The third annual Kehail Point Regatta was held on Saturday, Sept. 5, on the Sheepscot River. Boats from Edgecomb, Westport Island, MacMahan Island and Georgetown, ranging from 12 to 37 feet, competed for the coveted Kehail Point Regatta Cup this year.

Winds were light but picked up nicely during the seven-mile course, challenging skipper and crew skills navigating the unconventional course design.

Defending champion, Mike Gaffney of Sunfish, cheerfully handed the trophy cup to winning skipper Nick Stone and his son Nat on Gemini, an Etchells 22, during the post-race awards ceremony and barbecue.

The annual event was started by local builder Chris Malliet and summer resident John Blaisdell, both of Westport Island, as a friendly but spirited competition between sailors, traditionally held on Labor Day weekend.

The race is organized as a “pursuit” race with a staggered start and a demanding course designed to challenge skippers’ seamanship and sailing skills. The intent is to make the event enjoyable yet challenging, attracting sailors of all levels who want to come out for a good day’s sail and a chance to win the Kehail Point Cup.

Any mono-hull sailboat is eligible to enter. For more information or to sign up for next year’s race, contact kehailpointregatta@gmail.com or visit kehailpointregatta.org.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, Pejepscot Historical Society will present an afternoon of old-fashioned baseball at 1 p.m. at Bowdoin College’s Pickard Field.

Partnering with Maine’s Dirigo Vintage Base Ball Club, PHS will offer a demonstration of 1860s baseball and recreate the October 1860 baseball game between a team from Bowdoin College and a team from the town of Brunswick. PHS still has the bat that was turned locally by John Furbish the morning of that 1860 game and later signed by all the players, and will have it on display. It is said to be the second-oldest baseball bat in the United States.

Volunteer players from Bowdoin College and the town of Brunswick will compete against and with each other along with the Dirigo Vintage Base Ball Club.

Refreshments and 1860s-style baseball hats will be available for purchase. A $5 donation is suggested for attendees.

For further details, please visit www.pejepscothistorical.org or call 207-729-6606.

Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) is once again teaming up with Kenneth Kortemeier of the Bristol Folk School to offer two great woodcraft workshops at HVNC. Beginners and experienced woodworkers alike are encouraged to attend. Don’t forget, the holiday season is rapidly approaching. You could give handmade wooden gifts this year with the help of HVNC.

The first workshop is an Introduction to Birch Bark Containers on both Saturdays, Oct. 10 and 17, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. This two-day workshop delves into the traditional Scandinavian craft of working with birch bark to make a lidded container. The workshop will use locally harvested birch bark and be completed entirely with hand tools. All tools will be provided. If time allows, a discussion of decorative carving for the top and bottom of the boxes will be included. $120 for members, $135 for non-members.

The second workshop is an Introduction to Spoon Carving on both Saturdays, Nov. 7 and 14, 8 a.m. to noon. During this workshop students will learn the basics of carving green wood. There will be lots of opportunity to personalize the experience. In addition to carving skills, the workshop will also cover tool selection and maintenance, design styles, harvesting green wood, and more. Again, all experience levels are encouraged to attend. $65 for members, and $75 for non-members.

Space is limited in both workshops in order to ensure that each student receives plenty of instruction. For more information, or to register for the workshops please visit: http://hvnc.org/registration/ or write to info@hvnc.org.

For more information about HVNC’s events, or to find out how you can support HVNC visit www.hvnc.org, write to info@hvnc.org, or call 207-200-8840.

The lack of snow has kept trails in the Midcoast open and easily accessible. Before the weather took a snowy turn for the worse Tuesday, I spent an hour or so exploring the Mills Overlook Preserve in Newcastle.

The 17-acre property that overlooks Damariscotta Mills is owned and maintained by the Damariscotta River Association, a gift from Anne (Nancy) Booth in 1999. It’s off Academy Hill Road. Headed northbound on Route 1 take the Damariscotta-Newcastle exit. At the bottom of the hill turn left at the Newcastle Publick House and follow Academy Hill Road 1.8 miles.

The drive takes you by the campus of Lincoln Academy. The entrance to the Mills Overlook Preserve is just down the road. It’s across from the historic St. Patrick Church, Maine’s oldest Catholic church and the oldest continuously used Catholic church in New England. Parking for the preserve is permitted in the church’s lower lot behind the cemetery.

The trail begins behind a wooden gate at the kiosk. No trail maps were available during my recent visit but a map of the preserve was posted showing the trail and detailing points of interest along the 1-mile loop. The path was well-packed and surprisingly dry most of the way during my visit. The temperature was a balmy 26 degrees; the morning was sunny with just a light breeze.

Lately the temperatures have been dipping below freezing overnight, although in many places you’ll discover the ground still isn’t frozen. It’s made some trails muddy and slippery. What works best is wearing a boot with a heavy rugged sole, especially if you’re traversing a hilly area. It’s always wise to waterproof your footwear and carry along an extra pair of dry socks just in case your feet do get wet. 

Small orange arrows tacked to trees mark the Mills Overlook trail. A short ways in you’ll come upon the remains of a former cabin or camp. A rusted cook stove sits oddly among the foundation’s ruins. Just ahead is an overlook beneath a electrical transmission grid that runs through the middle of the preserve.

The trail runs slightly downhill from here towards Great Salt Bay before looping around to the left. Along the way I passed many aged pine trees, twisted in weird shapes with broken limbs and weathered by time. Before long I came to a natural spring marked on the map. Its clear water (not yet frozen) wells up at the base of a rocky outcropping and marks the midway point of the main trail. From here you can see down to the hydroelectric station and Damariscotta Mills, the famous Alewive Fish Ladder at the left and the upper end of Great Salt Bay.

Heading back, the trail again winds its way through the woods past a pond and gradually uphill. Along the way I noticed a length of rusted barbed wire protruding from the base of a huge pine tree. Over the decades the tree’s trunk had grown up and surrounded the wire, that perhaps once served as a boundary line. According to the DRA, the land was logged out in the 1930s to provide lumber for a nearby sawmill at Damariscotta Mills. It’s possible some of the cleared property was once used as pasture land.

Continuing uphill I walked a ways before I came across the next orange trail marker. At one point rather than stray off course and into someone’s backyard, I backtracked to the last marker and started again. This time I picked the correct route and in no time was making my way back to the parking area very shortly seeing the landmark red steeple of the St. Patrick Church though the trees.

The Mills Overlook Preserve is open year-round from dawn to dusk for hiking, walking and snowshoeing. The preserve is dog-friendly but dog owners are responsible for keeping their dog under control. Remember to leave no trace behind. To learn more about this and other DRA properties open to the public, visit: www.damariscottariver.org

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust informed Westport Island officials of its intention to purchase a 144-acre property within an area known as the Squam Creek Preserve in a project valued at $510,000.

Speaking at the Monday, March 14 selectmen’s meeting, Dennis Dunbar, president of the land trust, explained that the organization had reached an agreement with the Segerstrom Realty Trust concerning the price and the time frame to complete the transaction. The property has been owned by the Segerstrom family since the 1950s.

“It’s a property that’s worth protecting,” Dunbar told the selectmen about the site which has 3,300 feet of frontage on Squam Creek. “It is the largest deer wintering area on Westport.” The preserve area includes significant wetlands and is home to two commercial oyster farms.

Financing for the purchase relies on the cooperation of the seller, the land trust, the government and other contributors. The property owners agreed to reduce the price to $440,000 to facilitate a purchase by the land trust. The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust has received more than $100,000 in gifts for the purchase and federal grant funding of $150,000.

“We will need to raise $150,000 locally,” Dunbar told the selectmen. “We’ll start with a local fundraising campaign.” Dunbar expects to complete the campaign by Dec. 31.

A flyer the land trust produced describes the property as “one of the largest undeveloped coastal parcels remaining on the island.”  The flyer explains that the wetlands provide a habitat for waterfowl and wading birds in addition to deer and shellfish. The estuary also provides an environment for Atlantic salmon and sturgeon.

Information about contributing to the fundraising effort may be obtained by calling the land trust office in Bath at 442-8400.

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In other matters before the selectmen at Monday’s meeting, Brett Jones invited any island resident who is interested in representing the town as a delegate to the state republican convention to meet at the town office at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. Those with questions may contact Jones at 882-5939.  

 

The Wiscasset Wolverines have new coaches leading the baseball and softball teams onto the diamonds this spring. Boothbay native Gordon Campbell is the new varsity softball coach and Brunswick native Gregg Wood is the varsity baseball team’s new skipper.

Both coaches have previous experience coaching players on this spring’s rosters. Campbell, 50, spent the past four years coaching the middle school team. So he is familiar with several returning team members.

“I coached these girls growing up. I’ve taken pride in watching them improve and I’m anxious for the new season to start,” Campbell said.

The softball team has five returning players from last year. Campbell watched his daughter, Corey, play on last year’s team. So he already knows about the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

Last year’s team struggled in Mountain Valley Conference play. So Campbell wants to instill early-season confidence in his players and a willingness to battle until the final out.

“My biggest goal is changing the attitude,” he said. “Many times last year the team believed they’d only play five innings due to the mercy rule. This year I want them to take the field intent on playing the full seven innings.”

The team also benefited from a preseason clinic. Former coach Clare Daniels conducted the clinic to prepare players for the upcoming season.

“I think it will be a big help because it usually take a few weeks to get the rust out,” Campbell said.

The season will be a family affair for the Campbell clan. Coach Campbell’s assistant is his daughter Hannah Campbell, a former Wiscasset softball player. She played college softball for one season at Southern Maine Community College in Portland.

This year’s new baseball coach has served several years coaching the local Babe Ruth team and last fall coached a Wiscasset team in a fall league. Wood, 57, is a former high school catcher. His son played on last year’s team.

The new coach believes if his team improves their fundamentals it can result in more wins this season.

“Just knowing the mental aspects of the game is important It’s often the difference between winning and losing,” said Wood.

Wood believes his familiarity with the returning players will result in a smooth transition for the team.

“I like coaching and I’ve coached most of the players,” he said. “So it will be relatively easy for me to know their strengths and weaknesses. So, we should start out way ahead of the curve.”

Both teams began preseason workouts on March 21. Both begin the regular season hosting Boothbay Region on April 22.

Wiscasset held its first art walk of the summer June 30. Now in its fourth year, the event was well -attended and shop owners and entertainers were in festive moods on the warm early summer evening.

Event planner Lucia Droby was making her way around to the shops and galleries.

She said some new galleries and shops in town are helping keep the event fresh and new. “Every art walk is a fabulous experience,” she said. “We have some great music, and the art in our galleries is terrific. We always try to have special features that people who have been before can come and see something new.”

Among those special features were:

A donkey! Artist and author Katherine Dunn and her husband, Martyn, recently moved here from Oregon with their entourage of “misfits,” special needs goats, pigs and other animals they have taken in and care for. For the art walk, they brought Pino the mini donkey along to wow the crowd. Dunn was featuring some of her illustrated books, art prints and felted folk dolls.

The Dunns and Pino were camped out in front of the new shop, Moulinette, at 60 Main Street. Pino spent most of the evening eating hay and being adored by fans.

Another thing wowing the crowd was a group of young models donning fashionable handmade aprons made by Dana Browne Spinney started her company, Paper Doll Aprons, about a year ago, designing and making custom, one-of-a-kind aprons using recycled textiles — pillowcases, sheets, napkins, curtains and tablecloths. She embellishes them with vintage antique buttons. “I even use my great grandmother's threads from her sewing case.” Spinney makes the aprons in her spare time when she's not managing Treats.

