Conlon Ranta struck out nine batters and allowed just three hits, leading the Wolverines to a 4-2 win over visiting Telstar High School in Mountain Valley Conference baseball action May 4.

Ranta breezed though the first three innings, throwing just 26 pitches. He helped his own cause in the first inning with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Grant Hefler, who had walked and moved around to third base. Wiscasset added two more runs in the second inning to go up 3-0.

Daren Wood led off the home half of the third inning with a single to center field and then stole second. Tyler Bailey followed by flying out to center and Ranta then grounded out, advancing Wood to third. Alex Webber then flied out to end the inning.

After giving up a single to the leadoff batter in the fourth, Ranta retired the next three Telstar batters. In the home half of the inning, Grant Hefler singled and drove in Chayse Reed to make it 4-0.

Both of Telstar’s runs came in the sixth inning, the result of a base hit, a walk followed by an error and hit batter.

Wolverine Coach Gregg Wood brought in Bailey to pitch the final inning and salt this one away for Wiscasset Middle High School.

Wiscasset out-hit its guests 4-3. There were no repeat hitters or hits for extra bases. It was an overcast, chilly afternoon for baseball, 44 degrees when the game ended. The win improved Wiscasset’s record to 2-3. The team travels to Dirigo on Friday before returning home May 9 to host Hall-Dale.

Carrabec wins big

Carrabec High School shut out WMHS 10-0 at North Anson on Tuesday, May 2.

Daren Wood drew a walk in the final inning, spoiling what would have been a perfect game for Cobra pitcher Justin Crawford. Crawford finished the afternoon with eight strikeouts and just that one base on balls.

Wood started for the Wolverines and lasted three innings before Hefler was brought in to relieve. Andrew Hendrickson pitched the last inning.

Carrabec scored one run in the first, added four more in the third, four in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.

St. Dom’s prevails

Wiscasset lost a heart-breaker 2-1 to visiting St. Dom’s Academy Friday, April 29.

Tyler Bailey went the distance for the Wolverines, fanning 14 batters, allowing just two walks and a hit batter. He threw 130 pitches.

Both teams were scoreless until the sixth inning when St. Dom’s finally scored. An RBI single by Bryson Grover tied the game 1-1 headed into the final inning. Grover went two for four at the plate with two singles.

St. Dom’s scored the winning run after a fly ball to center dropped a few feet short of the center fielder’s glove, allowing a runner to score from third.

Wood had a double, WMHS’s only extra base hit. Hefler and Ranta both singled.

It’s not often you hear a coach praise his team after a 13-0 loss but that’s what Wolverine softball coach Gordon Campbell did after the May 4 game with visiting Telstar High School.

“I told them they played their best game of the season and I really meant it,” the coach said. “The Telstar coach said to me afterwards my girls showed a lot of spirit and made some really outstanding plays on the field and I shared that with my team.”

Third baseman Stephanie Jones pulled off a double play during the game to end an inning. After she gloved a fly ball, she stepped on third before the runner could get back to the bag and then very alertly threw the ball to second to get another base runner. “It would’ve been a triple play if there hadn’t already been one out,” the coach added.

“Grace Webber made a couple of really nice catches in center field for us today and Maeve Blodgett played a good game for us at second base,” added Campbell.

Freshman Sydney Thayer pitched for the Wolverines, who are 1-4 in the Mountain Valley Conference. The team will play Dirigo away Friday, May 6 but be back on its home diamond Monday, May 9 hosting Hall-Dale.

“You can’t always judge a game by what’s on the scoreboard,” Coach Campbell added. “We’re improving every game, we just need to be a little more aggressive when we’re batting and the runs will come.”

Carrabec wins big

At North Anson on Tuesday, May 2 Carrabec shut out WMHS 18-0.

August Moore had the only hit for Wiscasset. The Cobras scored a run in the first, four in the second before adding six runs in the third and seven in the fourth inning.

Campbell shines

Wiscasset’s Corey Campbell drove in a pair of runs and scored a run but visiting St. Dom’s prevailed 15-3 Friday, April 29.

The Wolverines scored two runs in the second, making it a 4-2 ballgame. Their other run came in the fifth inning.

St. Dom’s scored three runs in the first, one in the second, seven in the fourth and four in the fifth.

Blodgett, Jones, Webber and Leah Potter all had base hits for WMHS.

Midcoast Conservancy will be hosting the annual Hooked on Fishing event, where kids get out on the water and experience the fun of fishing.

The event will be held at Damariscotta Lake State Park in Jefferson on Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Children of all experience levels are welcome; each child get an hour of fishing in prime fishing spots on Damariscotta Lake with experienced volunteer boaters as their personal guides. Mentors will be onshore to assist young anglers with equipment and to answer their questions about fishing. Midcoast Conservancy will provide all of the kids’ equipment (fishing poles, bait, boats, and life jackets) and the Whitefield Lions Club will cook up delicious food—all for free! Sign up today; one fishing rod will be given away, and admission to the Park is free for everyone coming to this event, compliments of Midcoast Conservancy.

Register at midcoastconservancy.org by June 2 to assure your space, or call (207) 389-5150.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and the Whitefield Lions Club.

Anne D. “Andy” Burt believes her passion for environment activism comes from her Dutch maiden name, Updike.

Burt premiered her most recent film, “Down to Earth, Climate Justice Stories,” at the Friends Meeting House in Damariscotta on May 3.

Interviewed from her solar home in Edgecomb, Burt said she was inspired to take on climate justice issues after the premature birth of her grandchild. The fragility of the baby mirrored what she saw in the earth’s delicate climate. At the time she had been recently hired by the Maine Council of Churches to develop educational programming around climate change issues.

“As the crisis around climate has grown, so has my activism,” she said.

Burt is no stranger to political causes. A 1967 graduate of Vassar College, she worked for the Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign. She did draft counseling during the Vietnam War.

When her husband, Stephen Burt, took up a Quaker ministry in Indiana, she worked with Central American refugees traveling north toward Canada on a modern-day underground railway. She was inspired by the way conservative Hoosiers empathized and helped the escapees when they understood the hardships they had suffered.

“How do you motivate people to take action?” said Burt, who concluded the film with that conduit.

A year ago she approached filmmaker Charlie Hudson of Arrowsic.

Together they recorded interviews with Maine and some out-of-state activists who have stepped forward on a variety of issues on the subject of climate justice. Included are interviews with activists demonstrating against the Keystone XL pipeline and efforts to preserve the water quality of the Penobscot River.

The hour-long presentation is condensed from 20 hours of taping.

Burt credits Hudson with bringing together the diverse video segments so that it appears as part of a single “conversation.” Kyle Morgan of Portland composed the film’s musical score.

Burt believes there may several paths for people to view and spread the message of the film. Public television, public access television, film festivals, and direct DVD sales are some of the options, she said.

FMI: downtoearth145@gmail.com, www.downtoearthstories.org or call Burt at 207-380-5387

I love fried foods.

There. I’ve said it. I love fried clams, fried haddock, fried scallops and fried shrimp. I love onion rings and french fries. You name it. If it's fried, I love it.

Deep fried, pan fried, fried in coconut oil or canola oil or peanut oil. And I don't need anyone telling me it's not good for me. I'm not stupid. But I do feel sheepish when I go to a good restaurant that serves lots of healthful, trendy, new age items and I want the deep fried haddock.

It's simpler to just go to a fried seafood place where there are no other options. Not that I don't like healthy food, too. I do. But that hot, golden brown, salty, crunchy, crispy, sweet succulent seafood is hard to resist. Plus, I don't have a lot of will power.

Even Saveur's website is in agreement about the virtues of fried seafood. For anyone who's not familiar with Saveur, it's a magazine and website that features gourmet foods from around the globe. "We're not in the 'frying makes everything better' camp, as we know that sometimes potatoes should be roasted and chicken should be grilled, but some foods take to a hot bath of oil more than others, and one of those foods is seafood ...,” it states.

Having grown up in Sanford, the place to go for fried seafood was Ted's Fried Clams, in Shapleigh. To this day, they’re the best fried clams I ever had. My parents would take my three siblings and me there on a Saturday or Sunday and we'd get the round cardboard quart containers overflowing with fried clams and onion rings and french fries.

A few years ago my mother told me she gave us kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches around a half hour before we found out we were going to Ted's. Of course, she never had one.

Ted's was a little takeout shack back then. Now it's a bigger, more modern place where you can sit inside.

I went back a few years ago and the fried clams are still great, but somehow they didn't taste as good as they did when I was a kid sitting in the car fighting for the last one.

When I was 16 and working in a restaurant on a wharf in Cushing, one of the specialties was fried clams. The owner, Betty Olson, used to get the fresh shucked clams in gallon-size metal cans. She loved them raw — especially the big ones. I can still picture her in the kitchen, head tilted back, holding a gigantic dripping raw clam and dropping it into her mouth and swallowing it whole. I'm sorry, but it was gross.

But I also remember the aroma and sight of them, fried golden brown, as I was carrying them out of the kitchen. The Wyeths were frequent customers and the fried clams were Betsy's favorite dish. She brought two friends in once and insisted they order them. We had run out. She was bummed out. So was I.

For a few years now shrimp has been my fried seafood of choice. Maine shrimp. Unfortunately, with the decline of the sweet little crustaceans, it hasn't been on many menus over the past few years. I miss them sorely.

I make onion rings. Made some last night. They take a little time, but they’re better than any I get in a restaurant. Slice vidalia onions to whatever thickness you like. Throw the rings into a big bowl of flour to coat. Then into a bath of an egg beaten with 1/4 cup of milk, a few at a time. Meanwhile throw around 1/4 cup of fine breadcrumbs, some salt, and a couple tablespoons of corn starch into the leftover flour. Coat the rings in that, then shake off and drop them, like five or six at a time, into a large pan with a good inch of hot canola oil. Then just keep piling them up on a paper towel covered platter. Oddly, the ones on the bottom will still be crunchy when you dig in 20 minutes later.

With summer coming, the aroma of fried seafood will permeate the harbor. Most of the restaurants and food stands here and all along the coast of Maine serve it. I'll try to limit my intake of fried haddock, clams, scallops, oysters, onion rings and french fries to once a week. It won't be easy.

But, it's just as well. With all the pizzas, biscuits and cream pies I've been writing about over the last couple of months, I need to shed a few pounds before summer. Not that I'll be sporting a bikini anytime soon.

I’m not a chef. I lay no claim to being an authority on food or cooking. I’m a good cook, and a lover of good food. And I know how to spell and put a sentence together. This column is simply meant to be fun, and hopefully inspiring. So to anyone reading this whose hackles are raised because you know more about the subject of food than I, relax. I believe you.

Wiscasset’s harbor master boat is out of the water and up on blocks at North End Lobster Co-Op on Westport Island while the cost to fix a hole in the wet exhaust is being determined, Harbor Master Preston Dunning said Monday.

He has been contacting businesses to get estimates, with one coming in at $9,500, Dunning said. But he thinks the numbers he’s heard so far might be a little on the high side for what’s needed, so he’s having the town mechanic take a look, he said.

Town Manager Marian Anderson said that when Dunning gets her the estimated repair costs, she’ll present them to selectmen in open session. The harbor budget has $2,500 in the repair line, so if the fix takes more than that, the board would need to consider its options for funding the work, she said.

At the same time, she would expect the board to look toward how it will approach the boat’s future needs, Anderson said.

“I think we need to look at the whole picture,” such as possibly putting a new maintenance plan in place, she said.

Dunning isn’t sure how or when the hole got there. In Monday’s phone interview and in emails, he said he had it out on the harbor near Edgecomb recently when he saw it was taking on water. He got it back to the commercial pier; then a Maine Marine Patrol officer who was at the waterfront helped Dunning locate the leak. A local lobsterman towed it to Westport Island, Dunning said.

Wiscasset is paying $750 to keep the boat at the co-op through the end of May, he said. It’s up on blocks, he said.

Dunning is a past boat owner but not a current one. He has access to family members’ and other people’s boats if needed, and local fishermen are very good about helping other boaters having a problem on the water, he added.

Harbor masters in many towns use their own boats and the towns pay for those costs, Dunning said. But he is hoping Wiscasset will fix its boat.

“The town boat is worth repairing as it is in good shape structurally. It has had a lack of TLC over the years but it does run well and is a definite sea worthy craft that is designed for the job for which it is being used,” Dunning writes in an email. “I think that not repairing it should not be the answer as the boat has more than paid for itself over the years that we have had it.

“The question should be how are we going to get it repaired for the least possible cost.”

Come to the Wiscasset Ambulance Service to celebrate our 40th year of service and the 42nd Annual National EMS Week Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Plenty of activities for young and old: Touch a Truck – ambulances, fire trucks, and … a race car. Meet your EMS providers, observe “The Convincer”: rollover crash simulator demonstrations; cotton candy and popcorn, bounce house, face painting, a kids’ workshop sponsored by Home Depot; youth activities with information from the Wiscasset Community Center; special guest appearances by Heather Demeny, a.k.a. Mrs. Wiscasset, Sparky the Fire Dog and the Wiscasset Wolverine, and door prizes.

Also, child safety seat inspections, pediatric safety & well-being information from Mid Coast Hospital, and Sprout Accounts information by Midcoast Credit Union.

This is a free, open to the public event. Come have some fun. Check out our Facebook page for updates.

The ambulance service is located at 51 Bath Road. For more information, call our non-emergency line: 882-8204.

The Wiscasset Ambulance Service: “Serving With Pride Since 1976.”

Jill Whynot clubbed a three-run home run to lead the visiting Hall-Dale Bulldogs to a 20-4 win over Wiscasset Middle High School in Mountain Valley Conference softball action.

It was sunny but chilly with a blustery wind when these two longtime rivals took to the diamond Monday afternoon, May 9. A good crowd was on hand to watch the game.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The lead-off batter singled up the middle, stole second and moved around to third base on a passed ball. She scored after the next batter grounded out.

The Wolverines threatened in the home half of the inning aided by the Hall-Dale pitcher who hit the first two batters, Maeve Blodgett and Stephanie Jones. Grace Webber then grounded out but advanced Blodgett and Jones to second and third. The inning ended after Lindsey Gordon popped out to the pitcher and Sydnie Thayer popped up to the third baseman. Wiscasset’s hitters were making good contact with the bat most of the game but the Bulldog infield made some fine defensive plays.

