Author Debra Spark makes appearance at Raymond Village Library by Elizabeth Richards

Debra Spark captured the audience’s attention the moment she began reading from her book, “Unknown Caller.”  Spark’s author talk at the Raymond Village Library on Wednesday, January 25^th, was relaxed and engaging, a lot like having a conversation with a friend. 

Debra Spark converses with the audience

Throughout the course of the talk, Spark took the audience through her writing process, where the idea for the book originated, and outlined the story – without giving any key parts away.

“Unknown Caller” begins with a call from Joel’s ex-wife, Liesel. Liesel often calls late at night, disrupting Joel’s life with screaming and anger about Joel’s refusal to send more than a minimal amount of child support because he has not been allowed to meet his daughter. But this call is different. This time, Liesel says she’s sending the girl to him for the summer. The twist, however, is that she never shows up. Not only that, but Liesel stops calling, and the two seem to simply disappear.

Although for some writers, ideas are easy to come by, Spark said this is not the case for her. This idea came from the life of some long-time friends, whose situation mirrored the beginning of the book. Spark said she began to think “What if the daughter never showed up?” And the idea for her novel was born.

The audience was small, but enthusiastic. After reading a longer section that described Joel waiting in vain at the airport, Spark took questions about the book. Discussion followed, covering topics such as the travel required for research, since the novel took place over several continents; where the title came from; and character development.

For audience members who had not yet read the book, there were some lingering questions. Why, for instance, wouldn’t his daughter have had a cell phone, and why wouldn’t he have been able to find his ex and his daughter online, where almost anyone can be found? The digital age, Spark said, has certainly made plotting more difficult, but explanations can be found in the story.

Spark’s dynamic personality soon allowed the conversation to shift to other topics, from politics to what other members of the audience were reading. This left the event feeling more like a gathering of friends than a formal author talk. 

Veronica Haskell said she has attended other author talks at the library and was surprised at the small group. Library Director Allison Griffin said the crowd for author events can vary widely, from nobody at all showing up to a crowd that barely fits inside the library.

Griffin said they are trying to have at least one author and one non-author event each month. “They don’t have a community center here, so we’re trying to fill that need,” she said, adding that author events and wildlife/nature presentation are the most popular and most requested.

Haskell said one reason she attended the event was that it was a local author. “I like to listen to some of the local writers,” she said.

Cheri Dwinnell said she was at the library and had selected Spark’s book because it looked interesting and was a Maine author. Her husband pointed out the upcoming talk, so she decided to attend. Dwinnell read the book prior to attending the talk, and loved it, she said.

Spark said she enjoys doing events at libraries. “I feel like it’s my chance to meet people in other communities and introduce my work to people who would otherwise not find it,” she said. In larger venues, she added, many of the attendees are her friends. “When I do it in a library, its people I don’t know. Often, it’s a smaller audience, but it’s an audience that actually wants to be there,” she said with a laugh.

Spark is the author of eight books. Five are works of fiction, and four are novels. Spark has also written many shorter pieces that have appeared in major newspapers and magazines. She has received numerous awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Spark is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA program for writers at Warren Wilson College. She, her husband and son live in North Yarmouth.

A perfect day for cutting ice By Stephen Signor

Last Sunday saw over 60 people gathered at Dundee Pond, a small shallow bay of the Penobscot River in Gorham. Merrifield Farm, located at 195 N. Gorham Road, was the scene of ice blocks being cut and removed with the use of tools, at least 100 years old. With favorable temperatures and a blue sky; not to mention a history lesson, there was plenty of reason to remain for the entire scheduled time of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Reporter, Stephen Signor, takes his turn cutting ice.

It has been five years since the last time an invited crowd assembled on Dundee Pond. “We haven’t cut ice in five years because of the weather conditions and I broke my ankle; otherwise it is every two years,” shared owner Lyle Merrifield. Using a device which he custom-made specifically for this purpose, a chain saw is guided as it makes its way to a depth that equals three quarters of the block’s total thickness.

