist with the stories rolling off his tongue as quickly as they came to mind. His descriptive phrases were so vivid; you felt you were right in his stories.
Kate Mawhinney’s photo won “Best of Show” in the 2011 Balloon Festival Photo Contest. See others photos in the Digital Edition, pages 9 and 10.
20th Balloon Festival to lift off August 17-19
The 20th Annual Great Falls Balloon Festival takes flight August 17, 18 and 19, promising a weekend of soaring hot-air balloons, dozens of food vendors, plenty of live entertainment, a parade, a carnival and a Family Fun Day.
Special-shape balloons include Arky—the first special shape that visited the festival 20 years ago; Gus T. Guppy; The Flying Purple People Eater; and Stinky the Skunk. At least 19 balloons are scheduled to take part in the festival.
Jonathan Edwards will headline the stage at Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston on Friday, August 17. The word “legend” is often used to describe veteran folk-rocker Edwards, whose 1971 best-selling song “Sunshine” brought him instant fame. Since that time, he has recorded 15 albums, collaborated with artists like Emmylou Harris and Jimmy Buffett, performed in theater, commercials, movie soundtracks and a TV series, as well as produced records.
This year the Great Falls Balloon Festival has a new way for visitors to stay on top of festival details. Available as a free download from the Apple app store, fans can get up-to-date schedule information, as well as a list of food vendors and their offerings, photos and details about visiting hot-air balloons, a map of the festival grounds and a list of festival supporters. The app was developed by Appy, Inc. of South Paris, Maine.
ALT to take Tree Street Youth to Acadia
Fifteen Tree Street Youth Center counselors are among those who will camp for two nights in Acadia National Park, thanks a grant secured by the Androscoggin Land Trust to make Lewiston-Auburn and its local parks part of a National Park Service video project highlighting three New England cities.
Fifteen “street leaders”—counselors who have been working all summer at the—along with Julia Sleeper, executive director of Tree Street, and others will take part in the expedition.
With leadership from Bates College summer intern Eve Boyce, ALT has worked with Ardrianna McLane and Julie Isbill of the National Park Service to build an Acadia trip that will include hiking, swimming in the ocean, visiting Cadillac Mountain and learning about Acadia and environmental stewardship on a larger scale, building on their earlier experiences along the Androscoggin River.
The youth and their trip leaders will be loading into vans and plan to depart the Tree Street Center at 3 p.m. on Friday, August 10. They expect to arrive at the Seawall Beach Campground in Acadia National Park about three hours after they depart.
