Oak Point Farm’s diverse natural features provide many great benefits to the Boothbay region, including offering the ideal setting for BRLT’s growing educational outreach. One of Boothbay Region Land Trust’s strategic focus areas is education. Among its goals is to develop programs that reach youth of all ages throughout the region. The land trust hopes to foster a deep and lasting connection to nature among the next generation, and as part of this effort, we are excited to share plans for a new natural play space in development at Oak Point Farm. With specially designed features that encourage interaction with nature through play, kids will be inspired to create, explore, and learn about the natural world.

The idea for a natural play space has been taking shape over the past few years as BRLT has increased collaborations with schools and childcare facilities and expanded programs at Oak Point Farm. Since moving to Oak Point, the land trust has been able to observe how families, school groups, camps and daycares utilize the preserve during visits. One notable observation has been that families attending our educational programs tend to stay on after programs end with caregivers wanting to talk and kids wanting to play. However, there is not always a great location for these casual gatherings to take place. At times caregivers may gather near the parking lot until their children become too unruly. School groups and daycares also enjoy visits, but are limited by how and where to take breaks following educational programs. Without a designated place for groups to enjoy unstructured play before departing, staying on has not always been an option. BRLT saw an opportunity to better engage with children by creating a space that encouraged direct and unstructured outdoor play in nature.

Natural play spaces are play areas designed to incorporate natural elements such as wood, stone, sand and plants to foster creative play among children while blending cohesively into their surroundings. They include features that invite children to explore nature and incorporate natural materials into their play. Natural play spaces are less structured than standard playgrounds, and their features invite interpretation and imagination. These spaces create inclusive environments through their open-concept designs and accessible settings that promote creativity and learning, while fostering an interest in nature.

The natural play space at Oak Point Farm will be located in a wooded area a short distance from the main parking lot. Local landscape architect Bill Joyce of Carson Douglas Landscape Architecture in Edgecomb has created a concept design in consultation with BRLT staff. “The concept design has laid out a number of great, creative options for us to draw on,” explains Executive Director Nick Ullo. “As we begin to prep the area later this summer and into the fall, we will be able to better determine the features that work best with the setting including the granite and rock formations as well as the tree circle. We look forward to sharing more updates as the project moves forward.”

John Copeland of Kennebec Trail Company in Bath, who has worked with BRLT most recently installing the universal access trails at Oak Point Farm, will be assisting with this project as well.

The new space will ultimately enhance BRLT’s existing children’s programming by providing additional resources for use by visiting groups from daycares to schools. It will also provide a safe and stimulating setting for children to play.

The Boothbay Region High School Seahawks and Wiscasset High School Wolverines combined cross-country team competed at Medomak Valley High School’s Panther Pre-Season 2 Miler in Waldoboro Aug. 28. The runners faced MVHS, Lincoln Academy, Camden Hills Regional High School and Lewiston High School.

Seahawks Lucas Hardwick, Dominick Dow, Ryan Clark and Marlowe Recoing-Tallen took ninth, 15th, 20th, and 31st, respectively, in times of 12:06, 12:28, 12:53 and 13:33. Wolverines Henry Putnam and Bryan Gagnon took 29th and 33rd, respectively, in 13:31 and 13:52.

Putnam finished sixth out of 11 freshmen while Dow finished fourth out of 15 sophomores. Clark, Recoing-Tallen and Gagnon finished ninth, 12th and 13th, respectively, among juniors which were the largest grouping of athletes at 18 total. Hardwick was third of 12 seniors to cross the finish line behind Lincoln Academy’s Will Sherrill, 12:00 and sixth overall, and MVHS’s Connor Daigle, 10:10 and first overall.

Wolverines Julia Truesdell and Emily Gilliam placed 23rd and 32nd, respectively, in 16:18 and 17:17. They placed seventh and 11th among 18 other sophomores. Seahawk freshman Maddie Orchard placed 42nd in 17:55 and 14th in her class.

Varsity soccer returned to Wiscasset Middle High School Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 31 when the Wolverines hosted Temple Academy of Waterville. The Mountain Valley Conference begins next week. The schedule is posted on the WMHS website.

From 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust naturalist Sarah Gladu will lead a hike along the trails of Crooked Farm Preserve in Bristol.

Crooked Farm Preserve features nearly 130 acres of forest, wetlands, and open fields, including over a mile of frontage along the Pemaquid River. Its gravel streambeds are spawning habitat for game fish, and its wetlands provide edge habitat favored by moose, white-tailed deer, mink, raccoon, fisher, fox, and otter.

This abundance of wildlife makes it a great spot to look for tracks and signs. The group will stop at several locations along the trail to examine some of the smallest plants and animals. Hand-lenses will be provided, or participants may bring their own.

This program is free of charge, thanks to member support. Registration is required at coastalrivers.org/events. Binoculars and protection against ticks are recommended.

With the 2021-22 academic year right around the corner, Maine school districts are searching for healthy ways for their students to return to school. One opportunity schools have embraced is a new partnership with Teens to Trails and the Maine Department of Education. The initiative, called Wilderness Activities and Virtual Engagement for Students (WAVES), is designed to encourage physical and mental well-being by participating in group outdoor activities through the creation of school Outdoor Clubs. Seed money for these clubs is offered by WAVES to Maine schools serving teens. To date, almost 50 middle and high schools throughout the state have applied for the program. The application is easy, on purpose, to reduce barriers to getting youth connected to the outdoors. Maine DOE provides the money, schools identify an adult leader, and Teens to Trails provides year round training and program support.

Nobleboro Central School, Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta, and Wiscasset Middle High School were each awarded $500-$1500 to begin outdoor clubs for their students. In all cases, the schools were in search of financial support for transportation and outdoor gear. Ralph Keyes, who is a recently retired science teacher and outdoor club advisor at Wiscasset Middle School, hopes funding could support making trips more accessible for students. “...even greatly discounted trips such as an evening skiing trip to Lost Valley or the Teens To Trails rafting trip present a financial obstacle for many families. WAVES funding could be used as a ‘scholarship’ fund for these experiences,” he said.

Studies have shown that spending time outside is critical for teenage development, as it fosters the need to care for themselves, others and the planet. Spending time outside also creates a healthy mind/body balance and improves focus throughout the day. When teenagers enjoy open spaces, it helps to create open minds that are ripe for learning.

Further research has proven that teenagers who take part in outdoor programs develop lifelong connections to natural spaces in their communities, while also learning teamwork and problem-solving skills that they can take into adulthood. Outdoor clubs create an opportunity for inclusive, non-performance based experiences that break down social barriers and build long term habits of wellness.

Nobleboro Central School, Great Salt Bay School, and Wiscasset Middle High School hope to create successful outdoor clubs for their teenage students. Kim Schaff, Principal at Great Salt Bay School, is feeling especially positive. “We have organized field trip hikes in the past and found many students absolutely love them. Providing students with consistent trips throughout the year will support our goal of stronger connections!”

If your middle or high school is interested in this opportunity, funding applications are accepted until Sept. 17. To apply to the program, or to learn more, visit: https://teenstotrails.org/waves

Teens To Trails is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit dedicated to connecting high school students to life-changing outdoor experiences with a vision that all teens have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors together.

It’s been two decades since Schmid Preserve’s forest management plan has been updated, but that will change this fall. Schmid Advisory Board Chairman Lisa McSwain told Edgecomb selectmen Sept. 7, Midcoast Forestry of Warren, who created the original plan, will update its work in the coming weeks. Earlier this year, the town received a Maine Forest Service grant to fund the project.

In other action, Chairman Dawn Murray reported the Department of Transportation will begin work on Eddy Road beginning the week of Sept. 22 or 29. “They won’t begin work on the Eddy Road until they finish up on Route 27,” she said.

Murray and Selectman Mike Smith approved appointing Corning Townsend to another one-year term as harbor master and David Nutt as the assistant harbor master. Selectmen also renewed a liquor license for Glidden Point Oyster Farm and hired Cricket Klein and Matt Thompson to clean the town hall on a regular basis. 

Selectmen meet next at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 in the town hall.

From Athletic Director/Assistant Principal Warren Cossette Sept. 10:

Sept. 13, boys high school soccer @ Hall Dale 4 p.m., depart 2:25

Sept. 14, girls high school soccer @ Hall Dale 4 p.m., depart 2:25

Sept. 15, boys high school soccer, home v. Lisbon 4 p.m.

