This week’s edition!
Archive for October 2013
Dempsey Challenge Kickoff Event
The Dempsey Challenge kickoff event included world-class cyclists and special guests at The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing in Lewiston on Friday, October 11, 2013.
From left are Jamie and Brent Bookwalter, Peter Chalke of CMMC, Carmen Small, Alison Tetrick, Mary Dempsey, Freddie Rodriguez and Chief of Domestic and International Affairs for USA Cycling, Sean Petty.
Norway Savings Bank claims name to Auburn’s new ice arena
![Mayor Labonte [LaBonte]: Auburn Mayor Jonathan Labonte [LaBonte] addresses the audience as Norway Savings Bank President Patricia Weigel looks on.](http://twincitytimes.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Mayor-Labonte.jpg)
Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte addresses the audience as Norway Savings Bank President Patricia Weigel looks on.
“Today we are pleased to announce that we are underscoring our commitment to the city of Auburn in a very important way. Our sponsorship of this new ice arena is a perfect fit with our dedication to wellness and the communities we serve,” stated Patricia Weigel, President of Norway Savings Bank. “Since opening our Auburn branch last spring, we’ve been looking for a way to let the people of Auburn and Lewiston know that we appreciate the warm welcome we’ve received and that we plan to be here for many years, not only as a business, but as a member of your community. The cities of Auburn and Lewiston have been so very welcoming, and our support of this new arena is our way of saying thank you.”
(l. to r.) Taylor Landry of Red Hornets girls’ hockey team, Ben Steele and Branden Dyer from Edward Little High School hockey team, Josh MacDonald, Norway Savings Bank Arena General Manager.
Attending the news conference were Auburn City Councilors, project developers and contractors, project supporters, representatives from area Youth Hockey Leagues, Adult Leagues and others who will utilize the Norway Savings Bank Ice Arena, including several high school teams who will call the new arena home. The teams from Edward Little High School, St. Dominic Academy, Leavitt Area H.S., Poland/Gray New-Gloucester and the Red Hornets will all call Norway Savings Bank Arena their home ice.
Ben Steele and Branden Dyer from the Edward Little High School hockey team and Taylor Landry of the Red Hornets spoke on behalf of those who will benefit from the new ice arena and thanked Norway Savings Bank for helping to make the dream of a brand new dual surface arena a reality.
LAME Comedy Fest nets $1,646 for Dempsey Center
The inaugural LAME Comedy Fest recently raised $1,646 for the Dempsey Center. The first night’s lineup included (l. to r.) Mark Turcotte, George Hamm, Josh Day, Phoebe Angle, Dee Turcotte, Mark Reilly, Brian Brinegar and Johnny Ater.
A pair of sold out shows at the inaugural LAME Comedy Fest on September 27 and 28 brought in $1,646 for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.
Event organizer Mark Turcotte hosted some of New England’s best comedians, including George Hamm, Johnny Ater, Phoebe Angle, Mark Reilly, Josh Day, Brian Brinegar and Dee Turcotte in the first show. The festival concluded the following evening with performances by Nick Lavallee, Kyron Hobdy, Brett Groh, Troy Pennell, Ryan Waning, Ian Stuart, Matt Kona and Will Green.
“It was an awesome weekend,” said Turcotte. “We have some very funny people in the local comedy scene and I was thrilled to see such an outpouring of support for this event and the Dempsey Center. I’m already planning for next year.”
Pirates launch new website
The Portland Pirates hockey team, who will play their full season of home games in Lewiston this year, launched a newly redesigned website on October 1.
Designed and produced by Infinity Pro Sports, the site features a sleek new look, with simple navigation and multimedia rich features, including an interactive calendar. Through fan polls and surveys, as well as heavy social media interactivity, it will promote fan engagement while providing the general public with the most up-to-date Pirates news.
“The new website is a user friendly, streamlined site with advanced features that will help the fan experience,” said Pirates Director of Communications & Media Relations Chris Knoblock. “We’re excited to have this new look and new technology for our web presence as we start a new era of Pirates hockey.”
