Raymond-Casco Historical Society debuts new Early Bird Show

By Kendra Raymond

A local resident recently came up with a clever solution to beat the winter blues. The Early Bird Show recently rolled out its first episode with another on the way.

Area resident Wayne Whitney, left, chats with host Greg
Plummer during the debut episode of the 'Early Bird
Show,' a video project of the Raymond-Casco
Historical Society airing on YouTube.
COURTESY PHOTO 

The brainchild of Raymond-Casco Historical Society member Greg Plummer, the brand-new YouTube series features a different town celebrity on each episode. During the show, Pummer chats with guests in his makeshift studio, complete with a host’s desk and chairs. The “set” is decorated with local historical pieces and the place appears quite cozy.

“The Early Bird Show is designed to have the appearance of a low-budget late-night talk show parody. The host is yours truly and each month I will interview a featured guest, a senior member of our community and someone with a story to tell,” Plummer said. “My vision is to document and share as much history and local lore as I can from the people who have lived in this area for decades. Plus, I like talking with old people. Old people rule.”

Plummer aptly kicked off a conversation by telling his guest, Wayne Whitney, “This will be perfect. It’s just you and I, it’s all it is. That’s what we’re gonna do.”

This seems to summarize the tone of the entertaining and witty conversation.

“Dazzle ‘em with your brilliance or buffalo ‘em with your BS,” laughed Whitney.

Known primarily as a poultry farmer, Whitney explained how his family got into farming and highlighted some memories from his childhood on Raymond Cape Road.

“The only good chicken is a dead one,” he laughed. “It was peaceful and quiet,” Whitney said. “I played baseball and football as a high school student at Bridgton High School. I drove back and forth with a pickup truck to school. My first vehicle was a 1952 Chevrolet. I bought it for $50 from a friend of mine, Dana Wiley up in Naples.”

Whitney said that his sons live out of state, but they look after him to make sure he does things right.

“If I don’t do them worth the first time, I do them right the second time,” he said.

He is the former captain of the Raymond Volunteer Fire Department.

“We had two main fire trucks in Raymond Village, a little utility truck, and two fire trucks up in east Raymond. This was back around 1955,” he said. “I was in the department when they came out with the first rescue unit.”

According to Whitney, he is a fan of country and western music, but he has never attended a concert.

“You would have to go to Portland for that and it’s too far. You just couldn’t get there. We went to Portland about twice a year for groceries, we’d go in the fall to pick up a winter’s supply of groceries. We went to the old A&P on Forest Avenue. Then we’d go in the spring,” he said. “We hunted deer every year and had an ice shed and bought ice from Charlie Watkins.”

He recalls a story where the Lombard’s truck went through the ice in Sebago off Raymond Cape’s high sand banks.

Whitney recalled the Cabana Beach Club owned by a riverboat gambler.

“It was down just before Gulick’s Camps on the other side of the cove. The next cove was where the Cabana Beach Cove was - they used to have dancing girls from Boston and New York. It eventually burned down. This was in the 1930s or 1940s,” he said.

Whitney offered some sage advice to the listeners, “If you want to do something, make sure you’re right first. Then go ahead and do it. Know what you’re talking about and do it your way.”

The next episode of the Early Bird Show will feature the one-and-only iconic Raymond resident Trudy Files. The show is sure to include many laughs and witty stories.

“Trudy is a hoot,” said Plummer. “She is a dear friend and will be the featured guest on Episode 2 of The Early Bird Show. Born and raised in Raymond, Maine, Trudy has quite a collection of interesting stories and anecdotes to share. It’s hard to choose just one and I won't give away all the details, but let's just say she may have been involved in a high-speed chase pursuing Elvis Presley”

Serving many roles in the historical society, Plummer keeps busy.

“I’m the grounds keeper, head of maintenance, lead videographer, director of the Watkins Blacksmith shop and the janitor. I serve the people. I’m a docent,” he said.

The society maintains an active membership and the group is pursuing several improvements and projects.

“This winter, we will be remodeling a portion of the museum to include a kitchenette. This will provide us with the necessary tools to work with the Southern Maine Agency on Aging to help feed the local elderly population,” said Plummer. “In addition, we have plans to build a pavilion next to the blacksmith shop. The space will be equipped so we can offer blacksmithing lessons to larger groups. When the pavilion isn't being used for teaching purposes, we hope to bring in high-end local artisans to sell their wares.”

Plans are already in the works for next spring and summer activities.

