The Wiscasset Middle High School boys track team won its first Mountain Valley Conference track and field meet of the season April 30. The host Wolverines finished the afternoon by winning five events. Spruce Mountain, Richmond, Dirigo and Winthrop high schools took part.

Senior Matt Chapman captured two events setting the pace in the 110-meter hurdles in 17 seconds, and the 300-meter hurdles, 43.18. Chapman shaved a little over two seconds from his winning time in the 300-meter hurdles at the April 22 meet.

Other winners included Cedrick Loyola who bested all comers in the triple jump, 42’ 5.75” – his best distance of the season. Josh Gabriele placed second, 37’9.5”.

Haiden Dunning won the shot put with his longest throw of the season which measured 37’9” edging past Winthrop’s Shane Tweedie by just half an inch. Tweedie bested Dunning in the shot put at the first MVC meet.

The 4x400 relay team of Gabriele, Chris Loyola, Josh Jones and Chapman won their race edging out Richmond by almost seven seconds. Their winning time was 4:16.46.

Nate Gilliam had a good day in the distance events. He took second in the 1600-meter event running his best race of the season, 5:37.55. Dirigo’s Blaine Wilkins passed Gilliam at the final lap, to win in 5:34.83.

Blaine and Gilliam ran one, two in the 3200 finishing with times of 12:16.50 and 13:26.96 respectively.

Freshman Chance Blagdon picked up a valuable point for the Wolverines placing sixth in the 1600 in 6:07.83, his best time of the season.

Cedrick Loyola was second in the high jump. He cleared 5’8” – his best jump of the season. Spruce Mountain’s Carson Gross won by clearing a height of 6’5”.

Loyola finished third in a very competitive long jump leaping 18’3”. Spruce Mountain’s Zak Toothacker and Dirigo’s Cam Kidder finished one, two with jumps of 18’10.5” and 18’8.5” respectively. Chris Loyola picked up a point by placing sixth in the event by jumping 16’7.5.

Dunning had his best throws in the discus, 90’1” where he placed third. He then broke 100 feet for the first time in the javelin toss placing third, 107’.9” After completing his events, Dunning quickly changed uniforms and joined the Wolverine baseball team hosting Monmouth Academy on the lower field.

Gabriele placed third in the 400-meter dash, 1:00.18. Chris Loyola finished tied with Dirigo’s Cam Kidder in the 100, 12.96 and Muhammad Khalique won his heat and finished fifth in the 100 in 13.9.

Josh Jones took fourth in the 200-meter dash. Mason Dustin was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles, 23.37.

The Wolverine 4x100 relay team of Chapman, the Loyola brothers and Khalique placed second, 48.86, behind Spruce Mountain, 47.93.

The host Wolverines finished with 140 points with Spruce Mountain a close second, with 132; Dirigo High School was third, 119; followed by Richmond, 80 and Winthrop, 26.

Another strong showing by Wolverine girls

The Wolverines girls had another strong afternoon at Tuesday’s meet with six individual winners.

Lily Souza led her team sweeping the weight events and picking up 30 team points. Souza won the javelin throw with her best throw of the season, 62’2”; the discus 64’8.5” and shot put 26’.

Also winning two events was Gwenn Webber who placed first in the 100-meter hurdles, 19.09 and won the 100-meter dash crossing the finish line in 13.6 seconds. Lily Cooper placed sixth in the 100 picking up a valuable point for WMHS.

Cara Viele got a great jump out of the blocks and captured first place in the 200, in 29.14. She surged past second place finisher Averi Wallace from Richmond, 32.09. Viele was second in the long jump, 13 feet. Spruce Mountain’s Avery Williams won with a jump measuring 15’. Viele was third in the triple jump, 29’; William’s winning jump measured 31’, her sister Ashley Avery was second leaping 30’2”.

Chop Point’s lone entry freshman Josie Harrington cleared five feet and won the high jump for the second time this season. Webber and Paris Howes tied for second both clearing 4’8”. Harrington, who trains with the Wolverines, placed third in the 100-meter hurdles, 19.29, and fourth in the 100, 14.30.

The Wolverine 4x100 relay team of Webber, Souza, Cooper and Viele placed second, in 1:03.31, behind Spruce Mountain, 57.06, with Richmond taking third, 1:06.22.

Spruce Mountain won the meet with 182 points. Richmond was second, 105; WMHS third, 90; followed by Winthrop 26, Dirigo, 22 and Chop Point 20.

This Saturday, May 4, Coach Josiah Winchenbach and the Wolverines will take part in the boys’ and girls’ Brewer Invitational Meet hosted by Brewer High School. The meet starts at noon.

Two regular MVC meets remain, one on May 7 hosted by Lisbon with St. Dom’s, Oak Hill and Mt. Valley; and a final home meet at WMHS featuring Richmond and Mt. Valley on May 14.

Boothbay Region High School batted around the order in the third inning scoring 10 runs in a lopsided Mountain Valley Conference baseball win over host Wiscasset Middle High School Wednesday.

The Seahawks finished with 20 runs, the Wolverines had five, and the game was called after five innings due to the 12-run rule.

Boothbay sent seven batters to the plate in the first inning. Hunter Crocker led off with a single to left field off Wolverine starter Casey Mills. After stealing second and third he scored when Will LaBrecque reached base on a throwing error, the first of many committed by Wiscasset.

After Owen Barter walked, Mills struck out the next batter. Steve Reny then stroked a base hit through the middle scoring Barter. Reny later scored on a delayed steal from third base.

The Wolverines scored two runs in the home half of the inning with Muhammad Khalique beating out a grounder on the left side of the infield. James Hodson and Mills reached base with back-to-back hits scoring Khalique. Hodson eventually scored on a fielder’s choice.

Boothbay added a pair of runs in the second, both unearned. Barter, the Seahawk starter, sent the Wolverines down in order in the home half of the inning.

The pivotal third inning began with Mills giving up back-to-back singles to Colby Babcock and Jordan Carrier, the number seven and eight batters in the lineup. Jamie Labreque reached on an error and Mills hit the next batter setting the table for a big inning for the Seahawks.

Khalique stroked his second hit of the game, a line drive single in the third inning. He scored on a bouncing ball hit by Hodson who beat the throw to first base. Hodson soon came around and scored. The Wolverines added another run when Mills who reached on a base hit scored from third.

Barter picked up the win. LaBrecque drove in two Seahawk runs with a double.

Mills was the pitcher of record for Wiscasset, and finished with three strikeouts. Matt Eckert who started the game catching behind the plate worked the final two innings in relief and had three K’s as well.

The Seahawks entered the game with an MVC record of 1-3; they defeated Telstar 14-12 at BRHS April 29. Their losses were against Dirigo, 13-2; Lisbon 16-0 and Mt. Valley 31-0.

Wiscasset is still looking for its first MVC win this season. The team’s record is 0-5. The Wolverines will travel to Dixfield to face Dirigo on Friday, May 3. They’ll host Lisbon on May 6.

The Carrabec Cobras defeated the Wolverines 17-4 but it took them a full seven innings to do so Wednesday afternoon at Wiscasset Middle High School. It was the Wolverines' first complete game of the Mountain Valley Conference season and took over three hours to play.

Carrabec took an early lead scoring a run in the first inning. The Wolverines threatened in the home half of the inning loading the bases but failing to score. The Cobras added five more runs in the second and a run in the third, then five more in the fourth.

Cobra pitcher Abby Richardson had a shutout going through the first three innings. With two outs in the third Wolverine Joanna Collins connected and sent a deep flyball to center field that was run down and caught.

The Wolverine bats finally came to life in the fourth inning. Senior Sydnie Thayer led off with a bloop single to right field. Makaula Bailey and Brianna Orr drew back-to-back and Dinisha Dawkins singled. Thayer, Bailey, Olsen and Dalkins all scored in the inning.

In the sixth Collins singled advancing Dawkins who had walked but the Wolverines failed to score.

The Wolverines had a nice defensive putout in the third inning when short-stop Kelsey Jones scooped up a hard-hit grounder throwing across the diamond to Bailey to get the batter out.

Chante LaCroix doubled and drove in two runs for the Cobras. Trinity Slate and Sarah Olsen both doubled as well. Carrabec's final runs came in the fifth inning, with three, and the seventh, when they scored two.

Sydnie Thayer pitched her first complete game of the season for WMHS. Richardson went the distance on the mound for Carrabec.

The loss drops the Wolverines to 0-5 in the Mountain Valley Conference. Carrabec evened its record at 1-1. Weather permitting Wiscasset will travel to Dixfield to play Dirigo on Friday. Wiscasset will host the hard-hitting Lisbon Greyhounds Monday, May 6.

The Wolverines are playing a Class C softball schedule, although WMHS is officially part of the Class D south made up of high schools with smaller enrollments. Thayer is the only senior on the roster.

April showers bring May flowers, but it also brought frustration to anxious race fans and drivers waiting to get the 2019 racing season started. After losing the first two races of the season to weeks of persistent rain, Wiscasset Speedway was finally able to get in a show on Saturday, May 4. Group 1 got the call for their season opener, plus the first of three Enduros on the season schedule. Veteran racer Jeremie Whorff of Bath took home the victory in a wild finish to the 40-lap feature for the ServPro of Biddeford Saco Pro Stocks. Whorff was running 4th as the field stormed onto the front stretch to take the white flag. But the lead pair tangled sending drivers scrambling, and Whorff had the lead by the time they got to turn one. From there he cruised to the improbable win. In victory lane, he said, "Hey, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, right!?" with a big smile. In other action, Jason Oakes was the winner in Maxwell's Market Super Streets; Zach Audet in the Thunder 4 Minis, and Jeff Prindall in the Cahill Tire 4-Cylinder Pros. Ben Audet was the victor in the 100-lap Enduro.

The Maxwell's Market Super Streets had the spotlight race for the opening day program. Freeport's Bob Crocker and Jefferson's Mike Hodgkins lined up on the front row for the 35-lap feature. Hodgkins pulled out to a commanding half straightaway lead through the first half of the race. Trouble began to brew for the leader as sparks began to appear under the rear end of the car and he soon relinquished the lead to Jason Oakes. A much-needed caution allowed Hodgkins to head to the pits for repairs on a broken track bar mount. On the restart, Oakes shook off a challenge from Bobby Mesimer, pulled away to a comfortable lead and cruised to the victory. He was chased across the line by Mesimer and defending champ Michael Harrison, who had to start the race back in the middle of the 12-car field. Hodgkins recovered from his mechanical issues and made a late race charge to finish 4th. Dan Nessmith of Wiscasset rounded out the top five. 

In the 25-lap Thunder 4 Mini feature, veteran Zach Audet grabbed the lead from pole sitter Curtis Anderson on lap 10 and went on the victory in the caution free race. It quickly became a two-car race for the win as the pair stretched out their advantage to a full straightaway. Anderson kept Audet within striking distance through the entire race and crossed the line in 2nd place less than half a second behind the winner. Doug Degroat and Spencer Sweatt put on a good race for the 3rd spot with Degroat coming out on top. Sweatt settled for 4th with rookie Caleb Willette of Winslow filling out the top five.

The Cahill Tire 4-Cylinder Pro was a caution-filled 25-lap feature, mostly from minor spins. Defending champ Jeff Prindall of Lisbon Falls showed the kids how it's done and led wire to wire for the win. Sophomore drivers PJ Merrill and Dom Curit put a great show racing for the remaining spots in victory lane. They traded spots several times during the race. Merrill would go on to nail down a career-best 2nd place finish while Curit settled for 3rd. Curit made history in 2018 by becoming the track's youngest ever feature winner at 11yrs old. The top five was completed by rookie Colby Peacock of Yarmouth and Taylor Lane of Philips.

