Outdoor ‘European’ Christmas Bazaar coming to Windham in December

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish will
host an outdoor European-style Christmas
bazaar on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5
on the church grounds in Windham.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

With COVID-19 precautions upending plans for many Advent and Christmas festivities this year, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Windham will take a new, yet old-fashioned approach to celebrating the holiday season.

During the first weekend of December, the parish will host an outdoor Christmas bazaar in the spirit of traditional Christmas markets found in Austria, Germany, France, and other European countries. 

The bazaar will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.

It is anticipated that Santa and Mrs. Claus may stop by on Saturday evening. Current plans also call for live music on Saturday.

The Rev. Louis Phillips, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, proposed the idea, having had the opportunity to experience the markets while taking a Danube River cruise a few years ago.

“The Europeans begin celebrating Christmas beginning the first of December with wonderful evening outdoor ‘markets’ featuring food, beverages, and crafts, amid colorful Christmas lights and sounds of the season, undeterred by the cold and snow,” he said. “We’re going to try to replicate this tradition with a scaled-down and more social-distanced, spread-out version of our own.”

“He comes up with these wonderful ideas,” said Carol Kinney, a volunteer. “I don’t think anybody has tried it, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re just trying it to see if it works.”

The bazaar, which has been planned since August, will be spread throughout the grounds of the church, located at 919 Roosevelt Trail in Windham. When people arrive, they will be given a map showing them the different sections and where to find them.

Offerings will include a Christmas Shoppe, a children’s area, a pie booth, baked goods, designer gift baskets representing different European countries, wreaths, Christmas trees sold by the Knights of Columbus, raffles, and Italian and Bavarian food, packaged to go.

“A Bavarian kitchen went along with the European market theme. We will have sauerkraut and hot German potato salad,” Kinney said. “We’ll have bratwurst and knockwurst and pretzels with different mustards. For desserts in that area, we’ll have apple cake, while over in the Italian section, we’ll have Italian cookies.”

Participants can also expect to find pasta, pizza, and homemade minestrone soup in the Italian kitchen, while in another area, visitors will be able to enjoy coffee, tea, hot cider, and hot cocoa. And there will be s’mores kits for sale, which children can either take home or roast over a fire pit.

“We’re in the process of getting fire pits that will be manned at different locations around the campus, so people won’t be all running to the same fire pit to stay warm,” said Kinney.

In addition to social distancing, face masks will be required. If visitors fail to bring one with them, they will be given a free, disposable one to use. There will also be cloth ones for sale.

The European bazaar replaces the parish’s Christmas fair, and while Phillips says he hopes it will bring in some revenue, he says that isn’t the primary purpose.

“We see the value in building community at a time when we need to be innovative and creative in bringing people together in celebration and joy,” he said. “A number of parishioners have taken on this ‘project’ with great enthusiasm.”

For more information about the upcoming Christmas Bazaar, contact Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish at 207-892-8288. <

 

Windham’s famed ‘Tuskegee Airman’ a genuine champion for equality

Fred Williams dies at 98, was Maine’s first black attorney

By Ed Pierce

As a trailblazing member of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, Fred Williams of Windham wasn’t content to let racism stop him from achieving his dreams. As the first black attorney to ever practice law in Maine, a former Windham Town Council member, a Baptist minister and a law professor at Saint Joseph’s College, Williams continued to shatter stereotypes right up until his death last weekend at the age of 98.

Windham's Fred Williams is 
shown during his training as a
Tuskegee Airman during World
War II. The 98-year-old veteran
went on to a long and distinguished
career becoming the first black attorney
to practice law in Maine, serving on
the Windham Town Council and
teaching law at St. Joseph's College. 
Williams died last weekend at the 
Maine Veterans Home in
Scarborough. COURTESY PHOTO    

Born in 1922, Williams dreamed of someday attending flight school and was the first member of his family to ever be issued a birth certificate. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps upon graduation from high school in New York City, but because of the enforced segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces at that time, Williams was assigned as a cadet in a new pilot training program for African Americans at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Nearly 1,000 black pilots and about 15,000 black air support personnel trained in the program and became known as the Tuskegee Airmen, the only black pilots to fly combat missions during World War II. They flew more than 15,000 individual missions in North Africa and Europe during the war, earning more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for valor and paving the way for the eventual integration of the U.S military. 

"I wanted to be in a bomber, especially a B-17,” Williams told members of Windham’s American Legion Field-Allen Post and VFW Post 10643 during a memorable visit with local veterans at the Windham Veterans Center in 2017. “It was hell getting in, but we were proud.”

Williams told the audience how the Tuskegee Airmen never saw their race as an impediment or barrier to defending their nation in wartime.

He hailed the decision by President Harry Truman to desegregate the U.S. military in 1947 as monumental to achieving equality in the American’s armed forces.

“It’s one Army, one Navy,” Williams said. “It all shows we are one nation. Greek American, Japanese Americans, that’s race, not Americans. Color is not a race. White is not a race. Black is not a race, it’s a beautiful color.”

Williams was recalled to military service for the Korean War and then returned to New York City once he was discharged, where he studied and earned degrees from the City College of New York and the New York Law School. He also worked as a U.S. Federal Treasury Department agent.

Moving to Maine, he passed the bar exam and in doing so, Williams became the first black lawyer ever in the state in 1969, beginning first as an attorney for Casco Bank and then going on to launch his own private practice. Later he served as the president of the Bar Association for the State of Maine.

Making his home for decades in Windham with his wife, Laura, and their four sons, he was elected to serve on the Windham Town Council in 1971 and also was a proud member of the Windham Lions Club, where he eventually served as a district governor for the Lions International organization.