"Be on the lookout for featured guest speakers at the museum. As always, frequent weekend Blacksmithing demonstrations with Lucas Damen from Hammer Forge Creations and Tony (Thor) Stanley from Forged by Thor,” said Plummer. “If you’ve never seen the Watkins blacksmith shop, it’s a site to behold. Built in the mid-19th century, it was owned and operated by my great-great grandfather Bill Watkins. The shop and Bill were featured in a 1922 silent film titled ‘Timothy’s Quest.’The structure was moved from South Casco to our Campus at 1 Shadow Lane and restored in 2022.”

Episodes of the Early Bird Show are posted on the Raymond Casco Historical Society’s YouTube channel. Episode 1 with guest Wayne Whitney is live now and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy3xTZDGarQ

Plummer is hitting the ground running with his new talk show.

“I’m shooting to have Episode 2 live on YouTube on Saturday, Feb. 15,” he said. “Maybe we'll add a little Valentine’s Day vibe to the show? It will at least give me a great reason to eat some cupcakes. I'm hoping the first episode will land us a Daytime Emmy award. Until then, I'll be working on shooting and editing new episodes. If any of you lovely readers of The Windham Eagle know someone who might be interested in becoming a featured guest, please reach out to the Raymond-Casco Historical Society or myself (Greg Plummer) on Facebook,” he said.

To Learn more about the Raymond Casco Historical Society or to become a member: raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org Don’t forget to follow Raymond-Casco Historical Society on Facebook and YouTube. <

Windham High School senior produces inspirational video message for the Class of 2020

2020 Senior Tony Hernandez, and Ken Levinsky,
class advisor celebrating before COVID-19 disrupted
normal and everyday routines.

By Elizabeth Richards

Knowing they won’t return to school for the remainder of the year is a major adjustment for all students, teachers and families. But for high school seniors, it’s heartbreaking to hear that they will not walk the halls with their friends one last time.

WHS senior Anthony Gugliuzza created a video that he shared via YouTube early last week.  Now, with distance learning continuing through the end of the year, the video is even more poignant and relevant.

Gugliuzza said he’d been thinking a lot about senior year and the uncertainty that surrounded it.

Looking at pictures of teachers and friends on his phone made him smile, he said, and inspired him to create the video to share. “I thought that if I put something together for the whole class, it would be a means to helping everyone through such tough times. I wanted people not only in our school but throughout the community to know that we will get through this together, even if it means [that] right now we have to be apart.”

The news that school would not reopen this year was tough, Gugliuzza said.  “Our school is like family, the kids, the faculty, we all care about one another. However, I know our school system is filled with some amazing individuals who will find a way to make our senior year special,” he said. “Sometimes you need to lose something to know what you have. Although it's not ideal to lose your
senior year, there is always a plan. Things seem to have a funny way of working out,” he added.

Though Gugliuzza said he wishes he had known that March 12th would be their last day together, he believes that being a senior this year is special in a way no one could have imagined. “I think being a senior this year will mean that we’ll be more battle tested, we’ll be better equipped to handle the curve balls and the adversity that life sometimes throws us. I think it will make us more resilient. I think this class is a memorable one and with all that’s happened this year, I think the spirit of this class will really live on in a special way,” he said.  “The reality we are living now will eventually be a story...one heck of a story.”

When social distancing guidelines are finally relaxed, Gugliuzza said, “I [want to] see the laughs and the smiles, and I am certain we will because that’s who we are, that’s who this community is,” he said. “High school has been an incredible experience and I just don’t want it to fade away into the night.”

Gugliuzza said it’s not just the senior class going through this difficult time. “We all thrive on social
interaction, so this is tough on everyone,” he said.  “I think we just need to be kind, check in with our neighbors or the people that you know and often see around the community. Check in with classmates, even those that maybe you didn’t ordinarily interact with outside of class. We all need to have our spirits lifted from time to time. I think we as a class, we as a community need to band together.”

“I think great things often come out of the most trying of times, so that’s what I hope for most...that this will bring out the very best in all of us,” Gugliuzza said.

Gugliuzza wants to remind his class to stay strong, safe and have faith. He urged them to remain close even from a distance. “The news that distance learning will continue for the remainder of the year is tough, but I’ve heard from teachers and faculty already that want to help, some who are already talking about plans to ensure we have those senior milestones. I’m not giving up on this class or our senior year,” he said. “This story isn’t finished yet. We’re going to get through this together, because our class is family, and that’s what families do.”

He added that he wants to be sure his classmates know that Windham cares about them, and the community is hurting for them too. And he wanted to thank the community and let them know that the Windham High class of 2020 appreciates their care and support, and they’re going to be ok. “Hopefully when this is behind us, we can all celebrate together,” he said.