The Garden Club of Wiscasset had a display of floral arrangements set up on the sidewalk in front of Treats, and members were on hand to answer questions. The Nickels-Sortwell House featured a new garden, designed and implemented by Garden Club members, based on photos of a wedding in 1937. 

Danielle Paus played Celtic harp at the R. Keith Rendall gallery. Droby calls Paus’ music magical. “At some point during the evening she and Married with Chitlins did some impromptu improvising. Just imagine Celtic harp with foot -stomping country!” she said.

Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts gave a wheel throwing demonstration. “They seemed very pleased with the evening, had a lot of people stopping by to view their demo, and hope to be back next month,” Droby said.

Most of the shops' and galleries' doors were open wide to welcome visitors, and several offered wine or other beverages and hors d'eouvres.

Some of them even offered their very own artists-in-residence, as in the case of BIRCH's Brad Sevaldson, who is a photographer/artist as well as co-owner. On display were some of his photographs and cards of Maine and Europe.

The next Wiscasset Art Walk will be held July 28. Put it on your calendar. There'll be a wide diversity of art, shopping and good food to enjoy on a warm summer's eve.

Droby said the focus this year is on getting the word out to a wider audience. “We're using more Facebook. We think it's a special event. People can park their car and spend the whole evening walking around. And there's plenty of local parking.

Major sponsors are Ames True Value, Big Barn Coffee, Carleton Real Estate, Carriage House Gardens, First National Bank, and Fogg Art Restoration.  Additional sponsors are the Carl M.P. Larrabee Agency, Cod Cove Inn, French & Co. Antiques, and Red’s Eats.  For more information, visit www.wiscassetartwalk.org or contact event coordinators Lucia Droby at ludroby@verizon.net or Violet Brandwein at 917-327-1449.

For more about the June 30 event, click here.

The First Congregational Church of Wiscasset held its 33rd annual Summerfest on Saturday, July 23 in the park below the church. The fair was highlighted by a parade of dogs. Other features included a silent auction, refreshments, yard sale tables, and music by Jeff Grosser and the Jazz Razcals.

According to co-organizer Jan Whitfield, all the proceeds are divided among 20 local organizations and charities. “It all goes out to the community organizations,” said Whitfield.

The dog parade consisted of 16 entries, a few down from last year, said master of ceremonies Chris Sieracki of Edgecomb. “Every dog gets a prize,” said Sieracki. 

The parade was followed by prize awards and silly dog tricks. “It is all for fun,” said Sieracki.

 

“We’re young but we’re going to be all right,” Wolverines Coach Duane Goud said after Tuesday evening’s final scrimmage game. The regular Mountain Valley Conference girls soccer season starts this Friday.

Wiscasset Middle High School hosted and lost 2-0 to Richmond High School before a large crowd. The game started at 6 p.m. and ended under the lights. Richmond won the toss and chose to defend the eastern goal.

The 2016 Wolverine girls soccer team has 10 freshmen but is anchored by a veteran backfield including seniors Stephanie Jones, Keara Hunter, Brooke Carleton and Jenna Bickford. Senior Gabby Chapman is playing on the front line and midfield.

Lindsey Gordon, the team’s goalkeeper, is one of six juniors. The others are Arie Mills, Maeve Blodgett, Sarah Foley, Grace Webber and Vanessa Dunn. Natalie Corson is the only sophomore.

Eleven minutes into the game, Bobcat Meranda Martin took a shot from just outside the 18-yard line and scored. Gordon leaped but the ball went off her fingertips and into the net. Martin scored a second unassisted goal at 38:23 of the second half.

The Wolverines ended the game on a positive note by playing their best soccer in the final 15 minutes.

Webber on the far wing made a nice run but her shot was wide right. Later, Foley found Gabby Chapman open inside the 18, Chapman fired but the Bobcat goalie made a nice save.

With two minutes left to play, Carleton fired but missed. Her shot was high and over the crossbar.

Neither team kept a score book but the Bobcats clearly outshot the Wolverines. Gordon had a solid game in the net, finishing with a dozen saves. The Richmond goalie stopped eight, all but two of those coming in the second half.

Corson, Foley, Jones and Hunter were standouts at midfield and defensively.

The game offered plenty of teaching moments for Coach Goud. His Wolverines open the season on the road against Boothbay 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2. They’ll return home to play Carrabec on Sept. 6.

 

Cam Poissom’s unassisted goal gave the visiting Lisbon High School Greyhounds a 1-0 win over Wiscasset Middle High School Monday night.

With 12:26 left in the first half, Poissom broke free and chipped a shot over Wolverine keeper Conlon Ranta.

The game featured 80 minutes of action including a few collisions around and away from the ball. Lisbon was whistled and given two yellow cards, one in each half of play.

Max Sampson had a nice shot for the Wolverines from the left wing with 10:50 left in the half, but Greyhound keeper Jonah Sautter was there for the stop. Four minutes later, the Greyhounds were whistled for charging outside the 18-yard line, but Brandon Goud’s direct kick was blocked and cleared away.

Sampson made another nice run in the closing minute of the half, but his shot sailed wide left. Russell Marr’s direct kick at 28:13 of the second half was knocked down by Sautter and punted down field. Another open shot by Marr at 22:18 sailed over the cross bar.

The momentum continued swinging back and forth until the 12:30 mark, when Lisbon kept control of the ball deep in Wiscasset territory for over four minutes. Nick Lerette’s shot with 8:41 left to play was finally grabbed by Ranta and cleared down field.

With 7:30 left, Wolverine Aidan Carlson attempted to center a pass to Grant Hefler, but Sautter was there to breakup the play. Later, Hefler saw Marr open but his pass was too far out in front. Wiscasset’s final shot from Aidan Carlson was caught by Sautter.

Both teams were about even on shots. Ranta had 10 saves for WMHS.

WMHS will travel to Telstar on Sept. 15 and Mountain Valley Sept. 22.

 

 

 

 

 

After over 80 minutes of play, Mt. Abram came away a 2-1 winner over the Wolverines Tuesday under the lights at Wiscasset Middle High School.

Alice Cockeran’s unassisted goal, (her second of the game) ended it at 3:58 of the second overtime.

The game remained scoreless through the first half. The shots on goal were even at four a piece. At the 29:50 mark, the Wolverines drove deep in Mt. Abram territory but Gabby Chapman’s shot was batted down and caught by goalie Abby Brackley. Later, Cockeran made a nice cross pass to River Horn only to have her shot caught and punted away by Wolverine keeper Lindsey Gordon.

At 18:50, Cockeran intercepted a Wiscasset pass and broke for the net but fullback Maeve Blodgett was there to deflect her shot wide and out-of-bounds. A few minutes after that, Chapman chipped a shot from 30 yards away. Brackley bobbled the ball but held on for the save.

The Wolverines had two other nice drives late in the first half,  led by Grace Webber on the wing. She centered two passes, but both times the ball was taken away by Mt. Abram defenders.

Mt. Abram finally broke the deadlock at 19:43 of the second half when Risa Marble crossed a pass to Cockeran who was there for the score. The visitors, clad in all blue, continued to dominate for the next six minutes of play. With 6:35 left, the referee whistled Mt. Abram for an infraction (tripping) just inside the penalty area. Chapman very cooly hammered the ball into the left corner of the net, tying the game.

Wiscasset had the only shot in the first five-minute overtime. With 28 ticks left on the scoreboard clock, Mt. Abram was whistled for pushing just outside the 18-yard line. Chapman’s shot was on the mark but high carrying over the crossbar. Chapman’s direct kick in the second OT was caught by the goalie. Cockeran who shifted from the left wing to the right side then broke free and netted the game-winning goal.

Gordon and Brackley each finished with 10 saves. Both played a fine game in the net. The loss drops WMHS to 4-4-1 in the Mountain Valley Conference, Mt. Abram is 2-4-2. The next chance to see the WMHS girls at home in Oct. 6 versus Boothbay. The game starts at 6 p.m.

IIyas Abdi scored off a throw-in in the final minute of play as visiting Waynflete eliminated Wiscasset Middle High School boys from the postseason Monday night.

The game was just 1:07 from heading into overtime when Abdi broke a 2-2 tie. It was his second goal of the game.

Coach Chris Cossette and the Wolverines ended their regular season with a 1-1 tie at Lisbon Oct. 14. Prior to that they had won five in a row finishing the Mountain Valley Conference season at 9-4-1 and earning a number two ranking in the Class C South tournament. Waynflete entered the tournament ranked number seven with a record of 7-5-2. Waynflete’s last regular season game was Oct. 18, a 3-2 loss to Kennebunk, ironically also in the game’s final minute.

Wiscasset got off to a fast start scoring just two minutes into the game. Ethan James set up the goal with a long throw-in to the goalmouth, with Grant Hefler scoring. The distance the ball traveled on the throw-in definitely caught the Flyers flat-footed.

The Wolverines’ lead was short lived however; at 34:26 Askar Houssein (Abdi assisting) tied the game. The momentum then swung back and forth. Hefler made a nice run at the goal only to have his shot broken up by Waynflete’s Miles Lipton.

With 20 minutes left until halftime the Flyers were whistled for an infraction at midfield. Fullback Kevin Lynch took the direct kick and launched a rocket at the net. Luca Antolini, the Flyers’ freshman goalie, leaped and bobbled the ball but no Wolverines were there for the rebound.

Wiscasset then dodged a bullet after Abdi crossed a pass to Houssein who fired at a wide open net but sent the ball over the crossbar.

Russell Marr the Wolverines’ striker finally broke the deadlock. Marr’s unassisted goal put WMHS on top 2-1 with 6:16 left which is where the score stood at the half.

Abdi’s unassisted goal at 34:52 of the second half tied the game. Ten minutes later the Flyers rang a shot off the crossbar. Wiscasset then drove deep. Hefler passed off Marr but his shot was broken up and deflected out of bounds. Later Aidan Carlson passed off to Brandon Goud who crossed the ball to Hefler but Antolini was again there for the stop.

Late in the game, Ranta made another nice defensive stop catching Ian McClure-Chute’s headball off a corner kick.

James, Lynch, Matt Chapman and Alex Strozier were defensive standouts for WMHS while Nate Woodman and Carlson did a nice job at midfield. Ranta played well in the net finishing with a dozen saves. Waynflete’s keeper turned away eight. The Flyers finished with a slight shot edge, most of those coming in the second half.

A large crowd turned out. The temperature at game time was in the mid-40s.

The Flyers advance to play the winner of Lisbon #3 and Telstar #4 Friday, Oct. 28.

Freshman Audrey Fletcher netted four goals as Monmouth Academy overpowered Wiscasset Middle High School 9-1 Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 26 in Monmouth.

The top-ranked Mustangs ended the soccer season for the eighth-seeded Wolverines in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Class C soccer tournament.

Wiscasset had advanced in the post-season after defeating Hall-Dale 2-1 in overtime Oct. 22. Monmouth finished the Mountain Valley Conference at 13-1, drew a bye in the opening round of the playoffs, will have home field advantage for the remainder of the tournament and will host the winner of Lisbon and Waynflete Oct. 28.

The Wolverines took to the field Oct. 26 with a stiff late autumn breeze blowing at their backs. The temperature at the start was a chilly 43 degrees.

The Mustangs, who had not played since Oct. 13, showed no ill effects from the 12-day layoff. Ten minutes into the game, Haley Fletcher passed off to her sister Audrey Fletcher for the score.