The ServPro of Biddeford Saco Pro Stocks lined up with a stout field of 18 cars for their 40-lap feature. Defending champ Nick Hinkley set the early pace with former champ Andy Saunders giving chase over the first 25 laps of caution-free racing. Saunders would take the lead from there until Kevin Douglass moved up to challenge. The two raced side by side for several laps with Douglass edging out Saunders by 2/100 of a second for the lead when the caution came out again with just 2 laps to go. The restart lined up with Douglass and Saunders on the front row and Hinkley and Whorf directly behind. Saunders drove around Douglass to take the lead on the backstretch. As they stormed out of turn 4 to take the white flag Douglass got into the back end of Saunders car sending the leader spinning sideways. In the scramble to avoid the spinning car, Douglass and Hinkley made hard contact and Whorff was able to thread the needle and take the lead by the time they got to turn one. From there he cruised to the victory. Hinkley and Douglass chased him across the line, however, Douglass would be penalized for the contact with the leader, relegating him to finishing in 6th as the last car on the lead lap. Saunders was able to refire his car and finish the race on the lead lap, being unofficially credited with a 5th place finish. However, in another twist to the race, Saunders frustration in how his race ended carried into the pits. His team refused to bring his car to post-race tech inspection, which is a requirement for top 5 in all feature races. With the refusal to submit to tech inspection, he was penalized and officially scored in 13th place as the last car running on the track at the end of the race. The final official top-five finish in the race was #00 Whorff, #15 Hinkley, #09 Ed Drake, #2 Chris Ryan, and #18 Douglass.

Wiscasset Speedway returns to action Saturday, May 11 with the season's first race for Group 2. The Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Model Sportsman, The Norms Used Cars Strictly Streets, The K&A Services Modifieds, and The Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis will all be in action. Also appearing will be the Wicked Good Vintage Racers with their Hobby, Early Late Model, and Outlaw divisions. The Pit gate will open at noon, the grandstand gate at 3 p.m. and the green flag waves at 5 p.m. Details and info on Wiscasset Speedway can be found at www.wiscassetspeedway.com

Official finishes

MAXWELL’S MARKET SUPER STREETS (35 laps – spotlight)

THUNDER 4 MINI (25 laps)

CAHILL TIRE 4-CYLINDER PRO STOCK (25 laps)

SERVPRO OF BIDDEFORD SACO PRO STOCK (40 laps)

ENDURO #1 (100 laps)

Midcoast Conservancy is offering a Conservation Stewardship course on Saturday, May 25 and Saturday, June 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 pm. Learning to be an effective conservation steward requires deepening one’s relationships with place and people. This two-day workshop offers an opportunity to experience this region with local experts, each other and with the river and forest. Participants will learn about three watersheds and how conservation at the landscape scale works and explore stewardship challenges related to natural and land use history on guided habitat walks. In addition, there will be opportunities to deepen their relationship with the natural world by experiencing the Sheepscot River and Hidden Valley Nature Center Forest through sensory experience; and visit the Whitefield Salmon Reserve and Coopers Mill Dam to learn about river ecology, the history of dams on the Sheepscot, and the conservation issues involved in both.

Developing knowledge about the ecological processes and principles that inform one’s habitats can be made meaningful and personal by developing an emotional attachment to place.  This attachment often results in a sense of care or stewardship towards the life all around. It is the intention of this two day workshop to expand knowledge, together, about this region through both heart and mind.

The program faculty includes Susan Bickford, nature and forest therapy guide; Barrie Brusila, forester; aquatic biologist Susan Davies; educator Robin Huntley; historian Harriet Vaughn; and ecologist Janet McMahon, along with Midcoast Conservancy staff and expert volunteers.

Participants should be at least 16 years old and the group will be limited to 20 participants. Cost is $40 for the two weekends. To learn more, see complete bios of program faculty, or to register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/conserving-and-caring-for-the-heart-of-the-midcoast/

Call (207) 389-5150 with any questions.

Lisbon scored 16 runs in the second inning in a Mountain Valley Conference softball shutout against host Wiscasset Middle High School Monday afternoon.

After scoring two runs in the first, the Greyhounds batted around the order in their second plate appearance.

Sydney Plourde led off the inning with a triple and scored on a double by Joanna Turner. The next two batters reached loading the bases. Mallory Fairbanks then singled to center driving in two runs. In the same inning Sarah Haggerty drove in two more runs with a base hit and Kiley Merritt had a two-run double.

Plourde who started on the mound for Lisbon struck out the first three Wiscasset batters.

Wolverine Farah Casey led off the second with a single up the middle but was left stranded on second base. Casey reached base later in the game on a fielder’s choice but failed to score. Joanna Collins had the only other Wolverine hit, a single over the shortstop’s head in the third inning.

Sidney Thayer started and pitched two innings. Collins was brought in to relieve in the second.

The Greyhounds added three more runs in both the third and fourth innings and then four in the fifth when the game was called due to the 12-run rule.

The win improved the Class B Greyhounds’ MVC record to 2-1. The team’s other win came against Mountain Valley. The Class D Wolverines are 0-6.

The Wolverines have three more games this week. On Wednesday they’ll be at Mountain Valley in Rumford, returning home on Friday to host Oak Hill. This Saturday, May 11, the Wolverines will travel to Dixfield to play a make-up game with Dirigo at 11 a.m.

Wiscasset Middle High School’s troubles on the diamond continue. The Wolverines hosted Lisbon Monday, May 6 and lost in a shutout. The game was called after five innings due to the 12-run rule.

The Greyhounds batted around the order in the first inning when they scored 11 runs. They added seven more runs in the second, six in the third and three more in the fifth.

Haiden Dunning who started and pitched all five innings had the only hit for the Wolverines when he singled in the second. The Greyhounds’ starting pitcher Levi Levesque picked up the win. Dunning finished with a pair of strikeouts and four walks. He gave up 16 hits.

Wiscasset’s Ryan Potter made a nice catch on a fly ball struck deep to left field in the third. In the fourth inning Noah Michaud made an unassisted putout at third base on a bouncing ball hit down the line.

Lisbon improved to 5-0. The Wolverines fell to 0-6.

On Wednesday, Wiscasset will head to Rumford to play Mountain Valley. On Friday, Wiscasset hosts Oak Hill. The Wolverines will travel to Dixfield Saturday for an 11 a.m. make-up game with Dirigo.

As the spring weather moves in, we are fast approaching the peak season for migratory bird watching in Maine. Seasonal birds returning to the Boothbay region or traveling further north are arriving daily now from their wintering grounds in Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Those who are willing to rise early and watch patiently can enjoy spotting hundreds of bird species in our local region throughout the migratory and nesting months.

In recognition of International Migratory Bird Day this Saturday, May 11, Boothbay Region Land Trust will be hosting a bird walk at Lobster Cove Meadow. The walk will begin at 7 a.m. and will last approximately two hours. The public is invited to journey with local birder, Nancy Bither, along the trails in search of a wide variety of feathered visitors and nesters. The woods, meadow and marshland of Lobster Cove Meadow provide prime breeding grounds for migratory birds, making it an ideal location for birding in the region. Attendees should plan to wear sturdy shoes and bring binoculars if possible. We will have some binoculars available to borrow as well.

Bither, a former BRLT board president, as well as a nature enthusiast and longtime birder has led the Bird Day walk annually for more than a decade. She offers a wealth of information on migratory species, identification, and nesting, as well as a firm knowledge of our region’s natural ecology and history.

Whether you are an avid birder, or simply someone who enjoys wildlife, we invite you to join us in celebrating the truly amazing journey millions of birds undertake each spring. Registration is required. To register, please contact Environmental Educator Tracey Hall at thall@bbrlt.org.

Coastal Rivers Paddlers, formerly the PWA Paddlers, will kick off the 2019 paddling season on Saturday, May 18 with a saltwater paddle to Cabbage Island and Lewis Cove in East Boothbay.

Paddlers should meet at the launch site by 8:30 a.m. for a 9 a.m. launch. The launch site is located off of Murray Hill Road in East Boothbay. Detailed directions may be found at coastalrivers.org/events.

The paddle will last about three hours. There will be an optional lunch at Lobsterman’s Wharf Restaurant following the excursion.

A second saltwater paddle is scheduled for Saturday, May 25, to explore Witch Island and the Gut from Pemaquid Harbor. The group will meet at the Colonial Pemaquid Boat Launch at 9 a.m. This paddle will include time to hike the trails on the island. Paddlers may opt to gather for lunch at the nearby Cupboard Café following the outing.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. All participants are responsible for their own safety and each participant should determine in advance if conditions are suitable for their skill level.

Coastal Rivers paddles are held rain or shine. If weather conditions are extreme, the decision to cancel will be made at the launch site, and paddlers will determine as a group whether to reschedule.

All Coastal Rivers paddles are free and open to the public. Paddlers supply their own kayak and must wear a life jacket and carry their own safety gear, medications, and drinking water. All paddlers are required to bring a completed and signed release form for Coastal Rivers, which may be downloaded at bit.ly/coastal-rivers-paddlers. Copies of the form will also be available from the paddle leader at the time of the paddle.

For more information about scheduled paddles, please contact paddle coordinator Jean Smith at 207-312-3846 or paddlers@coastalrivers.org.

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust is a non-profit, membership supported, and nationally accredited land trust and conservation organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the natural, cultural, and historical heritage of the greater Pemaquid peninsula and Damariscotta River region.

Coastal Rivers has active programs in the areas of land conservation, stewardship, community education, water quality monitoring, marine conservation and cultural preservation.

Visitors are welcome at the Great Salt Bay Heritage Center in Damariscotta as well as the many other Coastal Rivers properties throughout the region.

Whether birds, bogs, boulders or blooms are of interest, there is something for everyone at Hidden Valley Nature this May.

Hildy Ellis, Coordinator at Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District, will lead visitors on a walk along the margins of the kettle hole bog HVNC on May 9th from 10 a.m. to noon.  A 220-foot boardwalk extends into the heart of the wetland, making it possible for visitors to interact with a fascinating, but incredibly delicate ecosystem, and to witness the spring explosion of plant life there.

Wildflowers will be the main focus of a walk on May 11 from 9-11:30 a.m., led by Dan Townsend, a retired professor of biology. In addition to lady-slippers, trillium or rhodora blooming, many smaller but no less spectacular other wildflowers await observation, and trees and shrubs are donning their spring-green foliage while more subtly doing their own reproductive thing.

Rock out at Hidden Valley Nature Center on Sunday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to noon on this guided hike around the preserve with geologist David Pope, author of The Geology of the Pemaquid
Region. The field trip will zero in on HVNC’s fascinating geology, a spectacular piece of Maine landscape.

Finally, join bird expert Jeff Cherry on May 21 from 7-9 a.m. for a morning of bird identification. This will be a short-distance, slow walk to enjoy the recently returned migrant birds of meadow and edge habitat. Jeff will share his knowledge of identifying birds by sight and sound, and other topics of interest to the group such as avian breeding biology, eBird, and the Maine Breeding Bird Atlas project.

For more information on these events, and to register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/explore/events/ For any questions, feel free to call (207) 389-5150.

Gwenn Webber won the 200-meter dash and placed in three other events helping lead the Wolverine track team to a third place finish at a Mountain Valley Conference track and field meet Lisbon High School hosted Tuesday afternoon, May 7. Winthrop, Oak Hill, Mountain Valley and Chop Point School also participated.

Wiscasset Middle High School’s Lily Souza placed second in all three weight events. Her shot-put throw measured 26’8.5”. Winthrop’s Aaliyah Wilson-Falcone won with a hurl of 31’6.5”.

Souza's throw in the discus measured 65’5” behind winner Brianna Foley of the combined Lisbon/Oak Hill team. Souza’s javelin throw measured 66’8” behind Lisbon/Oak Hill’s Macie Fletcher’s winning toss of 66’8”.