Hall-Dale scored seven more runs (three unearned) in the second. They put two more runs on the scoreboard in the fourth and three in the fifth. The visitors then exploded for seven runs in the final inning, three coming on Whynot’s blast that sent center fielder Grace Webber all the way to the outfield fence.

Earlier, Webber made an awesome defensive play gloving a towering fly ball to end the second inning but not before the Bulldogs had run up an 8-0 lead.

The Wolverines ended the shutout after Jones tripled and scored on a passed ball. Jones’s blast was to deep left field, the ball carrying over the fielder’s head.

Another highlight came in the fifth inning. Wolverine left fielder Leah Potter caught a line drive and very alertly threw the ball to second baseman Blodgett for the game’s only double play.

WMHS picked up its other three runs in the fifth inning. Lindsey Gordon accounted for all three. After doubling to left field driving in Blodgett and Jones, a bad relay throw sent Gordon to third base. After rounding the bag she kept going and scored.

Wolverine pitcher August Moore set the Hall-Dale batters down in order in the third and sixth innings. Gordon worked two-thirds of an inning pitching in relief.

At the midway point of the season the Wolverines are 1-7. They lost 13-1 on May 6 to Dirigo at Dixfield. The Wolverines were scheduled to travel to Mt. Valley Wednesday and then return home to face Madison Area High School on Friday, May 13.

Like many parents, this spring we have found ourselves perched beside baseball diamonds on breezy early evenings on many days. We enjoy watching the game and chatting with other parents. While there, we can’t also help but notice the birds. One of the noisiest birds at the local baseball field has been a red-bellied woodpecker, regularly and loudly giving its nasal “quwar” calls from an old, white oak behind the dugout.

Red-bellied woodpeckers are not well named. They have a blanket of bright red on the back of the head and generally no obvious red on the belly unless you happen to be holding one in your hand or a puff of wind fluffs the belly feathers while you’re watching at close range. The back and wings are barred black and white, and the rump is largely white. Those familiar with Maine birds would probably say it looks most similar to a northern flicker but the flicker has only a little red on the back of the head, is browner overall, shows bright yellow underwings and has some other differences as well.

We have noticed red-bellied woodpeckers at many places around Maine this spring but it was not so long ago that we would have jumped up and down with excitement to have found a red-bellied woodpecker in the state. Back in the 1980s we traveled to Machias to see the only red-bellied woodpecker known to be in Maine at that time, and we remember a contentious debate about whether the report of one identified by a few calls in Kittery should be considered a confirmed record.

Then during the fall of 2004, an unpredicted event began unfolding across northern New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, thrilling seasoned birders and casual bird-feeding enthusiasts alike. It began with an out-of-range red-bellied woodpecker reported to the Maine birding list serve. This single report was quickly followed by another, then another, then another—dozens of them appeared across a region extending from the Adirondacks of New York eastward to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Soon it was clear that this was not just the normal handful of wayward birds. It was, in fact, the largest and most widespread invasion of red-bellied woodpeckers ever documented.

By December of 2004 at least 150 out-of-range birds had been reported across the region. These included at least 100 from Maine, 20 from Nova Scotia, and 22 from New Brunswick. More than 50 of the reported Red-bellies occurred greater than 100 miles from the nearest previous breeding area, with the long-distance travel record going to a bird found in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia some 450 miles from the species’ range edge!

As in most such unusual invasion events, we know little about the origin of the pioneering birds. A reasonable assumption is that they were birds born the summer before who were making their first dispersal movement to find new, unoccupied places to set up territories. But why strike out across such a far flung region outside of the normal breeding area?

We may never know, but now more than a decade after the invasion event, red-bellied woodpeckers have established themselves as breeders over much of southern and coastal Maine and occasionally farther north. Some things do change, but parents watching baseball games in spring may go on forever—even if not all of them are watching for birds too!

Jeffrey V. Wells, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Dr. Wells is one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists and author of the “Birder’s Conservation Handbook.” His grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a nonprofit membership organization working statewide to protect the nature of Maine. Both are widely published natural history writers and are the authors of the book, “Maine’s Favorite Birds.”

The Wolverines were held to just one hit in a 12-1 Mountain Valley Conference varsity baseball loss to visiting Hall-Dale Monday.

Grant Hefler’s base hit in the third inning spoiled what otherwise would have been a no-hitter. (The game was called after six innings.)

Daren Wood was the losing pitcher, giving up 10 runs on nine hits. He finished with seven strikeouts and allowed just two walks pitching through five full innings. Conlon Ranta took the mound in relief in the fifth inning and gave up three runs on three hits.

Hall Dale’s Quinn Stebbins pitched a complete game, finishing with nine strikeouts, walking two and hitting one batter. The Bulldogs’ number two, three and four hitters (Tyler Dubois, Ryan Sinclair and Stebbins) went 7–13 at the plate. Dubois had three hits, a double and two singles.

Wolverine Coach Gregg Wood said afterward that his hitters simply weren’t aggressive enough at the plate. The loss dropped Wiscasset Middle High School to 3-5 at the midpoint of the season. Hall-Dale improved to 4-3.

Wiscasset was scheduled to travel to Rumford to face Mt. Valley High School on Wednesday and be at home to host Madison on Friday, May 13.

Cougars prevail

Wiscasset suffered an 8-5 loss to Dirigo High School Friday, May 6 at Dixfield.

The Cougars scored three runs on four hits off Wolverine starting pitcher Tyler Bailey.

Coach Wood said his team rallied back in the third inning when Daren Wood drove in two runs with a double and Ranta had an RBI single.

Dirigo scored three runs in the fifth inning on two singles and a double.

The coach said Bailey pitched five full innings, gave up seven runs on 10 hits, struck out four and walked three. Wood worked in relief in the sixth inning and gave up one run on two hits. The Cougars used three pitchers against Wiscasset, Arsenault, Whitmore and Taylor who combined gave up five runs on five hits, struck out nine and walked three.

Hefler had a good day at the plate, going three for three for the Wolverines. Wood and Ranta each had one hit.

Dirigo finished the game with four repeat hitters, Arsenault, Turner, Robinson and Luedeus.

The bright lights of Wiscasset Speedway illuminated the track at the first evening race of the season May 7. Despite the cool weather, fans lined the grandstands to watch group one division racing which included Super Streets, Thunder Four Mini’s, ServePro of Biddeford Saco Prostocks, New England Four Cylinder Prostocks, and the flex race of the week, Wicked Good Vintage Racers. 

The spotlighted race of the evening was a 25-lap Super Street presentation. Starting on the pole was the #27 of Barry Poulin. To his right was the #38 of Cody Buzzell. Starting in third was Bernie Dinsmore of the #3. When green flag racing began, Tasha Dyer of the #32 advanced quickly from fifth, passing Dinsmore for third by lap two. Ahead, Poulin was setting a fast pace for the pack, but Buzzell was tailing him looking for his chance to pass. His chance came during lap fifteen when Poulin went high, opening the door for Buzzell. During lap sixteen, Buzzell and Poulin raced head to head, until Buzzell accelerated and passed Poulin on the inside coming out of turn two for the lead. Dyer, sticking close to Buzzell, also passed Poulin for second. 

Dyer and Buzzell raced around the track, putting some distance between them and the rest of the pack. Dyer was looking for an opening that Buzzell never gave her. With time running out, and no other option, Dyer moved outside during lap twenty-four, looking for the lead. Dyer quickly shot to the side of Buzzell, and the duo raced door to door. Dyer dug deep and her car edged ahead by a nose, flying under the checkered, .063 seconds ahead of Buzzell for the win. Buzzell had to settle for second.  Poulin placed third.

Dyer said, “I won my first race of the season tonight. I started in fifth, kept my tires under me, hit my marks, stayed calm and drove past the leader on the outside, coming to the checkered. I led only one lap, and it was the one that counted. I’m so grateful for everyone that puts so much effort on this thing. I owe you! Thank you to the fans who got autographs, pictures and hugs.”

Two twenty lap flex races were next on the agenda. The two features were raced by the Wicked Good Vintage Racers (WGVR).  The first WGVR feature was the Late Model Division. The group payed tribute to the life of Steve Reny, a long time race car driver from Wiscasset Speedway who passed away in January. Amy Reny, Steve Reny's wife, was behind the wheel of the #7. Steve Reny raced the #7 last year at Wiscasset Speedway, winning a race in August. At the start of the race the pole position was left empty in honor of Reny.

Wiscasset Speedway resumes racing action on May 14 with its group two line up of divisions: The Spotlighted Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Mini’s, Late Model Sportsman, Strictly Streets, and Napa Modifieds.  The flex race next Saturday is a 100 lap Enduro feature race. If you missed the racing action, or simply want to see it again, track videographer, Brandon Simmons, posts race footage on YouTube.  It can be found by searching “Wiscasset Speedway.” For more information, head to the Wiscasset Speedway website at www.wiscassetspeedway.com.

Official results for May 7, 2016

Super Street (25 Laps)

1. #32 Tasha Dyer, Arrowsic

2. #38 Cody Buzzell, Madison

3. #27 Barry Poulin, Benton

4. #02 Jason Curtis, Hollis

5. #2 Josh Bailey, Wiscasset

6. #5 Mark Lucas, Harpswell

7. #3 Bernie Dinsmore, South Hope

8. #34 David Vaughn, Naples

DNS #54 Neil Evans, Brunswick

Wicked Good Vintage Racers Late Model Class (20 Laps)

1. #73 Mark Theranault, NA

2. #82 Bobbie Symonds, NA

3. #2 Kevin Waterhouse, West Paris

4. #420 Keith Smalley, Warren

5. #05 NA

6. #0 Dean Grant, NA

7. #35 Dennis Fish, NA

8. #48 George Harding, NA

9. #25 Mark Hughes, Milton Mills, N.H.

10. #97 Brian Hughes, Otisfield

11. #7 Amy Reny, Boothbay

12. #66 Andy Philips, NA

13. #13 Jody Lewis, Boothbay

Wicked Good Vintage Racers Outlaw Class (20 Laps)

1. #? James Osmond, Wiscasset

2. #86 Ryan Chadwick, Woolwich

3. #1 Bob Guyon, Monmouth

4. #99 Ajay Picard, Palmyra

5. #71 Arthur Hannaford, Hollis

6. #79 Scott Tucker, Litchfield

7. #15 Sid Smith, NA

8. #1 Norman Judkins, NA

9. #55 Gary Dwinal, NA

Thunder Four Mini’s (20 Laps)

1. #19 Travis Poulliot, Skowhegan

2. #48 Michael Harrison, Durham

3. #4J Joe Katula, Lisbon

4. #1 Jeff Davis, Woolwich

5. #31 Leandra Martin, Richmond

6. #10 Jason Trundy, Winterport

7. #14 Robert Macdonald, Smithfield

8. #26 Michael Golding, Pownal

9. #20 Devon Robinson, Warren

10. #66 James Grover, Wiscasset

11. #58 David Greenleaf, Brunswick

12. #78 Shawn Berry, Livermore Falls

DQ #3 Jeff Minchin Jr., Pittston

Servepro of Biddeford Saco Prostocks (40 Laps)

1. #09 Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, NH

2. #99 Ajay Picard, Palmyra

3. #15 Nick Hinkley, Wiscasset

4. #01 Andy Saunders, Ellsworth

5. #91JR Mike Orr, Wiscasset

6. #13 Nate Tribbett, Richmond

7. #12 Thomas True, Wiscasset

8. #29 Kevin Morse, Woolwich

9. #30 Dylan Street, Old Town

10. #72 Charlie Colby, Edgecomb

11. #28 Ken Beaslee, Richmond

12. #05R Phil Richardson Jr., Hermon

13. #55 Billy Childs Jr., Leeds

14. #05 James Osmond, Wiscasset

15. #23 Brandon Sprague, Edgecomb

DNS 88X Wes Turner, Freedom

New England Four Cylinder Prostocks (25 Laps)

1. #98 Kamren Knowles, West Gardiner

2. #24 Jeff Prindall, Lisbon Falls

3. #38 Ryan Hayes, Jefferson

4. #55 John Shorey, Alna

5. #4L Lexi Roach, Brewer

6. #5 Barry Morris, Livermore Falls

7. #9X Brooke Knowles, West Gardiner

8. #84 Jamie Wright, Woolwich

9. #48 RJ Pinkham, Hallowell

10. #14 Bob Patten, Westbrook

11. #12 Dave Patten, Westbrook

12. #42 Mike Kibbin, South China

13. #54 Cam Corbine, Farmingdale

14. #6 Fred Ashmore Jr., Handcock

15. #70 Taylor Lane, Phillips

DNS #4 Connor Wenners, Edgecomb

The Waterville YMCA gymnastics team hosted the Maine State YMCA Gymnastics Championships at the Alfond Center in Waterville the weekend of April 30. The Lincoln County team members had a great day competing against the teams and the Bangor YMCA, Bath YMCA, Auburn Lewiston YMCA, Down East YMCA, and Old Town/Orono YMCA.

Of the local girls competing, there was one state champion, one 2nd place finisher, two 3rd place finishers and one 5th place finisher. All five gymnasts were on 1st place championship teams.

Level 4, Age 9: Kadence Rogers of Nobleboro came in 2nd all around in the state with a season high all around score of 35.775. She placed 4th on vault with an 8.475, 1st on bars with a 9.225, 3rd on beam with a 9.075, 4th on floor with a 9.0. Kadence was a great contributor to the level 4 team which placed 1st in the state.

Level 4, Age 11: Emma Markowitz of Barters Island, Boothbay came in 3rd all around with a season high score of 35.675. She was 3rd on vault with an 8.6, 3rd on bars with a 9.125, had an 8.65 on beam and placed 2nd on floor with a 9.25. Emma was also an important member part of the 1st place level 4 team.

Level 7, Age 12: Maddy Russ of Damariscotta placed 1st all around in the state with a personal best score of 37.6 and she placed first on all events. Maddy had a 9.4 on vault, 9.35 on bars, 9.5 on beam, 9.35 on floor. Maddy was able to make significant contributions to the level 7 team which took 1st in the state.

Level 7, Age 12: Reed Gulden of Walpole placing 3rd all around. Reed had a 9.1 on vault, 9.05 on bars, an 8.875 on beam, 9.2 on floor. Reed was a key member to the level 7 team which placed 1st in the state.

