Warden and trooper delight large crowd at Raymond Village Library at book signing - By Michelle Libby

To a full library, John Ford, Sr. and Mark Nickerson told stories about their careers in law enforcement in Maine. Both men are authors. Ford wrote Suddenly, the Cider Didn’t Taste So Good: Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine and The Cider Still Tastes Funny!: Further Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine. Nickerson wrote Blue Lights in the Night about his adventures as a Maine State Trooper in Northern Maine.

Library director Sally Holt introduced the pair as “These two are the rage of the State of Maine,” and she was right. From audience members 14 to 80, everyone had a smile on their face and laughed at the comedy of errors these two lived through. 

Ford grew up in Shapleigh in York County and knew from an early age that he wanted to be a Game Warden. He came from a long line of police officers and his mother was a wildlife rehabilitator meaning that he had unusual pets growing up. Like a skunk and a raccoon. 

He joined the Air Force to see the world and was surprised to be stationed in Topsham, 60 miles from home. He took the Warden’s test before he turned 21, when he could officially join up. He was excited about his second station in the Air Force, until he got the orders…Charleston Hill…just north of Bangor. When he got out of the Air Force, he was given $2.50 in travel pay. 

 

Nickerson’s grandparents lived eight doors down the road from Ford’s grandparents in Sanford. From the time he was 7 or 8 years old, he wanted to be a state trooper. “Back then, it was seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I never saw my dad growing up,” Nickerson said.

As soon as Ford turned 21, the Warden Service called him up and asked him “Are you single?” That was the first question they asked, he said. They offered him the Burnham district, a place where they hate Game Wardens. “It was the poaching capital of the state. I thought to Christ I’d won the Powerball,” Ford laughed. He thought it was going to be an exciting 20 years. “I really loved it. It was everything I’d dreamed of.” 

Ford’s father was the one who suggested he keep a diary of his day to day adventures. He was on duty in 1970 when snowmobiles came on the Maine scene, and then in 1971, he was introduced to Miranda Rights. He worked 110 to 120 hours a week for $78. 

“We actually did get training,” said Nickerson. In 1990 he retired from the State Police and ran for the high sheriff of Waldo County. Ford started visiting him there, since they had worked so closely together over the years. 

“He had an office,” Ford said. So that is where they told their “war” stories. The first story Nickerson wrote was about a middle aged driver who had been driving while drinking. “He’s what we call a keepa,” Nickerson said. The man was shown the front seat of the cruiser. At one point the man asked to borrow the Vicks Nickerson was using for a head cold. He said “sure” and the man proceeded to smear Vicks on Nickerson’s uniform from knee to shoulder. Nickerson said he went after the man, breaking the seat, knocking the guy’s glasses off and landing on Ford who was sitting in the back seat. 

“I had to take him to jail and I hate taking people to jail,” Nickerson said. The man kept saying “I think you’ve hurt me. I can’t’ see a thing.” Ford was snickering in the backseat. 

Nickerson was beginning to get nervous. The man couldn’t see and then at the jail he ran into a wall. He turned on Ford to find out what was so funny. 

 

“I smeared Vicks all over his glasses.” 

“It went by just as fast as my father said it would. We had a ball working together,” Ford said of his career and Nickerson.

Law enforcement and their training they are required to take has changed dramatically over the years. “Maybe it’s people like me who are responsible for all the training they have to do,” Ford admitted.

The night was entertaining and it is recommended that when Ford and Nickerson are speaking don’t miss the show.

21st annual Windham Auto Show this Sunday - By Michelle Libby

This Sunday behind the Hannaford in North Windham, car aficionados from all over will have their classic cars, hot rods, VWs and 26 other category of cars on display at the 21^st annual Windham Auto Show. The show is a fundraiser for the Windham Raymond Athlete Boosters to raise money to provide equipment and items that the RSU14 athletic budget can’t cover. 
 

For the second year in a row, Dan McGowan is the event coordinator. “Anybody who likes cars or wants to see something from their past, should come down,” he said. “I’ve become a car guy because of this show,” he added. 

Last year there were close to 300 cars in attendance and McGowan is hoping for a larger turn out this year. With a new date and advertising on all of the car show websites like Maine Cruise Book, he knows word has gotten out. 

Cars will arrive between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m., judging will be at 11 a.m. Spectators are welcome between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. There will be concessions and admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and free for children 5 and under. There will be trophies for the winners and a 50-50 raffle for spectators. 

The eight person committee has put in long hours to coordinate this event. They collected 20 to 30 sponsors and signed up volunteers to help move the concession stand from the football field to the car show site and to take it back. They are still looking for sponsors and volunteers, even at the last second, McGowan said. 