Webber bested a field of over a dozen sprinters to win the 200 in 29.47 seconds, a personal best. Lisbon’s Gabby Chessie finished second, 29:49. Wolverine Lily Cooper was ninth.

Winthrop’s Jillian Schmelzer won the 100-meter dash in 13.03. Webber came second, in 14.18. Chop Point’s Josie Harrington finished fourth in 14.5. Cooper was eighth.

Webber also placed second in the 100-meter hurdles in 19.03, another personal best for the season. Lisbon/Oak Hill’s Destiny Deschaines won in 18.16.

Webber cleared 4’2” placing third in the high jump. Winthrop’s Autumn Gerry won, clearing 4’10”. Chop Point’s Harrington was second, 4’8”.

The combined team of Lisbon/Oak Hill won the meet with 182 points. Winthrop was second with 68, followed by WMHS, 42; Mountain Valley, 34; and Chop Point 12.

Wolverine boys finish second

Matt Chapman won three events and the Wolverines placed second behind the combined team of Lisbon/Oak Hill who finished with 174 points; WMHS tallied 83, Mountain Valley was third with 81 and Winthrop’s point total was 45.

Chapman was the top finisher in the 200-meter dash in 25.01. His teammate Chris Loyola placed third, 25.99. Chapman remained unbeaten in the hurdles this season. He posted winning times of 17.06 seconds in the 110-meter low hurdles and 45.10 the 300-meter hurdles. WMHS’s Dustin Manson finished eighth in the 110-hurdles, 24.19.

Wolverine Josh Gabriele had his best day of the season. He won the triple jump leaping 38’2”; Muhammad Khalique placed fifth with a jump of 32’2”.

Gabriele placed second in the high jump clearing five feet. Taylor Pelletier of Mountain Valley won by clearing 5’6”. Gabriele also placed third in the 400-meter dash race sprinting across the finish line in 58.79 seconds.

Haiden Dunning placed second in two events, the shot put, 35’10” and javelin 105’. He finished third in discus with his throw measuring 89-feet even.

Three Wolverines placed in the 100-meter dash. Khalique took second in 12.5 seconds; Loyola was fourth, 12.65 and Gabriele sixth, 13.26.

Loyola added some team points by placing fifth in the long jump, 16’75”.

In the distance races, Nate Gilliam was fifth in the 3,200, 13.04 and Chance Blagdon, sixth in the 800, 2:48.

Wiscasset placed third in the 4x100 relay race.

Coach Josiah Winchenbach and the WMHS Wolverines will host their final home meet of the MVC season on Tuesday, May 14 at 3:45 p.m.

Two big pieces of sailing history, schooners Ernestina-Morrissey and Bowdoin, sit a couple hundred feet apart at Bristol Marine in Boothbay Harbor keeping some of the East Coast’s finest shipwrights and craftsmen busy.

On May 8, shipyard manager Eric Graves and Bowdoin project manager Ross Branch led a tour and detailed introduction to the work being done on both vessels. In attendance were local businessman Mark Gimbel, owner of the new Windjammer Emporium, sailing enthusiast and model ship builder Jon Dunsford, and several members of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College.

Ernestina came to Boothbay Harbor from New Bedford, Massachusetts via tugboat in 2015 on a $6 million, first phase contract between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, formerly Sample’s Shipyard and now Bristol Marine. The 156-foot vessel, now 125 years old, nears completion of this first phase of hull and longitudinal structure replacement and repair. Graves said the vessel will remain in the Harbor for about another year before returning to owner Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Bowdoin returned to the Harbor last December to undergo replacement of 18 planks and various work arising from the removal of the original surface. The 88-foot vessel was drafted by Massachusetts yacht designer William Hand Jr., under the direction of the vessel’s longtime captain Donald B. MacMillan, and built in 1921 by Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard, now Hodgdon Yachts.

Bowdoin was famous for two dozen Arctic explorations under MacMillan. Those began shortly after its launch in 1921 and lasted until its commission into the U.S. Navy in 1941 for patrol during World War II. In 1943, the vessel was decommissioned and refitted for Arctic exploration and in 1959, MacMillan sailed the vessel to Connecticut where it fell into disrepair, serving as a display for Mystic Seaport until 1967.

Bowdoin’s ownership changed a couple more times before Maine Maritime Academy got it. It has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks and dubbed Maine’s official sailing vessel.

Graves noted, one of the more time consuming aspects of restoring these older vessels is sourcing material. About 15,000 trees per hectare are groomed with undergrowth kept to a minimum. A certain number of trees can be felled and must be fully matured.

“I don't know how many hundreds of acres are being (groomed), but out of 15,000 per hectare, they wound up with 30 trees matured for this type of project,” Graves said.

While Ernestina’s workers were busy treating the hull, the Bowdoin’s were busy preparing a 20-foot long board to be attached to the hull. Branch explained, to attach it to the hull’s shape, every inch of board thickness needs at least one hour in the steam box.

“This one doesn't have a lot of shape and we want to get it on the boat today, so it's been in there for just an hour and a half.”

Queue the clamps, sledgehammers, pipes, drills and sweat to make the best of a short window of time – 10 minutes for most boards – to attach just one board.

“It’s amazing,” said Dunsford. “Most of humanity never sees this.”

“It looks like they are doing fantastic work,” said Peary-MacMillan Museum’s curator Genevieve LeMoine.

Said museum director Susan Kaplan, “It's amazing to see these two historic Arctic vessels sitting side by side having people show such care in their restoration. It's just really wonderful to see.”

After the tour of the vessels at Bristol Marine, Gimbel led the group down the road to Pier One and the new Windjammer Emporium, almost ready for its Memorial Day opening. The shop honors the history of Boothbay Harbor and its neighbors in creating a lasting culture around shipbuilding.

The Wolverines rallied for four runs in the seventh inning and held on defensively to defeat Mt. Valley 16-13 in high school softball actio at Rumford May 8. The win, the first one this season for Wiscasset Middle High School, moved the team from ninth place in the Class D south standings to number 7. Rumford is a Class B high school.

“Jay Bailey, the assistant coach and I were very proud of our girls and we told them so after the game,” Wolverine Coach Gordon Campbell told the Wiscasset Newspaper.

“We’ve been saying all season be patient at the plate and the hits will come and this time they did.

“What made it more special is we had a good showing of parents there rooting for us. That was really appreciated,” added the coach.

Senior Sydnie Thayer started and pitched the whole game for Wiscasset. She helped her own cause too by driving in three runs with a pair of singles and a double.

“It was her second complete game of the season only this time she got the win,” the coach continued.

Catcher Farah Casey worked behind the plate the whole game. She knocked in three runs with a triple, double and single. She also drew a base-on-balls in the pivotal seventh inning and scored a much needed insurance run.

“Farah had a solid game for us defensively. She made three put-outs behind the plate,” said Campbell.

Ellie Pratt was another standout for Wiscasset with base hits in the third and seventh innings. She also made a big defensive play in the final inning tagging out Mt. Valley’s Gabbie Gallant at third base following a heads-up throw from shortstop Kelsey Jones.

Jones reached base three times on two walks and a fielder’s choice and scored three runs. Other repeat hitters for the Wolverines included Makayla Bailey who singled in the second and fourth innings and scored two runs. Joanna Collins had a pair of base hits, too. She walked and scored in the seventh inning.

Brianna Orr walked three times and scored twice. Latisha Wright drew a base-on-balls in the seventh and scored. She also made a nice catch at second base for the team.The Falcons went up 2-0 in the first inning. Leigh Carrier led off with a triple and scored the team’s first run. She singled twice more. Wiscasset tied the game in the second but the hosts scored two more runs in the home half of the inning. The Falcons added two more in the third regaining the lead after the Wolverines put three runs on the scoreboard.

The Wolverines scored five runs in the fourth and added a run in the fifth to take an 11-6 lead. In the same inning Mt. Valley rallied and scored six runs. Saydie Garbarini and Courtney Carrier each doubled and drove in runs for the Falcons.

Both teams added solo runs in the sixth, Mt. Valley holding a 13-12 lead and setting the stage for the Wolverine rally in the seventh. Thayer finished with three strikeouts, and seven walks. Courtney Carrier was the pitcher of record for the Falcons who fell to 0-6 in the Mountain Valley Conference.

A very enthusiastic group of approximately 30 Westport Island residents used near perfect weather to make the May 4 clean-up day a great success.

Several truckloads of trash and recyclables gathered from our roadsides were hauled to the Wiscasset Transfer Station. As expected, trash collected from our roadsides was mostly cigarette butts and discarded beverage and fast food containers; however, like other years, we continue to find a distressing amount of household trash, construction debris, discarded furniture, motor vehicle parts and old tires. Please be aware that the filters in cigarettes are made of a kind of plastic, which, unlike the tobacco, is not biodegradable, and when carelessly discarded, can persist on our roadsides for years.

Thanks to Ann Springhorn and Christy Hopkins for heading up the project at the town hall this year. Also thanks to those who provided fruit and other snacks to sustain the participants. We appreciate the efforts by many residents to help keep our island clean on a year-round basis by routinely picking up trash discarded along our roadsides. Many thanks to our island walkers, who pick up trash on their daily trek.

Please keep up the good work! Any participant who did not receive their commemorative shopping bag, please stop by the town office and we will make sure you get one.

The Wiscasset Middle High School boys track team won their second meet of the season on Wednesday, May 8 at Wiscasset Middle High School. The 26 athletes on Wiscasset’s boys and girls teams earned several first-place finishes in the meet with Oceanside Middle School, Boothbay Region Elementary School, and Jefferson Village School.

A paddle sports safety boating course will be offered by the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at USCG Station, 166 McKown Point Rd., Boothbay Harbor on June 3 and 5 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. each night.

Rowing, canoeing, and kayaking are great ways to explore Maine’s beautiful coastline. Oar and paddle craft are easily transported and launched most anywhere. It doesn’t take long to get underway and out on the water. Some knowledge about basic paddle craft skills can help you get back safely. Do not underestimate our lakes, streams, and coastal waters because water temperature, wind, and strong currents can cause problems.

This introductory course presents information needed to operate paddle craft. Knowledge and skill make trips much more enjoyable and safer. Materials developed by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the American Canoe Association are provided. Cost $30. Checks should be made payable to: USCG Flotilla 25. Credit cards are not accepted.

To register, call 207-633-4748 or email: davidbeastwood@gmail.com

Wiscasset Middle High School girls tennis lost at home May 8 versus Boothbay and May 13 versus Spruce Mountain.

Match against Boothbay:

First singles: Kayla Delano (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Delly Clarkson (Junior)(Boothbay), 10-6 loss for Wiscasset

Second singles: Maria West (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Isabel Harkins (Sophmore)(Boothbay), 10-1 loss for Wiscasset

Third singles: Kaitlyn Main (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Madison Faulkingham (Junior)(Boothbay), 10-4 loss for Wiscasset

First doubles: Eliza Paradis (Sophmore) and Riley Trask (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Olivia Paolillo (Senior) and Marissa Peter (Sophomore)(Boothbay), 10-8 loss for Wiscasset

Second doubles: -Sam Lakin (Senior) and Kayla Cossette (Sophmore)(Wiscasset) won via a Boothbay forfeit

Overall match: 4-1 loss for Wiscasset

Match against Spruce Mountain:

First singles: -Kayla Delano (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Natalie Luce (Spruce Mountain), 10-0 loss for Wiscasset

Second singles: Maria West (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Hanni Johnson (Spruce Mountain), 10-0 loss for Wiscasset

Third singles: Kaitlyn Main (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Sara Henderson (Spruce Mountain), 10-1 loss for Wiscasset

First doubles: Eliza Paradis (Sophomore) and Riley Trask (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Anna Bradford and Annabelle Collins (Spruce Mountain), 10-5 loss for Wiscasset

Second doubles: -Sam Lakin (Senior) and Kayla Cossette (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Leah Gilbert and Kaila Godbey (Spruce Mountain), 10-2 loss for Wiscasset

Overall match: 5-0 loss for Wiscasset

A sunny but blustery and cold Saturday evening didn't deter a large contingent of eager fans hungry to get some racing action. Group 2 finally got the chance to get their 2019 season going along with the first appearance of the season for the Wicked Good Vintage Racers. Skowhegan's Zach Audet appeared to have a dominant win within his grasp in the spotlight feature for the Outlaw Minis until an electrical issue late in the race on lap 31 changed everything. Defending champ Jimmy Childs was there to capitalize on the leader's tough luck and cruised to the feature win. Other winners on the program included Jonathan Emerson in the Strictly Streets and Chris Thorne in the Late Model Sportsman. Nick Reno took the checkers in the Modified feature.