First Lady Ann LePage to Help Set World Record for Reading
“Read for the Record” to raise national awareness about the importance of early education
First Lady Ann LePage participated in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record on Thursday, October 3. Together with Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation, Mrs. LePage joined children and adults across the country to set a new world record for the largest shared reading experience.
The event was part of a nationwide early education awareness campaign that each fall focuses national attention on the importance of reading.
Your Best Skin Ribbon Cutting
L-R: Chip Morrison, Patti Gagne, Jonathan LaBonte, Pat Donahue, Christine Chaisson, Tiz Crowley and Leroy Walker.
Enough is Enough: It’s time to start investing in our local neighborhoods
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
It’s time for Lewiston city government to take two steps back and call a time out. A time out to examine the whole city. An examination of our limited yearly resources to determine where we will get the best bang for our buck.
Where can we invest our money so that it will show a return?
Every day I speak to people from throughout Lewiston who relate to me problems in their neighborhoods they would like addressed. Many of these issues are quickly addressed by a simple phone call to one of the city’s departments.
Some can be rectified by a meeting between the taxpayer and city officials. Others, because of budget restraints, must wait their turn. This occasionally turns into a lengthy wait. All this while the city focuses on the downtown.
Pro cyclists Brent and Jamie Bookwalter to ride in Dempsey Challenge
Brent Bookwalter (photo courtesy of Tim De Waele)
Jamie Bookwalter (photo courtesy of Dan Coleman)
Husband and wife pro cyclists Brent and Jamie Bookwalter of Asheville, North Carolina will take part in the fifth annual Dempsey Challenge presented by Amgen. This will mark their first appearance at the non-competitive fundraising event, taking place October 12-13 in Lewiston. The couple will join fellow pro riders Freddie Rodriguez, Ally Stacher, Carmen Small and Alison Tetrick as participants in this year’s event.
Brent’s career highlights include runner-up finishes at this year’s Tour of Alberta, the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship and the Tour of Qatar. The 29-year-old native of Albuquerque, New Mexico rides for BMC Racing Team and was a member of Cadel Evans’ 2011 Tour de France-winning team.
Jamie, 27, who rides for Team Colavita/Fine Cooking, earned top-20 finishes in the National TimeTrial Championship and the Grand Prix Cyclist de Gatineau, and scored a USA-best top 20 in the 2008 Mountain Bike World Championships. She holds a master’s degree in forest entomology from the University of Georgia.
“Arsenic and Old Lace” set takes form
Phil Vampatella (l.) and Bill Hamilton put the finishing touches on the Victorian staircase of the Brewster home for CLT’s upcoming production of “Arsenic and Old Lace.” The show opens its two-weekend run on Friday, October 4.
Community Little Theatre’s Bill Hamilton and Phil Vampatella have lost count of how many sets they have designed and constructed, both together and with others, over many seasons of service with CLT.
They may not know how many, but their experience shows. The set of the company’s current production, Joseph Kesselring’s classic comedy, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” is turning into the latest masterpiece by this fearless team of volunteer carpenters and their co-creators, Carol Hodgkin and Glynnis Nadel, who are adding the artistic décor to Director Adam P. Blais’ design.
The production will open on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. for its two-week run at Great Falls Performing Arts Center in Auburn. Tickets are $18; $15 for seniors ages 60+; $12 for children ages 12-. They may be purchased at the Box Office, by calling 783-0958, or at LACLT.com.
Sawyer Memorial screens “Blazing Paddles”
The Araxine Wilkins Sawyer Memorial will present “Blazing Paddles,” an adventure film narrated by Gray Warriner, on Friday, October 4 at 2 and 7 p.m.
The film provides an up-close look at the thrills, scenic grandeur, and half-forgotten history of some of the country’s great white water rivers. There’s no need for a life jacket, but if you’re afraid of water, you might want to find an aisle seat!
The event is free and open to the public. Sawyer Memorial is located at 371 Sawyer Road in Greene. For more information, call 946-5311 or see www.sawyer-foundation.com.