Sept. 15, middle school soccer, Woolwich, depart 2:30, game 3:45

Sept. 16, girls high school soccer, home v. Buckfield 4 p.m.

Sept. 17, boys high school soccer @ Monmouth 4 p.m., depart 2 p.m.

Sept. 18, girls and boys high school soccer, homecoming, boys 6 p.m., girls 7:30 p.m.

The CG Auxiliary is offering a free, two-evening, four hour Paddle Sports Safety class via Zoom on Sept. 21 and 22 from 6 to 8 each day.

To register, contact David Racicot at david.racicot25@gmail.com

Course topics

- Different types of paddlecraft and their suitability for various paddling environments. 

- Legal requirements associated with operating a paddlecraft. 

- Tips for safely transporting your paddlecraft.

- Successful trip planning. 

- Accidents, accident reporting.

- Emergency situations and how to prepare for them.

- Risks associated with cold water immersion.

- Top 10 safety tips.

About the instructors

Mike Moloney is an American Canoe Association (ACA) Certified Kayak Instructor (Level 1 & 2) with 40 years of paddling experience. He’s also a certified Instructor with the USCG Auxiliary.

David Racicot is an ACA Member with decades of paddling experience, a retired career US Navy physician, a certified USCG Auxiliary Instructor, and a qualified USCG Auxiliary Boat Crew Member. David also builds elegant small wooden boats including kayaks and canoes.

The natural world offers many forms of respite and restoration. Forest therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. In Japan it is called “shinrin yoku,” which translates to “forest bathing.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition.

In general terms, forest bathing is a practice of making contact with nature and “taking in the atmosphere” of the forest.

Join Forest Therapy Guide Susan Bickford at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. Bickford will guide participants through several invitations to awaken the senses and slow down, slower than one is used to going. The pace will allow people to notice what is in motion along the trail; time may be spent sitting with a certain tree for a bit. Attendees will share observations in council. In all, the group won’t walk very far, maybe a mile in the three hours of the workshop. Forest bathing is a gentle restorative and meditative way of being in nature. In the end the group will share a foraged tea together.

The workshop is $20 for Midcoast Conservancy members, and $25 for others. To register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/forest-bathing-workshop/

An issue Jeff Spinney and Alna selectmen resolved over his shoreland earthwork project re-emerged Sept. 15. The new board concluded Spinney’s project violates zoning. Selectmen authorized the town’s law firm Drummond and Woodsum to start enforcement “up to and including in Superior Court, against the ordinance violations resulting from construction under a planning board permit that was subsequently reversed by the Alna board of appeals.”

“This is first I’ve heard of it, no other communication to me on this before you tonight,” Spinney told Wiscasset Newspaper in a text response to a request for comment after the meeting, held on Zoom and at the town office. “I have already settled in Superior Court comprehensively, at the town’s insistence then that it be comprehensive,” he recalled of the deal then-selectmen Doug Baston and Greg Shute agreed to earlier this year.

Neither incumbent ran to keep his seat last March. Shortly after elections, First Selectman Melissa Spinney resigned and has not been replaced. Alna elected Linda Kristan second selectman and Charles Culbertson third selectman. In the Sept. 15 meeting at the town office and on Zoom, Culbertson said enforcement was selectmen’s only option.

Spinney sees it differently. “This seems to be simply a reaction to pressure from a certain few constituents cashing in political favors since they got this board elected. This is nothing more than an apparent personal vendetta at the taxpayers’ expense,” Spinney said.

The six months the new select board has taken to move on the matter shows the board did not rush to judgment, Culbertson said in the meeting. He called the matter “a pretty contentious ... complicated (and) tough issue (that) has sort of pitted people against each other and really kind of divided the town.” He said the board inherited it when, days after the election, the town’s board of appeals reversed the planning board’s decision.

Since then, he has heard from townspeople who said to let Spinney’s project be, because it is done, and from ones who say it breaks the shoreland rules and the board should act on the appeals board’s decision. After an executive session with town counsel weeks ago, he and Kristan have, separately, kept studying, he said.

“I feel that Mr. Spinney has no valid local permit for his boat launch following the board of appeals decision,” Culbertson said. “Since Mr. Spinney failed to appeal the board of appeals decision, that decision is final. The (ordinance) leaves the town with no choice but enforcement.”

Some attendees agreed. They expressed concern about a precedent and argued a reversal of the planning board decision voided the deal with Spinney.

Others disagreed. Noting the deal, resident Mike Trask said the town is going back on its word.

Baston said he lived the matter for two years and saw what the issue did to the town. He asked the board to “put some kind of end to it, that doesn’t sanction it, but allows the town to move on ... It’s tearing us apart and it has to stop.”

“It does, but we inherited this and we must deal with it, and so we shall,” Kristan said. 

Code Enforcement Officer Tom McKenzie noted the town has the agreement the last board signed with Spinney. He asked, if the town asks Spinney to remove his project, does the board have a cap on how much tax money it is willing to pay lawyers, and “why doesn’t the same decision on enforcement apply” to the Head Tide Dam issue.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection found the dam site’s makeover included a granite bench and a beach, neither permitted, according to DEP’s letter to the town last March. The bench was being removed and DEP said to not maintain the beach.

Responding to McKenzie, Culbertson and Kristan called the dam matter a closed issue. They did not state a cap on legal costs to enforce the Spinney matter.

Later in the meeting, selectmen said the matter may or may not go to court. The first step will likely be town counsel speaking with Spinney’s lawyer, Culbertson said.

Also Sept. 15, Trask, the fire chief, asked the board to let Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum dig under Cross Road to connect the town’s hydrant to one he said the museum would put in at its expense. Kristan said the town is checking into it. Resident Les Fossel supported the hydrant idea. He said the nonprofit museum has some of the most valuable buildings in town and is museum founder Harry Percival Jr.’s crown jewel.

The board named Calderwood Engineering of Richmond to engineer and inspect work at the Egypt Road bridge for $25,056.

A thunderstorm forced a one-hour delay of Saturday night’s Homecoming festivities at Wiscasset Middle High School. It was 7 p.m. before the Wolverine boys’ varsity soccer team took the field in the rain against the Mt. Abram Roadrunners. The girls’ game was set to follow, and it would be followed by a fireworks display. Wiscasset lost both games.

Before the rain came, Kateleen Trask, class of 2020, told Wiscasset Newspaper she returned to support her alma mater. Now studying nursing at Southern Maine Community College, Trask played three sports for WMHS, soccer, basketball and softball. Her younger brother Austin Trask is a member of the Wolverines’ current soccer team.

Gabby Leavitt, who graduated this year, said she hadn’t missed a Homecoming here in six years. She’s attending University of Maine in Orono. Another familiar face was at the scorer’s table: Al Gray of Wiscasset returned this season to run the scoreboard and clock.

The Booster Club was manning the Snack Shack selling hot food and drinks. In spite of the rainy weather, there was a good showing of fans from Wiscasset and Salem, home of Mt. Abram Regional High School.

The Boothbay Region High School Seahawks and Wiscasset Middle High School combined boys and girls teams hosted and won this season’s only home meet in Boothbay Harbor Sept. 17. The Seahawks and Wolverines faced Hall-Dale, Richmond, Spruce Mountain, Dirigo and Telstar Regional high schools.

“This is the halfway point of our regular season,” Coach Nick Scott said. “We got to run some really good and competitive races early at Brunswick, Medomak and Morse. They were bigger schools and so, as one would expect, we didn’t win them, but it was a good experience and the kids got to run against some really good teams. This is our first conference race of the year, so it should be pretty fun I think.”

The girls ran as the only full team with five out of 15 of the athletes on the course. They also outran all competition by over a minute. Laura Chapman took first in 24:44; Julia Truesdell, second, 26:40; Maddie Orchard, third, 26:55; Emerson Harris, fourth, 27:45; and Emily Gilliam, fifth, 27:58.

The boys also won their meet with 21 points over the RHS Bobcats’ 37 points. Lucas Hardwick, Gryffin Kristan and Dominic Dow ran as a pack for third, fourth and fifth in 19:49, 19:53 and 20:12. Ryan Clark took seventh in 20:29 and Bryan Gagnon 10th, in 20:50. Henry Putnam tied with Bobcats Gavin Grover and Rhys Terry for 11th in 22:07. Marlowe Recoing-Tallen and Nate Benoit placed 14th and 19th in 22:18 and 28:29.