At 27:30, Wiscasset’s Grace Webber found Vanessa Dunn open on the wing; a Monmouth defender broke up the play but the ball bounded out of bounds setting up a corner kick. The Wolverines failed to convert and Monmouth regained possession of the ball.

Tia Day broke free but Maeve Blodgett ran her down clearing the ball away. On Monmouth’s next possession Audrey Fletcher fired from the 18, but goalie Lindsey Gordon made a leaping save and punted the ball down field. Day then put the hosts up 2-0 scoring on a breakaway goal at 21:22.

With two minutes left until the half Wolverine Gabby Chapman drove deep. A second corner kick resulted but once again the Mustang defense held firm. Chapman started the game playing defense but was moved back up front after the second goal.

The Wolverines were very much in the ballgame at the start of the second half. With the score still 2-nil the Wolverines were awarded a direct kick at the Mustangs’ end of the field. Chapman fired but keeper Destiny Clough was well-positioned for the save. Webber then carried the ball down the wing and crossed a pass to Cyra Fait. Clough charged and blocked the shot.

At the 26:18 mark, Audrey Fletcher scored from the 18-yard line to put Monmouth up 3-0. At 16:31, Emily Grandhal (Day assisting) scored the fourth goal, off an indirect kick following a collision inside the penalty area. For WMHS things went down hill from there. Monmouth was up 6-0 before being whistled for roughing inside the penalty area. Chapman netted the PK ending the shutout.

Monmouth scored three more times in the last 12 minutes of play. Audrey Fletcher scored the last goal, her fourth with 5:43 left. She also had one assist.

Gordon finished with over a dozen saves for Wiscasset. The Wolverines finished their season at 7-7-2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In challenging conditions, Wiscasset Middle High School Senior Brandon Goud triumphed, finishing seventh among all Class C runners at the Southern Regional Championship race in Twin Brooks on Saturday, Oct. 30.

With steady rain and temperatures in the 40s, Class C runners faced trails littered with slippery leaves and puddles. While spectators huddled under umbrellas, runners braved the conditions in singlets and shorts. Despite the conditions, Goud lodged one of his fastest times of the season, crossing the finish line at 18:06.

“It was terrible, with all the kids in front of you kicking mud up into your face and stepping in the puddles. I felt like I was slow,” a recovering Goud said after the race.

The top 30 runners and top teams from the Southern Regional race advance to the State Championship race in Belfast on Nov. 5.

Goud, who also played soccer this season for Wiscasset, will be the lone Wolverine to run in the state championship race this year.

 

 

WMHS eighth grade basketball

Monday, Nov. 21: Home vs. St. George, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 28: Home vs. Woolwich, boy 3:45 p.m., girls 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 30: At South Bristol, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 5: Home vs. Jefferson, boy 3:45 p.m., girls 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 7: Home vs. Appleton, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9: At Boothbay, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 12: At Nobleboro, boys 3:45 p.m., girls 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 14: Home vs. Bristol, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 19: At St. George, boys 3:45 p.m., girls 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 21: At Woolwich, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 4: At South Bristol, boys and girls both at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 5: Home vs. Boothbay, girls 3:45 p.m., boys 5:15 p.m.

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Sam Strozier is a wrestler without a team. For the second consecutive year, the Wiscasset junior is competing against the competition as an independent wrestler. Strozier trains with the Morse High School team on a daily basis.

He is familiar with several of Morse’s wrestlers through his association with the Maine Trappers, a freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling club in Bath. The club includes Midcoast wrestlers who train during the off-season at the Hyde School. Strozier joined the Maine Trappers last summer. At his first-ever freestyle wrestling meet, Strozier traveled to Canada with the Maine Trappers, and placed first in his weight class.

In the past three seasons, Strozier has earned 28 victories on the mat. His goal is wrestling this summer at the national high school tournament in Fargo, North Dakota. The annual freestyle and Greco-Roman national championships are held inside the FargoDome, an indoor stadium better known for hosting University of North Dakota State home football games. The stadium has a seating capacity of 19,000 for football games.

Each August, the FargoDome is filled with wrestling mats and 13,000 high school grapplers battling over an eight-day period. Strozier desires to compete against the best national high school wrestlers. Last year, several of the Bath-based club members participated in the Fargo Nationals.

“I just really want to go to Fargo. That’s my goal for this year,” Strozier said.

As an independent wrestler last year, Strozier nearly pulled off a major upset in the Class A Regional tournament. As the No. 8 seed, he drew the 145-pound top wrestler Taylor Crosby of Camden Hills in the state qualifying tournament. Strozier held an early advantage before ultimately losing the bout.

“I almost pinned the No. 1,” he said. “I turned him and had him on his back, but time ran out in the period,” Strozier said.

This year, Strozier has posted some impressive results. At the Westbrook Invitational, he placed second. At the Bath Westlake tournament, he finished third.  And at the Gardiner tournament, he was fourth. So far this year, Strozier is 7-7. His progress has been hampered by a slow recovery from a sore hip.

”I was beating a kid, 6-1, before he got a lucky take down and slammed me to the mat,” Strozier said.

Two years ago, Strozier was one of two Wiscasset wrestlers. Last year, he traveled to meets with the Boothbay team. When it looked like Wiscasset wasn’t going to have a team again this year, his father, Ed, a former Morse High School wrestler, inquired about Sam wrestling at his alma mater. 

With no Wiscasset team, Strozier decided to stick with the sport. He said he loves to wrestle.

“I got into it because my dad wrestled, but I really enjoy it,” he said. “It’s fun. It’s a great way of working off stress, and it keeps me fit.”

As an athlete, Strozier also participates in cross country, soccer, winter track, and tennis. He plans to attend the University of Maine at Orono after graduating from high school. He would like wrestle for UMaine’s club wrestling team.

 

During two meets, Wiscasset wrestler Sam Stozier won some and lost some. But he mostly won against Class A competition. Strozier won five of his seven matches at meets on Jan. 21 at Mount Blue High School, Jan. 25 at Lincoln High School, and Jan. 28 at Morse High School.

Strozier lost his first match in Farmington against Quentin Richards of Nokomis in the 152-pound division. Richards scored a technical fall over Strozier. The Wiscasset wrestler rebounded to win his next two matches in the Jan. 21 meet. He pinned Mount Ararat’s Mason Holcomb in 30 seconds and defeated Mount Blue’s Hayden Nile with a third period pin.

In Newcastle, Strozier won his only match. Wrestling in the 145-pound division Jan. 25, he pinned Lincoln Academy’s Lucas Steinberger in the first period for the win.

In Bath, Strozier posted two victories in three matches. Again wrestling as a 145-pounder during the Jan. 28 meet, Strozier lost a decision to Skowhegan’s Cooper Holland. But he rebounded by pinning Winslow and Gardiner high school wrestlers. 

Wiscasset wrestler Sam Strozier finished second in the 145-pound division Feb. 4 during the Mid State League Wrestling championships. Strozier was seeded third and defeated two opponents in Dixfield before succumbing to divison champion Eddie Derouche of Mountain Valley. Derouche defeated Strozier with a 19-4 technical fall.

In the first round, Strozier defeated Monmouth’s David Allen with a second period pin. In the semi-finals, Strozier defeated second-seeded Colin Woodhead of Dirigo also with a second period pin.

Despite finishing 1-17, the Wiscasset Wolverines girls varsity basketball team showed a lot of improvements this season, as well as things to look forward to for next year.

When Head Coach Ben Clark was asked about improvements, expectations and future plans, he had this to say: "We did improve, in fact, I saw improvement every time we stepped on the floor. As a program we really pride ourselves in our half court defense. We want to make teams earn every point they get and I thought that by the end of the year we were a pretty good defensive team. We were able to do things with our game plans that we really weren't able to do last year, so from that standpoint I was pleased.

“Our problem continues to be how we handle ball pressure and trapping defenses. We simply turn the ball over too much to win consistently. And, when we turn the ball over so much, it doesn't allow us to do what we do best ... defend in the half court. It's something we'll need to improve on over the summer to be more successful next winter.

“I thought Hayhlee Craig had an excellent senior year. She developed into a really good all around player who we relied on for scoring, rebounding and protecting our basket. Grace Webber also really came into herself as our primary ball handler. For two years now she's been asked to play point guard for us, which is out of position for her, but she continues to get more comfortable with the ball in her hand and really came into herself as a leader on our team. As a freshman Jade Rego played her way into our rotation. She is a very solid player who did a little bit of everything for us. Once her offensive game develops she has potential to be a very good player in our league.

“Ultimately we are disappointed with our win total. However, I do believe that our program took a big step in the right direction this year. Our numbers throughout the program are up. Girls are starting to play basketball again in this town which is exciting to see. Daniela Marino had 34 girls come out for her "Bitty Baller" after school program (at Wiscasset Elementary School), and Coach Pyrtek had 15 girls on the middle School team. And, for the first time in a long time we were able to have separate junior varsity and varsity practices because we had the numbers to do so. When it comes to rebuilding our girls basketball program in this town that had to be step one, to get girls playing again. From that standpoint our season was an absolute success and it's something we hope to build on,” Clark said.

At the start of the season, senior Gabby Chapman got injured,  keeping her from playing. As it turned out, she never got back into action for the season and the Wolverines were without their main ball handler.

Lindsey Gordon and Maeve Blodgett,  both juniors, showed improvements in many aspects and will be important in next year's team.

On Monday, Feb. 20, the Wiscasset boys varsity basketball team wrapped up its season with a loss against Winthrop. The Wolverines went into the game 9-9, while Winthrop was 18-0.

From the start of the season, expectations were high. The team was coming off of an impressive year, but lost two key components in the offense, Bryson Grover and Brandon Sprague. Fortunately, Ethan James maintained the star status he developed and not only scored his 1000th point, but showed leadership.

With multiple 40-point games under his belt, James exhibited leadership on the court and in the locker room. Despite all this team did, the players had a first round exit in Augusta.

The start of the season  consisted of three straight wins, against Mt. Abram, Monmouth and Carrabec, followed by losses to Madison and Hall-Dale, with the Hall-Dale game being possibly the most competitive game for Wiscasset this season. They the team took two wins against Mountain Valley and Oak Hill. Following that was a loss at Boothbay, a win against Dirigo, a loss against Winthrop, and two wins against Lisbon and Telstar. At that point, Wiscasset sat at 9-4 and aimed at a top seed.

Wiscasset ended the season with five straight losses to Hall-Dale, Lisbon, Mt. Abram, Winthrop and Boothbay. This disappointing streak led to Searsport for a preliminary game. The Wolverines won, and went on to play the Winthrop Ramblers, who ended Wiscasset’s season.

Seniors, including James, Russell Marr and Cody Roberts, all found hot streaks in their games at different times, helping fuel the team to wins. Junior Zach Reed consistently scored for a good stretch of the season. As next year approaches, the team loses a majority of players. The only player consistently in varsity rotation who isn’t a senior is Zach Reed. Next year, Reed, along with the rest of the junior varsity team, will look to improve from this season. 

It looks like baseball will return to Wiscasset Middle High School this spring. There appears to be enough interest for the Wolverines to compete at the junior varsity level.

In response to an email from the Wiscasset Newspaper, Athletic Director-Assistant Principal Mandy Lewis stated she’s working on setting up a seven to nine-game schedule for junior varsity. As of Monday, March 27, 11 students had signed up. The first practice is Monday, April 3 in the school gym.

Weather permitting, the first game is April 28, at home. The Wolverines will host a junior varsity team from Brunswick High School. On May 3, WMHS will play the Dragons again in Brunswick. On May 8, the Wolverines will travel to Richmond to play the Bobcats, then host Richmond on May 17.