Xcel Platinum, Age 16: Kathryn Colomb of Alna had tough competition in her age group this year. She competed well and came in 5th all around. She came in 3rd on vault with an 8.9, 3rd on bars with an 8.2, 3rd on beam with an 8.85, 7th on floor with an 8.9. Katie was an integral member of the 1st place Xcel Platinum team.

Caleb Erskine and John Brooks will offer a yurt building course from June 24-26 at Hidden Valley Nature Center. Participants will learn about the theory, structural integrity and application of yurts, which have been a practical, low impact, sustainable living structure for thousands of years. Evolving from the traditional Gers of Mongolia to contemporary yurts offering features like French doors and fixed windows, “Living in the Round” was a practical concept for shelter long before the introduction of the four walls we now define as living space. “I believe we are starting to see a paradigm shift in the way we are viewing ‘shelter’,” Erskine says. “This light, nimble lifestyle allows for greater personal and financial freedom, all while being an incredibly light footprint and sustainable.”

From basic, readily-available raw materials, participants will learn how to build and raise a space/dwelling that is entirely adaptable and transportable to virtually any location and climate. Many design aspects will be covered including applications and uses, size and dimensions, insulation techniques, commercial uses, zoning and approval considerations, and historical overview, as well as an overview of how to accommodate chimney stands, heating, cistern systems, doors and windows, how domes are made, exposure, platform technique and layout.

This course is suitable for all skill levels, and all tools and materials will be provided.

A light breakfast and full lunch will be offered each day, along with a cookout, music, and storytelling Saturday night. Participants are encouraged to dwell on-site in portable yurts that will be provided as part of the course. Bring sleeping bags and toiletries.

The course will go from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The course fee is $400 for Midcoast Conservancy members, $450 for non-members. To register, go to midcoastconservancy.org/events.

Caleb Erskine is the owner of Living Intent Yurt Company, based in South Bristol. John Brooks is an instructor on low impact, sustainable living.

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The CLC YMCA and the Boothbay Region YMCA will host eight weeks of Adventure Camp this summer for ages 9-15. Campers can choose one week or the whole summer. Explorers (ages 9-14) will enjoy one overnight trip per week and Navigators (Ages 12-15) will enjoy two or more overnight trips per week. Camps are limited to 12 campers per week so early registration is recommended. Scholarships are available for all summer camps but must be submitted by May 27.

Explorers Survivor July 5-8 and August 22-26: This camp is designed for kids who like a challenge and adventure. Campers will learn cooperative games, team building and basic survival skills. The goal of this camp is to show leadership and build positive thinking skills. There will be an overnight at Camp K and the week will include time at the ropes course at the Y Baldwin Adventure Center as well as other local areas for skill building.

Aqua Adventure July 18-22: This camp will focus on having a blast in the water and exploring some of the incredible wildlife in Maine. Aquaboggan, Maine Wildlife Park, DEW Haven and ocean swimming holes will be visited for a combo week of excitement.

Lighthouse & Beach Exploration August 8-12: A true adventure will take place during this camp when campers visit Burnt Island, Reid State Park, Rockland Breakwater and have an overnight at Camden Hills State Park on Thursday. A week of fun in the sun exploring lighthouses and beaches in the Midcoast of Maine!!

Navigators Baxter and Beyond July 11-15: Campers will explore the northern woods of Maine during this camp geared around hiking, swimming, and enjoying nature with a visit to Baxter State Park, the true beauty of Maine can be spent with no electricity, running water or cell phone service. This is the best wilderness experience!

White Water Rafting July 25-29: Brave the rapids of the Kennebec River during this action packed week! Campers will begin their adventure at Camp K where they practice paddling skills, experience team building skills at our Y Baldwin Adventure Center and swimming in Knickerbocker Lake. Wednesday morning, campers head north to set up tents and enjoy a meal prepared by Magic Falls Rafting (magicfalls.com). Thursday and Friday will be spent rafting along with a BBQ and sharing river stories before heading back to Boothbay.

Island Navigator August 1-5: Campers will explore the rocky coastline of Maine with a visit to Squirrel Island, Monhegan Island and Burnt Island to name a few! There will be two overnights on Wednesday and Thursday, before returning to Camp K on Friday.

Coastal Navigator August 15-19: Camper who love the Ocean will explore Boothbay Harbor for a paddle board cruise, canoe to Spectacle Island for an overnight, then onto Powderhorn for a night’s excursion. Campfire stories will be told!

To register online for this camp, please visit your home Y’s website — clcymca.org or boohtbayregionymca.org. Questions about camp registration or scholarships can be directed to the camp registrar at campregistrar@brymca.org.

Maine Winter Sports Center is teaming up with Midcoast Conservancy to host a Youth Development Paddling Camp in June. Join us for stand up paddleboarding (SUP) and canoeing on beautiful Damariscotta Lake. This three day camp is for kids ages 10-14 interested in honing paddling skills and having fun on the water with world-class outdoor educators.

This camp will run from Tuesday June 21-Thursday June 23, 8 a..m. to noon each day, and will meet at on Damariscotta Lake at 38 Lake Farm Circle in Jefferson. All equipment will be provided. Scholarships are available. Sign up soon, space is limited! For more information and to register, go to http://skireg.com/mwsc-paddling, or Lauren@mainewsc.org.

Track and field has always been more about individual performances than where the teams finish in point totals.

With that said, the Wolverines had a strong showing for Coach Josiah Winchenbach at the May 10 meet with Boothbay Region, Winthrop and Mt. Abram. The weather finally cooperated: sunny with mild temperatures in what otherwise has been a cool, blustery month of May.

WMHS girls results

The Wolverines’ best performance was at the long jump pit where they swept the event. Gappy Chapman won, jumping a distance of 15’3”, Ayanna Main (14’9”) was second and Natalie Corson was close behind in third at 14’5”.

Corson finished fourth in the high jump, bowing out at 4’4”.

Main and Corson also finished one and two in the triple jump at 32’3” and 31’4,” respectively.

On the track, Main placed first in the 100 meter hurdles; her winning time was 18.61. Keara Hunter placed third running in the second heat and crossing the finish line in 19.87. Hunter and the girl she was racing had to rerun their heat because a snafu with the scorers.

Chapman placed fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 29.84 and fifth in the 100 meter-dash, 14.78. Hunter was 10th (15.67) in the 100-meter dash and Gabby Penney 13th (17.84).

Amanda Marcus had a good afternoon, finishing fourth in the 3200 meter race (17:01) and fifth in the 1600 meter run (7:20).

In the weight events, Hunter placed 10th in the discus, 45’6”. Gabby Penney finished 12th in the shot put, 15’ 10”

Wiscasset girls placed third in the 4x400 meter relay, 57.10.

WMHS boys results

The Wolverine boys had four first place finishers. Matthew Chapman led the team, winning both hurdling events — the 110 meter race in 18:40 and the 300 meter race, 44.85.

Brandon Goud won the 1600 meter race with a time of 4:52 and Jake Traylor was first in the triple jump, 39’6.”

Joshua Gabriele and Caleb Gabriele were eighth (31’11”) and ninth (31’3”), respectively, in the triple jump.

Sam Storer placed third in the 100 meter dash (12.40), Sam Whitney was 9th (12.69), Matthew Chapman 10th (12.75), Chris Loyola 12th (12.96) and Max Sampson 17th (13.49). Storer was also third in the 200-meter, crossing the finish line with a time of 25.08

The Wiscasset boys took second place in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 48.38.

Goud was ninth in the 400-meter dash, 1:11.

Caleb Gabriele was fourth in the 800 meter race (2:31), Colin Viele was fifth (2:32) and Bryan Dunning was seventh (2:50).

Wiscasset took third in the boys 4x400 relay, 4:05.

Joshua Gabriele placed fourth in the high jump, 4’6”, and eighth in the triple jump 31’11”.

In the long jump Chris Loyola placed seventh at 16’10” while Sam Whitney was 12th,15’1”.

Ethan James took eighth place in the javelin, 102’ 1”, Chris Loyola was 15th,79’3”. James was fourth in the shot put, 15’10, and also placed 10thin the discus, 81’9.”

The team rankings for 18 events scored had Boothbay Region first overall in the girls meet with 86 points followed by Mt. Abram 55, Winthrop 64.5 and WMHS 41.5

Boothbay also won the boys meet with 101 points, followed by Winthrop 85, WMHS 47 and Mt. Abram 40.

WMHS will host another four-school meet May 17 with St. Doms, Monmouth and Winthrop beginning at 4 p.m. The MVC hampionship meet is set for May 26 at Lisbon High School beginning at 2 p.m.

Area families, volunteers and recreation staff made up a crowd of hundreds on the playing fields off Gardiner Road for a May 11 meet that marked a Wiscasset first: hosting area towns’ running clubs for elementary school-aged children.

The event allowed Wiscasset to show off its facilities to fellow Coastal Running League members Bath, Brunswick and Topsham, Parks and Recreation Director Todd Souza said.

Dresden came, too. Wiscasset let the five-member club from Dresden Elementary School join in the meet, Dresden parents said. It was good to have the opportunity, Kristen Cowing said with daughter Abigail Cowing nearby.

“I was surprised,” the 10-year-old said about the chance to take part. Asked what she liked about running, she said, “It’s fun.”

Parents interviewed from participating towns cited the fun and the exercise as reasons they wanted their children in a running club. Some noted it was their children’s idea.

Kristen Gosselin said daughter Anna Gosselin, 8, had shown an interest. “It’s something that she enjoys. She loves it,” the Edgecomb woman said. Her daughter is also a little more social since joining, she said. “She’s having fun with different kids and making new friends.”

West Bath’s Rachel Johnson said she and husband Frank Johnson are always excited to get to see grandson Hunter Johnson of Woolwich take part in a sports event. They hope to instill in the 8-year-old the love of sports their whole family has, she said.

Orange cones marked the grass course. Participants and some of the adults walked it before the start. Maine State Trooper James Leonard, in uniform, joined daughters Anna Leonard, 5, and Kate Leonard, 6.  Learning healthy habits early is very important, he said. He also liked the experience the girls were getting in cross-country.

First and second graders run half a mile in the meets; third and fourth graders, three-quarters of a mile; and fifth and sixth graders, a mile, Souza said.

The meets are fun runs, but lead up to a championship in Cumberland, Souza said. Everyone qualifies, he said. Forty-seven children are in the Wiscasset program, now in its fourth year, Souza said.

“I think it’s awesome,” Wiscasset’s Jennifer Farrin, mother of Michelle Farrin, 6, and Brianna Farrin, 9, said. It’s something they can do with their friends, and it helps them sleep good at night, she added.

Daren Wood held Madison to just three hits, striking out nine batters over six innings, but the Wolverines came up empty, losing 5-0 in Mountain Valley Conference baseball action.

One bad inning, the first in fact, was all it took. Blame the weather, it started pouring just as Wood took the mound. Or maybe it was bad luck, being Friday, May 13. The right-hander walked three of the first four batters he faced. Things went downhill from there, an error and then a base hit. Before the inning ended the undefeated Bulldogs had batted around the order and put four runs on the scoreboard.

It can’t be said the Wolverines didn’t have their opportunities. In the first inning Conlon Ranta and Tyler Bailey drew back-to-back walks but were left stranded on the base pads — a recurring problem this season for the Wolverines. Wiscasset left eight runners on base during the game. Madison stranded eight base runners as well.

After the first, Wood settled in and cruised through the next four innings. After setting Madison’s battery down in order in the second, Wood struck out the side in the third and set down the Bulldogs down in order again in the fourth.

The Wolverines put two more runners aboard the bases in the second inning. Jake Trayler walked and Logan Orr then lined a single down the left field line. A balk by the pitcher advanced Trayler and Orr to second and third but Grant Hefler flied out to left, ending the inning.

With one away in the third, Ranta singled sharply to left then quickly advanced to second on a passed ball. The inning then ended with a high pop out in foul ground followed by a strikeout and another scoring opportunity gone.

Wiscasset had another chance to put runs on the scoreboard in the fifth. With one out, Wood beat out a ground ball on the infield and moved to second base on a passed ball. Ranta then flied out to deep left, center field, which moved Wood along to third. The next batter then popped out in foul territory, ending the inning.

Madison added an insurance run in the sixth after the lead-off runner doubled and later scored on an error.

Traylor singled to left with one out in the sixth, and stole second but the inning ended quietly with a strikeout and ground out.

Bailey pitched the final inning for Wiscasset, allowing one hit. Madison finished with four hits; Wiscasset had three.

Coach Gregg Wood said his Wolverines are getting the bat on the ball but not often enough with runners in scoring position.

Wolverines blank Mt. Valley

Tyler Bailey was the winning pitcher in a 9-0 victory over Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, May 11.

Ranta and Hefler also pitched for Wiscasset. The trio allowed two hits, walked six and struck out seven.

Wood doubled with bases loaded in the second inning, driving in three runs. Ranta had the only other extra base hit, a double in the fifth inning driving in two more runs. Bailey, Hefler and Orr all singled for the Wolverines.

Mt. Valley used four pitchers. Together they gave up nine runs on seven hits, struck out seven, walked five and hit two batters.

Wiscasset Middle High was set to play its next two games on the road at Mt. Abram and Monmouth Academy. They return home to face Winthrop on Friday, May 20.

Wildflowers are just starting to come into bloom. Finding and identifying them is fun and challenging, too. This past Saturday we were doing just that as we walked along the Bristol Recreational Trail, maintained for the town of Bristol by the Pemaquid Watershed Association.

The mile-long trail is located off Route 130 behind the elementary school. It’s about 10 miles from downtown Damariscotta, 17 miles from Wiscasset. A kiosk and sign are on the right marking the trail’s entrance. There’s a small area to pull off and park. You can also park in the school’s parking lot and walk to the trail head. Trail maps and a sign-in sheet were available at the kiosk when we visited. The path is easy to follow, blazed with small yellow markers tacked to the trees and trail signage.

From the trail head we headed northwest through a stand of pines to a stone wall. Along the way we passed large patches of wild Trout Lilies  just coming into bloom. They’re easy to identify by their yellow or white blossom that faces downwards. These were of the more common “yellow” variety. The flower gets its name because its green leaves are mottled with brown spots something like the body of a trout. We also saw lots of wild Columbine thriving here although it won’t blossom until June. There were also patches of tiny flowering Bluets.