In the 35-lap spotlight feature for the Kennebec Equipment Rental Outlaw Minis, the front row was made up of one of the track's best rivalries in former champs Jimmy Childs and Zach Audet. Childs got the upper hand in the heat race and started from the pole position. But Audet didn't let that last long as he blasted around Childs at the drop of the green flag and into the lead by the time they exited turn two. From there he set the pace and gradually stretched out his lead to nearly a full straightaway. Had the race ended at its normal 25-lap distance Audet would be celebrating in victory lane, but being a spotlight race, they would race for an additional 10 laps. Many times those extra laps make a world of difference, and this race proved the point once again. As the field crossed the stripe to conclude lap 30, Audet suddenly began to slow with apparent electrical problems. Childs blew by him first in turn one and by the time Audet coasted to a stop back on the front stretch, the remainder drivers had passed him by as well. Childs took care of business on the restart and drove on to the win in defense of his division title. Jason Kimball of Pittston returned from a 16-year break from racing and turned in a nice second-place run. Former champion Rob Greenleaf remained in the top 5 the entire race and finished 3rd.

The Norm’s Used Cars Strictly Street 25-lap feature showcased a great door to door battle between father and son. Third generation racer Jonathon Emerson held off his father Zach Emerson for the entire race, with veteran Bryan Robbins in hot pursuit. The kid held strong all the way to the checkers to pick up the wire to wire victory. He was the top winner in the class last season with four victories. In the battle for 2nd, Robbins was able to pull to the inside of Zach Emerson on the final lap and secure the runner-up spot by just .07 seconds. Brad Erskine and Shawn Emery filled out the top five.

The Wood Pellet Warehouse Late Model Sportsman division rolled out an impressive field of 22 cars for the season opener. Rookies Jake Hendsbeee and Brent Roy — both moving up from the Outlaw Mini ranks — started on the front row for the 40-lap feature race. A talented cast of former champions lurked back in the field, ready to make their charge to the front. Hendsbee made a strong statement, holding the lead and easily working his way through lap traffic as the race went caution free for the first 30 laps. four-time champ Chris Thorne had moved up from his 7th starting position to take the restart on the outside and would quickly grab the lead from the rookie. From there he held off challenges from Hendsbee and from Josh St Clair to grab his first win of the season. Hendsbee and St Clair joined him in victory lane for 2nd and 3rd respectively. Fourth place went to defending champ Andrew McLaughlin who started 20th and mate a late race charge. Brandon Fowler of Rome completed the top five.

The K&A Property Services Modifieds may have been short on competitors, but it was long on action. Just four cars took the green for the division's shortened 20-lap feature. Adam Chadbourne and Nick Reno put on a hard fought wheel to wheel battle for much of the race, with neither taking the lead by more than a car length. Nick Reno would end up taking the checkered flag with Chadbourne crossing the line a close 2nd. Wayne Whitten Jr of Kennebunk finished 3rd.

The Wicked Good Vintage Racers three feature winners were John Knapp of Bowdoinham in the Hobby Class, Mark Zacadelli in the Late Model Class, and Bill Pierce in the Outlaw Class. 

Wiscasset Speedway returns to action Saturday, May 18 with Group 1 in action. The Thunder 4 Minis and 4-Cylinder Pros will each have a spotlight feature along with Pro Stocks and Super Streets in regular action. The pit gate opens at 1 p.m., grandstand gate at 3, and the green flag flies on the action at 5. Full race day schedule and other info can be found on the track website www.wiscassetspeedway.com

May 11 results

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Damariscotta Lake will be the site of the second “Love The Lake” Regatta, hosted by Midcoast Conservancy and Maine Farmland Trust, Saturday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The shores of Rolling Acres, MFT’s Joseph A. Fiore Art Center, in Jefferson will be the site of the event, which will feature “people powered” watercraft, namely kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards.

Participants are welcome to bring their own boats, or use one of the Midcoast Conservancy fleet of paddle boats and boards. As part of its Outdoor Adventure & Learning Program, Midcoast Conservancy has dozens of canoes, kayaks and paddleboards that are trailered to sites across the midcoast area, brining opportunities for outdoor recreation to anyone interested in exploring the waters and trails in their own community.

The day will consist of a series of fun-first races for all ages and abilities; safety protocols will be reviewed and PFDs will be available to anyone needing one. After the paddling has concluded, everyone is invited to bring a picnic lunch to eat while getting to know other participants. Midcoast Conservancy will provide drinks and dessert for everyone.

To register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/love-the-lake-regatta-on-damariscotta-lake/. Call Midcoast Conservancy at (207) 389-5150 with any questions.

Boothbay Region Land Trust is excited to offer two sessions of an all new, half-day summer camp for children ages 6-12 in partnership with the Boothbay Region YMCA. Environmental Educator Tracey Hall will lead both sessions of camp, which will focus on introducing young naturalists to the outdoors and the wonders of nature through visits to BRLT preserves throughout the region. Campers will explore our preserves through a variety of activities over the course of the week, such as dipping nets in a pond to see what critters call it home, adopting a tree, building a survival shelter, investigating a rotting log, create nature art, and many more adventures.

Camps will be offered the weeks of July 15-19 and August 12-16 and will run between 9 a.m. and noon. Campers will be dropped off at Camp Knickerbocker and will travel by bus to BRLT preserves each day. Registration is through the Boothbay Region YMCA and is available now online through their website, or by calling the YMCA and asking to speak with the camp registrar.

This camp is made possible through the sponsoring support of Dead River Company. Boothbay Region Land Trust is a non-profit land conservation and education organization with the mission to conserve, for the public benefit the natural habitat, scenic beauty and working land of the Boothbay region.

A pair of losses to Mt. Valley and Telstar high schools dropped the Wolverines to 0-8 in the Mountain Valley Conference. Wiscasset Middle High School’s makeup game with Spruce Mountain scheduled for Tuesday, May 14 was rained out.

On May 8, the Wolverines were soundly defeated by Mt. Valley in Rumford; the game was called after four and a half innings due to the mercy rule. Multiple pitchers couldn’t shut down the hot-hitting Falcons who scored over 30 runs.

Haiden Dunning pitched for the Wolverines when they faced Telstar at Bethel on Monday, May 13. He struck out three batters, walked two and gave up 11 hits in a 34-1 loss. It was the first win for the Rebels this season.

Dunning and Muhamad Khalique both had base hits. Archie Brewer scored the lone run for Wiscasset, said Coach Gregg Wood.

The Wolverines have two more games this week. On Thursday, May 16 they’ll be away to play the combined team of Carrabec/Madison, also 0-8 in the MVC. At 9 a.m. Saturday, May 18, WMHS will host Class B Oak Hill. The Raiders have a record of five wins and four losses.  

Lincoln and Sagadahoc County Special Olympics teams came together for a morning of fun and competition May 9. Boothbay Region coach Toby LeConte emceed the track and field event keeping excellent order as athletes from Boothbay, Wiscasset, Lincoln Academy, Great Salt Bay, Jefferson, Morse, Brunswick and Mount Ararat schools participated in the Parade of Athletes led by torch bearer Nicholas Spear from Mount Ararat.

Morse’s Case Jacobs led the Special Olympics Athlete Oath: “Let me win, but if I can’t win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Athletes competed in a variety of events including: one-mile run, 1600m walk, 800m run, 400m dash, 200m dash, 100m dash, 100m walk, 50m dash, 25m wheelchair distance, 25m walk, 10m assisted and unassisted walks, shot put, running long jump, relays and unified relays. The softball throw and standing long jump competitions were held all morning as athletes participated between other events.

Boothbay Region pushed hard in several events emerging victorious with 14 first, 14 second and 22 third place awards on the day and eight fourth place, five fifth place, one sixth and one seventh place awards and a participation award.

Though busy making her rounds to events, LeConte was thrilled by the high energy and applause from family and friends cheering on athletes from all schools. The 400m dash was especially fun to watch, said LeConte. “It was a great race.”

Wiscasset Special Education Life Skills teacher Deb Melanson said this was her second year attending the track and field event and first time in seven years for Wiscasset’s team to participate away from home turf. As an organizer for past events, Melanson said Morse did an excellent job in its first attempt hosting the event.

“The track at McMann field was amazing – very professional. The kids enjoyed the events and proudly walked away with their many deserving ribbons … It was a beautiful day and there were many happy faces at the end of the day.”

The next big event will be the 50th anniversary of the State Summer Games and will be held June 7-9 at the University of Maine in Orono.

Sydnie Thayer went the distance on the mound but the Wolverines lost 13-1 to host Telstar High School in Mountain Valley Conference softball action Monday, May 13.

Wiscasset Middle High School’s run came in the first inning. Ellie Pratt drew a base-on-balls, stole second and third base, and scored when the ball got by the catcher. Farrah Casey had the only hit for the Wolverines, a single in the fourth. The Rebels scored a run in the first inning, four in the second, three in the fourth and five more in the fifth. Due to the 12-run rule, the game was called after WMHS batted in the sixth inning.

Coach Gordon Campbell said Pratt, who was playing first base, was injured late in the game following a collision with a base runner. “She’ll likely miss the next game or two,” he added.

Thayer finished with four strikeouts and 10 walks. The win improved Telstar’s record to 4-2, WMHS is 1-7.

On Thursday, May 16, the Wolverines will be in Madison to play the Bulldogs. They’ll host Hall-Dale on Monday, May 20 when the team will honor its senior players. Tuesday, May 21, Spruce Mountain will visit WMHS.

Heading “up to camp” and putting everything back in order after a long winter, like getting your boat ready for a new season, can feel like a chore. Things that worked in the fall may not be in good shape after a seven-month lay-up. Things that were worn out or broken in October didn’t fix themselves over the winter.

While discovering that an extended family of mice has turned your best mattress into the Great North Woods Rodent Ritz-Carlton over the winter can be unsettling and costly, that discovery pales in comparison to having a fire on your boat and finding out in that moment of panic that your only fire extinguisher has died over the long off-season.

The Coast Guard uses a checklist of all the required safety equipment and paperwork items to determine if your boat is safe and legal to operate. If you’re boarded and fail to get a passing mark on one of the required items, you may get a citation requiring that issue be resolved within a given time period or face a fine. However, your boating day may come to an immediate halt if the discrepancy is a serious safety issue like inadequate life jackets for all, or faulty running lights at night.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts the same inspection as does the active duty Coast Guard with one major difference: while the Coast Guard may fine you or terminate your voyage, the CG Auxiliary Vessel Safety Check (VSC) notes on the inspection form any items that don’t pass. The completed form is then given only to the boat owner. The examiner is prohibited from sharing the report with anyone.