According to Lewis, Gregg Wood of Wiscasset is returning to coach the team. Last year, his first season, Wood led the Wolverines to the Mountain Valley Conference Class C playoffs. The Wolverines finished the season with a respectable 8-9 record. Daren Wood was named to the MVC first team all-stars and teammate Jake Traylor received an honorable mention.

The Wolverines lost a good deal of their starting lineup to graduation. The 2016 team roster varied throughout the season from 11 to 14 players. Due to a lack of interest, there weren’t enough players to form a junior varsity team. In January, Lewis informed the school committee WMHS would be cancelling varsity baseball due to a lack of participants.

Committee member Eugene Stover had encouraged Lewis not to give up on the program.

This year’s team will include boys from grades nine through 12. Lewis said when there’s a varsity program, seniors aren’t typically involved on a junior varsity team. She said this year’s junior varsity team will have seniors. Lewis hopes to schedule games with MVC high schools and others.

Gordon Campbell of Wiscasset will return to coach the Wolverines varsity softball team. The team has a 14-game schedule and remains a part of the Class C MVC. The team will also begin practicing next week in the gym. The team’s first regular season game is April 24 when the Wolverines host Hall-Dale.

Along with baseball and softball, the high school offers tennis and track and field.

For the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden’s Rachel Carson exhibit, there are books signed by the author and naturalist.

There are tattered and dog-eared copies of Carson’s opus “Silent Spring,” lined up next to new copies.

In a glass case, there is Carson’s camera, complete with her arsenal of lenses.

But the things she left behind that resonate the most are outside the exhibit, Director of Education and Staff Botanist Melissa Cullina said.

“I think we have our song-filled springs,” she said. “We see ospreys and eagles very regularly along the river shore we have frontage. We see very tangible results of (Carson's book) 'Silent Spring' here with our raptor and bird populations we have here in the gardens.”

Beginning on September 7, and running until October 23, the Rachel Carson Exhibit at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens bookends the garden’s summer-long theme of “Feathers and Foliage: Celebrating Bird and Plant Interactions.”

Carson (1907-1964) was a conservationist, author and pioneer in raising awareness about society’s impact on wildlife. In 1962, the seasonal Boothbay Region resident published “Silent Spring” which chronicled how the widespread use of pesticides, such as DDT, was negatively affecting local bird populations. Although “Silent Spring” was not the first mention of DDT’s negative effects, it is often cited as the reason DDT was banned 10 years later in U.S.

Cullina said the theme was borne from Carson’s relation to the area and the 50th anniversary of “Silent Spring.”

“It’s important to communicate to a new generation... that (Rachel Carson) lived and did research here in our backyard.”

“I would say the inspiration began with knowing the connection Rachel Carson had to this area,” she said. “And, we happen to be celebrating bird life in 2012 – our educational theme this year is called ‘Feathers and Foliage.’”

From there, the connection became clear and the Botanical Gardens would feature the naturalist and seasonal resident of the Boothbay Region.

“It was the 50th anniversary of ‘Silent Spring’ and we thought ‘This is the perfect year to delve a little deeper and do some real interpretation for our visitors,” Cullina said. “We decided we would feature Rachel Carson, the importance of 'Silent Spring' and, of course, her legacy and a special focus on her connection to Boothbay and the area.

“It certainly did influence our decision to study birds this year,” she said. “We could have just as easily picked another theme and done birds another year, but, because this is the 50th anniversary of 'Silent Spring' it did seem to make the most sense.”

Cullina said the gardens were able to find partners who were able to add something to the display – the Maine Audubon Society added a placard titled detailing “Silent Spring’s” effect on local raptor populations. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge added another panel titled “Lasting Legacy,” the Boothbay Regional Land Trust contributed with a map of the protected lands around Boothbay and Southport. Hendrick’s Hill Museum, Southport Island Association, several private donors and Southport Memorial Library also contributed to the display with materials, books and artifacts from Carson’s life in Maine.

But, the display, which on September 12 featured a showing of a PBS documentary of Carson and “Silent Spring,” was just one part of the garden’s efforts to highlight Carson. Cullina said the gardens was able to incorporate birds into several different projects through the summer and fall.

“Part of our bird year has been to inventory the birds in our garden,” she said. “So, we’ve had numerous bird walks, and the author of the Maine Birding Trail was here to help document the birds we have.”

As much as Carson was known for her writing and research, she was also known for raising awareness – something Cullina said has been apparent since the exhibit opened.

“I think (the exhibit) has rekindled interest in Carson and her work,” she said. “Numerous people have said they’ve gone back and dug out their old copy of ‘Silent Spring’ and ‘The Sea Around Us.’”

Cullina said that while people reintroducing themselves to Carson’s work has been a positive outcome of the exhibit, reaching a new audience was even more vital.

“It’s important to communicate to a new generation of local kids that this very important conservationist lived and did research here in our backyard,” she said. “We’ve developed a tour for pre-kindergarten through sixth-graders called ‘A Sense of Wonder’ tour.”

The tour, which is based from Carson’s posthumous 1965 book of the same name, has featured nature walks through the gardens in the search for birds.

“We want to encourage them to experience their own sense of wonder about nature,” Cullina said, adding that the tours will continue through October.

More on Rachel Carson:

Reflections on Rachel
The right woman at the right time
 

Rachel Carson's camera and photography equipment, loaned from the Hendrick’s Hill Museum, are on display at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden’s Rachel Carson exhibit. Several artifacts from Carson’s life and work are on display until October 23 at the gardens. BEN BULKELEY/Boothbay Register

It was the 1978 AL East tiebreaker game between baseball’s most heated rivalry: Red Sox vs. Yankees.  

Starting Red Sox pitcher Mike Torrez threw for six innings giving the team a 2-0 edge over the Yankees. At the top of the seventh, Bucky Dent belted a three run homer off Torrez that soared over the Green Monster, giving the Yankees the 3-2 lead. The Yankees went on to win the game and eventually the 1978 World Series.

Mike Torrez and Bucky Dent were forever frozen in that moment of sports history commonly referred to as the “shocking blast that silenced Fenway.” 

Decades down the road, Torrez and Dent autographed a baseball. That famous ball will be one of the many items featured at this year’s Boothbay Charities Classic Sports Auction to benefit Special Olympics Maine.  

After raising $35,000 last year, auction organizer Tom Erskine is excited for this year’s fundraiser. 

For 17 years, Erskine and his wife Bonnie have committed themselves to helping out with Special Olympics events throughout the state. Every season after the Boothbay Charities fundraiser concludes, Tom Erskine starts his yearlong routine of writing letters to charity foundations and sports stars soliciting items for next year’s auction.   

The event each September draws local residents, sport stars and Special Olympic athletes from all over the country to the Boothbay Region. 

“Having the presence of the athletes at the auction is really what it’s all about,” Bonnie Erskine said. “Every year there is this wonderful vibe that surrounds the event.” She recalled several incidents when auction goers bid on the medals worn by the athletes. “People will pay $800 for the medal, and then give it back to the athlete,” she said.  

The lobster bake and sports auction will be held at the Boothbay Railway Village Sept. 21. Starting at 4 p.m., guests can bid on items at the silent auction that runs through dinner, or stay for the live auction which starts around 6 p.m. The silent auction will feature a variety of gift baskets from local merchants filled with goodies and entertainment prizes. 

The live auction is also free to attend and will feature autographed memorabilia from sports legends Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Rob Gronkowski and many more. 

Tickets for the bake are $40, or are included in the fee for the golf tournament.  For questions or event sponsorship call Brenda Blackman at 380-7700. For donations of auction items, contact Tom Erskine at 633-6103. For a complete list of auction items, visit the Boothbay Charities Facebook page.

Golf tournament

This year's Boothbay Charities Classic Golf Tournament event will begin with a continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Boothbay Country Club. 

Team openings and limited individual positions are still available which include: being paired up with a celebrity; a complimentary goodie bag; and admission to the lobster bake and sports auction the previous night. 

The tournament will conclude after the last golfer on the course completes 18 holes by 3:30 p.m. Tickets to play in the open are still on sale for $200 per golfer. To purchase, call Brenda Blackman at 380-7770 or Ken Marston at 633-3914. 

For 22 years the Boothbay Charities Classic has been the headlining event to promote businesses in the community and support local charities. Over the years, people like Tony Krason, Otto and Duey Graham, Ken Marston, Tommy Blake, Butch and Mary Brewer and hundreds of volunteers and sponsors have donated and contributed to making the event successful. Board members of Special Olympics Maine want recognize the community’s support, and would like to thank everyone from the innkeepers donating rooms, to the countless volunteers providing materials and labor, to the sponsorship, both local and corporate, who promote the event each year. 

This year there is an effort to raise enough money to send Special Olympians from Maine to the national games to be held in Princeton, N.J. in 2014. Organizers ask for anyone who would like to make a donation to send a check to Special Olympics Maine, or the Boothbay Charities Classic at P.O. Box 207 Boothbay, ME 04537. For more information, visit the Boothbay Charities Classic Facebook page.

This baseball autographed by Mike Torrez and Bucky Dent is one of the many items up for bid at the Boothbay Classic Charities Sports Auction and Lobster Bake at the Boothbay Railway Museum, Friday, Sept. 21. RYAN LEIGHTON/Boothbay Register

Whether they look happy, spooky, cute, menacing, pretty, or just plain odd, scarecrows are fun to have at home around this time of year; and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens makes it easy to fashion one-of-a-kind scarecrows that will delight everyone. On Scarecrow Sunday, September 30, from 1 to 3 p.m., the whole family can pitch in to make their own creations. 

This popular fall event will be on the Great Lawn, or indoors if the weather is bad. The gardens will provide all the materials, including frames and hardware, stuffing, and clothing; and the staff will be on hand to help with the building process. While the gardens will supply clothing and accessories, families are welcome to bring any favorites from home that they’ve been longing to use. 

There will also be a chance to press cider during the festivities. In fact, until October 14, cider pressing is free to gardens visitors every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. 

The charge for Scarecrow Sunday is $10 per scarecrow, plus regular gardens admission. Participants are encouraged to sign up in advance to ensure that they’ll have a scarecrow. In addition, those who come early will have the best selection of scarecrow-making materials. 

To register, call 633-4333, ext. 101; visit www.Mainegardens.org; or stop by the gardens, off Barters Island Road in Boothbay.

The Boothbay Region Y will host a USTA Free Tennis Play Day on Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Y Field Hoouse from 8 to 10 a.m.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced that its hosting thousands of USTA Free Tennis Play Days in celebration of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play throughout the country in an effort to get kids active and involved in tennis during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in September. USTA Free Tennis Play Days will provide kids and parents of all skill levels with the opportunity to experience tennis in a social and fun setting.


USTA Free Tennis Play Days is geared toward getting more kids to participate in tennis by using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child’s size and ability. By utilizing shorter and lighter racquets, slower-bouncing balls, smaller courts and simplified scoring, children learn to play more quickly and easily while having more fun in the process.

Please join our tennis pros for a free morning of tennis instruction which introduces the 12-year-old child and younger to tennis skills.  

To learn more about USTA Free Tennis Play Days, please visit www.youthtennis.com.


Active Aging Week, the annual health promotion event for adults over 50 years old organized by International Council on Active Aging, will be held from Saturday, Sept. 22 to Saturday, Sept. 29. Spectrum Generations Coastal Community Center in Damariscotta.

The event will be held in collaboration with area watersheds, land trusts and conservation organizations has organized a series of special educational paddles, hikes and walks for older adults during Active Aging Week.