But, it really all begins the day before the event, when roughly 3 hours are spent lying out and cutting the gridlines for the ice blocks, using a hand-held ice plow. “Yesterday we came down and scored the field of ice and then using a chain saw, the ice blocks are cut ¾ of the way through,” explained Merrifield. And that is where the use of modern technology ends. “All of the tools we use for the actual removal are at least 100 years old,” continued Merrifield.

Strewn across the ice, but most often in the hands of eager volunteers of all ages, are ice breakers, saws and ice clamps which were used to break-up, release and guide the ice blocks into a precut channel leading to a cart. From there, 10 blocks at a time - weighing 135 pounds each, are driven up to the ice house.

“We built the ice house in 2004 or 2005, I can’t remember,” shared Merrifield. The ice house, although rather small looking was big in volume. “The house will hold roughly nine tons but we usually only store about seven tons,” continued Merrifield. With an ice field that can yield roughly 12 tons, there is plenty to go around.

100 year old ice cutting tools are still used today.

Moving all that ice up the ramp and into the ice house requires power and leverage. However, using a team of oxen and a pulley system to do the job, it doesn’t take long. Once stacked inside, sawdust will be packed in to keep the ice cold for months - just as it has always been done prior to the invention of the refrigerator. “We’ll have ice next summer whenever we need it,” said Merrifield. The rest will go to vendors at the Cumberland Fair in the fall. The remaining amount cut from the field will be for the children to amuse themselves.

Among the interested onlookers and participants were members of the 4-H Club and the Historical Society. There were also those who have made it a tradition to come here during the spring for Maple Sunday. One participant was Brittany Taylor, a teacher from Windham Middle School. “This is the first time we have been here for this, but we will definitely return next year. It’s fun and good for the kids to get out and see something like this,” shared Taylor. Her two year old son, Trenton wasted no time in participating.

It wasn’t all work however. Lunch was available and served at picnic tables overlooking the pond and the increasing view of the newly exposed water surface. A feast of hot dogs, chili, soup and a macaroni and beef dish were among the served hot choices. Finger foods and a variety of desserts were also available; all made possible by the Merrifield family and many others.  

When all was said and done (and eaten) eight and a half tons of ice was removed. A job well done by those interested in participating. “It was a great day! I enjoyed seeing a large crowd and especially the children enjoying themselves,” concluded Merrifield.

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Windham Police Department pursues organizational restructuring By Stephen Signor

On April 20^th, 2015, Kevin Schofield became chief of the Windham Police Department. Since then it has been established that there is a more effective way to run his department. Last Tuesday, at the town council meeting, Schofield and Lieutenant James Boudreau presented a proposal for departmental restructuring that would potentially eliminate the need for overtime, increase efficiency and provide an improved, safer environment for patrol officers; all with little or no cost to the town.

To accomplish this, a Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the department was developed. “Shortly after becoming chief, I began assessing the police department from several different aspects, to include the organizational rank structure. During my first couple of months, I met with people meeting one-on-one with many of the staff to go over what areas they can improve, what new projects/functions they should do, what are their strengths and what current functions can they do away with,” Schofield explained.

The current administrative structure of the chief and the lieutenant was developed in 1982. “I’m not saying it’s not valid but the world has changed in 35 years; and most certainly the Windham Police Department,” acknowledged Schofield.

So what does it take to run a police department?  “In my ten years of managerial experience in three different communities, it changes significantly. Those changes revolve around updating mandated policy, mandated training, mandated regulatory issues and grant preparation for acquiring the tools necessary to perform their duties. These take a lot of man hours,” Schofield said.

To this end, an internal methodology committee was born, to get more detailed feedback. “The committee I formed consist of Lieutenant Boudreau, Sergeant David Bonneau, Detective Paul Cox and Officer Jason Burke and charged to render feedback through the use of a survey so that we all have a buy-in to put input into the department,” said Schofield.

All facets of the organization were represented. “We had a good cross section of the department which then developed a survey to distribute to the rest of the staff,” continued Schofield. This committee was then charged with reviewing, making recommendations, and then generating a report.

The end result was the recommendation to create a two-assistant-to-deputy chief structure, where one person would be in charge of patrol operations and the other would support investigations and support services. “With this recommendation is the elimination of our currently hourly administrative sergeant position,” said Schofield.