A Vessel Safety Check is free and only takes a few minutes. Below is the 2019 CG Auxiliary VSC schedule for the Boothbay and Bath areas. The VSC events begin at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. on Sundays and continue until they run out of “customers.” VSC’s can also be arranged by appointment at your home or marina, while your boat is on a trailer or in the water.

For additional information or to arrange a free Vessel Safety Check, visit the Boothbay Harbor CG Auxiliary Flotilla 25 website: flotilla25.org or the national CG Auxiliary website: CGAUX.org and select “Get a Vessel Safety Check.”

Auxiliary Vessel Safety Check schedule

Saturday, June 22 at 9 a.m.: Kennebec Tavern, Bath; Brown’s/Carousel Marina, Boothbay Harbor; Tugboat Marina, Boothbay Harbor; and Hodgdon Yacht Services, Southport. Also, Robinhood Marina, Georgetown and New Meadows Marina, West Bath

Sunday, June 23 at 10 a.m.: Ocean Point Marina, East Boothbay

Saturday, June 29 at 9 a.m.: Capital Island Harbor, Southport

The Marsh River Preserve in Newcastle will be the kick-off site for a hiking series offered by Midcoast Conservancy between now and Oct. 17. Held every other Thursday, with a few additional hikes on other days, the series will offer participants the opportunity to explore many beautiful preserves in the Midcoast area. Hikes will vary in length and terrain; hike leaders will meet the group at the trailhead at 4 p.m. and plan to have everyone back at their cars no later than 6 p.m. No registration is required. Hikers should wear proper footwear and bring water. To learn more, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/hiking-series/

This week’s hike, on May 16, will feature “Looking for Spring” as hikers walk along trails in various stages of bloom. The 70-acre Marsh River Preserve protects over a mile of frontage along the ecologically significant Marsh River. Approximately one mile of trail winds through mixed forests and meanders along beautiful salt marshes offering views across the Marsh River. An interpretive guide which provides information about the ecology, history and geology of the area, is available at the trail kiosk. More information about the preserve, as well as a printable trail map, can be found at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/preserve/sheepscot-valley/marsh-river-preserve/

Haiden Dunning pitched a home game he won’t soon forget striking out a dozen Oak Hill batters in six innings. He also had a pair of base hits for the Wolverines. It wasn’t enough as the visiting Raiders shut out Wiscasset Middle High School 10-0 Saturday morning. The game was shortened due to the mercy rule.

Dunning struck out the side in the first inning but not before the Raiders scored two runs. After Isaac Morissette reached on an error, he scored on a base hit to right field by Caleb Tredwell. Reid Cote, the number three batter, worked the pitch count to 2-2 before Dunning struck him out on an off-speed pitch. Sam Lindsey then singled driving in Tredwell. Dunning finished the inning by fanning the next two batters.

Cote who started on the mound for the Raiders hit Matt Eckert, the Wolverine leadoff batter. Eckert alertly made his way to second base on a pass ball but was left stranded there by his teammates.

After Dunning K’d the leadoff batter in the second, Oak Hill added a pair of runs. The first of those was unearned; following a walk, the outfielder missed a fly ball that should’ve have been caught allowing the runner to score. Laden Thompson, the number nine batter then drew a walk and scored on an RBI single by Tredwell. Dunning scooped up a slow roller off the bat of Cote and tossed over to first baseman Billy Pinkham to end the inning.

Casey Mills, Pinkham and Brian Foye grounded out in the home half of the second inning.

Oak Hill went quietly in the third when Dunning picked up his sixth and seventh strikeouts. Archie Brewer went to his left and made a nice stop on the right side of the infield on a hard-hit grounder off the bat of Ethan Barnett. He tossed the ball to Dunning who was covering at first base for the final out.

The Raiders went up 6-0 with two unearned runs in the fourth. Jackson Arbour doubled to center and later scored on yet another Wolverine error.

Dunning led off the home half of the inning by beating out a slow roller. After Cote K’d the next batter Lindsay was brought in to relieve and set the next two Wolverine batters down in order.

Oak Hill added three more runs in the fifth; Morissette drove in two of those with a bases-loaded single up the middle. They added a final run in the sixth. Dunning’s second hit came in the sixth – a well-struck flyball to right center field.

The Wolverines’ only other hit came in the third inning when L.J. Travis beat out a grounder hit down the third base line.

Cote was the pitcher of record for the Raiders.He finished with eight strikeouts. Lindsay had six Ks.

Wolverine Coach Gregg Wood called it Dunning’s best pitching performance of the season. No argument there. Besides 12 strikeouts, he scattered seven hits and gave up seven walks.

The loss dropped Class D WMHS to 0-10 in the Mountain Valley Conference. Oak Hill, a Class B high school improves to 7-5.

WMHS will host Dirigo for a doubleheader Thursday afternoon beginning at 3:30. The team’s final game is at Boothbay Region High School May 27.

Cedrick Loyola won the triple jump and Matt Chapman was first in the 110-meter hurdles at the  Capital City Classic hosted by Cony High School in Augusta. Fourteen high schools were represented at the meet held under the lights Friday night, May 17.

The Wolverines held their own at the annual track and field meet featuring boy and girl athletes from the Mountain Valley and Kennebec Valley conferences. Josiah Winchenbach, coach of Wiscasset Middle High School’s track program, said the meet got under way at 7 p.m. and ran until almost to 11.

Loyola’s winning leap in the triple jump measured 41’7” outdistancing Erskine Academy’s Alex Mahon who jumped 39’3.5”. Dirigo’s Cam Kidder placed third, 38’6”. Boothbay’s Quinn Ranta was seventh, 36’11”. WMHS’s Muhammad Khalique came in 12th, 33’4”. Loyola cleared five feet and placed seventh in the high jump; Hall-Dale’s Ashtyn Abbott had the winning jump, 6’2”. Loyola was also seventh in the long jump, 17’3”. Hall-Dale’s Matt Albert won with a jump measuring 19’11”.

Chapman’s winning time in the 110 hurdles was 16.32 seconds; Seth Leeman representing the combined high school team of Lisbon/Oak Hill ran second, 17.53. Erskine’s Alex Mahon was third, 17.98. Dirigo’s Cam Kidder edged out Chapman and won the 300-meter hurdles. Kidder crossed the finish line in 43.20 seconds, Chapman’s time was 43.98. Gardiner’s Isaac Dostie finished third, 45.40. Chapman placed sixth in the 200-meter dash in 25.29 seconds.

Wiscasset’s Haiden Dunning finished seventh in the shot put with a throw measuring 34’3”. Josh Gabriele was seventh in the javelin with a throw of 112’2”. The Wolverines’ 4x800 relay team of Nate Gilliam, Tristan Pepe, John Hodson and Chance Blagdon placed seventh in its event in 11:14.32. The Boothbay Region High School team of Fox Elder, Graham Harris, Blake Erhard and Nate Chatterton won the race in 9:16.67.

Overall, Hall-Dale won the meet tallying up 128.5 points and edging out host Cony High School. WMHS was seventh with 42 points. Lily Souza had the best showing for the Wolverines girls. She placed fourth in the shot put with a toss measuring 25’9”. Souza finished 13th in the javelin, 62’8”.

WMHS’ Gwen Webber came in seventh in the 100, in 14.14 seconds. Winthrop’s Jill Schmelzer was the fastest girl on the track with a winning time of 12.93 seconds. Wolverine Cara Viele was tied for 11th in 14.40. Webber placed seventh in the 300-meter hurdles in 54.21. Webber and Viele were ninth and 11th in the 100-meter hurdles in 19.28 and 20.21, respectively.

Chop Point’s Josie Harrington who trains with WMHS under Coach Winchenbach won the high jump clearing five feet. Webber cleared 4’4” and finished eighth. Viele was eighth in the triple jump leaping 27’8”. Harrington was ninth in the 100-meter dash, 14.36 and 10th in the 100-meter hurdles, 19.30.

Cony High won the meet with 231 points. WMHS finished 10th. BRHS was ninth. Chop Point with Harrington as its only representative was 11th. 

In a persistent drizzle, the main mast for the sloop Providence was stepped on Friday,  May 17, at the recreational pier in Wiscasset. The huge crane also installed the boom, yardarm and bowsprit.

“Starting to look like a ship now,” said Richard Forrest, who has been the unofficial liaison between the town and the team working on the replica Revolutionary War vessel. Forrest also did some electrical and plumbing work on it.

The sloop has been worked on in Wiscasset since early fall, after a storm severely damaged the ship. Rob Stevens, who has a shipyard in Phippsburg, headed up the effort to repair and restore the vessel. In addition, modern systems, including plumbing and electrical work, had to be updated. The replica ship was built in 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration. The original Providence, launched in 1775, was once captained by a young John Paul Jones, and was one of the earliest ships in the Continental Navy. Her crew scuttled the ship to prevent her from falling into enemy hands.

The Providence is expected to sail south to Virginia, with a stop in Providence, Rhode Island, on a journey that will take nearly a month after final repairs are made.

Wiscasset Middle High School’s Mountain Valley Conference home baseball and softball games scheduled for Monday, May 20 with Hall-Dale have been postponed due to the weather.

Warren Cossette, assistant principal/athletic director, said the Hall-Dale games have been rescheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 at WMHS beginning at 3 p.m. At the conclusion of these ballgames, the Wolverine softball and baseball teams will play a second game against Spruce Mountain.

The games against Hall-Dale and Spruce Mountain will be shortened to five innings, continued Cossette. “I realize that it's not ideal but all three teams have no viable options,” he stated in an email the  Wiscasset Newspaper received Monday morning.

WMHS has an away softball and baseball game against Monmouth on Wednesday, May 22. The Wolverines return home for a doubleheader against Dirigo Thursday, May 23 beginning at 3:30, added Cossette.

Each year the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame honors outstanding teams at their annual Induction Banquet.The deadline for nominating outstanding teams is June 1. You can find a nomination form on our websitewww.midcoastsportshalloffame.org

June 1 is also the deadline for nominating individuals to the Hall of Fame. Nomination forms for individuals are also on our website. 

The annual meeting for the Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame is June 6. We will be meeting at our Exhibit Hall located at Dow's Discount Furniture on Route 1 in Waldoboro. Meeting time is at 6:30. If you have questions, contact Tom Mellor at ttmellor@gmail.com or by phone at 691-2770.

Farrah Casey tripled with bases loaded for the Wolverines in the final inning enabling the Wolverines to avoid a shutout against Spruce Mountain. It was the second game of a Mountain Valley Conference softball doubleheader Wiscasset Middle High School hosted Tuesday afternoon. The Wolverines lost the first game to Hall-Dale.

Spruce Mountain scored nine runs in the first three innings. Makayla Bailey started on the mound and pitched into the fourth inning when the Phoenix scored 12 runs. Joanna Collins was brought in to relieve and pitched the remainder of the game.

The Wolverines were held hitless until the fifth, which was the final inning. Both high schools agreed in advance to the shortened game. The doubleheader was scheduled because multiple games have been rained out this season.

Collins led off and drew a base on balls. Ellie Pratt then walked and Kelsey Jones was hit by the pitcher to load the bases. That brought Casey up to the plate. She clobbered the first pitch over the leftfielder’s head clearing the bases. By the time the dust settled, Casey was standing on third base. She later scored on a pass ball.

Although the Wolverines were able to avert the shutout, the Phoenix won 22-4 improving their MVC record to 6-6. Wiscasset has one win this season.

WMHS drops opener

The Wolverines held Hall-Dale to three runs in the first two innings. The Bulldogs’ bats caught fire in the third. They sent 14 batters to the plate and scored nine runs. Lily Platt drove in two runs with a triple and Iris Ireland knocked in two runs with a based loaded single. Jones ran down and caught a flyball hit deep to left field to end the inning.