In the past the boosters have purchased new padded chairs and speakers for the gym, and fixed the infield at the varsity baseball field. This is one of the booster’s two big fundraisers, the other is the holiday craft fair. 

Last year the event raised approximately $8,500. “When the athletic budget gets cut the Windham Raymond Boosters are there to fill the void,” McGowan said. 

The event is rain or shine. FMI, email www.windhamboosters@yahoo.com.

Kaile Warren announces his race for State Senate - By Michelle Libby

Kaile Warren has been nominated to face off against Bill Diamond in the race for State Senate District 26. The business owner is running on a fiscally conservative, pro-business, champion of open dialogue who looks out for the interests of the elderly and youth in the district. 
 

Warren has been called a maverick for daring to think outside the box. He has fight.

“I understand how government attacks and tries to cannibalize their own citizens,” he said. 

His political experience is as a Windham Town councilor, which he was a very effective at “tearing into thoughtless and careless spending,” he said. He resigned from his position after a heart attack forced him to take a break. 

“I never unearthed an issue that I did not recommend a solution for,” Warren said. The 55-year-old life-long Republican has been waiting for the right time to get into politics. After spending the last few years being indicted twice and fighting the court system, he was cleared of any wrong doings. Before that he owned Rent-a-Husband, was a published author and made many appearances on the CBS morning show as a home improvement guru. 

“I want the citizens to know that all of my decisions will be well-reasoned, fair and sometimes creative. My no nonsense take on any challenge approach to helping people is driven by my compassion to help others,” Warren said. 

Through his business he did a high school challenge that asked students to create a business on $200 and execute it. All of the money raised when to Camp Sunshine. “I put students in the position to promote something, not a textbook study,” he said. “They need real world experience.”

Warren is interested in increasing opportunities for the youth of the state, college age or younger, to keep them in Maine, which in turn will help businesses to grow. “Maine is an end of the pipeline state, we educate them and they leave,” he said. 

“Turning adversity into opportunity” is a motto that Warren has lived by. In 1996, he was newly divorced, had $500 to his name and was living in an abandoned warehouse in Portland. He’s one of the people who can overcome and never give up. In November of 2000, his $500 was then estimated at $7 million valuation. “I realized I was not in a good situation and I created the opportunity. I have no fear of failing. Just like running in this race.” 

Warren describes himself as an “every man type of person. Humble, grounded and determined. That’s what makes me the candidate I am today. If they elect me, they’ll have a true champion.” 

He knows that getting into the race this late is a challenge, but he’s willing to work hard now and when he goes to Augusta. 

“It’s important for people to know that Kaile really wants this. He’s not just putting his name in. He’s going to work for it. He’s not just a paper candidate,” said Senator Gary Plummer who will retire after the election. “I’m happy to have someone who represents the conservative viewpoint, who won’t raise taxes. I’ll do anything to support him.” 

Warren’s compassion for people comes from his upbringing with, as he calls them, two exceptional parents. His mother taught him compassion and business skills and his father taught his what’s right and how to stand up for it, he said. 

“Past actions are predictions of future actions,” Warren said. He wants to know what Diamond plans to do better in the future, than he did during his last terms in office. “If we keep putting people back in office for 30 years, I don’t see how the changes will happen. I want to be that difference.”

Warren lives with his girlfriend of 17 years, Donna and his dog Maintenance. 

Senate District 26 covers Windham, Raymond, Standish, Frye Island, Baldwin and Casco.

Warren will be officially nominated as a candidate at a Republican caucus Thursday night.

Windham Pageant winners available for service, appearances - By Elizabeth Richards

Most small communities in Maine don’t have one pageant title holder in any given year. This year, Windham has three, all eager and ready to serve the community. 
 

Two of the winners come from Crossroad’s Maine Academic Scholarship Pageant (MASP), which houses twelve local pageants throughout the state from Van Buren to Kennebunk, according to pageant director Deb Landry. In the state pageant, which brings together local winners, Windham High School (WHS) sophomore Celine Baker was crowned USA National Miss Jr. Teen Maine 2015, and recent WHS graduate Kelley Wassick was crowned National Miss Teen Maine 2015. Both girls will go on to the national pageants in their category next summer. 

MASP works with two national organizations, USA National Miss Pageant and National Teen-Miss-Mrs.-MS. This year, there is a crossover in age categories for teens, which resulted in both a National Teen Miss Maine and a USA National Teen Miss Maine. This is the only year the organization will offer both opportunities.

The responsibilities for both girls are similar. Both represent the organization’s anti-bullying platform the Crown CARES (creating a respectful environment in schools). In this role, they will be peer ambassadors, visiting schools throughout the state to read to children, discuss warning signs and bullying prevention. They are also both available for community service projects and personal appearances at events.