The span of control and areas of responsibility of the administrative sergeant position is deemed as far too broad. “Currently the administrative sergeant supervises six various positions and also performs several administrative functions including but not limited to scheduling, vehicle inventory and maintenance as well as property procurement,” explained Schofield.

The second facet of the proposal was to create a detective sergeant position that would maintain a level of investigative responsibilities. This position would also perform first line supervision such as case management review and also functioning as department court liaison officer.

“The advantages of doing this (is) that it would clearly define administrative roles as they pertain to each division of the department, creates a defined chain of command, helps alleviate (the) amount of current paperwork, creates more managerial capacity within the department and opens opportunities for nationally recognized opportunities like the FBI and NA (National Academy),” said Schofield.

“What’s real important to me, and a goal I hope to achieve is create more managerial opportunities in the department. Someday when I decide to hang it up for good, nothing would satisfy me more than to have one of the officers in this room to be able to sit at my desk,” concluded Schofield.

Little time was wasted in digesting this proposal. Without hesitation, council chair Donna Chapman said, “I think it looks like we should be putting this into the upcoming budget. I support this because we’ve grown as a community and the police department hasn’t grown to keep up with that.”

Like any restructuring, it is difficult to forecast what the budgetary implications would be. To this end, councilman Tim Nangle raised the question of the potential financial obligation to the town.

“Based on prior experience and the fact this change does not add a sergeant position, I would anticipate the impact on the budget to be negligible in either direction,” responded Schofield.  To further reiterate, “My intent is to utilize internal personnel. As far as an added cost, my proposal would eliminate the sergeant position. Somebody would be promoted which would require an increase in base salary, but with the potential loss of need for overtime, that amount would be decreased or eliminated altogether,” continued Schofield.

It was agreed by all council members, that Chief Schofield put together a worst case scenario of potential financial obligations that the town may need to absorb. A February 7^th meeting was tentatively scheduled for further discussion and to review information requested by the council that could be presented to the finance committee.

 

“Our goal tonight was simply to share these ideas with you to give you the opportunity to ask questions, not to look for any conclusions or consensus. It may take more time for people to process this. The plan at this point would be to do what we did with the budget for last year (which) is to use the strategic plan as a starting point,” concluded town manager Tony Plante.

Lion King Jr. roars with talent By Stephen Signor

Emma Bennet (sitting) plays the role of Nala

On an afternoon following a successful opening night, director Mary Wassick stood center stage at the Windham Performing Arts Center. She was to greet yet another impressive turnout for this lively stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning, 1994 Disney film Lion King, Jr., presented by the Windham Middle School. Made possible by the cast, staff and the community, there was good reason to pre-empt the show with many words of thanks. With 160 rehearsal hours and 58 plus volunteers, there was much praise to give.

“The cast has worked very hard, having begun preparing for this show back in October, and I’m so happy to see the continued support from our community,” said Wassick. With nearly 80 overall volunteers, many of them without children in the middle school, contributing to productions like this one, there was plenty of thanks to go around.

Among those numerous volunteers, were four Windham High School students who were part of an all important crew. One of them was assistant director Libby McBride, a junior who had been asked by Wassick if she would like to help with the show.

“I grew up doing plays with Mary at WCST (Windham Community Stage Theater) in middle school,” shared McBride. “I’ve never been a director or anything like that, so when asked, I was beyond excited! I have always been an actor, singer; always on the stage. To be behind the scenes was great! It’s been really fun. I’ve really enjoyed it,” she continued.

When the curtain rose it was immediately obvious that the cast of characters were enjoying

themselves and feeling quite comfortable in costumes made possible by volunteer Becky Merriman. Her 300 to 400 hours of time investment was obvious. “I started collecting materials for the costumes in June of last year immediately after the conclusion of the Shrek show,” shared Merriman.

“This production was probably the most complicated with a cast of 40, that task was obviously daunting,” she said. There are 170 costumes and that doesn’t count how many pieces are involved in each one. There are a lot of moving parts,” confirmed Merriman. Has it been worth it? “It’s been a great time! I love working with Mary and Angela.”