“Fred was one of only two Tuskegee Airmen I have ever met and that, in itself, was certainly an honor,” said Willie Goodman, VFW Post 10643 commander. “Fred was an engaging man with a twinkle in his eye and was very passionate about what he believed in.  Fred was proud of what he accomplished in the military and as a lawyer in Maine.  I feel honored to have had a special friendship with Fred and I am thankful and happy for the visits my wife and I had with him that we'll always remember.”

David Tanguay, adjutant of the American Legion Field-Allen Post 148, said Williams was a charismatic life figure who was honored to become an honorary member of the American Legion post in Windham.

“I recall a veterans coffee meeting one Wednesday when Fred dropped in.  He captivated the veterans with his stories of the Tuskegee Airman during World War II and Korea and made a larger-than-life impression on all,” Tanguay said. “I was impressed with his varied care path from military pilot to lawyer to Town Council member to advocate in the community. He will be missed." 

Never wavering on his commitment to civil rights or forgetting his family’s social justice struggles when he was young, Williams marched in Selma, Alabama in the1960s with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and championed equality, justice and liberty for everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.

He taught Business Law at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish for many years and spent his final days at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

Williams is survived by his four sons and their wives including Manuel (Jill), Fredrick, II (Roxanne), Keith (Arlene), and Kenneth Williams; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. His wife Laura passed away in 1988.

Funeral services for Williams will be private. <

Windham veteran salutes community for honoring his military service

Charlie Melanson of Windham, 89, shows a
photograph of his days serving in the U.S. Navy
aboard the USS Coral Sea as a sailor during the
Korean War. He is at the far left on the top row of
the photo and says he's grateful for continually
being recognized and honored as a veteran by
the community. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Ed Pierce

By his own admission, Navy veteran Charlie Melanson of Windham, 89, has accomplished a great deal in life, but he wants everyone to know that on this Veteran’s Day, he owes a huge debt of gratitude for those who have honored his military service in so many unique ways.

It seems wherever Melanson goes in the community while wearing his USS Sea Coral cap, people have honored him by purchasing his lunch, paying for his tab at Lowe’s or buying his dinner. In the past year he’s been the recipient of an Honor Flight to the nation’s capital and was brought to tears when a group of women stopped at his home and presented him with a handmade “Quilt of Valor” thanking him for his service to the nation.

“There’s just something about that USS Coral Sea hat,” Melanson said. “I don’t put it on to show it off, I put it on because I’m proud of it. I am just looking for a way to say thanks for everything that people have done for me and to let them know I am so grateful for remembering my military service.”

Originally from Massachusetts, Melanson was born in 1931 and was raised in a foster home. He was too young to serve in World War II, but when the chance arose to join the Navy in 1948, he gladly welcomed that opportunity.

“Joining the Navy was like going to heaven,” Melanson said. “The foster home was in was like living in hell and I truly loved being on the water and away from there. I liked the food and didn’t mind the military discipline. It was my freedom from growing up as a foster kid.”

His first assignment was to serve as a crewman on board a Navy destroyer, a rusty World War II-era warship that sailed across the Atlantic Ocean bringing U.S. Marines to Europe. When an opening came up to train for 18 weeks as a refrigeration technician at Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois, Melanson volunteered and after mastering  that skill, he was reassigned to the USS Coral Sea, a Midway class aircraft carrier during the Korean War.

“The USS Coral Sea was so much larger and much more modern than the destroyer I was first on,” Melanson said. “It was such a huge vessel and at that time, the Navy was transitioning from AJ-1 propeller bombers to F7U Cutlass fighter jet aircraft.”

Besides working on refrigeration units and air conditioning systems on the USS Coral Sea, Melanson also helped maintain aircraft catapult systems aboard the aircraft carrier which helped planes take off
and land on it while at sea and he did small engine repair work. 

But when his enlistment was up, he decided it was time to return home.

“I had four years in the Navy and thought it was pretty good, but I was ready for the next step,” Melanson said.

In Massachusetts, he met and married his wife Dale and they moved permanently to Maine in 1952. Settling first in Westbrook and then later in Windham, the couple raised three sons, including one they adopted.

Charlie performed construction work for local companies and eventually founded his own construction firm, Melanson & Son. In 1970, he designed and built a facility on Route 302 in Windham to serve as the company offices for Melanson & Son. It is now the home of the Windham Flower Shop.

Diagnosed with prostate cancer which may have spread to his bones, Melanson has been undergoing treatment this fall and has had trouble getting around. He’s been searching for a way to show his appreciation to the public for remembering his status as a veteran.

“I was at Duck Pond Variety because I love their fried chicken and a man walked up to me and started a conversation with me about his father and his father’s time in the military,” Melanson said. “When I went to pay for my fried chicken, the clerk told me that the man I was talking to had already paid for my meal and had left the store. I was stunned that someone I didn’t know would do that for me.”

On several other occasions, while eating at the IHOP Restaurant with his wife, people noticed his “USS Sea Coral” hat and walked over to ask him about his military service.

“When we asked for the check several times while leaving IHOP, we were told that someone else had paid for our dinner and we don’t even know who it was that did that for us,” Melanson said. “It truly touched our hearts.”

Then there was another time when Melanson went to Lowe’s and was chatting with a man in front of him in the checkout line who was with a small boy.

“By the time I reached the cashier, I was told my purchase had been paid for by the man I was speaking with and his son who had already left the building,” he said.