Said Scott, “Today is kind of a really good illustration of where we’re at against conference competitors. The stronger part of the conference is running in Winthrop today, but I still think this paints a good picture of where we’re at.”

The Seahawks and Wolverines travel to University of Maine at Augusta Sept. 24 for the Mountain Valley Conference Preview meet.

Midcoast Conservancy is pleased to announce “Midcoast Matters” — a six-part television series focusing on the people, places, and natural wonders of Midcoast Maine.

Through the lens of local community leaders, the inaugural episode, “Joining Forces,” explores the genesis of Midcoast Conservancy, the power of connecting people and places around a common cause, and the motivation to protect our natural world. Subsequent episodes, airing monthly, will focus on each of Midcoast Conservancy’s geographies: Damariscotta Lake, the Sheepscot Valley, the Sheepscot Headwaters, the Medomak Valley, and Hidden Valley Nature Center. Topics covered will include ecological preservation, restoration of sea run fisheries, climate change impacts, adventure and exploration opportunities, and much more.

Premiering Thursday, Sept. 30 at 8:30 p.m. on Spectrum/Tidewater 7 and Lincoln County Television (LCTV.org), Midcoast Matters is a collaboration between Midcoast Conservancy, LCTV, Charles Stuart of Stuart Television Productions, and LCTV video producer Lang Sheppard, also with Stunt Dog Productions. After the airing of the premiere or subsequent episodes, all Midcoast Matters shows will be archived and available for viewing at www.lctv.org

Boothbay Region High School Seahawks’ and Wiscasset Middle High School Wolverines’ combined cross country teams dominated the Mountain Valley Conference preview meet Sept. 24. The boys placed first among seven teams and the girls second among three teams. Competition included athletes from Monmouth Academy and Hall-Dale, Madison Memorial, Lisbon, Spruce Mountain, Winthrop, Oak Hill, Telstar Regional, Richmond, Mt. Abram and Dirigo high schools.

The boys ran a nail-biter beating Monmouth Academy by four points with Lucas Hardwick coming in sixth in 19:52. Gryffin Kristan followed in 10th in 20:32 and Dominick Dow and Ryan Clark in 14th and 15th in 21:04 and 21:05. Bryan Gagnon placed 22nd in 21:45; Marlowe Recoing-Tallen and Henry Putnam, 29th and 30th in 23:05.4 and 23:05.8; and Rodion Mayne, 22nd, 24:08.

The girls placed second of three qualifying teams, but outran most athletes from schools that could not field teams. Laura Chapman, Julia Truesdell and Emerson Harris placed seventh, eighth and ninth in 26:41, 27:04 and 27:27. Emily Gilliam and Maddie Orchard placed 15th and 16th in 29:52 and 30:24.

The Seahawks-Wolverines race next at the Festival of Champions Oct. 2 in Belfast.

On and near Federal Street, Wiscasset, a gray Sunday, Oct. 3 had raindrops on a pumpkin, leaves on the ground by themselves or en masse, and lots of color as fall continued and Halloween neared.

Boothbay Railway Museum’s Family Harvest Day dawned a bit overcast, but families still came out to celebrate the arrival of autumn and spend some time together.

At 10 a.m., families ready to have some old-fashioned fun came to Freeport Station for their tickets to ride – and play. The steam train, operated by John and Cathy Orne, toured the Village perimeter at 11 a.m. and in the afternoon at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m.

Small pumpkins ready to be painted were set out on picnic tables on the Village Green; children waited as patiently as possible for their turn on the Barrel Train – very popular with the younger set.

Marketing and Events Coordinator Lori Reynolds reported, families picked 250 pumpkins from the patch.

Reynolds said about 350 kids and adults enjoyed the day.  To keep up their strength, they had popcorn and hot dogs, served by Sam Markowitz and Leo Johnson, and hot soft pretzels, soft drinks and water, served up by Reynolds and volunteer Dana Paolillo.

Next up at the Railway: Fall Foliage Festival over Indigenous People’s Day weekend. Visit https://railwayvillage.org for details.

Mid-Coast Audubon will be accepting bird seed orders through Oct. 22 to raise funds to support bird conservation and education programming. Seed must be picked up on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at one of two locations: Plants Unlimited, 629 Commercial St (Route 1) in Rockport, or Lincoln County Publishing, 116 Mills Road, Newcastle. Please specify on your order form where you will pick up your seed.

It’s a great time to stock up on seed to keep your birds healthy and happy through the winter. Five varieties will be offered this fall: Black oil sunflower seed 20 pounds for $19, 40 pounds for $33; Sunflower meaties (hulled) 25 pounds for $29, or 50 pounds for $50; Melody Mix 20 pounds for $15, 40 pounds for $24; Thistle (Nyger) 5 pounds for $12; and Suet blocks, $2.50 each.

Orders can be placed either online at https://midcoast-audubon.square.site/ or by mail-in form available at Mid-Coast Audubon’s website, https://midcoast.maineaudubon.org/event/fall-bird-seed-sale/

According to MCA President Susan Schubel, “The bird seed sale is an important fundraiser for the organization as all of our events are offered free to the public. Proceeds from this sale help to provide support for a number of our activities including speaker fees for our public programs, maintenance and repairs of our preserves, funds for our environmental education grants for teachers and birders, and more.”  

If ordering by mail, send pre-order forms to “Seed Sale Sue,” 12 Audubon Rd., Bremen, ME 04551. For more information, contact Sue by email at sschubel at tidewater.net and put Birdseed in the subject line or call (207) 380-1370.

Midcoast Conservancy will host a full moon paddle at its Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) in Jefferson on Monday, Oct. 18 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Participants can enjoy the silvery glow of the “Hunter’s moon” from canoes provided by the nature center as they glide along Little Dyer Pond after a beautiful mile-and-a half hike into the woods.

Little Dyer Pond is a true Great Pond with no public boat launch and almost no shoreline development. Midcoast Conservancy will provide the canoes, paddles, and life jackets. All ages are welcome! Participants should be comfortable in a canoe on flat water, able to steer a canoe, and able to walk three miles on moderate trails.

Space is limited by the number of boats available, and pre-registration is required. More information and registration is available online at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/full-moon-paddle-on-little-dyer-pond-14/. Bring flashlights or headlamps for the hike back to the parking lot.

Note that HVNC’s canoes are available to rent anytime between dawn and dusk. Just leave a $10 per boat donation at the Gatehouse and hit the water to explore Little Dyer Pond.

Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature is open to the public three hundred and sixty-five days a year, dawn to dusk. Comprising 1,000 acres of diverse habitat, and laced with nearly thirty miles of multi-use trails, HVNC makes a great classroom for nature-based learning and non-motorized recreation. For more information: midcoastconservancy.org or call (207) 389-5150.

The Boothbay-Wiscasset cross country team traveled to Belfast Oct. 2 for the annual Festival of Champions. The boys faced over 650 athletes from nearly 80 schools. The girls faced over 530 from over 70 schools.

Lucas Hardwick placed 161st in 19:02; Gryffin Kristan, 197th, 19:22; Ryan Clark, 243rd, 19:42; Bryan Gagnon, 320th, 20:31; Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, 331st, 20:39; Henry Putnam, 335th, 20:42; and Austin Trask, 375th, 21:14.

Ava Schlosser placed 191st in 23:28; Laura Chapman, 233rd, 24:03; Julia Truesdell, 282nd, 24:51; Emily Gilliam, 326th, 25:43; Maddie Orchard, 329th, 25:49; Emerson Harris, 337th, 25:57; and Emma Markowitz, 410th, 27:55.

The teams will compete next at Lisbon High School Oct. 8.

Hand in hand, and then with him, 4 and a day, in his mother’s arms, Annaliese Hart and son Damian were two of Scarecrowfest’s first visitors. They were checking out the scarecrows in Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce’s contest, on the edge of Wiscasset common Saturday.

One of the five entries, all facing Route 1, was her parents’ Alissa and Christopher Hart’s. The Wiscasset couple’s daughter and grandson summer here and, due to the pandemic, have waited a little longer to head home to Houston, Texas, Annaliese explained next to Garden Club of Wiscasset’s tall green insect, sneakers on all its feet.

Nearby, Chamber Manager Pat Cloutier, husband and WACC volunteer Russell, and WACC board member Monique McRae sat on the edge of the common’s stage where Salty Dogs performs from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14.

Cloutier said she was pleased to get five entries this year, with shops short-staffed and busy with a tourist season that turned out “lucrative,” she added. People think of Maine and its expanse as a refuge, then they find there is much more to see, like the shops, she said.