Wassick started doing pageants in the seventh grade, before taking a break to get involved in athletics. When she was a sophomore in high school, she began competing again. Although she has competed nationally in the past, it was with an at-large title, rather than the state title. While winning a scholarship at the national competition in Williamsburg, Va. next year would be nice, she said what really matters to her is the experience. “It’s being able to compete on the national stage, and being able to gain confidence in who I am,” she said. 

Wassick is studying at the University of Southern Maine this fall. She plans to major in English, and then go on to get a master’s degree in Speech Pathology so she can work with geriatric stroke patients. 

When not fulfilling her title responsibilities Wassick likes hanging out with family. “I’m a family girl,” she said. She also works five days a week, and plans to continue working as much as possible while in school. Community service is her passion. Wassick has won five awards for community service hours performed, including an award at Windham High School for completing 856 hours throughout her four years. “That’s important to me, doing any type of community service I can get my hands on,” she said. She particularly has enjoyed working with children in community theatre, she said. 

Baker will represent Maine at the USA National Miss pageant in Orlando, Florida, next July. In addition to the anti-bullying platform, Baker has a personal platform “A Full Table.” She partners with nonprofit organizations that deal with hunger, such as Monday night community meals, Wayside Food Program, Preble Street Resource Center and others.

Her first appearance after being crowned was at the Schoolhouse Center for the Arts theater camp, where she’d been volunteering. She said she needs to do two to four appearances per month, as well as many community service hours, as part of her role. 

Baker has been involved in pageants for a year now. In November of 2013, she competed in the preliminary competition to the state pageant, and won, becoming Miss Holly High School. In that role, she performed similar responsibilities to her current role, and prepared for the state competition.

Preparation is challenging, she said, but worth it. “People have these stereotypes of the pageant world just being about outer beauty and not focusing on the intelligence and the talent that all the girls who compete have. I’ve gained a lot of skills throughout my year of doing pageants and really it’s more about self confidence and feeling good about yourself, having poise and stage presence, and the charisma to present yourself in a positive way. It really reinforces the idea of women empowering themselves to be the best that they can be,” she said. The skills she has gained, such as interviewing, public speaking, and resume writing are skills that will help her in the future, she said.

Baker is an active member of the WHS community as well. She is in the Windham Chamber Singers, heavily involved in the arts program, part of the reducing sexism and violence program, and the book club. 

Baker said that preparing for nationals will teach her a great deal, such as keeping her life balanced with school and extracurricular activities, managing her schedule, and being sure she has fun while she’s doing it. “I want it to be something that I enjoy, and right now it is. I don’t want to become too overwhelmed and stress out over everything because this is a fantastic opportunity that not a lot of people get,” she said. 

The third local title holder, Jess Toher, is part of the Mrs. Maine America pageant for married women. This year, she is serving as Mrs. Windham, and will compete in the statewide contest for the title of Mrs. Maine next April. The platform of this pageant is to celebrate marriage and the achievements of married women, she said.

When she was first approached about participating, she was not interested. But when she began to look into what it was really all about, it was exactly what she had been wanting to do for years, said Toher. “What I really wanted to accomplish going through the process is really just giving back to my community. I think that far too often, it’s easier to make up excuses not to do something than to do it. This is really my motivator,” she said. 

Toher is the busy mother of a 5-year-old son and three month old daughter. She is also a full time student, studying criminal justice at Central Maine Community College. She is a full time employee of the Oxford Casino, and owns a very small company, New England Special Occasion Consultants, where she helps people create very special moments to remember.

Being Mrs. Windham gives her the motivation to get out there and help people, she said. She wants to reach out and let people know that no event is too large or too small. She is willing to help with any kind of service, fundraising, or event in the Windham area.

Some of the things Toher has worked on to date include the Windham Backpack program and participating in a community block party. She said she really enjoys working with the elderly population as well. 

Toher has been involved in theater and commercials since she was five, but never before tried pageants. The Mrs. Maine pageant is nothing like what the stereotypical image is, she said. “It’s really about going out there and trying to achieve helping others. That’s what interests me.” 

The MASP has the goal of raising awareness of social issues, as well as fostering young women to be volunteers in their community, said Landry. “We are offering a platform for these young ladies to grow into strong, civic minded women,” she said. The national pageant goals are similar - to promote positive pageantry through volunteerism, respect, honor and integrity. The MASP is a 501c3 pageant, and 100 percent of net proceeds are donated back to Maine schools for research based bullying prevention books, curriculum and free school appearances.

All three title holders are available for appearances and service. They can be contacted via email at the following addresses: Celine Baker: cybaker99@gmail.com ; Kelley Wassick: Kelley.wassick@maine.edu; and Jess Toher at jess4meyer@gmail.com.