In April, Melanson was among a group of Maine veterans to be given an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. to tour the memorials there dedicated to American military members and he proudly displays a cherished photograph of him leaving for that trip with his active duty military sponsor.

About three weeks ago, Dale Melanson was at home caring for her husband and answered a knock at the door. It was a group of women asking to speak to her husband.

“They were from the Quilt of Honor Foundation and they presented Charlie with a beautiful handmade quilt with a Navy theme and a certificate honoring his military service,” she said. “He is so pleased with it and I am so touched that they took the time to do that for him.”

As someone who has experienced a lot during his lifetime, Melanson said he tried to hold back tears when he received the quilt, but just couldn’t.

“That was such a nice thing to do, I broke down and cried and cried,” he said. “People are so good to me and that quilt came at just the right time and is so warm and comfortable.”

Melanson said he’s deeply moved by all of the expressions of gratitude that complete strangers have shown him.

“When I got of the Navy at Norfolk, Virginia in 1952, I was just another sailor and people paid me no attention,” he said. “I think the terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001 really woke Americans up and since then it seems more people appreciate what veterans have done and the sacrifices they have made for our country.”   

This Veterans Day, Charlie Melanson has a message he urgently wants to get out to the public.

“For all these people who have done such wonderful things for me and pay for my meals at no charge, I have no way to thank them. I simply want to thank those who have recognized me as a veteran and have gone out of their way to show me kindness. It truly means a lot to me and I feel blessed to be recognized for serving in the Navy in this way.” <

History on the move: Windham Historical Society relocates storied Old Grocery museum

Building move changes landscape at Windham Center

By Walter Lunt

Once a tailor shop, grocery and grain store and
headquarters for a garden club and community
theater, the historic Old Grocery museum gets
its move on to a new location in the Windham
Historical Society's Village Green History Park.
PHOTO BY WALTER LUNT

Windham’s landmark Old Grocery museum has a new address. For the second time in its 182-plus year history, the wood frame structure, adorned with historic ornaments, one of Windham’s oldest commercial buildings, was plucked from its granite stone foundation on the southwest corner of route 202 and Windham Center Road and moved north about 1,000 feet, presumably to its last neighborhood inside the Windham Historical Society’s Village Green history park.

The process of transporting the 36-foot by 20-foot building involved the use of steel I-beams and wheels. “We literally built a trailer under (the building),” said Cole Watson, who coordinated the move. The procedure took about two hours with minimal interruption of traffic.

Preparations began weeks before the move. Builder Dave Johnson said logistics, permits and site work (including the frost wall at the Village Green site) seemed never-ending. He is credited by everyone involved with the move as performing with extraordinary foresight and workmanship. Fragile antiquities were packed and removed from the building; unbreakable items remained inside and moved with the building to the history park.

The move has been in the making for a long time. Windham Historical Society President Sue Simonson says traffic and congestion prompted the decision to relocate the building.

“The Old Grocery’s current location is too close to a very busy intersection with little room to park a
vehicle or safely hold tours (or do) building maintenance,” she said.

An attached shed, or annex, which was not part of the original structure, did not travel with the museum, but instead was razed several days ago due to its deteriorating condition. The annex had housed the town’s historic horse-drawn hearse (dating back to the late 19^th century) which was moved to the Village Green.  

Asked if any relics or artifacts were found during the relocation process, Simonson announced the discovery of a former cemetery headstone associated with the Hunnewell family of Windham. The brick, granite and cast-iron stone had been replaced with a new one and the original donated to the society. Also found was a section of charred remains from Babb’s covered bridge, which burned in 1973.

Spectators, many wearing winter coats and hats, watched the move from the Route 202 sidewalk and from lawn chairs at the home of Norma Rogers next to Corsetti’s store. All said they favored the building’s move because the museum would be more accessible to visitors. Store owner Donato Corsetti observed that from every angle at the intersection visibility is improved for drivers and pedestrians.

“It’s a major, major improvement. It makes it a lot safer for the kids walking here from school,” he said.

Windham's Old Grocery Store museum, which
has resided on the corner across from Corsetti's
Store since 1838, was lifted from its old
stone foundation and moved to the nearby
Windham Historical Society's Village Green
History Park (indicated by the star). 
GRAPHIC BY BEN PARROTT 

The cost of the building’s relocation, one of the most ambitious Windham Historical Society projects in recent history, exceeded $40,000. That was not an amount, according to Simonson, for which the non-profit could just write a check. It was the result of fundraising.

“One of our wonderful members, Dorothy Samuelson, came forward and offered to head the fundraising project,” Simonson said. “Her love and enthusiasm for history, the society and this building is just what we needed. She raised (the money) from generous individuals from our community.”

The vacant lot at Windham Center is owned by the historical society. Its Board of Directors has indicated no use for the space and will probably sell it. 

Next time, the Old Grocery building has had multiple owners and functions in its over 182-year history. We’ll examine its fascinating history.  <

Windham town council updates traffic ordinance for 21st century

The Windham Town Council amended its Vehicle 
and Traffic Ordinance on Oct. 27, prohibiting 
certain activities such as parking in a crosswalk,
idling a large truck in a residential area and increasing
minimum fines for speeding and vehicle obstruction
offenses. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE   

By Ed Pierce

If you’re cited for speeding by police in Windham, the fine is going to cost a bit more, as the town’s Vehicles and Traffic Ordinance was amended Oct. 27 by the Windham Town Council.

Meeting via Zoom, Windham councilors voted 6-0 without comment to adopt the ordinance amendments, which the town manager said was sorely needed to revise the existing town traffic ordinance.