The Bulldogs scored 26 runs in the final two innings. They batted around the order in both innings. Hall-Dale entered the game at 9-3 and ranked third in the class C South.

With one away in the third, Jones, who had a big day, hammered a double to center field but was left stranded on second base. Wiscasset’s lone run came in their next at bat. Bailey led off and sliced a line drive base hit to left. Collins then drew a base-on-balls on five pitches. Brianna Orr followed and reached base on a fielder’s choice, Bailey being tagged out at third. After the next batter grounded out, Jones singled scoring Collins. Casey had a base hit for Wiscasset in the final inning.

Sydnie Thayer was the pitcher of record for WMHS. Sarah Benner picked up the win for Hall-Dale.  

After a game at Monmouth on Wednesday afternoon, Wiscasset will host Dirigo for a doubleheader on Thursday. The teams will play five innings, with the first game starting at 3 p.m.

Ryan Potter had a pair of hits but the Wolverines were shut out by visiting Spruce Mountain in the second game of a shortened Mountain Valley Conference baseball double header Tuesday.

With one out in the home half of the second inning and the Phoenix ahead 1-0, James Hodson was hit by the pitcher. Casey Mill then reached on an error and Potter singled to right. The next two Wolverine batters struck out ending the inning.

The third inning started with back-to-back doubles by Spruce Mountain’s Noah Gilbert and Bryson Bailey. Three unearned runs followed putting the Phoenix ahead 5-0. Second baseman Kyle Ricker had two put outs for the Wolverines.

Wiscasset’s hitters went down in order in the home half of the third inning.

Isaac Parker the Phoenix starting pitcher knocked in a pair of runs in the fourth with a bases loaded single. Spruce Mountain then picked up five more runs and added 14 runs in the fifth and final inning.

Potter’s second hit came in the fifth inning when he singled to right field. It was with one out and followed Hodson reaching base on an error.

In the first game, Hall-Dale scored 18 runs in the first two innings en route to a 33-0 win.

The Woverines held hitless for five innings and had just two runners reach base, Haiden Dunning who reached on an error and Zack Brewer who drew a base-on-balls.

The Bulldogs, the defending MVC champions, entered the game with a record of 10-3 and currently ranked third in the class C South standings. WMHS is winless this season.

Following an away game at Monmouth Wednesday afternoon, Coach Gregg Wood and the Wolverines will play another home doubleheader on Thursday against Dirigo.

These will also be five-inning games, the opener to start at 3 p.m.

The wet weather over the past month has resulted in many postponements, and the Wolverines having five ballgames in three days this week.

Katie Morse homered and doubled leading visiting Dirigo to a 21-3 softball win over Wiscasset Middle High School in the first game of a Mountain Valley Conference double header Thursday.

Morse’s solo blast came in the fourth inning, with the ball carrying over the left field fence. The Cougars scored eight runs in the inning to race ahead 16-2.

In the first inning Farrah Casey, Makayla Bailey and Joanna Collins all had base hits but the Wolverines failed to score.

Both of Wiscasset’s runs came in the second. Latisha Wright walked and Kelsey Jones singled. Both girls scored on a flyball driven deep to right field that bounced out of the fielder’s glove.

Dirigo’s Megan Fletcher had an RBI double in the fourth inning. Alexa Perrault doubled as well.

Kateleen Trask led off the home half of the fourth inning by lining a single to left field. After advancing to second and third, she scored on Thayer’s sacrifice fly to right field.

The Cougars scored five more runs in the fifth and final inning, with both teams agreeing in advance to limit the games to five innings. 

In the last inning, Casey, the Wolverines’ catcher, made a nice play tagging out the Cougar player who tried to stretch an inside the park triple into a home run. Jones made the throw to the plate enabling Casey to make the tag. In the home half of the inning Bailey led off with her second base hit of the game. She made it to third but the Cougars turned a double-play ending the game.

Ashley Perrault picked up the win on the mound for Dirigo. Thayer went the distance for WMHS.  

Mustangs rule the day

Monmouth Academy improved its MVC softball record to 7-4 Wednesday afternoon with a win over WMHS. The Mustangs had a big first inning scoring 11 runs. The Wolverines’ only run came in the second inning after Sydnie Thayer singled, stole second and third and scored on a pass ball.

Makayla Bailey started and pitched two innings for the Wolverines. Thayer was brought in to relieve in the third and Joanna Collins took the mound to pitch the fifth and final inning. The game was called due to the 12-run mercy rule.

The Mustangs added six runs in the second, eight in the third, and four more in the fourth inning.

Coach Gordon Campbell and the Wolverines will finish the season next week with two away games vs. Carrabec and Oak Hill.

Brian Foye had an RBI single in the second inning giving the Wolverines an early lead but visiting Dirigo answered with four unanswered runs winning the first game of an abbreviated twin bill Thursday afternoon. The two high schools agreed in advance to play five-inning games.

Foye’s base hit followed back-to-back walks to Casey Mills and Ryan Potter. But Cougar pitcher Jeremy St. Germaine pitched his way out of the jam, ending the inning.

In the pivotal third inning, Dirigo’s Sam Holmes tied the game with a sacrifice fly to deep center field run down and gloved by Wolverine James Hodson. Nolan DeGroot who reached on an error scored from third. Drew Collins then doubled over the left fielder’s head putting the Cougars in front. They scored another run (unearned) to go ahead 3-1 before the inning ended. The Wolverines’ battery went down in order in the third and fourth innings.

Dirigo’s final run came in the fourth. With one away, Collins reached on an error and scored when Wyatt Smith beat out a grounder on the infield.

Haiden Dunning started and pitched three innings for WMHS. Brian Foye worked the final inning in relief. St. Germain picked up the win with some help from Holmes working in relief.

Monmouth shuts out WMHS

On Wednesday, the Wolverines were held to just two hits at Monmouth Academy losing 17-0 to the Mustangs.

Matt Eckert and James Hodson both singled in the first inning when the Wolverines left the bases loaded. Eckert started on the mound and took the loss for WMHS. Trevor Flanagan was the pitcher of record for the Mustangs. Thomas Neal had the Mustangs’ only extra base hit, a double.

The hosts scored nine runs in the first inning, four in the second and four more in the fourth inning.

Wiscasset will finish up the MVC season at Boothbay Region High School Tuesday, May 28 under the lights. The opening pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Wiscasset Middle High School boys finished seventh overall in the Mountain Valley Conference Championship track and field meet Lisbon hosted on Thursday, May 23. The Wolverines had two individual champions.

The Roadrunners of Mt. Abram won the championship, edging Hall-Dale by six points. All 14 MVC high schools took part.

Senior Matt Chapman successfully defended his MVC championship title in the 110-meter hurdles. He was clocked at 16.26 seconds, his best time of the season. Seth Leeman on the combined team of Lisbon/Oak Hill finished second in 16.98.

Dirigo’s Cam Kidder bested Chapman in the 300-meter hurdles event. Kiddler won in 41.98. Chapman was right on his heels, crossing the finish line in 42.04. Both posted their best times of the season. The pair will face each other again at the State C meet hosted by Mt. Blue High School in Farmington on Saturday, June 1. 

Cedrick Loyola was the Wolverines' other MVC champion. He topped a field of over a dozen competitors to win the triple jump with a leap measuring 40’4”. Kidder placed second, 38’11”.  WMHS’ Muhammad Khalique leaped 35’4”, finishing 11th.

Loyola was seventh in the high jump, clearing 5’4”. Spruce Mountain’s Carson Gross and Hall-Dale's Ashtyn Abbott both cleared 6’2’. WMHS’ Josh Gabriele cleared 5’2” and was 10th. Loyola finished eighth overall in the long jump, 18’.5”; his older brother Chris Loyola was 18th, leaping 16’.65”.

In the 100-meter dash, Khalique placed seventh in 12.20 seconds. His teammate Chris Loyola fininshed 12th, 12.44. Mt. Abram’s Jon Jordan was the fastest sprinter on the track. Jordan won both the 100, 11.69 and 200, 24.05.  In the 400 sprint, Joshua Gabriele came in ninth overall, 58.76.

WMHS’ 4x100 relay team of Khalique, Caleb Gabriele, Chapman and Chris Loyola placed fifth, 48.46. The 4x800 relay team of Caleb Gabriele, Chance Blagdon, Nate Gilliam and John Hodson came seventh, 10:37.14.

In the 4x400, the Wolverines were eighth overall, in 4:22.36. The team consisted of John Hodson, Caleb and Josh Gabriele and Tristan Pepe. Dustin Manson came in 14th in the 110-meter hurdles, 25.29.

Senior Haiden Dunning, who had qualified for the shot put, javelin and discus, chose to play baseball instead of competing at the MVC meet. The Wolverines were hosting a doubleheader with Dirigo High School. Dunning is the team’s starting pitcher.

Final MVC Championship scoring: Mt Abram, 139; Hall-Dale, 133, Lisbon/Oak Hill, 98.5; Boothbay Region, 55; Spruce Mountain, 4; Monmouth, 47; Wiscasset, 36.3333; Dirigo High, 24; Mountain Valley, 23.3333; Winthrop,17;  Telstar, 9.5; Madison 9.33333; and Richmond, N/S

Webber, Souza, Viele shine

The lady Wolverines had a good showing placing ninth overall topping Boothbay Region, Richmond, Mountain Valley and Dirigo at the MVC championship meet. Monmouth Academy won the meet with the combined team of Lisbon/Oak Hill coming in second followed by Winthrop, Spruce Mountain, Telstar, Mt. Abram, Carrabec and Hall-Dale.

Wiscasset’s top finisher was Grace Webber who placed second in the 300-meter hurdles. She was clocked at 50.85 seconds, a personal best. Monmouth’s Libby Clement won the event in 48.88. Webber was seventh in the 100-meter hurdles, 18.99 seconds.

Lily Souza placed fourth in the shot put with a hurl measuring 26’6”.  Souza placed sixth in the javelin, 72’, her personal best for the season. She was 13th in the discus, 64.2.

WMHS’ Cara Viele placed fifth in the 200-meter dash, 29.60. Webber and Viele finished seventh and eighth in the 100-meter dash in 13.95 and 14.18, respectively. Viele was ninth overall in the triple jump with a leap measuring 27’7.5”.

The 4x100 relay team of Webber, Lily Souza, Lily Cooper and Viele placed sixth, 1:00.36.

After a nap in First Congregational Church of Wiscasset's fellowship hall Friday evening and a Wiscasset Newspaper interview, Deland, Florida’s Stormi Turnbull headed downtown to Red's Eats. Moments earlier, fellow Floridian and Bike the U.S. for MS (multiple sclerosis) cyclist Al Francis of Sebastian  began the walk to Sarah's Cafe.

They had just arrived after a day’s biking from Sebego Lake. Friday was day 34 of the 36-day, St. Augustine, Florida to Bar Harbor, Atlantic Coast leg of the tour to raise funds and awareness about the disease and, on many stops, help people with MS with yard work or other work on their homes, like building a ramp, route co-leader Kelly Wolf of Appleton, Wisconsin said.

This was the route’s second year on the decade-plus old trans-American tour. It takes years to build the community relationships that connnect the group to townspeople who could use the help, route co-leader Duncan Moore of San Francisco, California said. 

Pastor Josh Fitterling said the church donated the use of the fellowship hall to support the group's mission. "We are always looking for ways to use the space we have to support good work in our community and in the world. As this group raises money and awareness for MS, they are certainly doing much good! We are glad to partner with them in this way and offer hospitality as they make their way through Wiscasset."

The group was thankful. A lot of the hosts at overnight stops on the interstate trip are churches, Wolf said.

Wolf, 36, has an aunt who has had MS for 20 years. “She was around my age when it started. And I’ve watched her slowly lose the ability to walk, and I’ve seen her struggles and how it affects her and her family.” That’s why Wolf got involved with the group.