Scarecrowfest’s outdoor plans on and near the common – including a 3:30 p.m. movie, “Oz, the great and powerful,” part of the big day of scarecrow-building, face and pumpkin-painting, WACC’s scarecrow winners announcement, the chile-chowder-dessert cook-off, music with Wiscasset Fire Chief Rob Bickford, book and bake sales, storytelling at Wiscasset Public Library, and more, all Saturday, Oct. 16 – and the fact the activities tend not to attract thousands at once, will help people feel comfortable attending, Cloutier said.

A scarecrow scavenger hunt, with clues on Wiscasset Parks and Recreation’s Facebook page, starts Wednesday, Oct. 13. Cornhole in the Wiscasset Middle High School lot, registration at 10: 30 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 17 supports WMHS Boosters. Find more on the festival at wiscassetrec.com

Meanwhile, the scarecrow entries placed Oct. 9 remain on view. Cloutier noticed Route 1 travelers looking and some passengers also taking pictures.

McRae and her First National Bank co-workers built their entry to look like the Loomis delivery service employee who comes to the bank. And he gave them the old hat to go with it, she added. “It was a team effort.”

The Boothbay Region High School Seahawks and Wiscasset Middle High School Wolverines combined cross country topped competition at Lisbon Oct. 8. The boys came in first place and the girls a close second behind Monmouth Academy. Both teams faced athletes from Monmouth Academy, Forest Hills Consolidated School and Winthrop, Lisbon, Oak Hill and Richmond high schools.

Lucas Hardwick led the boys team placing fourth in 18:51 and Gryffin Kristan a close fifth in 19:02. Ryan Clark and Dominick Dow crossed the finish line at ninth and 10th in 19:58 and 20:04, and Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, 17th, in 21:16. The boys outperformed Lisbon by 17 points.

Laura Chapman came in fourth for the girls in 22:56 and Ava Schlosser, seventh, in 24:38. Maddie Orchard and Grace Campbell placed 10th and 11th in 27:12 and 27:58, and Emma Markowitz, 14th, in 29:09. Only Monmouth and the Seahawks-Wolverines teams fielded enough players to score and Monmouth won by one point.

The teams will travel to Augusta Oct. 16 for the Mountain Valley Conference Championships.

On Sunday, Nov. 14, from 4-6 p.m., Coastal Mountains Land and Midcoast Conservancy are hosting the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. This online event consists of eight short documentary films made by independent filmmakers to share brave and inspiring stories. Attendees will learn about individuals around the world stepping up to protect the environment and to create healthy, resilient communities. The films provide a needed tonic to the upside-down world and will leave the audience feeling encouraged and motivated to become part of the change.

One film takes the audience away to Florida’s wildest wetlands, where a team of explorers, photographers and filmmakers follow their quest to identify the pollinator of the ghost orchid for the first time. Others let attendees learn about the work of the Bird Genoscape project, whose goal is to protect the birds that connect the Western Hemisphere; follow a father and son on a canoe trip to the Slate Islands of Ontario; and visit the community devastated by the historic Camp Fire in Paradise, California, as its residents discuss their vision for a more resilient future.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is organized and produced by SYRCL (the South Yuba River Citizens League) in California. SYRCL says, “Since 1983, we’ve been building a community to protect and restore the rivers of our home watershed, from source to sea. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival puts our local work – and yours too – into the broader environmental and social context, and serves to remind us that we’re participants in a global movement for a more wild and scenic world.”

Tickets are available on the Midcoast Conservancy website at https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/2021-wild-and-scenic-film-festival/ or the Coastal Mountains Land Trust website at https://www.coastalmountains.org as is information on each of the films. The film festival will premiere at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, but admission includes access to the films for five days, until Friday, Nov. 19. General admission is $20.

Wiscasset kicked off the Halloween season with the annual Scarecrow Festival hosted by the parks and recreation department. Saturday morning was a bit gray and damp but by afternoon the sun was shining on the Town Common where the popular event was held this year.

Allison Henderson and her son Jack, 3, and his sister Charlie, almost 2, were the first to arrive. The rain had stopped by 10 but Henderson had her children clad in their raincoats just in case. Working together they fashioned the morning’s first scarecrow. “This is our very first Scarecrow Festival,” said Henderson as she drew a face on a milk jug that would serve as their scarecrow’s head.

Chelsea Taylor, rec programmer, said she was thankful the rain stopped in time for the festival’s start. “It was just pouring earlier but the weather is predicted to improve as the day goes on. Hopefully we’ll get most of the scheduled events in,” she said.

By noon, people were lining up at the tent to buy tickets for the chili-chowder tasting and pumpkin desserts challenge. Pat Cloutier, manager of Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce, was manning the ticket table. Proceeds would be shared between St. Philip’s Episcopal Church to for its “Help Yourself Shelf Food Pantry” and the Outreach Program at First Congregational Church, she said. Both churches are in Wiscasset.

The tent alongside WACC’s featured a table of colorful autumn decorations made by members of tGarden Club of Wiscasset. Among those manning it were Betsey Kyle, Lisa Freeman, Canny Cahn and Selectman Terry Heller. Heller said she, Rhea Copening and Sally Gemmill made the grapevine wreaths that were for sale from vines pulled from pine trees in Gemmill’s backyard. “Canny Cahn made all of our decorated pumpkins,” she added.

Live music was provided by Wiscasset’s own Rob Bickford. He sat on the bandstand strumming popular tunes on his 12-string guitar including, “Free Bird” hollered from the window of a passing vehicle on Main Street. Other volunteers included parks and rec employees Bob MacDonald and Doris Gabrielle and L.J. Travis from public works. They had a busy morning helping set up the tables, tents and the items needed for scarecrow making.

Saturday’s program was to have concluded with the showing of a children’s film on the common, “Oz, the Great and Powerful.” Taylor said the event was cancelled because high winds were predicted. “It was to be shown on an inflatable screen which doesn’t work well in windy conditions,” she explained.

The Boothbay Region High School Seahawks and Wiscasset Middle High School Wolverines combined cross country teams dominated the Mountain Valley Conference Championship Oct. 16. The teams traveled to Augusta to face Mt. Abram, Spruce Mountain, Oak Hill, Winthrop, Lisbon, Richmond, Telstar Regional, Madison Memorial, Dirigo and Hall-Dale high schools and Monmouth Academy.

The boys’ team placed first in points just ahead of Monmouth with Lucas Hardwick leading the Seahawks-Wolverines in seventh in 19:25. Dominick Dow, Ryan Clark and Gryffin Kristan crossed the finish line back to back taking 10th, 11th and 12th in 19:46, 19:51 and 19:54. Austin Trask placed 21st in 21:08; Bryan Gagnon, 26th, 21:41; Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, 30th, 22:15; Rodion Mayne, 33rd, 22:24; and Henry Putnam, 35th, 22:48.

The girls ran in a pack with Laura Chapman at the front in seventh, and Ava Schlosser and Emerson Harris in eighth and ninth. Their times were 23:45, 24:14 and 26:06. Maddie Orchard took 11th in 26:25; Emily Gilliam, 15th, 27:32; and Grace Campbell, 19th, 29:15. The girls took second place only three points behind Monmouth.

The Seahawks-Wiscasset teams will travel to Cumberland Oct. 23 for the Southern Maine Class C Regional Championship.

The Wiscasset Middle High School and Boothbay Region High School combined girls soccer team lost 2-1 in overtime to Spruce Mountain High School Oct. 13. The Phoenix put a goal on the scoreboard shortly before the end of the first half. Seahawk Falyn Harriman tied the game with less than 10 minutes to go in the second half, but the Phoenix prevailed with a goal in the first five-minute overtime half. The Wolverines-Seahawks fell to 1-10-0 on the season and the Phoenix rose to 3-10-0.

Teens to Trails is introducing the Life Happens Outside® Challenge for Maine middle and high schools to foster an appreciation for the outdoors and its multitude of wellness benefits. The weeklong challenge takes place Saturday, October 23 through Friday, October 29 and is designed to get students active and connected to the outdoors. Arcadia, a climate crisis–fighting tech company, is providing a $1,000 reward to the three Maine middle and high schools with the highest amount of outdoor time proportional to their school size.   