All Active Aging Week programs are free and open to the public and all generations. Paddles, hikes and walks are great ways for grandparents and grandchildren to enjoy Maine’s great outdoors together.  Advanced registration required.  To make your reservation place, call 563-1363 one day before the event is scheduled to take place.

Paddling

Paddling Adventure from Tenants Harbor/Long Cove with Peter Lawrence and the Pemaquid Watershed Association on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.

From Damariscotta take Route 1 north to Thomaston and then a right turn onto Route 131 South at the Knox/Montpelier mansion. Proceed for approximately nine miles to Tenants Harbor, taking a left turn down a lane several hundred feet beyond the general store to the launch area.

Walk the Great Salt Bay Heritage Trail

Explore the Flora and Fauna for the Great Salt Bay Estuary, September 25 from 1 to 2:30 p. m. Walk the Great Salt Bay Heritage Trail with Naturalist and Damariscotta River Association Education Coordinator Sarah Gladu. Gather at the Association’s farm house on Belvedere Road in Damariscotta.

Safe Outdoors

Safe Outdoors, with Lincoln County Health Care Physical Therapist Mike Cameron, will meet on September 25 at 3 p.m. at Spectrum Generations Coastal Community Center, 521 Main Street in Damariscotta. It is Preparation, participation, prevention and recovery strategies for hikers and walkers.

Lawn croquet

Six-Wicket Golf, September 26 at 2 p.m. at Jean Macleod’s home in Nobleboro. The golf style croquet game is the simplest form of six-wicket croquet, and the fastest growing in popularity

Shores of the Marsh River

Along the shores of the Marsh River with Lynne Flaccus, Program Manager for the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association, September 26 at 3 p.m. Meet at the entrance to the Marsh River Preserve.

Hike the Davis Stream Preserve

Forest Flood Plan Hike, Davis Stream Preserve, September 28 at 9 a.m. Join naturalist and Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association’s executive director Al Railsback in an easy hike and exploration of the forested floodplain. A great Maine outdoor weekend event. (http://www.dlwa.org/). Meet Al Rat the Willow Grange Hall on Washington Road, Jefferson Village for a hike to Davis Stream.

Interpretive hike

An interpretive hike of Bearce-Allen Trail, will be on September 29 at 1 p.m. Join Amelia Fogg, Environmental Educator for the Pemaquid Watershed Association at their preserve on Austin Road in Bristol. From Damariscotta, take Bristol Road, Route 130, 7.1 miles to Sproul Hill Road. Turn left and travel 0.2 miles. Turn right onto Austin Road. The preserve and trail head are on the left, with a small pullout for parking on the right.

Paddling adventure

A paddling adventure from Biscay Pond to Pemaquid Pond with Peter Lawrence and the Pemaquid Watershed Association, will take place on September 29 at 10 a.m.

Directions: From Damariscotta proceed on Business Route 1 (1 B) to Biscay Road (McDonald's on the corner). Travel about three miles passing Lessner Road and Biscay Pond Beach on your right over the bridge and to Fogler Road on the right. Go about one mile down Fogler to Mary Berger’s home at number 163. Put in will be at Mary’s. There will also be a cookout there (bring your own) at the end of the paddle. The paddle duration will be about two hours. Free with advanced registration, call 563-1363.

Miracle in Maine

Explore an unexpected oasis on Maine’s Coast, The People’s Garden, October 3 at 2:30 p.m. Be at Spectrum Generations Coastal Community Center, 521 Maine St. in Damariscotta by 1:30 p.m., and volunteer to drive a friend.

Active Aging Week was initiated by the International Council on Active Aging to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle on a national scale. During the week, organizations provide single or multiple activities, free to older adults, to share the active-aging message and showcase their age-friendly wellness programs. The goal of Active Aging Week is to give as many older adults as possible the means to experience activities and exercise in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere.

For more information, go to www.spectrumgenerations.org or call 563-1363.


The HMS Bounty, the star of “Mutiny on the Bounty” has returned to Boothbay Harbor. The 1962 replica of the historic HMS Bounty will be in the area for approximately four weeks while undergoing repairs at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.

A small crowd gathered Monday to watch the boat being hauled out of the water and into the cradle at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.

Boothbay Harbor Shipyard President Eric Graves said that the Bounty is a familiar sight on the docks.

“This boat has been here many times,” he said. “I think about 8 or 10 years ago the yard did a new bottom on the boat. That was a major refit. 

“Five years ago we rebuilt all the topsides, from the waterline-up is mostly new.”

This time, the Bounty is in Boothbay for smaller repairs.

“She has some bottom work and caulking to do, topside planking,” Graves said. “Also, we’ll be refitting new fuel tanks and water tanks and some minor systems work.

“It will be about a four week haul-out.”

The 180-foot tall ship is a replica of the famed HMS Bounty, which in April, 1789, suffered through a mutiny which ultimately led to the original ship’s sinking near the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific.

The replication Bounty was built in the early 1960s in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

The ship has had a 50-year movie career, and in addition to “Mutiny on the Bounty,” it has also been featured in 1989’s “Treasure Island,” 2006’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and 2007’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”

Working on historic and impressive boats is something the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard is only happy to do, Graves said.

“Big, traditional wooden vessels are our mainstay,” he said.

The "HMS Bounty” is in Boothbay Harbor for repairs. BEN BULKELEY/Boothbay Register

A soft plaintive “puwee” echoed in from out over the water as a small group of swift-winged birds, a tad smaller than robins, came zipping in to land on the shore. With their mud-brown backs and crisp white undersides, stubby bills, and orangey legs, these semipalmated plovers are, as one fellow birder recently said, “well put-together birds.” 

When you see one yourself you will know what she meant – the semipalmated plover is a neat and attractive looking birds.

Plovers and their cousins the sandpipers (which include yellowlegs, whimbrels, knots, and others) are collectively referred to by birders as shorebirds. To the uninitiated, any bird that inhabits the shore is, of course, a shore bird, so many lump in the herons, egrets, ducks, gulls, and other birds seen along the shore. 

But to birders, the term is restricted only to a species of plover or sandpiper, even though some of the so-called shorebirds may not occur commonly in marine shorelines – and some spend most of their time away from shores of any kind. 

For example, upland sandpipers nest in grasslands across the U.S. and winter in grasslands of southern South America, where they are joined by American golden plovers. 

The killdeer, a larger look-alike to the semipalmated plover but with two black breast bands rather than one, commonly nests throughout Maine, laying its three to four eggs directly on the ground in barren areas. Often, these areas are gravel driveways or parking lots where the birds can be seen trying to lure away intruders by dragging a wing as if injured – a behavior which probably works better on a fox than a human.

Most of the several dozen or so species of shorebirds that can be seen in Maine pass through only as migrants on their way north to and south from their arctic or subarctic breeding grounds. 

In spring, the adults tend to pass through quickly so they can reach their destination and begin nesting as soon as conditions permit. They lay only a single clutch, and the young are born fully feathered and ready to feed themselves immediately. The parents – usually just the female – will warm them and shield them from rain and snow and attempt to drive away predators, but the young are mobile and must feed themselves. 

Amazingly, after the young are able to fly the adults leave them and migrate south, some arriving in our area by July. The young continue feeding and learning on their own. Then following some built-in mental directive, they begin flying south without any knowledge of where they are headed. 

These young birds, like the semipalmated plovers we saw last week, can be identified based on plumage features like their crisp new-looking plumage and light-edgings to feathers on their backs and parts of the wings.

Especially to beginner bird enthusiasts but also to some more advanced birders, looking at shorebirds is frustrating, even – must we say it? – boring! But if you take the time, shorebirding is extremely enjoyable and rewarding. 

They may at first all look very much alike, but with a decent birding telescope or a careful, close approach with binoculars and a little time, you’ll see the beauty and intricacies of the feathers on individual birds. Hopefully, you’ll be hooked and start looking forward to the excitement that end-of-summer birding presents. 

Fortunately, the Boothbay area has many good places to look for shorebirds: mud flats and other places where birds feed during low tide or places they can rest undisturbed at high tide. The estuary area visible from the Boothbay Region Land Trust’s Oven’s Mouth Preserve and the salt marsh at the Zak Preserve are a few of the good places to look for shorebirds around Boothbay. 

Farther afield, check out Weskeag Marsh in Thomaston, Scarborough Marsh and nearby Pine Point, and Biddeford Pool or Maquoit Bay in Brunswick for chances to see lots of shorebirds.

Dr. Jeff Wells is the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. During his time at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and as the Audubon Society's national bird conservation director, Dr. Wells earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. Jeff's grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, also formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a widely published natural history writer and a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Together, they have been writing and teaching people about birds for decades. The Maine natives are authors of the highly acclaimed book, “Maine's Favorite Birds.”

A semipalmated plover navigates slick rocks. Courtesy of Kirk M. Rogers

The Wiscasset High School All-Sports Boosters has announced that they will be purchasing concussion headbands for any soccer player that chooses to wear one.

“Our players’ safety is our number one concern,” Boosters President Ann Kinney said.

“The game of soccer, especially the girls’ game, has gotten very aggressive,” she said.

The bands being purchased by the Boosters are the ForceField Protective Headbands, which retail for about $15 each. The headbands are “lightweight, ventilated and adjustable with an impact absorbing polymeric layer that wraps around the head, offering increased protection at crucial impact zones where many head impacts occur,” according to www.forcefieldheadbands.com.

The site also claims the band “reduces impact up to 80 percent.”

“It’s a small price to pay for this type of protection,” Kinney said.

The Boosters raise money through the sale of concessions at the Snack Shack, which is opened for every home soccer game.

They offer hot and cold drinks, hot dogs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, baked goods and more. The Boosters plan to have a booth at the Wiscasset Family Days Airshow at the Wiscasset Airport on October 6.

Besides the concussion bands, the Boosters recently sponsored several homecoming events at Wiscasset High School, which were very well attended.

“We wanted to bring homecoming back to where it used to be,” Kinney said.

In efforts to raise school spirits around the Wolverine mascot, the Boosters have been working with the high school administration to make some revisions to the existing Wolverine logo.

The Boosters have collected and submitted four images that students will soon be voting on. “We are hoping the students will embrace the Wolverine mascot if they have a say on the logo,” Kinney said.

They also provide the sportsmanship awards for each sport.

Other officers of the 2012-2013 Boosters include: Heidi and Danny Grover, co-vice presidents; Lori Urquhart, treasurer; and Colleen Whitaker, secretary.

The Boosters Club can be reached at whsboosters@roadrunner.com; and their Facebook page, whsallsportsboosters. Its next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Wiscasset High School Library.

“We are always looking for help,” Kinney said.

The young visitor on the left holds his hand out to is dad for money to spend at the Snack Shack operated by the Wiscasset High School All-Sports Boosters Club. KATHY ONORATO/Wiscasset Newspaper

A Chippendales dancer who grew up in Jefferson is competing on the popular CBS reality show “The Amazing Race.” James Davis, 27, is on the season premiere September 30.

His mother, Kitty O'Neill of Bath, doesn't know how her son fared on the show or how many episodes he lasted. He's not supposed to tell anybody.

“So I'll be watching just like the rest of the world. I don't know anything about the outcome. It'll be just as exciting for me as the next person,” she said. O'Neill is also a former resident of Jefferson.

In a telephone interview September 25, Davis, of Las Vegas, Nev., said he hadn't seen many episodes of the long-running show until his best friend, fellow Chippendale James Vaughan, was approached to be on it. But when Davis did watch, it looked like something he'd like to do.