“This was basically, bringing the ordinance up to date from the last revision dating back to the 1980s,” said Windham Town Manager Barry A. Tibbetts. “So we addressed disability parking more clearly; stopping, standing and parking along public roadways; parking limitations for commercial vehicles on public roadways; obstruction of traffic on public roadways; bridges with weight limits as over time a few smaller bridges have been replaced with advanced culverts so they no longer needed the weight limits; and finally defined “idling prohibited.” 

Councilors also raised the minimum cost of a speeding ticket from $20 to $25 and hiked the fine for obstructing a roadway from a minimum of $15 and maximum of $100 to not less than $25 nor more than $200.

In defining disability parking, the revised ordinance mandates that a person shall not park a vehicle in a parking space specifically designated and clearly marked for persons with physical disabilities unless the vehicle is equipped with a special designating plate or displays a placard issued by the Maine Secretary of State. It also spells out that a person shall not park in an access aisle adjacent to a disability parking space regardless of whether the person has been issued a disability registration plate or removable placard by the State of Maine with disability access aisles marked by painting on the
pavement a rectangular box with white or yellow diagonal stripes.

In revising the rules for Stopping, Standing and Parking, the ordinance amendment prohibits stopping or parking a vehicle on a sidewalk; within an intersection; within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, except as otherwise designated by the Chief of Police; on a marked crosswalk; within 20 feet of the near corner of the curbs at an intersection unless otherwise designated; alongside or opposite any excavation or obstruction when stopping or parking would obstruct traffic; on the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a public way; on any bridge or other elevated structure or in a tunnel; or at any place where official signs or yellow striped areas or yellow curbing indicates a restricted, no-stopping or no-parking area.

It also forbids parking within 20 feet of a marked crosswalk and prohibits a person from stopping or parking a vehicle on any public way except on the right-hand side of the way, in the proper direction of travel and with the curbside wheels of the vehicle within 12 inches of the edge of the roadway.

So not to obstruct traffic, councilors also amended the ordinance so anyone parking a vehicle on a public way must leave available 12 feet of the width of the roadway for free movement of vehicular traffic. And where parking places are marked by painted lines, the town says a person must park a vehicle within the lines.

The amendment revision also addressed oversized vehicles by specifying that a driver of a vehicle having an overall length of 30 feet or more shall not stop or park on any public way for not more than eight hours.

Councilors also prohibited parking a vehicle on any public way for the principal purpose of washing, lubricating, or displaying it for sale, or repairing it, except for changing tires or making other emergency repairs.

Parking limitations for commercial vehicles were also established by the ordinance amendment including no commercial vehicle in excess of 10,000 pounds gross weight shall be allowed to stop, stand, or otherwise park upon any street in excess of two eight hours periods, except when in active use for the loading or unloading of merchandise or materials, or for the construction or reconstruction of the said street. It also mandates that such a commercial vehicle parked in violation of the provisions of the revised ordinance shall be prima facie evidence of the unlawful parking of such vehicle by the owner.

The revised ordinance requires that permanent no-parking signs must be placed in no-parking areas in such a manner as to be seen and understood by an ordinarily observant person.

Councilors added a portion of Haven Road from US Route 302, 100 feet from the corner as a no-parking/tow-away zone by approving the revised ordinance.

Lastly, the ordinance amended previous requirements and prohibited the idling of buses, heavy-duty vehicles, heavy-duty recovery vehicles, trucks, tractors, truck-tractor, trailers and semitrailers while stopped, standing or parked in a residentially used area between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. except as provided for in compliance with traffic signals or signs, at the direction of a police officer or while buses are in the act of loading or unloading passengers. <

Unity Center for Spiritual Growth to host award-winning author for online one day retreat

The Unity Center for Spiritual Growth at 54 River
Road in Windham is hosting an online retreat with
award-winning author Mirabai Starr from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. COURTESY PHOTO

Many are experiencing a global “dark night of the soul” as we face a barrage of stressors. As a result, there is a deepening hunger among people of all genders and faiths for the nourishing elixir of feminine wisdom.  

To expand generosity of life, spirit of community and a renewed sense of humanity, Unity Center for Spiritual Growth, 54 River Road in Windham, will host an online retreat with award-winning author and internationally known speaker, Mirabai Starr from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21.

“I am drawn to Mirabai Starr for many reasons, some of which include her authenticity, humor, compassion, empathy and brilliance,” Unity Minister Rev. Patricia Bessy said. “When I experience her, the feeling I have is I am the only one she is talking to. She creates a safe container to trust her to show the way into your deepest reality which is love. It is for these reasons we have invited her to lead this retreat.”

As traditionally male-dominated structures topple across the landscape of the human community, the feminine is rising, carrying cups of mercy and spreading flames of truth-telling. Long-buried wisdom teachings and previously ignored women mystics are revealing themselves to be urgently relevant as we pass through a global dark night of the soul and into a radically renewed humanity. With its emphasis on relationship and inclusivity, its tolerance for ambiguity and its intimacy with mystery, the feminine reclaims the body as holy ground and blesses the web of interbeing that sustains us all. The feminine speaks in poetry and song, she worships the earth as cherished relative, she embraces ultimate reality as lover. In this talk, “mystical feminist” Mirabai Starr shares the fruits of many years of investigating, excavating and lifting up female voices in all the world’s religions.

Mirabai Starr is the author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for
20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog.

A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her latest book, “WILD MERCY: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics”, was named one of the “Best Books of 2019” by Spirituality & Practice. Mirabai is on the 2020 Watkins List of the “100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People of the World.”