Francis has lost family members to MS and he has friends with it. This was his fourth ride for the cause. He has passed the time riding by playing “Walter Mitty,” making up stories. “It makes the time go. And I equate everything to rides I’ve done in the past, like 12 miles is the trip down to my local watering hole and back. And that kind of keeps me going along.” 

Friday’s ride was windy and cold, he said.

Madison, Wisconsin’s Neil McCallum concurred. Crossing the bridge from Bath into Woolwich, he hit crosswinds. “It was a little frightening,” the retired architect said. ““It was something you needed to be very concerned about.”

“Very challenging,” son Sean McCallum, a Washington, D.C. nurse, said. Making the trip together has brought them closer, Sean said. His father praised the group’s repeat riders as key to the ride’s success. “The alums here are really amazing, and are very supportive of the cause,” he added.

Turnbull was making the trip with father-in-law Joe Turnbull, also of Deland, Florida. He said his wife was probably missing Stormi more,  because Stormi is such a good cook.

Wolf said cyclists wear helmets and raise a dollar a mile for the route or, if riding a segment of it, $2 a mile. The total raised so far was $31,000, Wolf said. Route leaders get training in first aid and CPR. Vans carry supplies, a check-in whiteboard and cyclists’ snacks, from tuna packets to Gatorade. Everybody gets a cubby, Wolf showed the Wiscasset Newspaper. Biketheusforms.org states the money raised goes to MS  clinics, the MS Society and a partnership with the Society to modify homes of people with the disease that attacks the central nervous system.

In Fellowship Hall, route leader in-training Emily Gregory of Winchester, Virginia set out her sleeping mat and showed shirts with the ride’s logo. She said the cause is absolutely incredible. Her other reason to take part was to ride across the country, pushing herself physically and mentally. Five weeks in, what had she learned? “Life is simple, don’t overdo things. And do things for others.”

Sunday morning, Wolf texted from day 36, the ride to the last stop, Bar Harbor. "I’m so proud of all the cyclists and what they’ve achieved. The last day is always bittersweet. You feel happy to have made it to the goal, but realize that means you need to say goodbye to the amazing people you’ve had the pleasure of spending the past month with. Luckily many are already talking about which ride they plan to do next."

Wiscasset will be a stop again next year, Wolf said.

A single file line of motorcycles shone under the noon sun at Alna's Head Tide Dam Saturday. A group of Lewiston-Auburn area friends made the first visit of the two or three they said they make to the Head Tide Road spot each year.

"It was the first nice day for it," Auburn's Todd Yates said.

The friends said it is a good spot for fishing and is beautiful. They did no fishing Saturday; they said they just looked around and enjoyed the view.

Coastal Rivers Paddlers have scheduled nine fresh and salt water paddles during the month of June, all of which are free and open to the public.

Paddlers should plan to arrive at the launch site one half hour before the scheduled launch time. The full paddle schedule with detailed directions to launch sites may be found at coastalrivers.org/events-programs/coastal-rivers-paddlers.

Salt water paddles launch at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and are 2 ½ to 3 hours long. Fresh water paddles launch at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and last 2 to 2 ½ hours.

June 1: Salt water paddle to Sheep Island launching from the Holbrook Street Landing in Cundys Harbor. Optional lunch at Holbrooks Snack Bar & Grill.

June 5: Fresh water paddle exploring the Pemaquid River from Bristol Mills, with an optional lunch at the Bristol Mills Diner.

June 8: Salt water paddle to Powderhorn and Spectacle Islands launching from the Knickercane Boat Launch in Boothbay. Optional lunch at the Trevett Country Store.

June 12: Fresh water paddle on the Marsh River, launching from the rest area on Route 1 in Newcastle.

June 15: Salt water paddle to Seal Cove from the South Bristol town landing. Paddlers bring lunch for a picnic on a nearby island.

June 19: Fresh water paddle on Boyd Pond and the Pemaquid River, launching from the Hatchtown bridge. Paddlers bring lunch for a picnic at Hatchtown Preserve.

June 22: Salt water paddle to Muscle Ridge from Merchants Landing at Spruce Head Island. There is a $3 fee for parking. Optional lunch at the Happy Clam.

June 26: Fresh water paddle on Medomak Pond and the Medomak River in Waldoboro. Optional lunch at a nearby restaurant.

June 29: Salt water paddle from Bethel Point in Cundys Harbor. Optional lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. All participants are responsible for their own safety and each participant should determine in advance if weather and water conditions are suitable for their skill level.

Coastal Rivers paddles are held rain or shine. If weather conditions are extreme, the decision to cancel will be made at the launch site, and paddlers will determine as a group whether to reschedule.

Paddlers supply their own kayak and must wear a life jacket and carry their own safety gear, medications, and drinking water. All paddlers are required to bring a completed and signed release form for Coastal Rivers, which may be downloaded at coastalrivers.org/events-programs/coastal-rivers-paddlers. Copies of the form will also be available from the paddle leader at the time of the paddle.

For more information about scheduled paddles, please contact paddle coordinator Jean Smith at 207-312-3846 or paddlers@coastalrivers.org

For more information about Coastal Rivers, call (207) 563-1393, email info@coastalrivers.org, or visit www.coastalrivers.org

Wiscasset vs. Mt. Valley May 21:

1st Singles: Kayla Delano (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Kiersly Lyons (Junior)(Mt. Valley), 10-10. Mt. Valley wins the tiebreaker

2nd Singles: Maria West(Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Rylee Sevigny (Sophomore)(Mt. Valley), 10-2 (Mt. Valley)

3rd Singles: Kaitlyn Main (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Avery Sevigny (Junior)(Mt. Valley), 10-0 (Mt. Valley)

1st Doubles: -Eliza Paradis (Sophmore) and Riley Trask (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Sarah Cunningham (Senior) and Abby Dugmay (Senior)(Mt. Valley), 10-6 (Mt. Valley)

2nd Doubles: -Sam Lakin (Senior) and Kayla Cossette (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Abby Gauvin (Junior) and Emily Richard (Freshman)(Mt. Valley), 10-5 (Mt. Valley)

Overall Match: 5-0 Mt. Valley

Wiscasset vs. Dirigo May 22, last match of the season:

1st Singles: Kayla Delano (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Page Luedes (Sophomore)(Dirigo), 11-9 (Wiscasset)

2nd Singles: Maria West (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Alyssa McFryre (Junior)(Dirigo), 10-1 (Dirigo)

3rd Singles: Kaitlyn Main (Junior)(Wiscasset) vs. Gabby White (Senior)(Dirigo), 10-6 (Wiscasset)

1st Doubles: Eliza Paradis (Sophomore) and Riley Trask (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Lexi Holman (Junior) and Emily Jamison (Senior)(Dirigo), 10-6 (Dirigo)

2nd Doubles: Sam Lakin (Senior) and Kayla Cossette (Sophomore)(Wiscasset) vs. Korley Carrier (Sophomore) and Lizzie White (Sophomore)(Dirigo), 10-6 (Dirigo)

Overall Match: 3-2 Dirigo

Enjoy a spring wildflower walk at the beautiful Peace Corps Preserve in Waldoboro Wednesday, June 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. Lady slippers, trillium, Indian cucumber root, and dozens of other spring wildflowers should be in full display.

Midcoast Conservancy’s Peace Corps preserve trail follows the Goose River, and winds its way through hemlock and spruce trees interspersed with one of the area’s best wildflower displays.

Joan Ray, Midcoast Conservancy’s Lands Manager and a Maine Master Naturalist, will lead this hike to look at the many spring-blooming flowers of Midcoast Maine.

To get to the Peace Corps Preserve, follow Route 220 S from Waldoboro for 4.7 miles before turning left onto Finntown Rd. The trail entrance is located on the right, 0.9 miles from Rte. 220, and parking can be found along the sides of the road.

Register online: www.midcoastconservancy.org

The Wiscasset Middle High School boys track and field team took third place in the Busline League Championship meet May 23 at Medomak High School. Wiscasset’s boys and girls teams posted several personal best and championship performances.

Eighth-grader Connor Robertson successfully defended his Busline League championship title in the 1600m with a time of 5:06.84, a personal best. He also took first in the high jump with a height of 4 feet, 8 inches. The boys 4x400m relay team of Robertson, Payton Blagdon, Austin Trask and Bryan Gagnon took first in 4:12.83. Those same athletes ran the 4x100m in 54.24 for fourth place.

Trask placed sixth in the 100m dash in 12.94 and fourth in the 200m dash in 27.32. Gagon also earned points in that race with a sixth place finish of 27.77. Payton Blagdon took fifth in the 800m run in 2:44.77.

Johnny Spies took fourth place in both the shot put and the discus with throws of 31 feet, 9.75 and 94 feet, five inches, respectively. Cecil Clifford’s 90 feet, 7 inches discus throw earned fifth. Nate Benoit and Cory Ricker placed fifth and sixth in the 800m racewalk.

“I couldn’t be happier with the performance of all these athletes today,” said Coach Jake McCarthy. “The boys gained a taste for victory after winning two meets earlier this season and it was great to watch everyone continue to excel today, even amongst the high level of competition at this championship meet.”

Overall, the boys team earned 55 points for third place. Camden-Rockport Middle School was first with 188 points and Troy Howard Middle School was second with 91 points.

The girls team tied with Searsport Middle School for 10th place with two points. Camden-Rockport Middle School won the meet with 192 points. Wiscasset’s two points were earned when the 4x400m relay team of Sadie Basset, Abby Blagdon, Julia Truesdell and Makayla Hodson finished in 5:40.18 for fifth place.

The girls 4x100m relay team of Basset, Emily Gilliam, Makenzie Neumann and Sadie Yeaton placed seventh in 1:01.69. Gilliam also tied for eighth in the high jump with 4 feet and Sienna Giles placed eighth in the 800m race walk in 5:09.45.

Beginning June 5, Maine Maritime Museum is excited to offer sailing trips aboard the 1906 schooner Mary E., the last surviving schooner built on the Kennebec River, was purchased and restored by the museum, and relaunched in 2018. Mary E Kennebec River Sails will be offered Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 4 pm, June 5 through Sept. 28.

The 2.5-hour cruises will take passengers past Doubling Point Light, the Kennebec Range Lights, and the site of the Thomas E. Hagan shipyard where she built, and will provide a unique view of Navy vessels under construction at BIW. Passengers can help the crew set and trim sails, or sit back and enjoy the scenery as the crew shares tales from Mary E’s colorful history.

In addition to the regular sailing schedule, a number of special off-site sailing trips will be offered, including sailing in the Portland Schoonerfest Regatta (June 21-23), the Casco Bay Gaffers Race (June 24), and the Boothbay Windjammer Days Parade of Sail (June 26).

The Mary E has also served as a cargo carrier, a passenger-carrying windjammer, and even rumored to have been a rum runner. She is the last surviving schooner built on the Kennebec River, and the oldest Maine-built fishing schooner still sailing.

Tickets are on sale now, and are available online (MaineMaritimeMuseum.org), by calling 207-443-1316, or in person at the museum admission desk.

Maine Maritime Museum celebrates Maine’s maritime heritage and culture in order to educate the community and a worldwide audience about the important role of Maine in regional and global maritime activities. Call (207) 443-1316 or visit www.MaineMaritimeMuseum.org for more information. 243 Washington Street, Bath.

Wiscasset Middle High School’s Wolverines finished the boys high school baseball season winless May 30. And Boothbay Region High School’s Seahawks finished a disappointing season on a high note, defeating the Wolverines 11-1.

The Seahawk offense produced two runs in the first inning. Seniors Brett Hollowell and Wyatt Timberlake both crossed the plate on a ground ball by Hunter Crocker. 