To participate in the Challenge week, students will track and submit their activity online. All outdoor activities — at home or at school — count towards earning points, from exploring a local trail with friends to biking to doing homework outside. Teens to Trails will calculate the winners based on total hours divided by school population, so large and small schools have equal chances to win. The three schools with the most hours — one from northern Maine, one from central Maine, and one from southern Maine — will be awarded $1,000 to further outdoor access for their students. 

“We are so excited to offer the Life Happens Outside® Challenge to Maine middle and high schools, and are thankful to Arcadia for making this fantastic opportunity possible,” said Alicia Heyburn, executive director of Teens to Trails. “We cannot wait to see the outdoor activities teenagers select, and hope that the time outside will bring a revitalized appreciation for the benefits of fresh air and time to just be in nature.” 

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to support this inspiring program that creates space for students to connect with the natural world,” said Kate Henningsen, Chief Operating Officer at Arcadia. “The stronger those connections are and the earlier they’re established, the more empowered teens feel to make a long-term habit of taking meaningful, collaborative, community-first climate action. This is where we’ll find the next generation of climate leaders.”

Through its community solar program, Arcadia helps everyone take meaningful action to preserve the Great Outdoors. Maine residents can enroll in local solar farms at no extra cost. When the farms generate electricity, the clean energy flows into the power supply and members get solar credits back on their power bills. To celebrate the Life Happens Outside® Challenge, Arcadia is giving Maine residents $50 toward their power bills when they sign up for community solar at https://arcadia.com/t2t. 

If your school is interested in participating in the Life Happens Outside® Challenge, please visit https://teenstotrails.org/events. Registration is free and schools will receive promotional materials to help spread the word. Student outdoor hours to be submitted via a provided Google form by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29. Winners will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 4.

Wiscasset Middle High School’s sixth, seventh and eighth grade co-ed soccer team concluded its season with a game against Boothbay Region’s middle school grades Monday, Oct. 18 at Wiscasset.

Wiscasset started its season Sept. 9 with just 11 players and the decision was made to have a co-ed team. More players joined the team as the season progressed and by the final game the roster had grown to 26, 13 girls and 13 boys. The team played five games over six weeks this season against Woolwich Central, Troy Howard in Belfast and Boothbay.

Coach Phil Di Vece was encouraged by the turnout noting the middle school’s soccer season was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. “Nineteen of our players were sixth and seventh graders this season. We’re hoping next year we’ll be able to return to having both a boys’ and girls’ team at the junior high and also getting back to playing a full schedule in the Bus Line League.”

The coach thanked Duane Goud and Bob McDonald of Wiscasset Parks and Recreation for maintaining the goals and soccer field this season and WMHS Athletic Director Warren Cossette for scheduling the ball games. “I also want to thank Russell Marr and Richard Mank of Wiscasset for helping manage the team and to all the parents and grandparents who came out and supported us this season,” Di Vece added. “It was great to see the return of soccer and look forward to next year.”  

The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation is excited to announce a new collaboration with Special Olympics Maine, to ensure the Maine delegation of athletes selected to compete at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando have what they need to make the trip. The Special Olympics Maine Delegation is comprised of 38 athletes, plus coaches and partners from communities all across Maine.

It is all about teamwork. The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation has made a commitment to Special Olympics Maine to provide up to $65,000 in direct or matching funds to make sure the Maine Delegation has everything needed to make the trip and compete in this once in a lifetime experience. Waterville Masonic Lodge #33 and many of the Masonic Lodges in the Bangor area have already agreed to use money they raise locally to apply for matching funds from the Foundation under the MAC - Masons Assisting Communities initiative. Every dollar donated or raised by/through the Lodges will be matched with two dollars from the Foundation, up to the $65,000 needed.“Fundraising has been a major challenge these past 18 months and there were certainly concerns as to how we were going to make this happen” said Lisa Bird, PR Director for Special Olympics Maine. “We are so incredibly thankful for this new partnership and thrilled to be working with the Foundation.”

Executive Director of the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation, Sue Scacchi says: ‘These athletes have worked hard to be selected to represent Maine next year and the Foundation and Maine Masons are proud to help make it possible for them to get to Orlando to compete’. We’re looking forward to this new collaboration, working with Special Olympics Maine, our local Masonic Lodges and the general public.’

More information for people and organizations who want to help and join in this effort, can be found at MaineMCF.org or by emailing Susan Scacchi at director@MaineMCF.org.

The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation seeks to provide support for individuals in need through support of local and community organizations, build strong, inclusive communities in Maine and enrich the lives of all Maine residents.

3 p.m. Oct. 22, boys’ soccer at Lisbon 

The combined Boothbay Region-Wiscasset boys cross country team took runner-up Saturday, Oct. 23 in Maine Principals Association’s western Maine Class C high school championship at Twin Brooks Recreation Facility, Wiscasset Middle High School Athletic Director-Assistant Principal Warren Cossette reported.

The top five teams were Maine Coast Waldorf, 53, Boothbay Region, 59, Monmouth Academy, 115, Winthrop, 128, and Waynflete, 164.

The showing follows the team’s Oct. 16 win of the Mountain Valley Conference Championship in Augusta.

Boothbay Region YMCA’s youth soccer team won its final game of the season Saturday, Oct. 30 in Damariscotta versus CLC YMCA, 3-2. All of BRYMCA’s goals came in the last 10 minutes, by Landyn Rego.

The team played round robin games Oct. 23. It turned out to be a winning day for the athletes, coached by Lisa Orne Hallinan, with assistance from Christine Rego.

The players, in grades 4-6, are Nerla Bates, Caleb Bates, Ryder Baker, Isaiah Bates, Landyn Rego, Meabh Hennessy, Xaviera “Xavi” Hall, Sophia Koplau, Lilly Brown, Ellis Casey and Matthew Cusumano.

The players won the first two games against Wiscasset at Wiscasset Middle High School’s field, 2-0 and 5-1. The team then moved to another field for two games against Richmond where the Y team tied in the first game 1-1. The second game was a win, 4-2.

“We’ve won five games since we started in September, and lost only one,” said Hallinan after the Oct. 23 games.  Two of the team’s games ended in ties, including one Oct. 23 against Richmond, 1-1. “I just love these kids,” said Hallinan. “I’m so proud of all of them all.”

At the games, family and friends cheer the team on and Hallinan shouts from the sidelines,  “Where’s my midfield?” and other directions. And always after a goal she calls a very enthusiastic, “Good job!” And there are lots of hugs after each game.

Summer is usually a time to kick back and relax but for area horse farms it’s been a busy season, offering a mix of activities and events for young equestrians.

Ashley Charron has owned Affinity Horse Farm in Alna a little over a year and provides lessons (English and Western), summer camps, competition in horse shows and guided trail rides.

Charron been riding since she was 8 and always knew she wanted to help youngsters enjoy horses. She recently told the Boothbay Register, “There are a thousand things they can do with horses. Every kid has an idea of what they would like to do and we try to give them lots of options.” 

Charron said her farm is “youth-centered,” with horses that are “kid safe,” and activities are offered for ages 5-12 and adults. The farm has 14 horses which include boarders, “lesson horses” and “camp horses” and welcomes beginners. The farm also has five miniature horses which are not ridden but are tended by the students.

Charron will offer one last camp this year, for Halloween. It will be a “trunk or treat” with “dressed up horses.” Guided trail riding for children and adults will be offered at her farm and at Popham Beach through the fall.

In Boothbay, Katie Yereance operates Sea-Vu Farm. She owned her first Morgan horse when she was 14. She spent years working alongside Dawn Murphy and took over the farm when Murphy retired in 2012. “Now, we are full,” Yereance said. The farm has 22 Morgan horses in board and being trained five to six days each week.

Sea-Vu Farm is a year-round indoor riding facility which offers lessons but no summer camp. Yereance explained, “We’re a show barn. Our mission is showing and teaching young people to ride.” Lessons are offered for adults and for youngsters 4 years and older.

The training has resulted in teams that compete in shows all over New England and, at times, travel as far as Oklahoma City for the Morgan Grand National and World Championship show. 

Yereance said on average between eight and 11 riders will go to a show and the shows are held between May and October. The rest of the year, the horses are exercised.

Becky Abbott and Amy Reny of Burke’s Island Farm in Boothbay have seen a non-stop summer. The farm has 16 boarded and lesson horses and an indoor ring and provides classes Monday through Saturday all year to students age 4 and up.

“We offer camps all summer and any weekday that school is closed,” said Reny. Camp attendees are typically age 4-13. The farm also offers an after school program without riding for children 4 years and up.