He described his and Vaughan's experience as one of 11 teams on the show as “an absolute blast.” His Maine roots, including “that small-town kind of tenacity (and) work ethic,” helped him, as they always do in his life, he said.

The show sends pairs of contestants around the world, earning clues to locations through a series of challenges. Some tasks are largely physical, others mental. Davis should be good at either, his mother said.

“He has always been an adventurous type,” she said. In his youth he formed music bands and frequently changed his hair color.

O'Neill is so excited about her son's participation in the show, she has emailed all of her fellow employees at Regional School Unit 1 where she teaches speech and language.

Davis, who is also the son of Paul Davis of Jefferson, attended the Jefferson Village School from kindergarten through eighth grade. He went on to Erskine Academy and finished high school in Las Vegas.

James Davis and fellow Chippendale Jaymes Vaughan are the fourth pair from the left in the back row of this season's “Amazing Race” contenders. Davis, formerly of Jefferson, is the one on the right. Courtesy of CBS

After a 7-0 loss with St. Dom’s last week (September 18) the Wiscasset High School boys’ varsity have won three straight and improved to 6-3-1 on the season. The Wolverines enjoyed wins this week over Winthrop, Dirigo and Lisbon.

Currently the Wolverines sit in 4th place in the Western Maine Class C standings with four games remaining.

Wiscasset 5, Winthrop 3 (September 20)

First half goals by Bryson Grover, J.D. Souza and Zach Ellison and two second half goals by Dale Peaslee earned the Wolverines a 5 to 3 win over Winthrop on September 20.  Souza and Mason Whitaker each had an assist each. The Wolverines outshot the Winthrop 23-18.  Wiscasset then raveled to South China on Saturday and beat Dirigo 2 to 1.

Wiscasset 4, Lisbon 4 (September 25)

Grover scored two first half goals to lead Wiscasset to a 4-0 win over Lisbon on Tuesday. Peaslee and Ellison each added a goal in the second half. Souza and Whitaker each had an assist in the game. Nate Mills had 12 saves for Wiscasset.

JD Souza makes his move past a Lisbon defender in Wiscasset’s game with Lisbon. KATHY ONORATO/Wiscasset Newspaper

In a game in which five yellow cards and two red cards were handed out for shoving and pushing, the Wiscasset girls soccer team dominated the Winthrop Ramblers at home on Monday, defeating them 4-0.

Winthrop players received three yellow cards and two reds, while the Ramblers coach earned himself a yellow card. Wiscasset received one yellow card.

“They were pretty tense, but we kept our cool and played our game,” Wiscasset captain Sarah Hanley said.

Wiscasset took an early 2-0 lead. Maeve Carlson scored unassisted just three minutes in. Five minutes later Kasey Cromwell scored on a cross from Shania Marr. Wiscasset controlled the ball most of the half and had several scoring opportunities but wasn’t able to capitalize.

Early in the second half, a penalty for pushing gave Carlson an indirect kick, which she placed over the head of Winthrop’s goalie giving Wiscasset a 3-0 lead.

Wiscasset’s final score came with 19:32 remaining in the game and was executed by Miranda McIntire. Alecia Faulkingham was credited with the assist.  

“We played hard and had some nice crosses,” Coach Duane Goud said. “We had a lot of opportunities and we were working well together.

Wiscasset outshot Winthrop, 22-0.

With the win, Wiscasset improved their record to 8-3-1. Next up for the Wolverines is a game with Oak Hill (6-4-0) in a doubleheader with the boys on October 9 at 6:30 p.m.  They wrap up the regular season on October 11 at Hall-Dale (7-3-1) at 3:30 p.m.


Tylan Onorato moves the ball up field for Wiscasset

For the second time in a month, Boothbay Harbor Shipyard will play host to a famous replica ship.

The Freedom Schooner Amistad is currently moored in Boothbay Harbor, and will eventually be hauled-out by the Shipyard.

Hanifa Washington, the director of education and community outreach for Amistad America, said the 80-foot ship was returning from Nova Scotia to its home port in New Haven, Conn., when it began experiencing problems with its propeller. Washington said that the ship would first be hauled-out in Boothbay Harbor, but that it might be hauled-out for the season in Portland.

The Freedom Schooner Amistad is a replica of La Amistad, which during an 1839 journey from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba, was overtaken by the 53 African captives on board. The resulting court case, U.S. v. The Amistad, was considered a landmark civil rights case.

The tale of La Amistad was featured in 1997s “Amistad” by Steven Spielberg.

The Freedom Schooner Amistad is the second famous replica ship to be anchored in Boothbay in one month. On September 17, the Bounty, which was the star of 1962s “Mutiny on the Bounty” was hauled-out at the shipyard.

The Bounty is currently undergoing several repairs, and is scheduled to stay at the shipyard for another two weeks.

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.

The "Freedom Schooner Amistad" is moored in Boothbay Harbor for the week. BEN BULKELEY/Boothbay Register

This colorful array of mums and pumpkins arranged with a portion of a wooden barrel on a leaf-covered lawn is on the corner of Federal and Hooper streets in Wiscasset.

Mums will flower until the first hard frost hits. GARY DOW/Wiscasset Newspaper

A horse-and-rider duo from Sea-Vu Farm in Boothbay pulled off a record-breaking win October 9, at the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show. Caroline Cadorette, 8, became the 40-year-old show’s youngest-ever world champion in the ages 11 and under, walk-trot-hunter-pleasure class, her mother reported from Oklahoma.

“She rode the ride of a lifetime,” Meagan Cadorette wrote of her daughter’s performance with the mare the girl owns, Pondview Pure Elegance, or Ellie. “(A)s you can all imagine we are overjoyed for this kid from Maine who at 4 years old asked when she could do a horse show with ribbons. Who’d have thought she would accomplish what she did today?”

En route to the win, Cadorette, of Portland, and Ellie survived a ride-off that whittled a field of 27 down to 16. Competitors qualified for the Oklahoma show via regional events.

The world championship was the second title the duo snagged in this year’s show. They were named 2012 Grand National Champions in the age 8 and under division of Walk Trot Hunter Pleasure.

“I’m very, very happy, for Ellie and myself. We worked so hard for it,” Cadorette said in a telephone interview after the earlier win.

While competing in the earlier event, Cadorette felt the ride was going well, although she thought Ellie might have been going a little fast due to enjoying the moment in the spotlight. “You could tell Ellie really liked that ring, because it was kind of like she was showing off,” Cadorette said, laughing. The horse is known for enjoying the attention of a crowd.

The two had two more events to go in the show, which concludes October 13. Cadorette is the granddaughter of Boothbay Region High School teacher Penny McLaughlin and Vinnie McLaughlin of Boothbay.

In other results so far for the Sea-Vu Farm contingent, Boothbay Region High School freshman Skyler Davis, 14, of Boothbay, with Lucy, also known as “Sensational Touch,” finished fifth in the 13-and-under division of Saddleseat Classic Equitation; the duo came in tenth in Grand National Classic Pleasure Saddle Junior Exhibitor, 13 and under.

Joanne Lewis, driving AMZ Tiger Lilly or “Patty,” as she’s called around the barn, came in fourth in Grand National Classic Pleasure Driving, Ladies-Mares and eighth in Grand National Classic Pleasure Driving Masters.

And Christin Bailey, 18, of Boothbay, with Sea-Vu Noble Aire, or “Nicki,” finished eighth in Grand National Hunter Seat On The Flat Equitation, 17-year-olds division.

Susan Johns can be reached at 844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.

Related article: Training for world-class event

Caroline Cadorette and Ellie after their first win in the show, days before they became world champs and Cadorette became the youngest winner the show has ever had in that class. Courtesy of Meagan Cadorette.

“It’s just a sparrow.” 

Bird enthusiasts hear and use that phrase a lot this time of year. 

Every October here in Maine, we are inundated with sparrows. Just about every weedy field, roadside and backyard is busy with a flock of sparrows. 

The word sparrow by itself can describe any one of hundreds of species around the world, including even some that are unrelated to each other: the familiar (though non-native) house sparrow that lives around our towns and cities is actually of the old world sparrow family and is completely unrelated to our native new world sparrow family. 

It gets even more interesting when you discover that the new world sparrow family contains not just “sparrows” but birds like towhees and juncos.

While it is true that most of the species that carry the name “sparrow” sport some shade of brown in their plumage, that doesn’t mean, as some people seem to think, that they are by definition drab-colored birds. 

For example, take the white-crowned sparrow that nests in the Canadian taiga to our north and passes south through Maine at this time of year. In adult plumage, the white and black stripes on the head of this bulky sparrow are strikingly bold, accentuated with a pinkish bill. 

The even larger fox sparrow is a mix of bright rusty red and battleship gray. The tiny, short-tailed savannah sparrow has a yellow eyebrow. The seldom-seen vesper sparrow has a white eye-ring, white sides on its tail, and a reddish patch on the bend of its wing. That last feature was immortalized in one of the most charming of the old-fashioned names for the species, the bay-winged bunting. 

One of the most common sparrows at this time of year is the white-throated sparrow. Like the white-crowned sparrow, the familiar form of this species has bold black-and-white head stripes (accented with some yellow in front of the eye) but also a white throat and a black, rather than pink, bill. 

There are very likely millions of white-throated sparrows that pass through Maine from points north every fall, with their high, thin “seet” notes issuing from just about every brush pile and shrubby edge in the state. They also nest throughout Maine. 

For us and many others, their beautiful whistled song, sounding like some variation of “Old Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody” or as our Canadian friends like to say, “Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada” is one of the most beloved and familiar sounds of summer. 

Along the coast at this time of year, avid birders also scour sparrow flocks for the occasional rarity that could show up from farther west or south. Monhegan Island is especially well known as a magnet for rare or uncommon sparrow species in late September and October, where it is not unlikely that more westerly species like clay-colored sparrow and lark sparrow can occur. 

We once took a winter ferry out to Cliff Island off Portland to see a very rare golden-crowned sparrow, a species that normally winters along the Pacific Coast from southern British Columbia to California.

Even if you’re not particularly interested in learning how to tell a Lincoln’s sparrow from a song sparrow, we encourage you to stop and take a look a closer look at those flocks of migrating sparrows passing through your backyard today. If you do, you may find yourself never using the phrase “it’s just a sparrow” ever again.

Dr. Jeff Wells is the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. During his time at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and as the Audubon Society's national bird conservation director, Dr. Wells earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. Jeff's grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, also formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a widely published natural history writer and a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Together, they have been writing and teaching people about birds for decades. The Maine natives are authors of the highly acclaimed book, “Maine's Favorite Birds.”

A white-crowned sparrow. Courtesy of Jeffrey Wells

As nearly 30 students filled the Wiscasset Middle School gym for their physical education class last week, Jim Walsh turned, smiled and said, “If I were a rookie teacher, I would be in trouble.” With 40 years of educational experience, Walsh is anything but a rookie.

Teaching PE at the Wiscasset Middle School is not the only hat Walsh wears for Wiscasset schools. He is also the new athletic director for both the Wiscasset Middle School and Wiscasset High School, which means he oversees the entire sports programs at each school.

His duties as athletic director range from ordering equipment and supplies, hiring and evaluating coaches, scheduling officials, dealing with parents and spectators, meeting the Maine Principals’ Association guidelines and deadlines and doing whatever else is necessary to prepare for a school athletic event.

He said most athletic directors begin work in July for the fall season. But he didn’t begin until September when the district had to find a replacement for Tenlee Libby, who left to take another position.