The Seahawks built on their lead with three runs in the third inning and two in the fifth. It took four runs in the sixth to meet the mercy rule and end the game.

Hollowell went the distance striking out six Wolverines.

He was matched by Wolverine senior Hayden Dunning who struck out a dozen Seahawks but suffered by hitting six batters. Dunning was key in the Wolverines’ only run in the sixth inning. After singling to center, he came home on groundballs by Ryan Potter and Ben Pinkham.

Wiscasset Coach Gregg Wood expressed frustration that previous discussions about combining the two schools for baseball in future years had stalled. He said the current Wolverines team had only been held together by the friendships among the team members.

Before the game, Seahawk seniors Wyatt Timberlake, Brett Hollowell and Will LaBrecque were joined by their parents for the traditional flower ceremony.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary’s next boating class at USCG Station Boothbay Harbor will be “Suddenly in Command,” June 18 and 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. each night.

Safe boating requires planning and preparation as well as careful operation. Steps to take to minimize boating problems and basic emergency procedures are covered. Topics include pre-underway planning, developing situational awareness, understanding how boats handle, use of a VHF radio including how to get help in an emergency, Coast Guard required safety equipment and regulations, and accident assessment and reporting. Cost is $30. Checks should be made payable to USCG Flotilla 2-5. Credit cards are not accepted.

The Coast Guard station is located at 166 McKown Point Rd., Boothbay Harbor.

To register, call 207-633-4748 or email: davidbeastwood@gmail.com

Wolverine Coach Josiah Winchenbach had one state champion at the state Class C track and field meet hosted by Blue Hill High School in Farmington Saturday. Josie Harrington of Chop Point School won the high jump by clearing a height of 5’2”. It was the best jump of the season for the freshman who attends the private school in Woolwich.

Harrington trained at Wiscasset Middle High School this season under Winchenbach. She’ll now compete at the New England Championship Track and Field meet hosted by Thornton Academy in Saco Saturday, June 8.

WMHS’s Cedrick Loyola, a junior, was the Wolverines’ top finisher at the state meet. He placed second in the triple jump leaping 40’7.75”. Mattanawcook’s Cayden Spencer-Thompson won the event with a jump measuring 48’3.75”, a new state C record.

Wolverine senior Matt Chapman placed in two running events. He ran third in the 110-meter low hurdles in 15.85 seconds. Traip’s Seth Simonds winning time was 15.49, Orono’s Niklas Dittmar was second, 15.59.

Chapman placed fourth in the 300-meter high hurdles, crossing the finish line in 43.87 seconds.

Final results of the boys meet: Sacopee Valley 69, Hall-Dale 56.75, Orono 51.75, Mt. Abram 50, Caribou 47, Maranacook 41.75, Traip 41, Wells 35, Washington Academy 31, Mattanawcook 30.5, Bucksport 30, Lisbon 30, Boothbay 21, Wiscasset 18, North Yarmouth 13.5, Central 12, Dirigo 12, Mt. View 11, MSSM 9, Spruce Mountain 8, Greenville 7, Monmouth 5, GSA 4, Winthrop 3.5, Washburn 3, Mountain Valley 2, St. Dominic’s 1, Bangor Christian 1, Richmond 1.

The Wolverine girls did not compete in the state C meet. Orono won.

Registration is underway for high school-age Wiscasset-area girls’ and boys’summer soccer.

Practice for the girls is held Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and start on June 17.

Coach Duane Goud said players should be on Wiscasset Middle High School’s lower field by 5:45 p.m. Participants must have a completed permission form, proof of insurance and paid their $30 registration fee, which covers the cost of referees and team T-shirts for the players.

The away games this summer are at Richmond, Winthrop, Oceanside, Waterville and Monmouth. The first home game will be with Richmond on July 1. Other home games are scheduled for July 8 with Oak Hill; Medomak, July 17 and Lisbon, July 24.

Goud said because this is not a high school-run program, transportation to and from the games must be provided by parents/guardians, or other adults.

For more information, call Goud at 380-1698 or email dgoud@wiscassetrec.com

Coach Chris Cossette said the boys summer soccer team practices on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 also on the lower field. The registration fee is the same. Participants also need to return a permission form before participating. Information and a sign-up sheet are available at the high school.

The 50th annual Special Olympics Maine State Summer Games are fast approaching. Over 1,500 athletes, ages 8-88 have been training, planning, and now packing for this exciting event. They will represent nearly 120 teams from all across the state and will compete in a variety of Olympic-style sports at the University of Maine in Orono June 7-9.

Preceding the games until June 7, over 700 members of Maine Law Enforcement will be carrying the Olympic Torch, the Flame of Hope, across the entire state. These members of Law Enforcement will be trying to raise funds for and an awareness of Special Olympics Maine. The run began in Sanford on June 4 and will conclude on Friday, June 7 with a Final Leg entering in to the UMO campus late afternoon.

Competition will actually begin Thursday (June 6) at 9 a.m. with Bowling and Unified Bowling. (Unified events bring together athletes with intellectual disabilities and those without for an opportunity to compete together on the same team.) On Friday the excitement continues with more bowling, time trials, bocce competitions and relays.

Friday evening, June 7 always proves to be a fun-filled night with our annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg arriving around 4 p.m., an outside picnic for the athletes, our parade at 5, followed by our Opening Ceremonies at 6 and a movie outside right after Opening Ceremonies. On Saturday morning, track and field events begin at 8:30 and run until approximately 3:30. In addition to the competition athletes will be treated to an Olympic Village full of games and entertainment, race cars, Drums Alive, Wolf Pack Fitness training and more. 

Saturday night includes our annual Victory Dance in the field house. The theme for this years dance is 1969 in honor of our 50th anniversary and Under The Covers Band will be playing! (please note that the dance is a private function for the athletes, and coaches and is not open to the public). On Sunday morning the events conclude with Walk and Mile Run finals and closing ceremonies.

An added bonus for our athletes is the Healthy Athletes program. Special Olympics Maine athletes will have the opportunity to be seen and evaluated in free dental screenings, hearing evaluations and physical fitness this year. Special Smiles, has offered free screenings for the past seventeen years. Free fluoride treatments will also be available for them. Healthy Hearing and Fun Fitness are the other two disciplines also being offered.

The games conclude on Sunday morning with the walk races and mile run competition followed by closing ceremonies.

2019 is the 50th Anniversary of Special Olympics Maine! The Special Olympic event was held in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, at Soldiers Field in Chicago. Mickey Boutilier, a special education teacher from Gorham, took a small group of athletes out to those games and then held the first Special Olympics in Maine the following year. In June of 1969 Mickey was one of only 12 states to host their own state wide Special Olympic event. This was during a time when only a couple years earlier people with intellectual disabilities were not even allowed to go to school, let alone participate in community events or sports. Boutilier faced a lot of rejection when looking for sponsors and support for the event and begged family members to come to cheer for the athletes. Today, our awards stands are surrounded by cheering fans and supporters and our athletes are offered top notch training and venues.

Happy Anniversary Special Olympics Maine and thank you to all of the amazing coaches, volunteers, sponsors, donors, family members, supporters and of course athletes who have helped to make our program what it is today!

Special Olympics is a year round athletic training and competition program for adults and children with intellectual disabilities of all ages. In Maine there are over 4,300 athletes who participate in the program. For more information on the Summer Games or Special Olympics, please call Lisa Bird at 879-0489 or on her cell at 839-5578 or email her at  lisab@somaine.org

Midcoast Conservancy welcomes Aidan Manahan to its seasonal staff as the 2019 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew leader.

A civil engineering student at the University of Maine, Orono, Manahan brings a wealth of outdoor experience to the position. In addition to competing nationally as a ski racer for Carabassett Valley Academy, he crewed for many years on the Camden-based schooner Mary Day and whitewater paddles on the Sheepscot River.

“As the Youth Conservation Corps Leader, I will be able to bring the teamwork and leadership I have learned on the schooner to the job — skills I think are very applicable,” Manahan said. He grew up in Newcastle and spends summers at a family home on Damariscotta Lake. He said, “Working as part of the Midcoast Conservancy is the perfect opportunity to protect the place I call home and give back to my community.”

This summer, the YCC at Midcoast Conservancy will be hard at work addressing one of the major threats to lake and river water quality: run-off after rainfall, which brings soil phosphates and pollutants into waterways. Too much phosphorus affects water quality and increases the risk of algal blooms. By preventing erosion along shorelines, the negative effects of that runoff can be substantially reduced.

Projects will include the installation of rubber razors and water bars that redirect runoff flow, and infiltration stairs—gravel-filled steps which slow and absorb water before it reaches the shore—and the addition of erosion-resistant plants. Using Best Management Practices, the crew works with homeowners to make their properties as environmentally sound as possible. As an added bonus, the crew members will learn real-world skills in landscaping and engineering, as well as hands-on problem solving.

Participating homeowners request evaluations of their property, review the recommendations from the crew leader, then pay only for materials; labor is provided at no cost to the property owner by the YCC crew. Homeowners interested in receiving a no-obligation assessment of their property can arrange for an evaluation visit by contacting Manahan at crewleader@midcoastconservancy.org or by calling 389-6492.

There’s gonna be a lot of wake goin’ on this weekend with the start of the 34th lobster boat racing season Saturday, June 15 at 10 a.m. with the Charles Begin Memorial Races right here in Boothbay Harbor. Sign up begins at 9 a.m. Racing fee: $25.

Categories include gas classes based on length and cubic inches, diesel classes based on horsepower and length, a wooden boat race, gas and diesel free-for-alls, and four races just for Boothbay region boats.

The race course runs in front of Tumbler Island toward the finish line at the Maine State Aquarium. The absolute best viewing is on the water, preferably in a boat. Spectators can also catch the action well at the aquarium on McKown Point Road in West Boothbay Harbor. Other spots on land are on Atlantic Avenue, on the east side, at Brown’s Wharf.

Last year in the Gasoline-Free-For-All it was Bud & Dawn in first place;  Motivation in first place in the Diesel-Free-For-All. Wild, Wild West, which took just about every race last season, developed issues with its steering arm and was done racing. Three boats competed in the Fastest Lobster Boat Race — Motivation, Blue Eyed Girl and Gold? — crossed the finish line in that order.

There are cash prizes for first ($100), second ($75) and third ($50) and non-cash prizes of equal worth including gift certificates from area restaurants, a snatch block, and prop conditioning.

“We’re expecting right around 40 boats this year, but it’s all weather dependent,” race organizer Ashlee Lowery said. 

This year’s T-shirts ($20) and sweatshirts ($30) are navy blue in sizes up to 2XL. Lowery will be at Boothbay Lobster Wharf the night before (Friday, June 14) with a table of the shirts for purchase from 5:30 to 7 p.m. “It’s a great way for us to help promote one of our sponsors,” Lowery said. But don’t despair if you can’t make it that night; all the shirts will be for sale at Brown’s Wharf, a.k.a. Sign Up Central!

Lowery has been organizing the Boothbay Harbor races for the past 14 years. Why? She said it’s a combination of it just being rote at this point and because she just can’t seem to stop. 

So, dig out the sunscreen, get your 2019 shirts, don your best shades, and head for the waterfront this Saturday. Maine lobster boat racing season is here!

The Wiscasset Planning Board approved Chewonki Foundation’s girls’ camp after a quick public hearing June 10. A few members of the public were present, but none had questions about the project. The board did a site walk two weeks ago.

After the public hearing, the board just as quickly voted to approve the project, which will add seven girls’ cabins, two staff cabins and a wash house, at a site near the main building, and will add a separate girls’ dock. The meeting, which began at 7 p.m., adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

Chewonki believes it will soon have a state Department of Environmental Protection permit and begin construction.