Reny and Abbott built the barn over seven years ago, and took what could have been an exhausting summer schedule in stride, offering horse camp every week and participating in seven shows over the summer. The farm had nine riders at every local show last year.

“We’re a learning barn, not a show barn,” explained Abbott. She said they like to involve youngsters in a range of activities with the horses and the barn.

The farm has a mix of breeds which include Friesians, Morgans, quarter horses and Andalusians. The lesson horses teach children because they are used to carrying unbalanced riders so they are “trustworthy, safe and very tolerant,” Abbott explained. Learning to ride has often made a significant change in a young person’s life, she said. “Riding is for kids who don’t want to play team sports. We’ve seen students transition from hiding behind their parents to not wanting their parents around.”

Reny and Abbott also operate the non-profit “Charlie and Friends Second Stride Rescue LLC” which rescues horses bound for slaughter. Donations are tax deductible and can be sent to the charity at 509 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay, ME 04537.

Ashley Charron summed up the work involved for horse farm owners who offer summer camps, lessons and other activities. “It’s a lot of work having a horse farm,” she said. “There are no breaks, no days off. It’s not a hobby or a job, it’s a lifestyle or a passion.”

For more information about programs offered at these farms, contact:

Affinity Horse Farm: 841-7864

Sea-Vu Farm:  380-1848

Burke’s Island Farm:  350-6122  

The boys Seahawks-Wolverines cross country team took a close second place and the girls fifth at the Southern Maine Class C Regional Championship in Augusta Oct. 23. Runners Lucas Hardwick, Gryffin Kristan, Dominick Dow, Ryan Clark, Laura Chapman, Ava Schlosser, Maddie Orchard and Emerson Harris will be going to the Maine Class C State Championship.

The Seahawks-Wolverines faced teams from Dirigo, Mt. Abram, Maine Coast Waldorf, Lisbon, Spruce Mountain, Oak Hill, Old Orchard Beach, Richmond, Winthrop, Maranacook Community, Telstar, Forest Hills, Madison Memorial, Valley, St. Dominic Regional, Sacopee Valley and Hall-Dale high schools; North Yarmouth, Traip and Monmouth academies; and Waynflete School.

Hardwick, Kristan and Dow took ninth, 10th and 11th in 18:51, 18:57 and 19:00. They were seeded 14th, 17th and 31st. Clark, seeded 27th, took 13th in 19:03 and Austin Trask, seeded 52nd, took 32nd. Marlowe Recoing-Tallen and Henry Putnam placed at their respective seeds, 44th and 45th, in 20:59 and 21:00.

“The boys team ran out of their minds awesome today!” Coach Nick Scott said in a followup email. “Congrats again for running your strongest race so far this season!”

Scott said he considers the boys’ improvements extraordinary considering the team was seeded for 125 points, 80 behind Maine Coast Waldorf School, and came out with 59 points, six behind MCWS. Most Seahawks-Wolverines finished much better than their seeds and none fell below their seeds. The boys’ improvements also show in their out-performance of Monmouth Academy which nipped at the talons and paws of the Seahawks-Wolverines last week at the Mountain Valley Conference Championship. “We squeaked out a six-point win at MVCs over Monmouth Academy. At regionals Monmouth again finished behind us, but this time we beat them by 56 points!”

The girls team placed fifth out of six teams. Scott said this year’s team would likely have qualified for states in a normal year, but only having six teams narrowed the field down.

Chapman took 15th in 23:32; Schlosser, 16th, 23:47; Orchard, 29th, 25:00; Harris, 30th, 25:01; Julia Truesdell, 35th, 25:28; Emily Gilliam, 37th, 25:49; and Grace Campbell, 45th, 27:07.

States are Oct. 30 at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast. Said Scott, “This is the same fast course that we ran back in the beginning of October at the Festival of Champions and it should be a lot of fun to get back on it for the last meet of the season.”

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust is hosting a family program focused on Maine mammals from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 13.

Coastal Rivers naturalists will offer a brief introduction to our local mammals and lead a short, gentle hike to look for tracks and signs. Following the hike, participants will make a small craft to take home.

This is a program for all ages and is free of charge, thanks to member support. Registration is required at coastalrivers.org/events

Coastal Rivers is a non-profit, member-supported, nationally accredited land trust caring for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature through education programs. For more information, email info@coastalrivers.org or visit coastalrivers.org

Update: The state announced Nov. 3, “The oil spill closure in Boothbay has been repealed due to shellfish samples passing contamination testing standards, however, the flood closure is still in place at this location.”

Original post: Maine Department of Marine Resources issued the following notice Oct. 30:

Emergency Closure: This notice closes Back River, Boothbay due to an ongoing oil spill. A reopening will occur once confirmation has been made that the oil contamination has been remediated. All existing pollution and biotoxin closures remain in effect.

The boundary descriptions of the area are as follows (struck text is being removed and underlined text is being added): Effective immediately, because of pollution, it shall be unlawful to dig, take or possess any clams,quahogs, oysters, mussels, whole or roe-on scallops from the shores, flats and waters; east of a line beginning at the end of Old Wharf Ln. running southeast to the north tip of Sawyer Island; and north of a line beginning at a red painted post on the southeastern shore of Sawyer Island (Boothbay) running east to a red painted post on the opposite shore; and east of a line from a red painted post on the shore of an unnamed point of land in Edgecomb running southwest to the northernmost tip of Barters Island; and west of a line beginning at a point of land at the end of Back River Rd. (Boothbay) running due north to the opposite shore.

If you have questions, please contact Department of Marine Resources, 194 McKown Point Road, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04575-0008, Tel: (207) 633-9500 Email: DMRPublicHealthDiv@maine.gov. During weekends/holidays, contact on duty Marine Patrol Officers through the appropriate State Police barracks: from New Hampshire border to Brunswick, barracks 1-800-228-0857; from Cushing/Boothbay to Lincolnville/Belfast area, barracks 1-800-452-4664; from Belfast to Canadian border, barracks 1-800-432-7381. This notice can be viewed on the Department’s website at: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/shellfish- sanitation- management/closures/index.html. This information is also recorded on our hotline (207-624-7727 or 1-800-232- 4733).

On Saturday, Oct. 23, the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club (BHYC) hosted the Becton Cup. This annual regatta (also known as the Girls’ Doublehanded State Championship) is open to regional middle school and high school girls who sail for their team throughout the season.

The Becton Cup was founded in 2011 by Maine Maritime Academy and has traditionally been hosted at their facility in Castine, but in recent years it has been hosted by BHYC and The Apprenticeshop in Rockland.   

This year the regatta welcomed teams from Boothbay (middle and high school), Lincoln Academy (LA), Portland High School (PHS), Camden Hills Regional High School (CHRHS), and Islesboro Central School (ICS). The winning boat was sailed by Arden and Piper Carleton from LA. The two sisters have sailed on the LA team for several years and between them have now helped win the cup for their school three years in a row: in 2019 Ella Beauregard skippered to victory with Arden crewing, and in 2020 (postponed to spring of 2021) Kate Mason skippered the winning boat with Piper crewing. Both second and third place this year went to pair’s from CHRHS in a well sailed event. 

Although sailing in light winds, all teams stayed strong through the finish. The top placing boat for Boothbay was sailed by Hannah Hills and Suzie Edwards. Other Boothbay sailors included Della Hahn with Iris Conlin, Eleanor Marshall with Ivory Cody, and Camden Peck with Nyssa Wilkinson.

Overall, the fall 2021 sailing season included a record-breaking participation rate from both the Boothbay schools and LA who train together four days per week at BHYC. The extremely competitive LA team showcased years of development in their core sailors and won a berth at the Atlantic Coast Championship as one of only four teams representing  New England. Boothbay’s young and eager team made up of mostly middle schoolers and freshmen, have worked hard and come a long way.

Coach Chris Liberti said, “They can look forward to some great victories in the near future.” 

The Boothbay Region High School Seahawks-Wiscasset Middle High School Wolverines combined cross country boys team took fourth at the Maine Class C State Championship Oct. 30. The team placed 21 points ahead of fifth place Bucksport High School and was outraced by 13 points by regionals rival and third place Maine Coast Waldorf School. First place Orono High School outscored second place George Stevens Academy by 11 points.