One solitary white flower blossoming in a shaded area had us completely stumped, although we later learned it was a Wood Anemone commonly called a “nightcap.” Along the stream bed and marsh we saw a great deal of skunk cabbage. It’s easy to recognize by its rounded shape and huge bright green leaves. It gets its name from the smell it gives off.

A wooden stairway carries you down a small hill to a stream bed through a stand of older spruce trees. On one broken branch was a sizable chunk of “spruce gum.” Years ago folks headed into the Maine woods in the spring and fall and collected spruce gum that was chewed ­— like chewing gum.  

The path winds its way around a small tidal inlet where a brook was spilling over a rocky bank. Further along, the trees thinned out, offering some nice views of the Pemaquid River.

The tide was low during our visit and the black flies were out but fortunately not biting (as long as we kept moving). It’s always a good idea to occasionally stop and visually check for any ticks. We didn’t find any.

Several spots along the trail offer an excellent place for bird-watching, an activity that’s usually best just after sunrise. After we crossed a footbridge we caught sight of a great blue heron that took flight, soaring gracefully away over the harbor. The path gradually runs uphill behind the school and carries you to Route 130. You can either retrace the trail back to where it started or walk back along the road.

The trail is suitable for all ages, a great place for parents to introduce kids to the Maine outdoors, perhaps on the way to Pemaquid Beach.

The Bristol Recreational Trail is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Dogs are permitted but must be leashed or under voice command. No fires or ATVs are permitted.

The trail is among a number of shorefront properties maintained by the Pemaquid River Watershed, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the natural resources of the Pemaquid peninsula. Bath Savings Institution helps sponsor the Bristol Recreational Trail.

For more information visit www.pemaquidwatershed.org.

On Sunday, May 22, at 9 a.m., the starting sound will blast for the second annual Fort Edgecomb Half Marathon and 5K races.  The starting and finish line is at the Sheepscot Bay Resort, one of the race’s sponsors along with Henhouse Sugaring, also of Edgecomb.  According to the 3C Race Productions website, the event “will run a scenic and rural course through Edgecomb, Maine, on quiet country roads. Runners will be treated to views of Fort Edgecomb as well as beautiful Sheepscot Bay. The accompanying 5K (which gets underway at 9:15 a.m.) will give family and friends of the half marathoners their chance to run as well.”

The course’s water stops will be manned by Wiscasset Feed Our Scholars volunteers, recognizable in their vibrant green shirts to help runners identify direction shifts as well as water stops. For its efforts, the hunger initiative is the beneficiary of 20 percent of the race’s profits.

Feed Our Scholars, an all volunteer group, raises funds to supply weekend packs of nutritious, balanced meals for local children attending Wiscasset schools who are experiencing food insecurity.  The group also donates snacks for the elementary school students, as well as other items to help make life healthier for the children and their families.  As it did last summer, Feed Our Scholars will be providing weekend food for children taking advantage of Wiscasset’s summer feeding program.

Competitors can know that while they are being healthy as they run, they are also helping local children to have a healthier life, as well.  To find out more about the race and to register, go to http://www.fortedgecombhm.com/

Wiscasset just keeps getting better. Red's Eats has long made the town a destination for a good lobster roll, and there are other eating establishments and shops in the small downtown area to keep visitors entertained.

In the past month, two noteworthy and fun new shops have opened their doors. BIRCH Home Furnishings and Gifts, at 72 Main Street, had its ribbon-cutting ceremony last month and now, just a few doors down, Moulinette at 60 Main Street has opened its doors.

Featuring décor, skin care and unusual gifts and sundries from around the globe, Moulinette is the newest addition to the rapidly expanding list of unique shops in town. Margot Sullivan, who was formerly in the space next door, has moved her shop into the new space and filled it with “joyful things.”

“A lovely woman customer came in, put her hand on my arm and in a soft voice said, ‘Your shop is full of things that bring me joy,’” Sullivan said.

Sullivan's best friend, a German shepherd named Mulligan, can usually be found in the shop with her. “Mulligan has his own Facebook page because people come in the shop just to visit him,” she said. “He ends all of his postings with 'I’m a good boy.'  Because he hears that all day long.”

You know there's something special about the space the minute you walk through the door and see the freshly painted embossed vintage tin adorning the ceiling and half the walls. One wall is covered in sheetrock. Underneath that is more embossed tin. “An electrician came in to do some rewiring, and he found a tin wall behind the sheetrock,” Sullivan said. Otherwise the entire space would have been lined with tin.

Sullivan had a shop in Gorham, Tinsel Bright Trading Co., for seven years before coming to Wiscasset.

Four years ago she came to Wiscasset on a whim, and spent a night at the Marston House http://www.marstonhouse.com/about.html. She came back two years later and stayed there again. That's when she fell in love with the town.

The shop space was available then, and the owners of Marston House were selling their little cottage in town. It was serendipitous. Sullivan bought the cottage and rented the space for her shop. Now she and her bestie walk to work every day.

Sullivan is selective about her inventory. She does a lot of research before she buys anything, and nothing in Moulinette is tested on animals.

The luxurious bed linens are from a company called Coyuchi and are 100 percent organic: linen sheets from Portugal, made from flax grown in France, wool blankets from Canada and cotton blankets from Germany. There are no chemicals, dyes or starches used in the production of any of the fine linens.

A line of skincare products, Farm Aesthetics, was developed by a woman for cancer patients at a Rhode Island hospital to help heal their skin. It's all natural, all herbal, used in Four Seasons spas. “It's like organic food for your face,” Sullivan said.

A men's line of personal products, Duke Cannon, is on display in the shop, and just seeing the packaging of the 'Big Ass Brick of Soap' and the Bloody Knuckles hand repair salve gives you an idea of the brains behind the marketing of the product. And a percentage of the proceeds is contributed to U.S. veterans causes.

Moulinette also carries fair trade handmade towels and wraps from a company called Creative Women that partners with artisans in Ethiopia and Morocco who work in women-led small businesses and family enterprises.

You'll find recipe books including “The French Laundry Cookbook” and “Bouchon,” both by Thomas Keller, and other hot sellers from the New York Times bestseller lists including “The Kinfolk Table” and “The Kinfolk Home.”

There's a line of Fishs Eddy vintage style glasses and dinnerware. The pieces are pretty, practical, and whimsical, and there are candles, soaps, lotions and other coveted items from France, England, Portugal and Italy.

And if that's not enough, Moulinette will help fulfill your wedding gift wish lists by providing gift registries. Just schedule an appointment for personalized service.

Sullivan said her father was instrumental in getting her set up in her new shop. “He built shelves and hung the doors to the back, put up all the tracks for the lighting and built the screen door for the shop,” she said. “This just wouldn’t have happened without him.

“And the wonderful people and other businesses in this town have been so supportive! Some people popped in yesterday to tell me that they were back into their summer home after being away all winter, and just wanted to say hi.  That so touches me.”

On opening day, May 13, and over the course of the first weekend at Moulinette, Sullivan said there were lots of familiar faces stopping in saying they’d been watching the windows and waiting for the shop to open. “And to see Mulligan, of course.”

The shop will be open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Call 207-687-8103 to talk to Margot about her joyful things, or visit Moulinette's Facebook page.

Or just stop in to see Mulligan. He’s a good boy.

Buy the ticket, win the ride! You could be the next owner of a beautiful, red 1966 MG MGB, while supporting the Owls Head Transportation Museum (OHTM). The Museum announces its third annual vehicle raffle. Tickets are $100 each and only 999 will be sold. All proceeds benefit Museum programs. Raffle tickets can be purchased by phone, online at owlshead.org and onsite at the museum. Terms and conditions apply, and can be viewed at owlshead.org.

The 1966 MG MGB Roadster, with its reputation for sporty performance and its classic lines, are some of the reasons why the MGB has remained a beloved classic since it was introduced in the early 1960s.

With 60,825 true miles on the clock, this beautiful MGB came to Maine from Florida in 2015. It is a superlative example of a well-sorted and well-maintained MGB that bears a near flawless restoration. In addition to this wonderful British classic, the winner will receive accessories to complete the MGB experience; including a brand new fully outfitted classic wicker picnic basket with upscale food and drink service for four, and a brand new classic tartan wool picnic blanket by Pendleton™. These items are designed to fit perfectly on the luggage rack of the MGB, completing the classic look and feel of this head-turning automobile.

The Owls Head Transportation Museum is proud to offer the winner of the 2016 raffle a chance to make the dream of owning a British sports car into a reality. The lucky winner of the 1966 MGB Roadster will be drawn on August 27 at the Barnstormers Ball, the museum's annual gala fundraising event.

For more information on the MG raffle or the Barnstormers Ball, contact Owls Head Transportation Museum Public Relations Director Jenna Lookner at (207) 594-4418 or at jl@ohtm.org.

The Wolverines had another a strong showing in track and field competition May 17. Wiscasset Middle High School hosted three other Mountain Valley Conference high schools, Winthrop, Monmouth Academy and St. Dom’s.

Coach Josiah Winchenbach’s Wolverines finished in third place in the boys meet, fourth in the girls. When you have a small team like Wiscasset, scoring isn’t as important as individual performances. Taking that into consideration, WMHS had another great afternoon.

Wolverine girls results

Natalie Corson had a meet to remember, winning three events for the Wolverines starting with the high jump where she set the bar. After clearing a height of 4’4” with room to spare, she left a field of five other jumpers to watch as she continued on. She eventually bowed out at a height of 4’8” and now has her sights set on clearing 5’.

Corson then edged out her teammate Gabby Chapman in the long jump, leaping a distance of 14’10”. Chapman, who broke the 15-foot mark at the May 10 meet, finished second at 14’8”.

Corson rounded out the day with a first place finish in the triple jump at 31’7”, three inches better than the second place finisher but not her personal best.

Running into the wind, Chapman placed third in the 100 meter dash, crossing the finish line in 14.86 (the winning time was 14.48). Her teammate, Keara Hunter, was sixth (15.66). Chapman also placed third in the 200 meter dash 31.33.

Ayanna Main placed third in 100 meter hurdles (20:12) and Hunter was fifth (20.13).

In the weights competition, Gabby Penney was fourth in the shot put with a distance of 16’8” and Hunter 10th in the discus (49’5”).

In distance running, Amanda Marcus placed fourth in the 1600 meter race (7:23.48) and sixth in the 3200 meter race (17:22.75).

WMHS’ 4 x 100 meter relay team placed second (1:00.55).

Final scoring: Monmouth 113.50, Winthrop 71.50, St. Dom’s 40, and WMHS 40.

WMHS boys results

Matthew Chapman and Sam Storer led the Wolverine boys team in first place finishes.

Chapman won the 300 meter hurdles at 46.31. Earlier, he had a tough race in the 110-meter hurdles, losing his footing and falling twice but still finishing in second place (23.88) just three seconds behind the winner.

The speedy Storer nosed out the competition and won the 200 meter dash in 25.38. Chapman was third (25.75), Jake Traylor fifth (26.27) and Sam Whitney eighth (27.37).

Storer also placed third in the 100 meter dash (12.36) and Whitney was eighth (13.03).

Brandon Goud finished second in the 1600 meter race, close on the heels of  Monmouth’s Luke Thombs. Goud’s time was 4:52.55 and the winning time was 4:51.93.

Max Sampson was second in the long jump (18’1”), Whitney seventh (15’) and Joshua Gabriele ninth at 14’4”.

Traylor and Sam Strozier placed second and third in the triple jump, 37’11” and 35’5” respectively. Caleb Gabriel was sixth (31’4”).

Ethan James had another fine afternoon in the weights competition. He placed second in both the shot put (35’9”) and javelin 114’5”. He was fourth in the discus (92’2”).

Colin Viele placed fifth (2:30.35) and Caleb Gabriele sixth (2:30.38) in the 800 meter race. Strozier and Goud were eighth and ninth in the 400 meter dash.

Joshua Gabriele and Sampson both cleared 4’10” in the high jump. The winning leap was 5’10”.

WMHS’ 4 x 800 meter relay team placed third (9:57).

The final scoring was very close: Winthrop 82, Monmouth 81, WMHS 60 and St. Dom’s 26.

The MVC Championship meet is set for 2 p.m. Thursday, May 26 at Lisbon High School.

The Wolverines took a two-run lead in the first inning but couldn’t hold on, losing 9-4 to Monmouth Academy in Mountain Valley Conference baseball at Monmouth on May 18.

Wiscasset got off to a fast start against the host Mustangs. After Grant Hefler reached on an error, he scored when Daren Wood followed with a double. Conlon Ranta then drove in Wood with an RBI single.

The Wolverines wouldn’t score again until the fifth inning. Hefler and Wood reached base on back-to-back singles and Ranta came through again with another run-producing base hit.

Coach Gregg Wood said Wiscasset’s final run came in the seventh. Hefler singled again and came around to score on Wood’s second double of the afternoon. Wood finished by going three for four at the plate; Hefler and Ranta each went two for four. The Wolverines’ only other hit was when Ronal Drake singled in the sixth inning.

Coach Wood said Ranta started and pitched five innings for Wiscasset. He gave up just three earned runs on eight hits while striking out three and walking three. Tyler Bailey pitched the final inning and retired the Mustangs in order.

The Mustangs scored eight runs on eight hits. They took advantage of three errors in the third inning when they scored five runs. The Mustangs’ first three batters Cote, Davinsky and Richardson went five for 10 on the day.

Harris pitched six innings for Monmouth. He allowed six hits and struck out 11 Wiscasset batters while walking just one. Cote worked the final inning on the mound allowing one run on two hits.

The loss drops WMHS to 5-7.

Bailey drives in four runs

Tyler Bailey went two for four at the plate, driving in four runs and leading the Wolverines to a 13-0 rout of Mt. Abram in chilly Salem Township May 23. The game ended after five innings due to the mercy rule.

Wood was two for two with two RBIs and Ranta and Jake Traylor each had a hit on an RBI as well.

Ranta started and pitched the first perfect three innings for the Wolverines. He struck out five Mt. Abram batters and gave up no walks. Jake Traylor pitched the final inning allowing two hits, while striking out one and allowing no walks.

Mt Abram’s York pitched all five innings, giving up 13 runs on eight hits. He walked six Wiscasset batters, striking out five.