So Walsh admitted he “has things to catch up on” and said his goals are “to survive the fall, get settled for the winter, and have things down pat by spring. “Something like the lyrics in a Kelly Clarkson song, ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger,’” he said.

He’s learning that organization skills are the key for success in his new position.

Coming off a week in which he had to cancel two games in row because of rain, he says inclement weather is his “worst enemy.” Rescheduling not only the games, but the officials and transportation can be challenging he said.

At the middle school level he said he would like his athletes to keep things in perspective. “I want them to have a good experience, so they will want to play at the next level,” Walsh said. At this level, “It’s not about winning or losing.”

Although high school sports are more competitive, he still wants athletes set priorities and put academics first; he feels sports are an extension of the classroom.

Sportsmanship is also important to him. He says he has already witnessed good sportsmanship at Wiscasset games.

When asked about the declining numbers in sports participation at Wiscasset High School, Walsh said that it was difficult to increase the numbers. Kids have distractions, like jobs, that keep them from committing to a team, he said. But, “coaches need to be recruiters,” he said.

According to Walsh, Wiscasset High School has about 50 students participating in fall sports or 25 percent of the student population, which “isn’t bad,” he said.  

Although new to the position of athletic director, Walsh has an extensive athletic background. He has experience as a player, coach and even as a basketball official. He played high school football, basketball and baseball. In college he was a defensive back for the University of Maine football team.

Walsh has also coached football and baseball at both the junior high and high school levels.

After a 15-year retirement from coaching, this past year he coached the Maine Sabers, a semi-pro football team. As a New England Patriot season ticket holder, he admits that football is his favorite sport, but it is closely followed by hockey.

Since 1997 Walsh has worked in administration, holding positions as assistant principal and principal at schools in Maine. His last position as assistant principal at Old Orchard Beach High School was eliminated during budget cuts.

Walsh said the transition from Old Orchard Beach to Wiscasset has been smooth. The schools are about the same size and he likes the intimacy of the small schools.

“The principals and staff in Wiscasset have been great. Wiscasset is a close knit community that takes a lot of pride in their athletic programs,” Walsh said.

Jim Walsh demonstrates soccer drills to his Wiscasset Middle School gym class on Friday afternoon. KATHY ONORATO/Wiscasset Newspaper

On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 and 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. each day, the Boothbay Railway Village will be presenting its annual Ghost Train and Haunted Hayride. This always popular event is the chance to experience the scary happenings in an otherwise peaceful and rural village.

In the spirit of fun, the passengers will pass through cemeteries, see zombies, hear strange animals and experience other sights of unimaginable creatures. The train ride and hayride are suitable for all ages and sure to be a fun and memorable experience for all.

Our train crew for the evening will be none other than the now infamous “Casey Bones” and our conductor “Frankenstein.” Several surprise goblins and such will ably assist the engineer and train crew.

The Village Store will be open for gift buying and admissions, then visitors will tour the haunted station and ride the Ghost Train if they dare. The Harbor Children's Center will be providing refreshments from cider to homemade cookies.

Admission for the event will be $10 for all attendees three years and older, museum members are $7 with a family rate of $40. The experience is designed to be appropriate for children from ages 4 and up. For more information, call the Railway Village at 633-4727 or visit www.railwayvillage.org.

The Ghost Train will be at the station on October 26 and 27 at the Boothbay Railway Village.

Both the Wiscasset High School boys and girls soccer teams are headed to the quarterfinal round of the Western Maine Class C tournaments.

The girls finished at 10-3-1 and sit in 5th place. They will travel to Portland to play #4 Waynflete (8-1-4) a on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Game time is 3:15.

The boys ended their season with a record of 7-6-1 are seeded #6. The boys will play on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Dom's in Auburn. (Note: This is a change from an earlier report.)

The 2012 Lady Wolverines include, from left, front row: Captains Sarah Hanley, Brianna Goud and Alyssa Smith; second row: Erika Auger, Samantha Arsenault, Maeve Carlson, Kennedy Orr and Katie-Lyn Mills; third row: Maddy Wehrle, Kasey Cromwell, Rachael Berry, Tylan Onorato, Hannah Maloy and Trinity Jacques; back row: Makayla Trudeau, Colleen Hendricks, Shelby Johnson, Miranda McIntire, Kayla Gordon, Alecia Faulkingham, Hanna Foye, Shania Marr and Coach Duane Goud. KATHY ONORATO/Wiscasset Newspaper

Just the other day we were driving down Route 27 toward Wiscasset admiring the red and gold autumn hillsides when a football-sized bird, its short wings in a blur, came bursting from the roadside trees and flashed across in front of us. It was a ruffed grouse, and fortunately neither our car nor any others were close enough to make it his last flight. 

By “ruffed grouse” of course we mean a partridge, which is what most Mainers call the ruffed grouse. Certainly when we were growing up we heard people speak of going partridge hunting, never grouse hunting. But the official name of the species as determined by none other than the American Ornithologists’ Union is ruffed grouse.

The one that we saw rocketing across the road recently may have just been one flushed from its hiding place by a person or animal, or it may have been a young bird following a mysterious urge to move away from where it was hatched – nobody has yet been able to answer the question, “Why did the chicken cross the road,” and the same can probably be assumed of grouse. 

But ruffed grouse are famous for what have been called “crazy flights,” when a dispersing bird takes off and flies fast and straight (grouse don’t seem to be able to fly any other way) until it either finds a nice-looking patch of habitat or it gets into trouble. 

What kind of trouble? Flying in front of cars is one kind of trouble that often is serious. But there are lots of stories about ruffed grouse flying straight through the plate glass windows of homes and even of shop windows in downtowns, leaving the startled people inside wondering if they were under attack. We well remember finding the body of an unfortunate bird on a sidewalk in front of a storefront in downtown Bangor.

What partridges are better known for, though, are the low thumping sound that the males make to attract females and defend their territories from other males. Many a person has been fooled into thinking that a distant tractor was being started up each morning before they discovered that the sound was really the drumming of a ruffed grouse from the woods nearby. 

Incredibly, the males make the sound by standing erect (usually on a large fallen log) and snapping the wings forward and backward in the air so quickly that it makes a thumping sound. The single thumps start off slow and then eventually speed up into a rolling purr at the end. This sound is most easily heard in the spring, when the male ruffed grouse do this drumming display to attract females that they hope will choose to mate with them. Males sometimes also do some drumming in the fall, too, presumably to let any newcomer males know that they should keep moving and to let females in the area know that they might want to stick around until next spring. 

Of course, it’s bird-hunting season here in Maine, so other birds aren’t the only creatures that may tune in to a drumming partridge. If a hunter hears it, that sound could be – can we say it? – a dead give away.

Dr. Jeff Wells is the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. During his time at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and as the Audubon Society's national bird conservation director, Dr. Wells earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. Jeff's grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, also formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a widely published natural history writer and a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Together, they have been writing and teaching people about birds for decades. The Maine natives are authors of the highly acclaimed book, “Maine's Favorite Birds.”


Ruffed grouse. Courtesy of Kirk Rogers

Adam Chadbourne of Woolwich had a second and a sixth place at the Wiscasset Speedway on October 21, earning him two trophies. No money was on the line Sunday. But that was all right with Chadbourne. He was just glad to be back at the speedway. “I missed it,” he said.

Join him for a ride around the track:


Full article

If you're a parent with children in the Wiscasset Area, you know this weekend is Halloween-a-palooza!  On Sunday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. take an hour out to relax at a casual, free fall festival and celebrate the season with family and friends.  Harvest Festival activities include cider pressing, bobbing for apples, sack races, apple pie contest, the Morris Farm 4-H Club's second annual bake sale fundraiser and facepainting.

Bring your pie to the Harvest Festival by noon to enter the Apple Pie Contest. The winner will get a free one-year family membership to the Morris Farm plus bragging rights for a year!  This is a free, family friendly event. Visitors can also visit the barn animals, view the pastures, tour the Morris Farm gardens and hike out to the Yurt.

In the event of a storm, we will cancel this event.  Check out www.morrisfarm.org for updates.

Wolverines’ captain Zachary Ellison put it this way, “We played hard, but they were so skilled.” It came as no surprise to the Wolverines that the quarterfinal game with St. Dom’s was going to be a tough one. Especially having been shut down 7 to 0 by them earlier in season. The Saints (13-0-1) seeded No. 2 in the Western Maine Class C tournament easily defeated Wiscasset (7-6-1) seeded 7th, 8 to1 on Oct. 24 in Auburn. Seven different players scored for St. Dom’s including two by Tyler Furtado. Wiscasset’s only score came on penalty kick by Ellison with 24:31 left to go in the game.

After a red card was handed to Bryson Grover early in the second half, the Wolverines had to play with one less player for the remainder of the game.

Other scorers for St. Dom’s were William Desmarais, Robert Pollaozzi, Eric Link, Jonathan Hudson, Austin Ray, and Jacob Charest.

Wiscasset keeper Nate Mills was busy and was credited with eight saves.

Defender Ryan Hanley works hard to get to the ball in Wiscasset’s quarterfinal game with St. Dom’s. KATHY ONORATO/Wiscasset Newspaper

They appear about every two years. 

They come in groups, sometimes numbering more than a hundred, and may stay in backyards for weeks. They arrive without invitation and with no advance notice. 

Often times they are loud and engage in violent squabbles right in front of the neighbors.  They will not take to indoor plumbing and let their food scraps just fall to the ground.

Fortunately, we aren’t talking about people. We’re talking about pine siskins, small, streaky brown finches about the size of the American goldfinch with sharp little pinkish bills used to eat seeds. Pine siskins are one of a group of mostly northern finches whose populations show a rather unusual pattern. About every two years, exceedingly large numbers of them will appear far south of where they normally nest and winter. The numbers during these influx years vary as do the geographic regions where the finches appear.

Biologists often describe these events as “irruptions,” which may sound more like violent volcanic activity than is intended. But the idea is that the birds irrupt from their normal range and into atypical places.

In a way, these events are more like the large-scale movements of human refugees out of places where food and water are no longer readily available, which may partly explain why a flock of pine siskins that finds your backyard bird feeders can polish off so many pounds of sunflower seeds every day.

A precise understanding of how and why pine siskins and other species show these 2-year cycles of irruption is still elusive. For example, the large numbers of long-distance migrants one year could be the result of a very successful breeding season that results in more birds than food in the breeding range. 

Or the success of the breeding season may not matter, but instead the irruption could be due to a collapse in the natural food supply that would normally last them through the winter. 

More likely, it is a combination of both.

Whatever the exact cause, the northeastern U.S. is hosting major numbers of pine siskins right now. Last week we glanced out our kitchen window to see about 75 of them squabbling over our bird feeders. 

Birders from across Maine have been regaling each other for the last two weeks with tales of being descended upon by flocks of pine siskins. And though it’s hard to believe, small numbers have already made it as far south as South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi! 

There are also early indications that some other northern finches may be appearing in higher numbers in our area. Evening grosbeaks and purple finches have been spotted. Farther north in the state, pine grosbeaks have been seen as well.

Even if a flock of pine siskins or other northern finches in your backyard are chowing through your sunflower seed stash faster than a teenager eating French fries, enjoy them while you can. Tomorrow they may be gone, and you never know when you might see them again.

Dr. Jeff Wells is the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. During his time at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and as the Audubon Society's national bird conservation director, Dr. Wells earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. Jeff's grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, also formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a widely published natural history writer and a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Together, they have been writing and teaching people about birds for decades. The Maine natives are authors of the highly acclaimed book, “Maine's Favorite Birds.”