To register for the event: https://unitygreaterportland.org/register-for-retreat-with-mirabai-starr/

Unity Center for Spiritual Growth is joined in sponsorship of this retreat by the following organizations: Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, The Bertha Crosley Ball Center for Compassion at the University of Southern Maine, Pax Christi Maine, CHIME: Chaplaincy Institute of Maine, Abbey of HOPE.<

High voter turnout determines elections results

By Ed Pierce

Significant choices made by voters during Tuesday’s general election will shape the direction of the Windham and Raymond communities for the near future.

Through in-person voting, mail-in and absentee balloting, area voters decided the fate of a special referendum in Raymond to withdraw from RSU 14 and chose elected officials to represent Windham and Raymond in the Maine Legislature, the Maine Senate, on the RSU 14 Windham School Board and picked two councilors to serve on the Windham Town Council.      

In Raymond, Town Clerk Sue Look said that a total of 3,149 voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.

The Raymond referendum asking residents if they should withdraw from RSU 14 was defeated with 2,048 votes to 1,018 supporting the proposal.

The referendum was initiated over an ongoing concern from some Raymond residents regarding the town’s level of input and the lack of local control about the school district’s decisions and it was part of a 22-step process required by the State Department of Education to set up a new school district. But those opposed to the withdrawal said it would do more harm to students than good and the voters agreed by voting no on the referendum.

In balloting for Maine House District 67 representing part of Gray, part of Casco, Frye Island and a portion of Raymond, incumbent Sue Austin, a Republican, received 354 votes in Raymond, while Democrat Susan Accardi received 328 votes and Independent Mark Grover tallied 80. Austin won the
seat overall with a total of 3,085 votes to Susan Accardi’s 1,669 and Mark Grover’s 913 votes.

Voting for Maine House District 66, representing part of Raymond, part of Casco and part of Poland, incumbent Democrat Jessica Fay received 1,251 votes from Raymond residents to Republican Gregory Foster’s 1,060 votes. Overall, Fay won the seat with 2,884 votes to Gregory Foster’s 2,745 votes.

“I am grateful to everyone who came out and voted today, and in particular to everyone who worked so incredibly hard to make a day with record breaking turnout run smoothly,” Fay said. “We ran a completely positive campaign focused on ideas and collaboration and I am so proud of that. Maine will face serious challenges in the next two years, and I am ready to help us meet them, together."

In Windham, Town Clerk Linda S. Morrell said results of Tuesday’s election are official.

Morrell said that in voting for Maine House District 24 representing part of Windham, incumbent Democrat Mark Bryant ran unopposed and received 4,638 votes, while incumbent Republican Patrick Corey also ran unopposed and retained his seat representing District 25 by picking up 4,334 votes.

In balloting for State Senate District 26 representing Baldwin, Casco, Frye Island, Raymond, Standish and Windham, Democrat Bill Diamond received 7,426 votes in Windham to Republican Karen Lockwood’s 3,784 votes. Voters in Raymond cast 1,779 votes for Diamond to Lockwood’s 1,289 votes and overall, Diamond retained his seat in the Maine Senate.

"I want to congratulate my opponent, Ms. Lockwood, for running a thoughtful and positive campaign.
Mostly, I want to thank the voters of Windham, Raymond, Standish, Casco, Baldwin and Frye Island for your overwhelming support at the polls,” Diamond said. “Once again I’m humbled by your tremendous endorsement of confidence." 

Voters chose businessman Mark Morrison to serve a three-year term as the At-Large position on the Windham Town Council over former town councilor Robert Muir. Morrison received 5,521 votes to Muir’s 3,739 votes.

In the race for a three-year term representing Windham’s East District on the town council, Brett Jones received 5,102 votes to political newcomer Harrison Deah’s 3,621 voters. Jones, a captain in the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department and a longtime Windham resident,  was appointed by the town council in April to fill the remaining months of the East District seat vacated by the resignation of Councilor Rebecca Cummings in February.

“First of all, I’d like to thank all those who supported me,” Jones said. “I am extremely honored to be able to serve the citizens of Windham and I am excited to continue the work of moving Windham forward.”

Also elected during Tuesday’s voting were incumbents Kathyrn Brix and Pete Heansler to three-year terms on the RSU 14 Windham School Board. Brix received 6,864 votes and Heansler tallied 4,315 votes.

Voters also elected Christina Small of Windham to serve a one-year term on the RSU 14 Windham School Board. Small had been appointed to serve on the board earlier this year following the resignation of Dawn Dillon. She tallied 8,570 votes.

“My priorities for this year will be helping to align our procedures with ever changing regulatory guidelines, the improvement of our distance learning program and continuation of our Social Emotional Learning work,” Small wrote about her candidacy in a letter to the editor last month. <

Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program seeks volunteer wreath makers

American Legion Field-Allen Post 148
and Unit 148 (Auxiliary) will be making
six large wreaths and 15 small wreaths
as part of its Everlasting Gratitude Wreaths
Program and is seeking community volunteers
to help. Wreath making starts at 9 a.m. Saturday,
Nov. 7 at Libby's Warehouse, 7 Architectural
Drive in Windham. SUBMITTED PHOTO

By David Tanguay

Special to The Windham Eagle

The Field-Allen Post ran an article several months ago in The Windham Eagle providing information about the Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program that has been so popular over the last six years, with more than 950 wreaths placed on veteran’s graves in Windham last year.

Unfortunately, because of continued concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the wreath program was reduced in scope to the placement of several large and smaller wreaths at each Windham cemetery with veterans interred there.