Wiscasset Middle High School will be home Friday afternoon hosting the Ramblers of Winthrop High School. The game starts at 4 p.m. Wiscasset travels to Boothbay May 23 to face the Seahawks as the Mountain Valley Conference baseball season draws to a close. The team’s final home game is May 25 vs. Lisbon.

The Waterville Gymnastics team went enforce to St. Anselm’s College to compete in the New England Regional YMCA Gymnastics championships. With over 1,000 gymnasts from Maine to New York, the Waterville team consisting of 100 team members qualified 86 gymnasts to compete for New England’s top gymnastics honors. The level 7 competitors did not finish their session of competition until 11:30 p.m. but even so, they were able to climb to the top of the podium, with Maddy Russ of Damariscotta becoming the New England all around champion at level 7.

Meet highlights: Maddy Russ is the New England Level 7 Champion placing 1st all around. Reed Gulden placed 2nd on the uneven bars with a 9.225. The girls were significant contributors to the Level 7 team which placed 1st in all of New England. Level 4’s Kadence Rogers placed 2nd on uneven bars with a 9.5 and Emma Markowitz placed 3rd on uneven bars with a 9.35 and the Level 4 team came in 2nd.

Level 7 – Maddy Russ of Damariscotta is the New England Regional Champion. Maddy had a 9.3 on vault for 2nd place, 8.95 on uneven bars for 3rd place, 9.275 on the balance beam for 2nd place, and a season high on floor with a 9.625 for 1st place.

Teammate Reed Gulden of Walpole placed 4th all around in New England. Reed had a 9.2 on vault for 4th place, a 9.225 on bars for 2nd place, a 9.25 on balance beam for 3rd place and an 8.75 on floor exercise.

Level 7 – Level 4 – Kadence Rogers of Nobleboro was in a very competitive age group and did very well. She came in 2nd on the uneven bars with a season high 9.5, she had a 9.225 on the balance beam and earned a 9.0 on the floor exercise.

Emma Markowitz of Barters Island, Boothbay, competed with a twisted ankle which aggravated a previous injury but toughed it out and competed well. Emma had an 8.65 on vault for 6th place, 9.35 on the uneven bars for 3rd place, 8.5 on the balance beam, 8.625 on the floor exercise and placed 6th all around.

Katie Colomb of Alna, 15, Xcel Platinum, placed 3rd all around for Xcel Platinum. Her scores were: 9.075, vault; 8.8, bars; 8.5, beam; and 9.05, floor. The Xcel Platinum team from Waterville came in 1st place in New England. 

As team after Special Olympics team paraded past Boothbay Region Elementary School Assistant Principal Tricia Campbell in Wiscasset Friday, she cheered for each one.

She was proud of all the teams, from schools and groups in the Boothbay region, Wiscasset and elsewhere, for the hard work they put into training, the former Wiscasset special education teacher said.

“There’s a lot of commitment,” Campbell said on the sideline at the morning’s opening ceremonies, which got a blue sky. “You can’t beat that,” Campbell said about the weather.

Wiscasset’s Anna McDougal, competing on the Bath-Brunswick Area Adult Special Olympics team, walked 2.5 miles a day leading up to the May 20 event.

She loves Special Olympics for the healthful exercise and the chance to participate in sports, McDougal said. Friday, she gave the athlete oath before the crowd. On the steps behind her, Wiscasset Middle High School senior Erik Hutchison held the ceremonial torch.

McDougal was excited to be giving the oath, her sister Amy Burchstead of Wiscasset said. She was excited to be there for McDougal; and it was good for son Asa, 3, to get to see his aunt in action, Burchstead added.

Another spectator, Eli Salazar, 4, of Woolwich, attending with parents Jessica and Steven Salazar, was getting to see his brother Wesley Salazar, 6, compete in the softball throw. It’s a variation on the heavier shot put some of the Special Olympians would be competing in, according to Wiscasset special education life skills teacher Melissa Burgess.

Jessica Salazar said Wesley, who practices his throwing with family members and with a t-ball set, was enjoying himself. Asked about throwing the ball minutes earlier, he said, “Fun.”

“It’s nice to meet other families here, too,” his mother said.

The event garnered volunteers from around the region including several from host Wiscasset. WMHS senior Joseph McGrath was helping relay slips with the Olympians’ times on them.

“I just thought this was a good thing they were doing and I wanted to see if I could help,” McGrath said about why he volunteered.

Boothbay’s Lynn Pawlowski, a University of Maine at Orono junior and 2013 Boothbay Region High School graduate, was keeping the sand swept at the long jump. She’s been volunteering for Special Olympics for several years.

“I like the kids. They’re a lot of fun. I’ve watched them grow up,” she said.

Burgess said Wiscasset’s team members trained since early April, during their physical education classes.

“I enjoy watching them learn, and get better at their events, and when they actually compete, how good they feel about it. And they all show great sportsmanship,” Burgess added.

Special Olympics is a wonderful organization to be involved with, Burgess said. Participants can continue as adults, form what may be lifelong friendships, and benefit from the healthy lifestyle and sense of togetherness it fosters, she said.

The team competed in Special Olympics’ state swim meet this year, Burgess said. Friday’s track and field event was a regional one ahead of a state one at UMO in June, she said. The team won’t make that one, for lack of funding, but she is hopeful for next year, she said.

The Wolverine softball team started the week at Mt. Abram Regional High School playing in a wind chill down in the mid-30s and finished Friday by hosting Winthrop in beautiful 76-degree sunshine. So it goes in the springtime in the Mountain Valley Conference.

Wiscasset’s Corey Campbell drove in a pair of runs and Sydnie Thayer had two hits but Winthrop won Friday’s game 11-3 in front of a good-sized crowd. August Moore went the distance on the mound for the Wolverines.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Ramblers added another run in the third, then four more in the fourth, one in the fifth and four in the sixth. The Wolverines got all of their runs in the fourth inning.

The Wolverines had something going in the second after Thayer singled with one out and stole second base. Maeve Blodgett followed and grounded out to the right side, moving Thayer along to third but Campbell then grounded out to end the inning.

After the Rambler pitcher struck out the first two batters in the home half of the third, Grace Webber drew a walk. She stole second and third but the next batter struck out again, ending the inning without a run.

Moore led off the fourth inning with a double over the left fielder’s head. Stephanie Jones then beat out a grounder on the infield. Thayer followed with a single and the Wolverines were on the scoreboard. A bunt by Maeve Blodgett moved Jones along to third. Campbell’s base hit drove in Jones and Thayer, making it a 6-3 ballgame.

The Wolverines had a number of good defensive plays on the diamond. Jones, the shortstop, had an unassisted double play in the sixth inning gloving a line drive and tagging second to get the runner.

In the seventh, Leah Potter made a nice running catch in left field to end the inning.

Moore scattered nine hits, walked five and struck out two Winthrop batters. The Rambler pitcher finished with eight strikeouts.

Wiscasset will travel to Boothbay to play the Seahawks Monday, May 23. They’ll return home Wednesday, May 25, to face Lisbon and then end the season at Oak Hill, May 27. The Wolverines are 1-12.

In Seacoast United Premier Soccer play Sunday, May 22, the U12 Mariners-PF defeated the U12B Blackbears-BS in Scarborough, 6-0.

Crisp passing and a solid defense were the keys as the Mariners scored four goals in the first half and followed by two more after the break.

Dan Godomsky, Jack Duncan and Simon Paledzki each tallied two goals for the offense, with Aiden Foley, Deven Abrams, Liam Grant, Mason Surace, Body Retherford and Wylie Jacobs all having assists. Ethan Taylor, Gus Silverman, and Aiden Foley, played strong defense, allowing only 16 shots to reach goal keeper Cody Cleaveland, all of which he stopped, including a breakaway bid by the Black Bears late in the game.

The U12 Mariners, led by Coach Paul Foley, are currently ranked first in their division with 6 wins and 2 losses on the season. Up next is the Nate Hardy Memorial Day Tournament this weekend  in Epping, New Hampshire.

The Midcoast United U11s soccer team improved its record to 3-0 on Sunday, May 15 with a 3-2 win over Central Maine United Soccer Club, from Waterville. Ashton Cunningham, the team’s current leading scorer, netted two goals in the first half against Central Maine. Isaac Thompson stood strong in goal for Midcoast in the first half, saving five of six shots on goal.

Strong offensive plays from Cunningham, Thompson, Connor Cass and Nick Archer led to 7 shots on goal in the second half. Maddox Tilas played in goal in the second half, saving one of two shots on goal, and was supported by a robust defensive team led by Oliver Hunter.

Midcoast United is a non-profit travel soccer club affiliated with Soccer Maine, US Youth Soccer, anf FIFA and is open to children who reside between Arrowsic and Nobleboro. For more information about Midcoast United, or to register for the fall season, please contact Marcy Tilas at mtilas.midcoast@gmail.com.

The La Verna Nature Preserve provides an ideal place for a picnic by the sea. Located off Route 32 in the village of Chamberlain (Bristol), the mostly forested preserve is part of the Pemaquid Watershed Association.

At the traffic light in Damariscotta, take Route 130 to Bristol village. Just past the Bristol Diner, turn left onto Lower Round Pond Road. This brings you to Route 32 and the village of Round Pond. Turn right and follow Route 32 about three miles. The parking area for the preserve is on the right just past Ocean Hill Cemetery. Trail maps, a sign-in sheet and rules for enjoying the preserve are at the kiosk.

To get to the preserve, you first have to hike through the woods on the Hoyt Trail that carries you across privately owned land. In runs mostly due east over a path blazed blue that’s well-packed, thickly wooded in places and mostly dry. It parallels a tumbling stone wall. Along the way, you’ll cross a half-dozen small wooden spans.

On the morning of our visit we heard a rooster crowing nearby and spotted several large patches of Canadian Mayflowers, white night caps and wild iris in bloom. We also heard a number of different birds singing among the trees, including the very distinctive song of the veery.

Strewn along a wet gully were dozens of large skunk cabbage plants and wild purple violets and a few scattered fiddleheads. We saw two garter snakes sunning themselves near a small brook, the first we’ve seen this spring. The Hoyt Trail is a little over a half-mile but easy walking on level ground. It turns sharply to the north then east again, where it ends at a large sign marking the La Verna Preserve boundary.

From this point the main path becomes the La Verna Trail that runs eastwards towards the water. The path forks twice, the first where it meets the Ellis Trail (0.8-miles) which goes off to the northern end of the preserve and later when it meets up with the Tibbitts Trail (0.7-miles) that runs southwards. Both of these trails eventually link up with the main trail and bring you out to Muscongus Bay.

The Ellis trail carries you high over a high bluff overlooking Brown Head Cove. Just before it links with the La Verna Trail, you’ll see a smaller inlet known as “Cobble Beach.” The shore is brimming with rocks and stones worn smooth by eons of tides washing over them.

From here we made our way to “Leighton Head” that offers some beautiful views of Muscongus Bay and the ocean beyond. Swimming along the shore were about a dozen common eiders. The males are easily identified with snow white feathers on their backs and chests and black feathers on their crown. They are the largest ducks in the Northern Hemisphere.

The path runs south from here along the rocky shore, offering many places to have a picnic lunch and take in the view while enjoying the salt air.

Before returning, we followed the Tibbitts Trail, wandering off the path to explore the rocky shoreline again and have a look at a large tide pool. Something interesting you’ll immediately notice is the ledge here is reddish brown unlike the gray rocks at Lookout Point. A word of caution — we did see a few patches of poison ivy and encountered a few mosquitoes but no ticks, however, or annoying black flies.

The trails are easily followed and suitable for all ages to enjoy. We met a dozen other hikers during our visit.

According to the Pemaquid Watershed Association the La Verna Preserve was acquired in three parcels from 1965 through 1973. Dr. Elizabeth Hoyt and her sister Mrs. Anna Mavor donated a 30-acre parcel, the La Verna Foundation donated a 55-acre parcel and the Nature Conservancy purchased the remaining 34 acres of the 120-acre preserve.

Visitors can enjoy the preserve from dawn until dusk. Dogs are welcome but should be leased, in fact a dog leash is available to borrow at the start of the trail. Other rules are listed at the kiosk. Remember to leave no trace behind. Masters Machine Company of Round Pond is a sponsor of the La Verna Preserve.

For more information visit www.pemaquidwatershed.org.

If you are looking for games other than fetch and tug of war to play with your dog, then you want to contact Marcia Welch at Positively Best Friends in Edgecomb. The 20-year dog trainer teaches livestock herding to her homo sapien and canine clients. The activity is designed to build a bond between man and man’s best friend.

Welch competes regularly in livestock trial competitions around the country. She teaches her pupils how to guide ducks and sheep around an obstacle course at a Mill Road farm in Edgecomb. The course’s purpose isn’t to prepare a dog for corralling livestock on a farm. It’s intended to provide the clients — both man and dog — a sport which is fun and builds rapport between the two.

On May 22, Welch held a livestock herding class. None of the students have livestock, but they all had a desire to participate in a fun, new activity with their dogs. Even though several breeds are genetically inclined to herd, the class is designed for all dogs. The only requirement is the dog has an interest in the livestock.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Welch said. “Some do it because they need a dog to help around the farm. Others, just for the excitement. A dog doesn’t have to be from a herding breed to do this. This sport has plenty of poodles, border terriers, boxers and chihuahuas.”

Welch’s class begins by showing her human clients how a herding dog moves livestock, in this case call ducks, around a small obstacle course. Afterwards, two of her former pupils perform the same task with their trained herding dogs. Welch wants her human clients to first experience how difficult herding is from a dog’s perspective.

“It’s frustrating when a dog doesn’t do what you want them. So the humans herd the ducks first to get a sense of it. Sometimes people will say dumb dog, but it’s really the dog just showing its independence.”

Welch has trained her own Australian shepherds for over 20 years and taught herding for 10. She has earned two Australian Shepherd Club of America Working Trial Championships and one American Kennel Club Championship.

In her training class, she is assisted by two former pupils, Dawn Mulcahy of Hallowell and Barb Gibson of Edgecomb, who have trained with Welch for more than five years. They both began their dogs in obedience class before moving onto herding. Mulcahy said the best part of herding is doing something with your dog that you never imagined doing.

“It’s really fun to be able to work with your dog with stock,” she said. “Both of my dogs love it and I love doing it with them.”