Out of the 27 teams at the meet, seven others qualified to field a full team: Winthrop High School, sixth; Monmouth Academy, seventh; Maranacook Community High School, eighth; Richmond High School, ninth; Sumner Memorial High School, 10th; Waynflete School, 11th; and Limestone High School/Maine School of Science and Mathematics, 12th. Other qualifying runners came from Houlton, Mt. Abram, Oak Hill, Spruce Mountain, Deer Isle/Stonington, Dexter Regional, Richmond, Old Orchard Beach, Lisbon, Narraguagus andTelstar Regional high schools, Blue Hill Harbor School and Washington, Lee, Traip and North Yarmouth academies.

The top four Seahawks-Wolverines were Ryan Clark, 20th in 18:14; Lucas Hardwick, 25th, 18:23; Gryffin Kristan, 27th, 18:33; and Dominick Dow, 31st, 18:40. Marlowe Recoing-Tallen, Austin Trask and Bryan Gagnon finished 62nd, 63rd and 65th in 19:40, 19:50 and 19:59.

Though the Lady Seahawks-Wolverines did not qualify as a team, four runners qualified for states: Laura Chapman took 25th in 22:39; Ava Schlosser, 36th, 23:06; Emerson Harris, 47th, 23:54; and Maddie Orchard, 60th, 25:13.

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust naturalist Sarah Gladu will lead a hike at Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 13.

The pace will be leisurely, allowing plenty of time for discussion about nature observations along the way. The trails at Salt Bay Farm wind through rolling hayfields lined with hedgerows, alongside both fresh water and salt water marshes. The variety of habitats make it a great place to look for many different types of birds. During the walk, Gladu will discuss how birds prepare for winter in Maine.

This program is free of charge, thanks to member support. Registration is required at coastalrivers.org/events

The Mountain Valley Conference has announced its list of 2021 fall sports all-stars and academic all-stars. Included are these athletes from Boothbay Region High School and Wiscasset Middle High School.

Boothbay Region

Field hockey: First team all-star, Jaelyn Crocker; honorable mention, Sydney Blake

Girls soccer: Honorable mention, Emilie Crocker

Boys cross-country: First team all-star, Lucas Hardwick; second team all-stars, Dominick Dow, Ryan Clark and Gryffin Kristan; Coach of the Year, Nick Scott

Girls cross-country: First team all-star, Laura Chapman; second team all-stars, Ava Schlosser, Emme Harris and Maddie Orchard; honorable mention, Grace Campbell

Academic all-stars: Grace Campbell, Emilie Crocker, Jaelyn Crocker, Emily Echols, Mara Gentry, Lucas Hardwick, Falyn Harriman, Emme Harris, Katy Nein and Ava Schlosser

Wiscasset

Girls soccer: Honorable mention, Brianna Colson-Orr

Boys cross-country: Honorable mention, Austin Trask

Girls cross-country: Honorable mention, Emily Gilliam

A potent running attack behind a determined offensive line, a quarterback and tight end connecting for several key plays, and a defense that took away many opponents’ chances with interceptions and stops tells the story of Boothbay Region High School’s championship football season of 2001.

These eventual champions were in the stands when BRHS last appeared in a state championship game four years earlier in 1998. That team, which also featured many of the same characteristics as the 2001 team – fine running, a good QB/TE combo and a stellar defense – went undefeated into the state game but lost to an undefeated Stearns team, 20-6.

With the national tragedy on everyone’s mind in the fall of 2001, the Seahawks began their charge for the gold ball by posting a 4-1 record by the time October rolled around. They beat Traip in Kittery, 42-8, and defeated Livermore Falls at home, 20-6. On Sept. 18, the Winthrop Ramblers, riding a winning streak and as the defending Class C champions, hosted and easily beat Boothbay, 43-24, behind the leadership of noted Maine high school quarterback Lee St. Hilaire.

Following the loss, Seahawks Coach Tim Rice told Boothbay Register reporter Keith Alley, “Some days you play your heart out and not get rewarded, but we have to keep working and eventually it will happen.” Rice must have either been a savant or the players listened as they had to travel to Winthrop one more time that season … and a reward was gained.

Boothbay followed the defeat with a win at home over Madison, 24-14, as running backs Alex Rand, Taylour Russell and Max Arsenault racked up 286 running yards combined.

The running game was even better in the Seahawks’ next win, 40-14, at Jay as the offensive line of Josh Ouellette, Michael Closson, Randy Vail, Sam Arrington, Jason Hardwick and tight ends Bill Hardwick and Tim Pinkham provided holes so the running backs could tally 469 yards on the ground.

Now 4-1, Boothbay trounced Old Orchard Beach at home, 56-27, despite trailing by a point at the half. The Seahawks scored 29 points in the third quarter and Arsenault scored three touchdowns.

The Lisbon Greyhounds came to Boothbay and handed the Seahawks their second loss, 25-22. Boothbay came back in the second half and nearly knocked off the undefeated visitors but a final pass play to Hardwick in the end zone was knocked away by defenders.

Not dwelling on another loss, Boothbay won on the road again, easily defeating 5-2 Oak Hill in Wales, 51-21. The win gave the Seahawks a 6-2 record and they settled in third place behind Winthrop and Lisbon. Boothbay finished the regular season at home against the 1-7 Rockland Tigers and posted a 49-14 win.

On to the playoffs

The road to the Class C championship had to first go through Lisbon and, if that was successful, it was on to Winthrop – two teams that had already beaten the Seahawks.

The Greyhounds had defeated Boothbay three straight games and the hosts held a 13-12 halftime lead. But in the second half, as Coach Rice pointed out following the game, the Seahawks’ defense stepped up and Boothbay came away with a 24-13 victory. Lisbon finished the season 8-2.

In a game for the ages, both sides of the Winthrop football field were filled with fans for the late afternoon contest and a celebration event was set up in the WHS gym as the Ramblers wanted to extend their 22-game winning streak and have another chance for a gold ball.

Coach Rice told Alley after the Lisbon game that, at Winthrop, “We can’t make key mistakes, we need to pressure the quarterback, tackle well and stay in our own game.”

It was the Ramblers who made the first key mistake – not recovering Boothbay’s squib kick to open the game. Seahawk Craig Barter recovered the ball and Boothbay marched 44 yards for the opening TD.

Boothbay went up 14-0 in the second quarter after a strange turn of events. Regular punter William Pratt was sent out of the game because he was bleeding. Back-up punter, quarterback Will Carroll, got pressured and had to pass instead of kicking the ball – but he found Bill Hardwick and the reception gave Boothbay a first down. At 9:25 of the second quarter, Hardwick scored on a 15-yard reception.

Another piece of the winning puzzle was provided by the defense. St. Hilaire, who had thrown only one interception all season, was picked three times by the Seahawks.

Boothbay went on to advance to the state championship with a hard-fought 20-12 win.

Boothbay 9-2 vs. Bucksport 10-1

The Class C championship on Nov. 17 was held at Alumni Field in Augusta. Bucksport’s only loss was to Belfast, a Class B opponent.

On Nov. 16, National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue visited the Seahawks during their final practice of the season, giving them a brief pep talk and congratulating them on their season.

As fans settled into the stands, an airplane towing a “Go Seahawks” banner flew over the field.

Some pressure may have been felt by the Seahawks early as they fell behind, 14-6, early in the second quarter, but at the half, Boothbay led 18-14.

As was the case most of the season, the running attack from Arsenault, Russell and Rand paved the way to another victory. Each one of the backs picked up over 100 yards on the ground, Arsenault scored four touchdowns, and the Seahawks won the first gold ball in the new playoff alignment, winning 41-21.

The championship was the first of two straight as the Seahawks added to the BRHS trophy case with a championship in 2002.

More on that next year!

Author’s note: I wish to thank Keith Alley for his fine reporting of this memorable season – and other Seahawks seasons – which provided the information for this article. Also, thanks to my former photography mate, John Edwards, for his work on this game and the many other memorable games he and I shot.

Getting out for a little exercise can be a gratifying way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday, especially when it benefits a good cause. The fourth annual Foodbank Farm 5K at Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta offers just such an opportunity this Thanksgiving Day. Starting at 9 a.m. on Nov. 25, this is an informal, volunteer-organized event to benefit Twin Villages Foodbank Farm (TVFF).

The 5K trail run and 1-mile walk/fun run are open to runners and walkers of all ages. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.

The 5K course is on broad mown trails with gentle hills, making two loops around the fields at Coastal Rivers’ scenic Salt Bay Farm on Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. The race will not be officially timed, but there will be someone at the finish line to let participants know their finish time. Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finishers.