During the first act it was evident the players were in their comfort zone, feeding off the numerous responses of laughter and applause after each and every exit for quick set changes. The set was built by middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher Jason Lanoie; another dedicated volunteer who spent his time off from teaching during school vacations to work on the set. 

“It was the only time available to do this, but I enjoyed being part of the show,” said Lanoie.

In the audience was Nicky Calden, mother of Molly who played Timon. Now 13, “Molly has been doing this at multiple theaters since the age of eight, most recently as the donkey in Shrek,” said Calden. The character of Timon requires a comedic demeanor and according to crowd response, Molly’s previous role as Donkey paid off.

With intermission came time for a look behind the scenes. Back stage cast and crew were preparing for costume changes that involved face painting as well as garments. The transformation was seamless and not without a little age-typical banter and a willingness to share their thoughts.

In particular, were 11-year-old Morgan Wing (young Simba), Chloe Allen (one of the hyenas) and Daphne Cyr (Zazu) who shared their young passion for the theater and the fun they have working together.

“This is a lot of fun. I enjoy doing this and performing with the other kids,” said Wing. They all agreed, as they will be performing together again in the upcoming junior version of The Wizard of Oz.

After the show and a well deserved standing ovation, Wassick would reveal the nature of a successful weekend. “As for opening night, it was fabulous! Probably one of the best I’ve seen.” And she should know, having been involved in theater for 19 years; nine of those with Windham Middle School. The total count for the first two days hovered around 700.

“I just want to thank Windham Middle School for keeping the drama program alive and giving all of these great kids an outlet to express themselves and have fun. I have a tremendous amount of support. It makes me thankful everyday that Windham has such a strong regard for the arts,” said Wassick.

Sawyer’s Variety Store closes By Walter Lunt

From trolley stop to the 21^st century, the “South Windham Landmark” concludes 107 years and four generations of the Sawyer family.

Sawyer's Variety was a primary trolley stop when it opened in 1910.

A handwritten sign on the storefront window of Sawyer’s Variety in the Little Falls neighborhood of Gorham/South Windham announceed, simply and sadly, the end of a familiar and beloved institution; patronized by generations of residents who needed a few groceries, a cup of coffee or conversation. 

“If there’s anything you wanted, they had it,” said long-time South Windham resident Dave Tobin.

The aging wood frame building “on the Gorham side of the bridge in South Windham,” as many residents referred to the location, has a long and storied history. Founded by Cora Sawyer in 1910, it was known as much for being the neighborhood gathering spot for local news, gossip and storytelling, as it was for the general merchandise sold there.

Tobin said the original building may have been moved there, possibly from Windham. It served as the “waiting room” for travelers using the Portland-Westbrook-Windham trolley before the age of buses. “Originally it was supposed to go into South Windham, but it never got all the way there,” according to Tobin.

Co-owners Kelly Finocchietti and her brother Craig Sawyer said the times are changing and the business was getting to be “a little too much.”

“It feels like the local ma and pa stores are dying,” said Kelly, who has worked at the store for over 20 years. She cited difficulties with vendors who now require minimum merchandise orders far above what small variety stores can handle. And, she added that some have stopped deliveries outside their normal route. She said a major construction project on Main Street/Gray Road in front of the store several years ago caused a precipitous drop in customers, “And we never really got that business back. Closing is bitter sweet. We’ve had a hard time letting go,” said Kelly, referring to the closing. “I get kind of emotional (thinking about it). I locked the door for the last time on January 3. Then I (hid) behind the counter for a while just to recover.”

Tears emerged again as she reminisced about earlier times and the subsequent closure. What’s next? Kelly said she hopes to find something where she won’t have to work weekends. Craig has found work in Windham.