The obstacle course is located at Gibson’s farm on Mill Road. She herds ducks and sheep with her two Bernese Mountain dogs, Tugboat and Nessa.

“When I heard about herding as a sport it sounded interesting. So I tried it with my dogs and they both enjoy it. Tugboat took to it right away. I think he loves being around his duckies,” Gibson said.

Welch’s course also attracts pupils who may want dogs to herd livestock on their farms. Ben Kann and his wife, Betsy Levine, of Liberty used a herding dog when they lived in Connecticut. They recently lost their dog of 15 and a half years. They have ordered a French Briard puppy. The Waldo County couple were looking for a Midcoast training session in case they want to begin handling livestock again.

“Once we got to Maine we were too busy for livestock, but we’re thinking about clearing a section of field and putting in three sheep,” Kann said.

Joanna Hall of Rockport and her three sons own a Border Collie, another breed associated with herding. “Jaks” came from a 350-acre farm in North Carolina where he participated in herding. Hall is taking the course to allow her dog to live his heritage.

“It’s in him. That’s what he’s bred for. His mother is a Northern Ireland champion herder. So we are taking the training so he can live the life he was born for,” Hall said.

Welch said her course isn’t only for those who want to handle livestock or compete in competition. It’s mainly for having a fun activity for both a dog lover and their “best friend.”

For information about Welch’s classes, visiting positivelybestfriends.com or call 522-6001.

There was a half marathon, or 14.1-mile, road race taking place in Edgecomb on Sunday, May 22. It was the second year in a row that the race has taken place, to benefit the Wiscasset organization, Feed Our Scholars.

Volunteers were present from the Edgecomb United Church of Christ, First Congregational Church of Wiscasset  and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church of Wiscasset. “The Edgecomb United Church of Christ heard about it and brought out the table and water to provide for the runners,” volunteer Suzanne Rankin said. ”There are two water stops but this is an important one because the runners have just come up the hill (on Eddy Road).”

Chris Sieracki was handing out water at the first water stop with Rankin. It was also the last one on the way back.

There was a 5K, or 3.1 miles, walk as well as the half marathon. The half marathon runners started at Davis Island and ran up Eddy Road to Cross Point Road, where they ran to Mill Road, then back to Davis Island.

The race officials donate a part of the proceeds to the Congregational Church of Wiscasset and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church of Wiscasset for Feed Our Scholars.

The Wiscasset couple looking to build a family entertainment complex on Route 27 is looking for investors. Vincent Thibeault said he and wife Sally Thibeault have verbal commitments from two locals he declined to name, toward a goal of up to $820,000 to leverage the rest of the project’s $5.4 million cost.

He and his wife are strictly confident the project will happen, Thibeault said.

Seeking investors should be taken as a positive sign, he said. “Sally and I have taken all of the necessary steps to progress forward.  Met with all of the right folks including local and state officials, industry experts, attorneys, etc.  Because we have surrounded ourselves with the right people, we are positioned well to succeed and make this project a reality.”

Both of the verbal commitments are for small investments, one short-term and the other long-term, with the person wanting to be a part-owner, Thibeault said in a phone interview Monday night.

A press release Thibeault sent the Wiscasset Newspaper announces plans to seek “a limited consortium of local partners” for capital and equity investment. If they aren’t all Wiscasset-area, the hope would be to find others in the central Maine and Midcoast regions, he said.

Keeping the consortium as local as possible would aid in the community element he and his wife want the center to have, such as through after-school programs and sports camps that could help boost participation in school baseball and other sports, Thibeault said.

In the interview, the release and an email exchange, he gave an update on plans for the project eyed for a parcel opposite Wiscasset Middle High School. A $17,000, market feasibility study the couple hired out to Amusement Entertainment Management determined that the complex would bring more than 112,000 people a year to town, according to Thibeault.

He said the two verbal commitments and other early prospects have stemmed from networking, but now the couple is casting the net wider, going public with their pursuit of investors.

The Bath Iron Works employee said, in the year since the couple first approached Wiscasset’s planning board, they have learned a lot about what it will take to build the complex with bowling, miniature golf, batting cages, gaming, an athletic field, go carts and bumper cars, a rope course, bistro, a lit winter ice-skating trail through the woods and other features over three phases of the project.

Asked if they would have preferred to be the complex’s sole owners, he said: “I believe any entrepreneur would prefer to be sole owner of a business they worked very hard to develop. We also recognize the limitations and obstacles accompanying a project of this scope and magnitude.”

He estimates needing up to 15 percent on the project’s costs covered before they could get loans from one or more banks and the federal government, through the Small Business Administration or U.S. Department of Agriculture.

When the Indian Road resident drives past the site four or five times a week, he looks to the trees and pictures a V & S Factory sign and a driveway to a huge, beautiful complex. “I can’t help it,” Thibeault said.

Not having all the answers as they work to see it through has been the toughest part of the process, he wrote in response to an email question.

“However it has also been a good thing as it has required us to conduct a lot (of) additional research on topics we have not had a great deal of knowledge or experience with. This has contributed to us making better informed decisions throughout the process.”

The Wiscasset Rod & Gun Club has announced plans to award a free, lifetime Maine fishing license to a Wiscasset child under the age of 15. The club is soliciting entries from interested Wiscasset youth and will hold a drawing at their gun show in August to select the winner.

The drawing is open to any Wiscasset resident age 15 or under. There is no entry fee and only one entry per child, and one license will be awarded to the lucky winner.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife offers lifetime fishing and hunting

licenses to Maine youth as an incentive for participation in these sports. Eligibility for a lifetime license ends at age 15, after which annual licenses must be purchased. The club hopes to foster continued interest in sport fishing by offering the giveaway.

Eligible entrants must be legal residents of Wiscasset. Entries can be made by sending a letter or 3-inch x 5-inch postcard to the Wiscasset Rod & Gun Club at P.O. Box 18, Wiscasset, ME 04578. Entries must be received no later than August 1 and must include the child's name, birth date, parents' name and Wiscasset address. Proof of Wiscasset residency (utility bill, tax bill, etc.) may be required prior to award of the prize.

The winner will be drawn on August 7, 2016. The winner's license application must be postmarked or received by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife before the child's 16th birthday. Paperwork can be hand-delivered to Augusta.

Woolwich’s town administrator, Lynette Eastman, became a champion for the second year in row. She did so by raising over $1,000 in pledge donations for the upcoming annual Tour de Cure, the bicycle trek to benefit diabetes research for the American Diabetes Association.

The $1,000 mark gives her champion status in fundraising.

Taking part in the Kennebunks’ Tour de Cure in York County has special meaning for Eastman. Both her mother and sister suffer from diabetes.

According to the ADA, 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. ADA’s mission is to help prevent and cure diabetes and also to improve the lives of people who have it.

This will be the fifth straight year Eastman has ridden in the event that features hundreds of bicyclists from across Maine. It includes a 10K, 25K, 50K and 100K competition along with a family fun ride open to all ages. She and her husband George are part of a nine-member team with the Shipyard Brewing Company. They’ll ride together in the 25K race, which is about 16 miles.

The course for the riders begins at the Wells Reserve on the Laudholm Farm Road in Wells.

“It’s a beautiful setting that runs along the beach and goes by Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport where the Bush family lives, and by other estates. The scenery is just breathtaking,” she said.

“George, who bikes a lot more than I do, used to ride in the Tour de Cure’s 50K but since I’ve been riding he’s done the 25K so we can ride together.”

He frequently rides his bike from the Eastmans’ home in Pittston to Woolwich, a distance of 20 miles or so, to attend the Woolwich Selectmen’s meetings. Following the meetings, the Eastmans return home in their SUV.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Tour de Cure, which will be held rain or shine Sunday morning, June 12. It features 68 bicycling teams and to date has 734 riders. Registration continues until May 31, and includes a $25 fee along with a $200 fundraising minimum. This year’s goal is to raise $450,000.

The routes include rest stops with refreshments, mechanical support and medical volunteers. There’s also a post-ride festival where cyclists can enjoy lunch and entertainment.

To learn more about the Tour de Cure contact Tricia Belden, the event coordinator, at: pbelden@diabetes.org

Coach Gregg Wood and the Wolverines are on a roll, having won four of their last five Mountain Valley Conference baseball games including a 4-2 victory over visiting Lisbon on May 25.

Daren Wood pitched a complete game, scattering six hits and striking out five Greyhound batters. He gave up just one walk. Both of Lisbon’s runs were unearned.

Conlon Ranta drove in three of the Wolverines’ four runs with a pair of base hits and also assisted in the game’s final put out.

Both teams were scoreless through the first three innings. Wiscasset threatened in the first inning after Grant Hefler led off with a double to center field. Wood’s groundout moved Hefler along to third but Lisbon pitcher Nick Austin worked his way out of the jam, popping up the next two batters.

The Greyhounds scored the game’s first run in the fourth inning. After retiring the first two batters, Chris Normand lined a base hit and was awarded second and third base on a throwing error in a pickoff attempt. He then scored on a pass ball. Wiscasset left the bases loaded in the home half of the fourth.

With one out in the fifth inning, Hefler lined a base hit up the middle and stole second. Wood then drew a base on balls and Ranta lined a single down the third base line, scoring Hefler and Wood. Tyler Bailey then reached base on an error. The next batter struck out but not before the umpire called a balk on the pitcher, sending Ranta to third base. Logan Orr then delivered a huge base hit, scoring Ranta.

The Wolverines then loaded the bases after Brandon Sprague was hit-by-a-pitch for the second time in the game. He’s leading the team in that category having been hit in the batter’s box 11 times this season. (Ouch!) Austin then struck out the next batter ending the inning, Wiscasset leaving the bases loaded for the second time.

Wiscasset added an insurance run in the sixth, with Ranta driving in Jake Traylor who singled.

The Greyhounds got their final run in the seventh. Normand singled, his second hit of the game, and scored on Austin’s base hit. With the Greyhounds down to their final out, Ranta’s toss to second baseman Bryson Grover, who applied the tag, ended the game.

The win, the Wolverines’ third in row for Coach Gregg Wood lifted the team’s record to 8-7 with one game left in the regular season. Before the win over Lisbon, Wiscasset was ranked 11th in the heal points and appeared to be heading to the playoffs. They travel to wales to play Oak Hill Friday.

Wolverines feast on Seahawks

Grant Hefler went two for four with a double and a triple and the Wolverines pounded out 11 hits in a 9-1 romp over the Seahawks at Boothbay May 23.

Bailey went three for five at the plate driving in three runs for Wiscasset and Ranta had a pair of RBIs with two singles and a double. Sprague and Grover each had an RBI as well.

Ranta, the Wolverines starting pitcher, worked four scoreless innings allowing just a pair of Seahawk hits while striking out three. Traylor worked the final innings, giving up one run on one hit. He struck out four, walked one and hit a batter.

Wood went two for three at the plate with a pair of singles.

Wiscasset scored three runs in the first inning, one in the second, two in the fourth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh. The Seahawks run came in the final inning

Grant Giles went the distance on the mound for the Seahawks. He allowed nine runs on 11 hits, struck out seven, walked five, and hit two batters.

Ramblers nipped

Wiscasset came away with a 4-3 win over visiting the Winthrop Ramblers on May 20.

Wood delivered the game-winning hit, an RBI single in the seventh,scoring Hefler, who had walked.

After spotting the Ramblers two unearned runs Wiscasset Middle High School rallied for three runs in the third. Ranta drove in two runs with a single and Ronald Drake picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

Ranta finished with two hits in three at bats to lead the Wolverines. Sprague, Hefler and Wood each had a single. Bailey went the distance on the mound for Wiscasset.

He gave up three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out 11.

If you’re looking for a low-calorie snack this summer, don’t go to the Beryl’s Pastries stand at the Boothbay Farmers’ market.

But if you’re looking to indulge in something mouth-wateringly delectable, do.

Beryl's Pastries is among the stars of the show at the market. Beryl Sidelinger has been making mostly sweet, and some savory, confections since 1994, and it shows. There’s a line of people at her stand every Thursday, and her pastries are pretty much sold out by the time she packs up to leave.

She’s been doing summer farmers markets since 2008. And she said there is an indoor winter market in Bath November through April. “It's amazing – it does very well, especially around the holidays,” she said. “There's music, and it's in a really a neat place — the old freight shed. People should check it out.”

Susie McGinnis was among the patrons lining up for the confections on Thursday, May 26. “I come all the way from an island to get some of Beryl's pastries,” she said. “Every Thursday I get in my boat and row from Davis Island to the Southport Yacht Club dock, then I get in my car and come to the farmers market and head directly to Beryl's. I love her pastries.”

Sidelinger, who lives in Richmond, attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, and has been a pastry chef at several places around the Midcoast area, including Chebeague Island Inn, the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Henry and Marty Restaurant in Brunswick and Standard Baking Co. in Portland.

Sidelinger said that her scones are her best sellers. She has a few sweet ones and a savory one made with whole wheat flour, bacon, scallions and Asiago cheese. There were no savory ones left there at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 26. They had already sold out. Luckily there were still a few cranberry-orange, blueberry-lemon and crystallized ginger.

Then there are the small rich-looking dark brown ginger cakes. Sidelinger said they’re popular, too. “They're very unusual — sticky and moist — they have Guinness beer in them.” And then there are the little lemon cream cheese pound cakes. They defy description. And blueberry and tart lemon pies and tarts. Rugelach, a buttery, flaky confection made with cinnamon and crushed walnuts ... the list goes on.

Sidelinger said that when she went to cooking school she was encouraged to try to make her own recipes by making changes in the recipes she found. “I've tried to do that with a lot of the things I make, but some I don't want to fiddle with because they're good just the way they are.”

She used to make a wider variety of items, including laminated (croissant style) dough, but she was working 80 hours a week, so she had to cut back some. “I was making chocolate croissants and three savory braided croissants. Just making that dough was a three-day process. The 80 hours were pretty much doing me in.” She said she has cut back from the 80 hours, but still puts in 60 to 65, not including the time she spends at farmers markets.

“I love everything I make because I couldn't possibly make anything I wouldn't eat.” Sidelinger said. “I just try to control myself. But when chocolate chip cookies come out of the oven, and they're warm and the chocolate is melting, it's all I can do not to eat one.”

Another customer came up to the counter. “I'm addicted to Beryl's Pastries,” Ann Springhorn said. “I have to come here every Thursday to get something.”