Preregistration is required and may be done online at coastalrivers.org/events or at twinvillagesfarm.org/foodbank-farm-5k. There is no fee to participate, though monetary donations to TVFF are encouraged and can be made online during registration.

To facilitate contact tracing and safe distancing, there will be no race-day registration. The event hosts require that all participants over the age of 11 be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

TVFF’s mission is to grow and distribute healthy food for those who need it most in Lincoln County. TVFF serves pantries in Newcastle/Damariscotta, Jefferson, Boothbay, Wiscasset, Waldoboro, Whitefield, and New Harbor, as well as several local youth food programs.

To learn more about the farm or to make a secure online donation, visit twinvillagesfarm.org.

TVFF operates in close partnership with Coastal Rivers. Coastal Rivers donates use of its prime farmland at Salt Bay Farm and provides administrative, fundraising and communications support.

The Boothbay Region High School Seahawks and Wiscasset Middle High School Wolverines’ combined cross country teams celebrated individual athletes Nov. 8. Seahawk Coach Nick Scott emceed the event and Wolverine Coach Josiah Winchenbach handed out athletes’ letters, pins and awards.

Seahawk freshman Laura Chapman and Seahawk senior Lucas Hardwick were named Most Valuable Players for their respective teams. Seahawk junior Ryan Clark and Seahawk senior Emerson Harris were awarded Most Improved Players and Seahawk senior Ava Schlosser and Seahawk junior Gryffin Kristan received the Coaches Awards. Wolverine sophomores Austin Trask and Emily Gilliam were honored with the Outstanding Teammate Award. Seahawk seniors Grace Campbell, Lucas Hardwick, Ava Schlosser and Emerson Harris were thanked and celebrated for their work and commitment to their teams.

As in years past, Scott gave a PowerPoint presentation noting each player’s strengths and the adversities some players successfully dealt with, then revealing each name. Nearly all athletes at the state championship ran personal records and Trask, Seahawk Marlowe Recoing-Tallen and Wolverine Bryan Gagnon broke the 20-minute barrier for the first time and Seahawk Dominick Dow and Seahawk Ryan Clark broke the 19-minute barrier.

In an email following the boys team’s performance at the state championship, Scott wrote about how fortunate he is to be a cross country coach especially for the Seahawks and Wolverines. Scott said,  “The sport tends to attract a certain type of student athlete – focused, hardworking, kind, and generally speaking wonderful human beings,” he wrote. “It is wonderful to see the hard work you put in over the season come to fruition in a big way. Just about a month ago we ran at the Festival of Champions on this same course and it is amazing just how much faster everyone ran.”

The fourth annual Foodbank Farm 5K and 1-mile walk/fun run at Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta will take place at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25. This is an informal, volunteer-organized event to benefit Twin Villages Foodbank Farm (TVFF) and is open to runners and walkers of all ages. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.

The 5K course is on broad mowed trails with gentle hills, making two loops around the fields at Coastal Rivers’ scenic Salt Bay Farm on Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. The race will not be officially timed, but there will be someone at the finish line to let participants know their finish time. Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finishers.

Preregistration is required and may be done online at coastalrivers.org/events or at twinvillagesfarm.org/foodbank-farm-5k. There is no fee to participate, though monetary donations to TVFF are encouraged and can be made online during registration.

To facilitate contact tracing and safe distancing, there will be no race-day registration. The event hosts require that all participants who are age-eligible be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

TVFF’s mission is to grow and distribute healthy food for those who need it most in Lincoln County. TVFF serves pantries in Newcastle/Damariscotta, Jefferson, Boothbay, Wiscasset, Waldoboro, Whitefield, and New Harbor, as well as several local youth food programs.

To learn more about the farm or to make a secure online donation, visit twinvillagesfarm.org

TVFF operates in close partnership with Coastal Rivers. Coastal Rivers donates use of its prime farmland at Salt Bay Farm and provides administrative, fundraising and communications support.

As we head into the 2021-2022 winter season the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA), the Maine School Superintendents Association (MSSA), the Maine Athletic Administrators Association, the Maine Music Educators Association, the Maine School Boards Association, and the Maine Athletic Trainers Association offer the following recommendations for school-based extracurricular activities. 

All agencies agree, according to a news release, that education-based activities, including music and performing arts programs, support students with their social, emotional, physical, and mental health and they play a key role in the community.

“We will continue to seek the safest ways to make activities available for young people across the state,” the release stated. 

The mission of the MPA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee is to provide guidance to the MPA member schools concerning the health and safety of students participating in interscholastic sports and activities. Team sports and other group extracurricular activities can increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission for students, coaches, referees, and staff, especially during indoor and close contact team sports. We strongly recommend that all schools follow this unified guidance for extracurricular activities.

“Please note this information is frequently changing given the nature of COVID-19,” the release stated.

Guidance for sports, music, performing arts, & other school-based activities:

Isolation is required for positive COVID cases.

Anyone within six feet for 15-minutes or more within 24-hours of cumulative exposure, or any direct physical contact with a COVID-positive individual during the infectious period, both indoors and outdoors, is considered a close contact and must quarantine for 10 days if not vaccinated or participating in pooled testing.

It is strongly recommended that school staff, and those students that are eligible, be vaccinated. Vaccination remains the most effective means to control the pandemic.

Fully vaccinated individuals can refrain from quarantine if they are symptom free and do not become COVID-positive.

Fully vaccinated individuals who are exposed to a positive case should be tested 5-7 days after exposure, even if they are symptom free, and should wear a mask until they receive a negative result.

Fully vaccinated individuals are encouraged to participate in pooled testing where that option is available.

Unvaccinated close contact(s) should be tested as soon as possible and again 5-7 days after exposure if the first test is negative.

Unvaccinated individuals who are close contacts must quarantine for 10-days and may not return earlier even with a negative test.

It is strongly recommended that schools participate in the pooled testing program that is available through the State of Maine

For unvaccinated students participating in co-curricular activities, including music, and performing arts, pooled testing is an important way to ensure that these activities continue even when identified as a close contact.

Close contacts of an individual with COVID-19 from school-based activities, who are participating in pooled testing, may continue to participate in class, school sports, school music, and all school-based activities even though they must quarantine outside of school activities.

If a positive pool is detected, all participants in that pool will be tested individually to identify positive individuals. An individual testing positive for COVID-19 should not participate in pooled testing for 90 days after the positive test.

Unvaccinated close contacts who are not current participants in pooled testing, are required to quarantine from class and all school-based activities for 10 days and may not return earlier even with a negative test.

Consistent and correct mask use when indoors.

Masks are strongly recommended for all students and staff, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, in indoor settings.

In general, people do not need to wear a mask when outdoors when not within six feet of other individuals.

Masks are required when on school transportation.

If a school consistently enforces universal mandatory masking for classroom exposures, students identified as close contacts from 3-6 foot exposure may only participate in the regular school day. They may not participate in after school activities, and they must quarantine for 10 days outside of class.

Other CDC guidance:

If people are feeling sick, they should stay home. All quarantine exceptions are voided if the close contact is symptomatic OR tests positive for COVID-19.

Physical distance to the extent possible.

Provide hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

Continue to practice hand washing, respiratory etiquette (coughing and sneezing), proper cleaning and sanitizing.

The MPA, and the MPA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, make the following recommendations for winter indoor sports:

Each district should have an Emergency Action Plan in place that includes COVID-19 prevention and management strategies that align with federal, state, and local guidance. Districts may institute more restrictive measures.

Athletes should continue to provide their own water jugs - limit hydration stations.

Physical distance during pre-game conferences.

Limit post-game handshake, high fives, fist bumps before, during, and after the game. Continue with good sportsmanship wave.

Any return to play plan, after a positive case, should include a gradual and progressive return to physical exertion developed by the student’s primary care physician.

Support staff (officials, trainers, game workers) will be assessed by school health officials individually based on their exposure to a positive case.

Support the Maine Music Educators with their recommendations for a safe return music.

Schools utilizing venues outside of their school must follow the restrictions in place by the venue. Outside venues follow local school-based guidelines that are in place when hosting school events.

The Maine Principals’ Association will follow Maine CDC recommendations for MPA sponsored post-season play.

Wiscasset residents and the town have let no grass grow on their holiday decorating. A snowman and lots of lights are part of the scenery. Friday afternoon, Nov. 19, so was a brief, pelting blast of white, round precipitation.