The time has come to make the wreaths. American Legion Field-Allen Post 148 and Unit 148 (Auxiliary) will be making the six large wreaths and 15 small wreaths starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The wreaths will be made at Libby's Warehouse, 7 Architectural Drive in Windham. Volunteers are asked to drive between Rose's and Chutes and go to the last warehouse.

The post is looking for a few community volunteers to help cut the tips, wrap the tips in bundles and attach them to the frames. They will also need volunteers to make some large bows with instruction provided.  

The wreaths will then be divided among the volunteers and post members to be placed at the cemeteries.

At the larger cemeteries, a wooden post has been set in the ground near the cemetery Sign for the wreaths to be attached to. Wreaths at the smaller cemeteries will be hung on the cemetery sign or another appropriate location.   

The Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program was launched in late 2013 and was the idea of the owners of Studio Flora of North Windham who funded the program for its first few years with some support from the community.

The tradition of remembering veterans is as old as the nation is itself. The name wreath is derived from
a middle English word, wrethe, meaning a twisted band or ring of leaves or flowers in a garland. The popular placement of holly berries on wreaths were done so for their supposed magical powers as they are a shiny berry that keeps its red color and bright green leaves throughout the long winter months.

 

Dried fruit or flowers were originally placed in a wreath to symbolize the promise of spring and can still serve the same purpose today. It’s said that Gen. George Washington of the Continental Army initiated the practice of placing wreaths upon fallen soldiers while encamped at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania during the winter of 1777-1778 as a way to honor their service. The tradition continues to this day right here in Windham. 

 

Please contact Larry De Hof at 207-310-8952 or send him an email at ledmassage@gmail.com) if you want to learn how to make wreaths and help with the project. <

RSU 14 ensures students receive school meals while learning remotely

By Ed Pierce

RSU 14 Director of School Nutrition Jeanne
Reilly, left, visits with Mobile Meals Van drivers
Ashley Genovese and Phil Herbert following
distribution of take-home student meals at
Manchester School in Windham on Tuesday
morning. The free breakfast and lunch meals
are intended to see that RSU 14 students do
not go hungry on virtual learning days.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Thanks to a generous new program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and using a new Mobile Meals Van, RSU 14 is stepping up to see that every student in the district does not go hungry.

With many families in Raymond and Windham struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, over the summer RSU 14 administrators pondered how to best meet nutritional needs for children who were not able to be physically attend school because of the virus. Without burdening the district’s transportation department already at capacity because of newly imposed CDC social distancing requirements, the RSU purchased a van to be operated for transporting school meals to convenient pick-up locations for students to consume at home.

“We started utilizing our Mobile Meals Van on the first day of school on Sept. 9,” said Jeanne Reilly, RSU 14 Director of School Nutrition. “With school operating on a hybrid schedule, and children learning from home at least three days per week, we were very concerned about meeting the nutritional needs of students on their virtual learning days. We developed a plan to make meals more accessible to students on those days. At the time, USDA, which funds our program, had extended COVID-related waivers, allowing us to offer meals to all children at no cost until the end of December.”

Since then, Reilly said that Congress issued additional funding and gave the USDA permission to extend the waivers until the end of the 2020-2021 school year meaning that for the remainder of the school year, all school meals will be available to all children in RSU 14 free of charge.

The Mobile Meals Van serves anywhere from 300 to 500 meals from the van each day, and on Fridays the program also offers families the opportunity to pick up weekend meals, which Reilly said is also
allowable because of COVID-19 related waivers.    

“On the days that we are serving weekend meals, we are serving over 1,500 meals,” Reilly said. “We are using the van every school day.  We begin our Mobile Meals route at 10:30 a.m. in Windham and end at 12:35 p.m. in Raymond.  We are considering extending our time, as some of our stops are very busy.”

The RSU 14 meals consist of breakfast and lunch and are delivered at five different locations including Stadium Drive from 10:30 to 10:45 a.m.; Joyful Noise Daycare from 10:55 to 11:15 a.m.; the Manchester School Parking Lot from 11:20 to 11:35 a.m.; the Raymond Elementary School Parking Lot from noon to 12:15 p.m.; and the Creative Kids Daycare Parking Lot from 12:20 to 12:35 p.m.

“Mostly we are offering cold menu items, such as sandwiches, salad, bento box style lunches that can be consumed cold without re-heating,” Reilly said. “For students in middle and high school, we do include some items that need to be reheated such as macaroni & cheese, chili, and pizza.  The younger children, however, are often eating these meals in a daycare setting, where heating the meals up might be problematic.

Weekend meals tend to be bulk foods and also includes food that may need to be assembled or re-heated at home.” 

Reilly said two people drive the van’s route and serve the meals which are prepared by RSU 14 kitchen staff and packaged to be eaten at home. Currently, all students through the age of 18 can eat for free, even those children who are not yet in school and children who are homeschooled.

“We do ask that meals be ordered through our Nutrislice APP or through the Nutrislice Program,” Reilly said. “This helps us to plan accordingly and helps us to ensure that we have enough meals.   Pre-ordering also helps us manage over-production and waste.”

Meals can be ordered by downloading the free Nutrislice App or by visiting www.rsu14.nutrislice.com

"A parent or guardian can create an account and add each child to their account, using their school student ID, or in lieu of a student ID they can use a phone number or birthday or other number,” Reilly said. “Meals can be ordered up to 30 days in advance and need to be ordered by 9 p.m. the night before the date of delivery.” 

She said that the content of the meals will change periodically or by the season.

“For the first six weeks, we only varied our menu slightly, but moving into November and December, we have planned a few changes and updates,” Reilly said.