More sports partnerships could be ahead for Wiscasset, like the one the town is planning with Boothbay Region High School for football. The Wiscasset School Committee on May 26 decided to have Athletic Director Nate Stubbert explore the potential for collaborative teams with area school departments.

“We should definitely look into that,” Chairman Steve Smith said after member Glen Craig brought up the idea. Wiscasset might only have two tennis players next year, and the school has a court, so that might be one sport to consider, Craig said. Minutes earlier, Wiscasset Middle High School Principal Peg Armstrong reported that 23 students attended an informational meeting Stubbert held on the collaborative football team.

Only one of the students plays soccer, Armstrong said, looking in member Eugene Stover’s direction. Stover had recently wondered if the school would lose soccer players to football. He voted in favor of the collaborative football team and Thursday night, he agreed with Smith, Craig and Michael Dunn on seeing about other possible ones.

Member Chelsea Haggett, part of the majority vote on football, was not present for the latest discussion.

“Even baseball and soccer are close to not having teams,” due to their small number of players, Smith said. In April, Smith dissented in the committee’s vote for the collaborative football team with the Seahawks. He had cited his concern for maintaining numbers in Wiscasset’s sports program.

Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot told the committee she could ask Stubbert for a needs analysis, looking at which sports might need the boost of a collaborative team in order to keep being offered.

As with the collaboration with Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98, each potential one might depend in part on any impact it would have on the class the school plays in, she said.

The collaboration on football would help BRHS maintain Class D junior varsity and varsity teams as enrollments decline, BRHS sports officials have said. Stubbort has said that opening Wiscasset’s sports teams to BRHS players wouldn’t make sense; it would change Wiscasset’s class for soccer, he said.

As with the football plan, any others would need the committee’s approval and those of the schools involved and the Maine Principals Association, Wilmot said.

Natalie Corson won the girls triple jump in the Mountain Valley Conference championship meet hosted by Lisbon High School on May 26.

Corson, a freshman, had the afternoon’s best jump at 31’5” Dirigo’s Sabrina Daud was second at 31’. Wiscasset Middle High School’s Ayanna Main placed sixth in the event with a jump of 30’3”.

Main finished fourth in the long jump at 14’9”, Corson sixth (14’7”) and Gabby Chapman seventh (14’3”).

Main had another fourth place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.30. Her teammate Keara Hunter was 11th (20.45).

Chapman was fifth in the 400-meter dash (1:07.5) and 13th in the 100-meter dash (14.44).

Corson placed ninth in the high jump at 4’2”. Boothbay Region’s Angie Perkins had the winning jump of 4’10”.

WMHS’ 4 x 100-meter relay team of Main, Hunter, Corson and Chapman placed fifth (58.31) among the 12 high schools competing.

Host Lisbon Greyhounds won the girls meet, tallying up 134.5 points. There were 19 scored events. Boothbay Region was second with 87 points and Dirigo third, with 44 points. WMHS finished the afternoon with 29 points.

Boys’ results

The Greyhounds were also champions of the boys meet, finishing with 122.5 points. Boothbay was second with 65, Hall-Dale third with 60. WMHS scored 30.75 points.

Wolverine Brandon Goud placed fourth in the 1600-meter race (4:55.58).

Sam Storer was fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.95). Storer also placed ninth in the 400-meter dash (56.56).

Matthew Chapman finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (18.19) and fifth again the 300-meter hurdles 46.6.

Jake Traylor was sixth in the triple jump (37’4”) and Sam Strozier was eighth (36’9”). Traylor was also sixth in the long jump leaping 18’ and 16th in the 200-meter dash (25.92).

In the 4 x 100-meter relay race, the WMHS team of Chapman, Chris Loyola, Traylor and Storer placed fourth (48.24).

The Wolverines 4 x 400-meter relay team of Chapman, Goud, Strozier and Storer was sixth (4:01.41).

The Wednesday Walkers, a walking/hiking group in the Midcoast, has expanded again this year. Hikes are now being led by a sponsoring group of 14 land trusts. We hike from Camden and Liberty to Brunswick.

Wednesday Walkers hike/walk every Wednesday morning from early May to late November, weather permitting. All the hikes are fully documented with a description or map. A typical hike is in the 2-4 mile range, on trails maintained by a land trust organization. Hike leaders are land trust volunteers.

Walkers meet at the Friends Meeting House in Damariscotta on Wednesday morning, then carpool to the walk/hike destination. Meeting the group at the starting point is another option. Details including the start time (usually between 8:30 and 10 a.m.) are emailed to the group by the hike leader a week ahead.

To receive emails regarding future hikes, please email: wednesday_walkers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

For additional information or if you have trouble joining, contact: wednesday_walkers-owner@yahoogroups.com

The Central Lincoln County YMCA and the Boothbay Region YMCA will host a summer filled with Sports Camps for ages 9-15.

Baseball camp at CLC YMCA, July 25–29 for boys & girls grades 3–9. Campers will learn the fundamentals of baseball with Coach Bob Pisco. Pisco has volunteered at the Y for more than 10 years and has been coaching baseball for more than 20 years. Camp will each the fundamentals of baseball while enjoying batting practice and scrimmages while ending the week on Friday with a trip to Round Top Ice Cream! Camp schedule: Monday-Friday from 5–8 p.m. Y member $50, non member $75.

Tennis camp at CLC YMCA, July 11-14, July 25-28 for ages 8-14. Campers will learn teamwork, team commitment, and the game of tennis with instructor Lisa Gilbride. Camp Schedule: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-noon

Tennis camp at Boothbay YMCA, August 15-18 for Ages 8-14 with instructor Chantalle Lavertu. Camp schedule: Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon. Y member $100, non member $150.

CLC YMCA soccer camp, August 8–12 for grades Pre K–8th. Ken Stevenson is entering his fourth year as the head boys varsity soccer coach at Lincoln Academy. Ken is very excited to be working with the experienced CLC Y soccer camp staff and is looking forward to helping players from our community develop their game and an appreciation of soccer. Camp schedule: Grades Pre K-1 from 9–10:30am, Y members $60 and non members $85; Grades 1–4 from 1– 3 p.m., Y members $80 and non members $105; Grades 3–8 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m., members $150 and non members $185. New –Extended Care for Soccer Camp (For full day camp only). The Y will be offering extended care pre and post soccer camp this year. Children will play games, relax, and have fun before and after soccer camp. A minimum of eight campers required to run this program. Please register in advance. Please contact Joe Clark at jclark@clcymca.org with questions regarding extended care and summer soccer camp. Early arrival begins 7:30 a.m. Pick up 5 p.m.

Basketball camp at Boothbay Region YMCA, August 1-5 for grades 4-8. BRHS varsity boys coach I.J. Pinkham and Mark Gosselin are back for another year of the now famous “hoop camp.” Skill drills, games and fun contests. Y family member $160, Y member $175, non member $225. Camp schedule: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Football camp at Boothbay Region YMCA, July 11-15 for grades 3-8. BRHS football coach Brian Dionne and Smith Climo are ready for a fun week of Y Football Camp. Y family member $160, Y member $175, non member $225. Camp schedule: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Minimum of six campers necessary for transportation to CLC YMCA for camps. Schedule for 1/2 day camps: depart Camp Knickerbocker at 8:15 a.m. for 9 a.m. camp and depart the CLC YMCA at 12:15 p.m. arriving back at Camp Knickerbocker at 1 p.m. Schedule for full day camp: depart Camp Knickerbocker at 8:15 a.m. for 9 a.m. camp and depart the CLC YMCA at 3 p.m. arriving back at Camp Knickerbocker at 3:45 p.m.

To register for summer camps or set up a payment plan, please visit clcymca.org to begin the online registration process. You may also contact Val Gamage, camp registrar directly at campregistrar@brymca.org with questions pertaining to registration and payment plans.

Over a long weekend dedicated to remembering the courageous acts of others, Chris Thorne of Sidney embodied the American spirit by letting hard work and perseverance guide him to victory lane. In a momentous showdown between several heavy favorites, Thorne added first place at the 2016 Coastal 200 to his impressive driving record at Wiscasset Speedway.

Sponsored by Norms Used Cars of Wiscasset, Jordan Lumber and Jordan Excavation, this annual event featured twenty-four powerful cars from the star-studded Late Model Sportsman Division. With over $18,000 in purse money on the line, competitors from across the state had their eye on the prize, ready to prove themselves. Among those competing was Dave Farrington of Jay, who had returned to defend his championship from 2015. This year’s event proved the countless variables that determine victory in auto racing. In a division jam-packed with skill, on and off the track, every small detail can mean the difference between first and third, which is where Farrington stood when the dust finally settled.

Taking second back to his home in Fairfield, Jeff Burgess kicked off the race by holding a healthy lead through the first dozen laps. Despite being trailed by powerhouses like Nick Hinkley of Wiscasset and Joey Doyon of Winterport, Burgess’ grasp on the lead seemed firm until a caution involving Bryan Robbins of Montville shifted him to the back of the field. Not willing to stare a gift horse in the mouth, Hinkley and Thorne wasted no time in battling to be the next king of the mountain.

As engines roared into the second half, fans reached for hoodies and blankets to guard against the chilled air, while down on the track, drivers cranked up the heat. In a Lifetime-inspired comeback story, Burgess had battled his way back into the top five against the odds. After achieving the lead, Thorne gained some much needed breathing room at the front when he left Hinkley trapped in second position behind competitive lap traffic.

When a caution was thrown after Richard Jordon of Kingfield hit complications, the field cleared faster than a school yard in June, as drivers grabbed their chance to change tires for the final 75 laps. Among the few not pitted was Thorne, who shocked confused spectators as he cruised through the caution and back into the action. Despite a brief stint at the head of the pack, Farrington settled for a view of Burgess’ rear bumper, who had yet again become the leading car by a generous margin.

Cars clustered throughout the field in side-by-side battles, impacting any leader who attempted to rank up. That traffic came to an epic head when Burgess, attempting an outer lane pass, became gridlocked as John Kalel of Orrington slowed to exit down pit road. With fifteen laps to go and a window of opportunity, Thorne moved like a ninja to pass Burgess and the rest was history. As a 3-time Late Model Sportsman Champion and 2-time Wiscasset Speedway Driver of the Year, Thorne graciously thanked his family and sponsors for helping him take home the championship. “We finally did it! We’ve been chasing this race for quite awhile.” Burgess’ tenacity finally paid off, as he took home second place, followed by Farrington in third.

Cheered on by grandstands packed with fans, other divisions turned out winners all afternoon. Among them was Shawn Kimball of Augusta, taking first in the Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis, followed by Zach Audet of Oakland and Bryan Lancaster of Skowhegan. Mark Lucas of Harpswell took home his third straight win in the NAPA Modifieds division, with Thomas Young of Freeport in second and Allan Moeller of Dresden in third. And after a caution-filled forty-five minute race, Bryan Robbins achieved victory in the Strictly Streets feature race, followed by two-tenths of a second by Kurt Hewins of Leeds and Maurice Young of Chelsea.

Join all of the action at Wiscasset Speedway next Saturday, June 4 when grandstand gates open to fans at 2 p.m. and the green flag kicking off the day at 6 p.m. For the 2016 Race Schedule and much more, visit www.wiscassetspeedway.com. Be part of the action by following Wiscasset Speedway on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

The Lincoln Little League is looking for players between 4 and 18 years old to participate in a baseball program designed for those with developmental disabilities. The new Little League is called the Challenger Division. The Lincoln Little League is holding a Field Day at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 6 to recruit new players.

The Field Day is at the Central Lincoln County YMCA in Damariscotta. Participation is open to anyone in southern Lincoln County, according to Lincoln Little League President Paul Miner. The league began organizing the Challenger Division in January. So far only six players have expressed interest. League officials anticipated between 10 and 20.

“The Field Day is designed to show what the league is all about. We want players who wouldn’t normally have a chance to play baseball this summer have this experience,” said Miner.

League officials hope the event generates more participation for “The Dream Team’s” inaugural season. The southern Lincoln County team will play a six-game schedule against another Challenger Division team in Waldoboro. While southern Lincoln County has struggled to find players, the Waldoboro Little League entrant has 20-plus players signed up.

The Lincoln County League Little has contacted local schools’ special education departments about the new league, but hasn’t found the same recruitment success other Challenger Division teams in Waldoboro, Ellsworth and Portland have.

“I’m not sure why our numbers are lagging,” Miner said. “We’ve done everything other leagues have done and they seem to have plenty of interest. We’re hoping the Field Day brings out more players for our team.”

Little League’s Challenger Division  was established in 1989. More than 30,000 youth participate in 900 Challenger Divisions worldwide, according to Little League’s website. Lincoln County is looking for both boy and girl participants. Local Little League officials want these young athletes playing baseball with their peers.

“It’s really more about the experience than the competition,” Miner said. “All these kids want to do is get out there and play and that’s what this is all about,” he said.

The Field Day is expected to last about an hour, according to Miner.

The Boothbay Harbor One Design Association's annual Windjammer Days races will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 26. The races are held between the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard and Tumbler Island.

The Boothay Harbor One Design Races showcase the importance of the boat building industry along the New England coast where windjammers (also known as tall ships) were built from the 17th to 20th centuries, and where classic Maine sailboats are constructed today. The aesthetically beautiful Boothbay Harbor One Design is a 21-foot day sailor designed by Geerd Hendel in 1938. Hendel had a hand in the design of the 1937's America's Cup winner, Ranger, along with the Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens.

Over the years 57 of these One Designs have been built. The majority of which can be found sailing in the waters of the Boothbay region and throughout the Midcoast. The first 36 were wooden and most of these were built in Boothbay by builders who have continued the tradition of fine craftsmanship of wooden boats. New One Designs are constructed of fiberglass or cold molded wood processes and epoxy/wood techniques. Recently, these techniques and processes have been developed to extend the life of older One Designs.

David Nutt, Boatbuilder of Edgecomb, recently built a mold from which the newest One Designs have been built using vacuum bagged core fiberglass construction. In addition, to the four new boats, Nutt has reuilt several of the older One Designs by veneering the hulls with two layers of western red cedar diagonally laminated to the exterior of the hull. This process results in an extremely solid hull and eliminates problems associated with past construction techniques. David Nutt has developed an extensive knowledge of boat building over the past 50 years.