Tobin said he remembers Cora Sawyer, who opened the store almost 107 years ago, still running the store in the 1930s. “Cora, like everyone else back then, was frugal. She sold peanuts by the pound. When she’d weighed them out, if it was just a little bit over (the requested weight) she’d snap a peanut in half and eat it.” Eventually, her son, Hall Sawyer, Sr. ran the business until the 1950s. By 1956, Hall Jr. had taken over and hired John Mayberry and Harry Ingells to build an addition, nearly doubling the store space, and seemingly tripling the amount of merchandise. A sign on the store front advertised: Pipes, Ammunition, Clocks & Watches, Popcorn and Tintex; the latter item being a brand name for a fabric dye used heavily during World War II. Tobin remembers mothers coloring non-burlap grain bags and converting them into clothing.

Arlo Guthrie’s lyric, “You can get anything you want…” would indeed have been a fit description for the goods and wares at Sawyer’s Variety in the mid-20^th century. Family members recall everything from fresh garden vegetables and homemade jams to clothing, penny candy, popcorn and ice cream.

Richard Nickerson Scholarship Concert showcases alumni talent By Elizabeth Richards

Despite snowy weather, the 20^th annual Richard Nickerson Scholarship Concert on Saturday, January 7 was a rousing success, with 13 acts featuring solos, duets or trios, and three numbers by the largest alumni chorus to date.

Not only was this the 20^th anniversary, but the excitement of Dr. Nickerson being recognized as one of 10 national finalists for the Music Educator Award made it a truly special evening.

Energy was high onstage, and the enthusiasm of the audience was apparent throughout the concert, with frequent comments on the talent of the performers overheard.

This anniversary concert drew one third of prior scholarship recipients to the stage, including the very first recipient, Dr. Elisabeth Marshall, who performed the solo in Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum” with the alumni chorus.

Master of ceremonies Kim McBride kept the concert flowing smoothly with witty commentary as she introduced each performer. The acts were well balanced between upbeat and ballads, serious and silly themes. Although performers select their own material the goal each year is to offer a variety of styles, according to producer Janelle LoSciuto. “We do try to balance it out so that there’s a little bit of something for everyone,” she said.

This year’s concert did just that. All of the performances were well done, particularly since some of the alumni no longer perform on a regular basis. Celli Spaulding showed off her considerable talents, which include songwriting, guitar and vocal performance, with a sorrowful original song titled “Hollow Love.” Two songs from the immensely popular “Hamilton” stood out, including a touching rendition of “Dear Theodosia” performed by Jameson McBride and Avery Topel, and a lively rap “My Shot” performed by Kevin MacKaye. Matthew Scala’s animated performance of Andrew Byrne’s “A Contemporary Musical Theater Song” accentuated the silly nature of the song and prompted laughter in the audience at the start of the show.

The alumni chorus had over two dozen participants this year. Listening to their performance, it was hard to believe that they came together for just one rehearsal prior to the day of the concert.

The sound they produced spoke to the talent of Windham High School music alumni and to Dr. Nickerson’s ability to bring a group together through his enthusiastic conducting. The group performed not only the Mozart piece, but a beautiful rendition of “Voyager’s Promise” and an upbeat, toe-tapping, hand-clapping version of “Aquarius (Let the Sunshine In).”

The Richard Nickerson Scholarship fund was started by parents of the Windham Chamber Singers in 1997 in appreciation of Dr. Richard Nickerson, director of choral activities at Windham High School. Each year, a $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior who plans to pursue music in some way during his or her college experience. The Richard Nickerson Scholarship Committee has awarded nearly $20,000 in scholarships to 26 graduates, who all continue to be involved with music in their lives.

Putting together the concert was a task that started early this year. “I started in February, knowing it would be the 20^th anniversary, which we wanted to be really special,” LoSciuto said.

She began with an email to all alumni who had received the scholarship, which resulted in a great turnout of recipients. In September, she emailed other alumni to fill out the show, which she said ideally includes about 16 solos, duets or ensembles in addition to the alumni chorus.

Because it was a special year, the choral pieces were selected by Dr. Nickerson this time around.

“Everyone who came, and everyone who is not here, is pulling for him. They all know what an honor it is, and they understand 100 percent why he was selected,” LoSciuto said. The winner of the award will be announced in February.

LoSciuto would like to invite other members of the community to get involved in next year’s show by joining the scholarship committee. In addition, she said, “I want people to mark their calendar for next year. We are always the first Saturday in January. I want that place packed!”