Funding for the Mobile Meals is derived from a USDA program initiated earlier this year to ensure that all students receive a nutritious meal, twice a day, throughout the school week.

“As our nation reopens and people return to work, it remains critical our children continue to receive
safe, healthy and nutritious food,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue who emphasized that students across America need to have access to food as childhood hunger rates have increased as a result of the pandemic. “We are grateful for the heroic efforts by our school food service professionals who are consistently serving healthy meals to kids during these trying times, and we know they need maximum flexibility right now.”

Christopher Howell, RSU 14 superintendent, said the Mobil Meals Van is another example of how the district has adapted to life during the COVID-19 crisis.

“The pandemic has impacted the way that we run our schools in RSU 14.  In addition to the six brick and mortar schools in our district, we are currently running a seventh virtual school for 440 students,” he said.  “As instruction has adapted to this model, so has the school nutrition program.  Each and every day our school nutrition staff serves delicious and healthy meals to all of our in-person learners, hybrid home learners, and the remote students at home.”

Howell said everyone associated with RSU 14 can take pride in programs that serve students such as
the Mobile Meals Van.

“I am proud of all of the work that our school nutrition staff have completed as they have overcome the logistical challenges of feeding breakfast and lunch to in-person and remote students,” Howell said. “The work that they do each day helps to maintain the connection between our distance learners and their schools.”

Reilly said that the best aspect of the program is the RSU has been able to feed children healthy breakfast and lunches whether or not they are in school at no cost to the families.

“The feedback we have received has been overwhelming,” Reilly said. “Families are so grateful.”

She said the program also helps children in other ways during the pandemic.

“Even without the need, a school meal gives students familiarity and has restored some normalcy to their lives when they’re not in school,” Reilly said. 

There are challenges in operating a mobile school meals program and most of that centers on managing waste either when families may order meals and then because of circumstances not pick them up.

“That’s why we have to make sure we are preparing the right amount of food for the program,” Reilly said. “I also worry about getting meals to families who are without transportation or have other issues. We’re going to keep doing this through the end of June.” <   

School cleaning protocols in place to protect students

Ron Molina, head custodian at Windham Primary
School, cleans door handles at the school on
Wednesday morning. Across RSU 14 in Windham
and Raymond, custodial staffs are busy cleaning
surfaces, classrooms, bathrooms and common
school areas used by students and teachers
throughout the day to meet CDC requirements
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Elizabeth Richards

Strong cleaning policies for RSU 14 facilities are giving the district a head start in keeping schools clean and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Hansen, Director of Facilities, Property Services and Special Projects, said that for the past few years, the district has worked hard with custodial supply vendors to continually update and improve cleaning processes and procedures.  This included reviewing chemicals used, switching to all microfiber cleaning, and installing hand sanitizer in the classrooms.

As a result, the district was already well prepared to manage the cleaning and sanitizing protocols required to safely reopen.

“When the pandemic started, the cleaning processes in place were already appropriate,” Hansen said. “The changes that have been made focus on increasing our ability to serve the building while students are present.  This includes adding additional custodial staffing during the day, adjusting custodial hours to support the cleaning between student days, and for the time being restricting school use to educational purposes only so the evening custodial staff can focus solely on cleaning and not event set up or public use of the spaces.”

Specific protocols for cleaning and disinfecting during the pandemic are outlined in the 2020-2021 School Reopening plan, which is available on the home page of the RSU 14 website (www.rsu14.org), said Assistant Superintendent Christine Frost-Bertinet.

These guidelines include a long list of specific items throughout the school that must be disinfected and additional guidance around the use of tools and travel for maintenance employees. In addition to the
COVID-19 guidelines, custodial and maintenance employees must follow documented standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting.

Other measures have also been taken to promote good health in the schools.  As recommended by the CDC, Hansen said, RSU 14 converted most of the sink faucets in the district to hands free operation, allowing students and staff to wash without needing to touch the fixtures.

The district has also created outdoor classroom spaces for students, allowing for more social distancing, mask breaks, and fresh air.

“These spaces have been a hit with the students and have been used regularly,” Hansen said.  Large outdoor picnic tables were purchased for students to work at in these outdoor spaces, Hansen said.

“Going forward the RSU has plans to create several outside teaching space structures with roofs to allow expanded use of the outdoor environment for teaching and learning,” he said.

The district has also been focused on improving building air filtration and increasing the amount of fresh air into the spaces as recommended by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as a response to COVID, Hansen said.

“This increased air flow and filtration provides an improved indoor environment and the additional outside air also results in more air changes per hour resulting in more fresh outside air in the educational spaces,” he said.

Other upgrade projects are underway that will provide long term ventilation improvements, enhanced filtration, increased outside air flow and building controls upgrades designed to provide improved indoor environments, Hansen said. 

Inspections and preventative maintenance procedures have also been completed on the air handling and exhaust air systems to be sure they are operating efficiently and as designed.

Frost-Bertinet said that the transition back to school for staff and students has gone very well overall. 

“Students and their families have been following the expected health and safety protocols, they have     
transitioned smoothly to the new and unusual schedule and have demonstrated remarkable resilience in light of everything they are facing. We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful to our families for their continued support and flexibility,” she said.

The pandemic presents challenges for all involved: staff, students and families.

“Our staff has done an exemplary job of stepping up to the challenges we are all facing. They have kept students and families at the forefront of their thinking and worked incredibly hard to adjust to the myriad of changes in response to COVID-19,” Frost-Bertinet said.

Hansen agreed.