Pine siskin. Courtesy of Jeffrey Wells

Deer hunters took to the woods early Saturday morning, Oct. 27, in clear, mild weather for the first day of firearms deer hunting season. There are mixed reviews as to number of deer in the Midcoast region, but hunters interviewed at the annual Hunters' Breakfast at the Alna Fire Station said they enjoy getting out in the woods, regardless of what they find.

“It's something I look forward to every fall,” Wiscasset resident Dave Sawyer said. He started hunting with his father and uncle when he was very young and has now been practicing the ritual for 48 years. 

Sawyer said he has not seen many deer in the past couple of years, but believes there may be more out there in this part of Maine. 

Like some hunters, Sawyer guessed he has a 50 percent chance of bagging a deer. Even if the deer population isn't what people expect, he said it is still a good experience: rising in the dark of early morning, treading softly out into the woods and finding a place to witness the stirring of life as daybreak approaches. He said it's exciting when he finally catches a glimpse of a deer, but hunts with practiced caution. 

The firearms portion of deer season runs from October 27 until November 24. The season overall runs until December 8.

Sawyer follows a certain ethic in hunting. He has taken the hunter safety course four times and is careful about what he shoots. For example, he said he would not shoot a doe if it is clear to him her fawns are not fully grown. To shoot a doe with a fawn that has not reached maturity enough to care for itself is like shooting two deer, he said. 

The hunters in Alna seemed thrilled about finally getting out into the woods, regardless of whether or not they saw a deer. Though it was just before 5:30 a.m., friends gathered around tables bantered with one another and grinned over cups of steaming coffee. 

Michelle Bryer, who came to the breakfast early, was eager to get outside. She gave herself the same chance of finding a deer as Sawyer. She said she has seen deer off the side of the road as she traveled by car, “but that doesn't mean there aren’t more in the woods.”

According to Mike Witte, an Advisory Council member for Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W), deer populations in the southern tier of the state are “doing very well.” Witte is the Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties’ representative on the council. 

He added that making an accurate determination is difficult. Deer in the Midcoast and southern parts of the state are protected to some extent by human activity. However, deer herds move in reaction to any development activities, such as cutting several acres of trees, so keeping track of them is a challenge. A healthy deer herd in the southern tier may also be attributed to last year's mild winter. 

Two dangers threatening deer herds each winter are ice crusts on top of snow and coyote attacks. Deer, with large upper torsos and long legs, struggle through heavy snow and when ice forms on top they are at a significant disadvantage when coyotes prey on them.

Witte said the northern deer herd seems to be doing better. He said the fawn counts are up, which shows reproduction is good. And deer in the north are not as stressed out as in past winters, “but we are right on the edge.” The health of a deer herd is weather-dependent and no one knows for sure how they will fare this winter. “People don't seem to understand that a successful management plan takes five to seven years; it doesn't just happen overnight,” Witte said.

Witte said Maine has one of the best hunter education programs in the nation. He estimates that 200-300 people have taken courses this year. The IF&W has information online for archery, crossbow and firearms hunter education, as well as a handy downloadable “Lost Hunter's Guide.”

Assistant Chief Roger Whitney makes home fries while fellow volunteer firefighter David Seigers supervises. JOHN MAGUIRE/Wiscasset Newspaper

On the way to drop off our son at school the other day, we made the sad discovery that our favorite bald eagle nest had disappeared from its high perch atop a stately old pine tree. The winds of Hurricane Sandy had been too much for the limbs bearing the weight of a massive platform of sticks. Sitting right beside where the nest had been was an adult bald eagle. We imagined it feeling as shocked and dismayed as a person would be whose home was lost or damaged, though who knows what an eagle really experiences in such situations?

Now the bald eagle pair will need to build a new nest, here or somewhere else, in order to continue raising more young, as they had at the original nest for many years.
No doubt this one of many eagle and osprey pairs up and down the East Coast to have lost their nest. But at least in the case of this local eagle pair, the birds were still there. Hurricanes are famous for sweeping lots of birds up in their windy embrace and carrying them, sometimes thousands of miles, before the winds die down enough for the birds to land.

Given that hurricanes arise over the ocean, it’s probably no surprise that the birds that get caught in and displaced by hurricanes the most are seabirds. Birders know this. After hurricanes, we and our ilk often go out looking for these far-from-home oddities. Sometimes they end up hundreds of miles inland and will be seen on lakes or major rivers trying to locate food and find their way back.

We well remember seeing the small, dark swallow-like Wilson’s storm-petrels that flitted around on Cayuga Lake in upstate New York following the passage of a September hurricane. Wilson’s storm-petrels nest in the sub-Antarctic, spend the southern winter in our ocean waters, and normally never leave the sea. Imagine how confusing it would be to see land in all directions rather than the open ocean you were accustomed to.

Sometimes hurricanes and other big storms also blow migrating songbirds or other non-seabirds off course as well. Although here in Maine we didn’t see any major fall-outs of rare hurricane seabirds, birders in Maine did begin finding a number of cattle egrets around the state a few days after Hurricane Sandy had passed through. Others have been surprised to see certain migrants at their feeders that should have been farther south by now, like indigo bunting and rose-breasted grosbeak. It’s impossible to tell, but these all may be hurricane related.

Keep an eye out both in the waters and shore and also at your feeders to see what shows up. Keep a camera handy to document anything unusual. You might also take a moment to check in on your favorite bald eagle and osprey nests. While there’s little you can do to help them rebuild, if you find the nests survived just fine that’s sure to add a little comfort to your day.

Dr. Jeff Wells is the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. During his time at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and as the Audubon Society's national bird conservation director, Dr. Wells earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. Jeff's grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, also formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a widely published natural history writer and a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Together, they have been writing and teaching people about birds for decades. The Maine natives are authors of the highly acclaimed book, “Maine's Favorite Birds.”

Bald eagle. Courtesy of Kirk Rogers

If you celebrate Thanksgiving and you’re not a vegetarian, chances are you will be enjoying a turkey dinner November 22, but not in the way history had the settlers feasting on the birds in 1621. According to one text, “besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many.” Of course, the turkey you’ll partake of is hardly the bird the Native Americans shared with the Pilgrims.

Wild turkeys are so numerous today that it’s hard to believe there was a time when there were none left in Maine at all. Due to over-hunting and habitat loss, the  species had disappeared by the early 1800s (and from large parts of its North American range).

In the 1970s, Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Agency began a reintroduction program. When attempts to establish populations from game farms failed, they released 41 wild birds from Vermont into southern Maine.

Today, it’s not uncommon to see flocks of several dozen grazing for seeds, acorns and fruits as you’re driving through just about any area of the state. In fact, you can often see them without leaving your yard at all, as even relatively large flocks are perfectly willing to make themselves at home around your backyard bird feeder. Introduction programs have been so successful that Maine now has spring and fall hunting season for wild turkeys.

Domesticated turkeys (other than the all white ones) can look very similar to wild turkeys, except that they retain the white or buffy tail band. Those tail bands hint at their original origin from turkeys brought back to Europe from Mexico by early explorers. Check the tails on those backyard turkeys to see where they came from.

As the nickname “gobbler” suggests, wild turkeys do in fact gobble (at least the males do) and the sound of a gobbling turkey in spring has become familiar to many in Maine. Males also strut with their tail feathers spread and fleshy face patches in full display to attract females for mating. But once the eggs hatch, the males pay them no heed; the young follow the females and soon are feeding themselves. Females and the young join other broods to form flocks that can number in the dozens. Some winter flocks may even reach several hundred.

The next time you see one of these flocks when you’re out and about (even if you find them gobbling up your bird feeder seed) remember there were once no turkeys left in Maine – so try to be thankful. Even if it isn’t Thanksgiving.

Dr. Jeff Wells is the senior scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. During his time at the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology and as the Audubon Society's national bird conservation director, Dr. Wells earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. Jeff's grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, also formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a widely published natural history writer and a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Together, they have been writing and teaching people about birds for decades. The Maine natives are authors of the highly acclaimed book, “Maine's Favorite Birds.”

Wild turkey. Courtesy of Kirk Rogers

The owner of the Monkey C Monkey Do, Roland Lacombe, announced recently he will move his year round skating rink to an indoor facility.

The new facility will be at the Wiscasset Market Place, Route 1, between the Dollar Store and the Kidz Closet. It will be called the Mid-Coast Skating & Practice Center.

The 4,000-square-foot indoor facility will offer family skating, family hockey games; youth hockey games and practice; goalie practice; many games that can be played on ice; birthday parties, day or night, rain or shine; and much more.   

The scheduled opening date is December 1. For further details on available times, prices and specials, call 207-751-2866.

Charlotte Boynton can be reached at 207-844-4632 or cboynton@wiscassetnewspaper.com.

“My goals for this season is to work everyday with a positive attitude, respect our teammates and opponents, improve our skills and be as competitive as possible,” said Wiscasset High School girls’ varsity coach, Patrick Quinn.

Quinn will be looking to Heidi Pinkham, a senior guard, Brianna Goud, a junior forward and Kasey Cromwell, a junior guard, to take on leadership roles. Quinn said they have had a couple years playing together and have matured a lot as a trio.  Their understanding of team strategies has greatly improved.  

Other players returning include sophomores Alecia Faulkingham (guard), Kayla Gordon (forward), Miranda McIntire (forward) and Hanna Foye  (forward). The varsity Wolverines will get some help from newcomers juniors Hannah Campbell (forward) and Shania Marr (forward); sophomores Tylan Onorato (guard), Hannah Maloy (guard), Rachel Berry (guard); and freshman Colleen Hendricks (forward).

“With an athletic core of sophomores, we will be quicker than recent Wiscasset teams.  The girls have had excellent ball movement in the preseason with more balanced scoring.  We will have more flexibility in terms of switching defenses and recover,” Quinn said.

Quinn admitted his squad will have a tougher time rebounding with the loss of Kayla Connors, who pulled down 424 rebounds over the last two seasons. “Everyone will have to work harder on the glass to make up for her loss,” he said.

“The soccer team had a bit of Renaissance this fall. With several of the same players, I hope the winning mindset can permeate our team as well.  These girls like to compete.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do.”

“Madison, Spruce Mountain, Boothbay and Mt. Abram appear to be the cream of the crop in the Mountain Valley Conference this year,” Quinn said. “To be competitive in the Mountain Valley Conference we will have to keep turnovers down, help each other on defense and find ways to get quality shots.”

He said he thinks Wiscasset should have close games with Lisbon, Winthrop, St. Dom’s, Carrabec and Telstar. 

The Wolverines defeated Morse High School in a preseason game  Wednesday, Nov. 28. “It was far from a perfect game but there was a lot to build on. I can't remember a time when we've been down 10 and come back,” Quinn said. 

The Lady Wolverines will travel to Bethel to play Telstar in their season opener December 7.

Wiscasset Coach Patrick Quinn discusses team strategy during a timeout during their scrimmage with Morse High School November 28. KATHY ONORATO/Wiscasset Newspaper

The first ever Shop Local event, organized by the Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce, brought together local organizations and businesses for holiday activities. Top prizes were awarded to Sarah's Cafe (third), the Sylvan Gallery (second) and Deborah Elizabeth's (first) as part of a holiday decorating contest. The Miss Wiscasset Diner, Possibilities Salon and The First were bestowed honorable mentions for their holiday decorating efforts.

Santa Claus coasts into Wiscasset aboard the Angelina, along Frosty and Rudolf, to greet the crowds at the town landing for a special holiday celebration December 1. JOHN MAGUIRE/Wiscasset Newspaper
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