The Boothbay Harbor One Design is a versatile, seaworthy family sailboat, perfect for enjoying a relaxing sail to a remote cove for a picnic – or a competitive race! Best viewing locations for the Windjammer Days races: the Department of Marine Resources and Maine State Aquarium on McKown Point Road in West Boothbay Harbor.

The races are sponsored by the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club and the Boothbay Harbor One Design Association.

For more information on these delightful sailboats, visit www.bhyc/BHODA.html.

On Sunday, June 5, Wanda Garland, botanist, photographer, and long-time educator, will lead a group on a wildflower walk. Come enjoy the beautiful trails at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, through the forest and out to the spectacular kettle-hole bog, from 10 a.m.-noon.

The bog is just waking up, with its collection of pitcher plants, sundews, bog laurel, rhodoras, leatherleafs and cotton grasses. And the walk through the woods will be just as exciting and alive with spring wildflowers emerging, including a large collection of lady slippers in bloom. Wanda has a tale for them all, including medicinal and Native American uses, as well as the natural history of the plants and their environment.

Wanda has a passion for Maine’s native plants; she encourages people to observe nature closely, wherever and whenever. “There’s something to admire in every season.” She wants people to get up close and personal with Maine's native flora by helping her students discover the surprising diversity, history, and loveliness of Maine’s wildflowers.

Wanda grew up on a dairy farm in Aroostook County in the 1940s and 1950s. Her parents taught her to identify the flowers and trees growing in the woods and fields around their home. “Mom knew all the edible plants because her family gathered them, and Dad knew all the trees and flowers,” Garland says. “We were so connected. Our lives followed the flow of seasons.”

Please dress appropriately – expect bugs, including ticks. $10 suggested donation, $5 for Midcoast Conservancy members. For more information, go to midcoastconservancy.org/events, or call (207) 389-5150.

The Friends of Windjammer Days have announced that a carnival, with fun for all ages, will be included in the festival’s line-up this year.

Kavanaugh Amusements, a family owned and operated carnival operator since 1979, will set up its rides and games at the Boothbay Region High School football field. The excitement begins on June 28 and will run through July 2. Admission to  walk the midway of the carnival is free and attendees can purchase tickets for rides and games. For a complete daily schedule of carnival hours, visit the official Windjammer Days website, www.windjammerdays.org.

In addition, many local and regional artists and crafters will once again be on display at Windjammer Days. On Monday, June 27 from 5-8 p.m., an Artists’ Reception will take place at the Greenleaf Inn. Tickets are $10 and include hors d’oeuvres and a hosted bar. All proceeds will benefit the fireworks fund. Tickets are available at Coco Vivo Art for Living and Greenleaf Inn; for more information call (207) 633-0671.

The artists will display their fine arts and crafts at Artists Alley on the By-Way on Tuesday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In case of rain, the location will move to the Boothbay Harbor Fire Station, 11 Howard Street.

Windjammer Days will take place June 26 – July 2. The full line-up of events and activities will be available at www.windjammerdays.org and on Facebook: WindjammerBoothbayHarbor.

Windjammer Days 2016 is presented by the Friends of Windjammer and includes the following sponsors: Maine Magazine & Maine Home+ Design; 94.9 WHOM; the Portland Press Herald; Boothbay Register, BCTV, Fisherman’s Wharf Inn, Tugboat Inn, Boothbay Harbor Inn, members; Pepsi; Pine State Trading Company; J. Edward Knight; Knickerbocker Group; Giles Family; Rocktide Inn & Restaurant; Federal Distributors; Nathaniel S Wilson Sailmaker; Cabbage Island Clambakes, Tindal & Callahan Real Estate, Getagadget; Cruzan Rum; First National Bank; Cap’N Fish’s Cruises; Compass Rose Events; Brown Brothers; Small Town Brewery; Ted and Cherly Nelson; Sherman’s; Bud Light; McSeagulls; Boothbay Harbor Electric; Topside Inn,: Flagship Inn: Five Gables Inn; Boothbay Harbor Marina; Sea Tow;  Lincoln Health; Gimbel’s of Maine; Kavanaugh Amusements; Vacasa; Atomic Studios; Osman Page; Balmy Days Cruises; Boathouse Bistro; Cod’s Head; Mine Oyster; American Schooner Association; Boothbay Region Land Trust; YMCA; A Maine Wedding; Yale Cordage and Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club.

This 40-page 2016 Windjammer Days guide includes all the events for this year’s festival, Sunday, June 26 - Saturday, July 2 - and this year there are two new ones: The Miss Windjammer Pageant and the Blessing of the Fishing Fleet.

Inside the full color glossy pages, you’ll find out about the visiting and local schooner/Windjammers that will be participating in the Parade of Sail on June 29; the musicians playing at the Whale Park stage, kid’s activities - Maine State Aquarium, Kids’s Alley and more!; golf, Artists Alley, craft fairs, and the excitement brought by those ne’er-do-well pirates!

Boats and more boats! Don’t miss the Boothbay Harbor One Design races or the Antique Boat Parade. And, speaking of boats, be sure to get out on the water with them all by taking a cruise aboard one of Boothbay Harbor’s excursion boat companies - Balmy Days Cruises and Cap’n Fish’s Boat Trips spring to mind. Boothbay Harbor -based schooners Eastwind and Lazy Jack will be settin’ sail as well. Visit www.boothbayharbor.com for contact and cruise info to make your reservations!

There are the competitions - from the lobster eating and oyster shucking contests to the codfish relay races and the tug of war across the harbor; the street parade with Grand Marshal Mac Andrews, the carnival, shuttle information, the lighted boat parade, tours aboard ships, at the USCG station, and down through the streets of town with the mysterious Lady in the Red Cloak ... and fireworks!

Read about Grand Marshal Mac Andrews - Salute! - and the American Eagle’s owner/Captain John Foss, as well as a sweet recipe used aboard the Eagle!

If you’re the athletic type who enjoys a good run, or walk, you might want to sign up for the Rocky Coast Road Race running (5K or 10K) or walking (5K), a route along the coastline.

Information about tours aboard the Schooner Harvey Gamage were confirmed at press time! The Gamage will be at the Boothbay Harbor Marina at Pier 1 Wednesday, June 29 and Thursday, June 30. Tours are on Thursday morning - above and below deck. 

As always, for updates on the 54th Annual Windjammer Days Festival visit the official website: www.windjammerdays.org.

The Windjammer Day Festival is brought to you by the Friends of Windjammer Days and countless volunteers who love this festival, one of the longest running in the state of Maine. What better way to welcome another summer season?

Anna McDougal of Wiscasset is excited about life. An author, seamstress, and a Special Olympics athlete, she puts energy into everything she does. She is especially motivated by alpine skiing and has been selected to compete next year in downhill events at the Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in Graz, Austria. McDougal was born with Down Syndrome.

“It is like a dream come true,” McDougal, at her small studio at the Spindleworks Art Center in Brunswick on Friday, said about the world event.

“They needed someone from Maine and a female,” said McDougal, who qualified for the position having won a gold medal at the Special Olympics alpine skiing competition held at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort last February.

“I got the gold,” said McDougal, proudly showing her medal.

McDougal competes in both summer track and field events and skiing with Bath Brunswick Area Adult Special Olympics. She participates in the mile walk, ball toss and bocce.

“I walk every day for 2.5 miles,” she said of her training regimen.

It is the downhill skiing events that excite her the most.

“I love the thrill,” she said.

She began skiing at the Lost Valley Ski area through the Central Maine Adaptive Ski program. She gives credit to her instructor Connie French-Smith of Brunswick.

“She is the one who got me started,” said McDougal.

McDougal has competed in the slalom, super G, and giant slalom events.  Special Olympians slalom through gates that are positioned to fit their level of competition, she said.

The trip to Austria beginning on March 12 for two weeks will be paid for in full by Special Olympics Maine. She will participate in a training camp in Vermont from December 4-9.

McDougal said her family was excited when they learned of her acceptance.

“They are happy that I represent alpine skiing in Maine,” she said.

McDougal lives with her sister Amy Burchstead and brother-in-law Jeff Burchstead on Willow Lane in Wiscasset.

Her book, “A Look Back,” about growing up with Down Syndrome, is available at the shop at Spindleworks and at the Gulf of Maine bookstore in Brunswick.

On behalf of the Hiring Committee, ChairmanTom Blackford  is pleased to announce the following Boothbay Sea and Science Center (BSSC) 2016 instructors who share an abiding passion and commitment to introducing young people to the amazing ocean.

BERETTA FICEK will be entering her senior year at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) this fall where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology. Among her many accomplishments, during this 2015 – 2016 academic year, Beretta was the Scheel Scholar. After graduating MMA, Beretta intends to pursue a degree in Veterinary Technology with the hope of one day working in marine animal rescue and rehabilitation programs. She sees herself and her past experiences as a great fit with BSSC as she very much enjoys working with young children – having worked for childcare programs as well as a summer food program for many years. Beretta is from Concord, New Hampshire. During her free time, she enjoys fishing, hunting, and spending time with her family and pets.

HANNAH PAGE is currently completing her education at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) where she will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology along with a minor in International Business and Logistics in December of this year. At MMA, Hannah assists with the instruction aspect of the SCUBA courses as well as giving tours of the wet lab facility to prospective and interested students.

“I genuinely enjoy teaching students about all of our organisms in the wetlab as well as showing them how to explore an underwater world with SCUBA.” She will complete her senior research project - working with rock crabs (Cancer irroratus), blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), and hard shell clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) - during the 2016 fall semester. Hannah’s research focuses on determining the prey preference of rock crabs and if this species follows the models of the optimal foraging theory. Hannah believes that her previous teaching experience and passion will help her excel as a Sea and Science Instructor at BSSC this summer.

LAUREN MCKENNA is currently a senior at Maine Maritime Academy, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology, along with an Associate degree in Small Vessel Operations and a minor in Business Management. Lauren spent her summers in Cape Cod, MA where she developed her passion for the ocean. This has led her to pursue her degree at Maine Maritime - diversifying her skills. "My passion as a young girl was made a reality when I was accepted to Maine Maritime. Boothbay Sea and Science Center will allow me to continue work within my field of study, while also gaining valuable experience." Working at Boston Harbor Cruises in Boston, MA has provided Lauren experience in the industry. She has also worked as a substitute teacher during school vacations. Lauren also plays NCAA Division III soccer at Maine Maritime where she is a two-year captain. Her leadership and experience gives Boothbay Sea and Science Center an exciting asset. 

WILLIAM (Will) CRAIG  is currently at the University of Vermont studying botany and secondary education. In Vermont, he spends his free time sailing on Lake Champlain with the UVM Sailing Team, but when the lake freezes over, has just as much fun exploring the green mountain backcountry for fresh power. Will attended high school in West Newbury Massachusetts. While there, he enjoyed playing drums and soccer during the school year, but when summer came around, Will would travel to the South Shore to sail.

At first, he was a participant, sailing in various regattas. He says his summers were so good that when he got old enough he began to teach sailing. Will’s proud to share that he’s been doing it every summer since. Will also enjoys surfing and windsurfing. Having spent so much time on the water, he’s grown very appreciative of it. “I want to inspire children to see the splendor of the ocean, not by telling them, but by showing them.” 

JOSIAH HENDERSON grew up in Brunswick, Maine. He is a 2014 graduate from Brunswick High School. Josiah is finishing up his sophomore year at St. Lawrence University majoring in environmental science and economics. Josiah is a frequent visitor to Boothbay Harbor where his grandfather resides. He credits his grandfather for his knowledge of the ways of the sea and his exceptional boating skills. “I’m excited to bring some of my knowledge about the environment to BSSC and I look forward to integrating sailing and seamanship with scientific experiences.”

ANNA SIROIS returns for a third summer at the Boothbay Sea and Science Center (BSSC). During summer 2015, Anna played a key role at the Center as a Junior Instructor. Anna, born in Damariscotta, Maine, resides with her parents and brother in Edgecomb. This fall, Anna will be a senior at Lincoln Academy. Anna is passionate about the Spanish culture. She enjoys drawing, swimming and good music. Her interest in sailing came about a few years ago when she began sailing with her father.

Today, Anna is not only excited about continuing to expand her abilities as an artist but also is looking forward to sailing with the BSSC students and racing with the BSSC staff during her free time. Anna is the author and illustrator of the soon to be released Boothbay Sea and Science Center Coloring Book. She expects that the coloring book will be a big hit with local and visiting children and hopes that it will be one of the many ways that BSSC helps connect Maine and summering youth with the sea and marine science. “I’m looking forward to working with all the BSSC participants and sharing my passion for art and the sea.”

NATHANIEL (NATHAN) GRAVES: Junior Instructor.  Nathan credits his passion and commitment for sailing to the Boothbay Sea and Science Center, crewing aboard Belle Aventure (an 84 ft. ketch built in 1929), participating in the US Naval Sea Scout program, racing on the Boothbay Region High School Sailing Team and apprenticing at Cross Point Yachts. As one of the 19 participants at the Center during its inaugural summer in 2013, he felt a change in his attitude toward the ocean and toward kids who enjoy sailing. “I started realizing that sailing on the ocean was a huge responsibility that I liked and that the kids that I sailed with were more positive about things in life.”

This will be Nathan’s first summer as a BSSC Junior Instructor – a role he has been aspiring to since summer 2013. Nathan will be a junior at the Boothbay Region High School in the fall. Because of his commitment and focused sense of responsibility for his learning, he sees a great fit between himself and BSSC “It’s easy to see weaknesses but I want to play a part in developing and applying solutions that add to the quality of the Program experience.” Under the direction of the BSSC education and waterfront directors, Nathan’s looking forward to providing safe and fun hands on learning experiences and sharing his intense spirit of good sportsmanship.

BSSC’s eight weeks of STEM-based experiential programs begins on Monday, June 27 and ends on Friday, Aug. 19. On Thursday, June 23 and Friday, June 24, BSSC will host “free days” – an opportunity for youth to attend the Center “free of charge”. The schedule for those days is as follows: ages 5 – 9 (8:30 a.m. – Noon); ages 10 – 17 (1- 4:30 p.m.).

To pre-register a child (required) for one of the “free days”, please email Pauline Dion at info@boothbayseandsciencecenter.org or call 207-350-5357. To register a child online for one of the summer programs, please go to www.boothbayseaandsciencecenter.org