“Staying the course with mask use, hand washing, social distancing and staying home when not feeling well will be most important,” said Hansen. “The departure from our normal to this new state is a continued stressor for all and as a district we will continue to work to find ways to continue to provide the supports and assistance needed. This challenge is not likely to go away anytime soon and working together we can continue to be successful and deliver success for all.” <

Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat’ a bloodcurdling sensation in Windham

The Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce,
which co-hosted Saturday's 'Drive-Thru Trunk or
Treat' event with Windham Parks and Recreation,
crafted an equally unique and spooky trunk.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

In a year unlike any other, children unable to go trick or treating during the pandemic found their Halloween spirit and a bit of ghastly fright during Windham’s “Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat” held Oct. 24 at the Windham Mall behind the North Windham Hannaford.

Hosted by Windham Parks and Recreation and the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, the spooktacular “Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat” event drew about 80 pre-registered families and 160 children in eighth grade and below. As each family slowly drove past 18 different and ghoulish trunk hosts, the children received pre-packaged candy and goodies.

According to Sarah Davenport, Windham Parks and Recreation’s Youth and Family Programs Coordinator, the event remained popular in spite social distancing and families having to remain their vehicles because of CDC pandemic restrictions.

“We did have to turn away a few families, as we had already maximized our capacity in order to allow as many families as possible to pre-register,” Davenport said. “We also received very positive feedback from the public, particularly from folks who appreciated the attention to details in planning and observing the CDC precautions in order to host such an event. We look forward to next year with the hope that we will be able to welcome more families and expand on a great Halloween tradition.”

Davenport said all of the trunks were terrific and eerily decorated, but the first-place winners as chosen by volunteer judges were a Haunted House trunk complete with actual haunters, a Haunted Summer Camp with a detailed activity schedule, and Mainely Ticks with a wide variety of Halloween decorations. She said that other favorites included an “It” themed trunk with Pennywise the clown, a carnival trunk, dancing inflatable unicorns and giraffes, and an “RIP sports season” trunk.

“We were very thankful to be able to partner with the Windham Mall in order to host this event and
from our perspective this was an ideal location,” Davenport said. “The trunks had adequate space to decorate and maintain appropriate distance, and the flow of traffic worked very well in this setting. The Windham Mall was a terrific host, offering us plenty of support to make this event successful.”

Linda J. Brooks, Windham Parks and Recreation Department director, said that Windham has hosted “Trunk or Treat” every year since 2017.

“We initiated it as a way to handle the growing number of people that were attending our Halloween party each year,” Brooks said. “Additionally, we recognized that since Windham has its rural areas, there are some families who wanted the benefit of seeing the kids in their costumes, but don’t traditionally get trick-or-treaters at their homes.”

In past years Brooks said that “Trunk or Treat” was just one part of our larger themed “Halloween Adventure” that included costume contests, games, refreshments and “haunted happenings.” But by 2019, the town decided to focus on the “Trunk or Treat” event alone, since it has turned out to be the best way to effectively manage so many participants.

But dealing with COVID-19 concerns and having to limit the size of what has previous been one of the town’s largest community events posed significant challenges.

“We appreciate the way that families followed the requirement to pre-register and attend at a designated time, as well as complied with the need to wear masks and remain at a safe distance,” Davenport said. “Beyond that, the trunk hosts were very creative in distributing candy while trying to keep some distance from the vehicles, which was another change due to the pandemic. The bottom line is that we were able to address these challenges because everyone involved was willing to adapt and follow the necessary precautions, which made all the difference.”

Event co-host the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce was humbled to be a part of this year’s “Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat” and the chamber’s Executive Director, Robin Mullins, said participants loved what they experienced.

“The feedback I heard as one of the participating trunks was that people were appreciative that we had the event,” Mullins said. “With so many events getting cancelled due to COVID-19, people were happy to have something safe and fun for them to do with their kids.”

Mullins said she was impressed by how much support there was in the community for this event.

“For me the biggest take away was how the community came together to be there for one another,” she said. “Trunks were assembled by businesses, nonprofits, Windham Fire and Rescue and families in the community. It was so great to see the participation from the trunks and the appreciation from the community members who attended.”

Mullins said she wanted to thank Brooks and her team at Windham Parks and Recreation for allowing the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber to partner with them for the event.

“Even though we didn’t win a prize for best trunk and watch out, next year we’ll be bigger and better, we still had a fantastic time and look forward to Trunk or Treat 2021,” Mullins said.

Davenport said that one thing she’ll take away from this experience is that even in challenging and unusual times, the town of Windham is able together to create special memories and celebrations.

“We are very fortunate to have a supportive community, and it was just very clear throughout this process that people are willing to be flexible and understanding,” she said. “I always knew that Windham was a great community, but it was just underscored during all of the planning and preparation as well as during the actual Trunk or Treat itself.”

She thanked Mullins and the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce for co-hosting and helping Windham Parks and Recreation to reimagine Trunk or Treat in the time of COVID-19.

“We would also like to thank the businesses who donated prizes for trunk hosts: Applebee’s in North Windham, Smitty’s in North Windham, and Spare Time in Portland,” Davenport said. “And we would like to thank all of the volunteers, local businesses, community organizations, and families who hosted trunks, as we couldn’t have Trunk or Treat without them.”

Submissions for the Windham Halloween Costume Contest will be judged by members of the Lions Club on Friday, and Davenport said Windham Parks and Recreation will be posting the winners on its website and social media.

“We have some great entries, and we can’t wait to share them with everyone,” Davenport said. “We want to thank Dairy Queen in North Windham for donating the costume contest prizes.” <