Lakes Region girls make history with midnight celebration at Camp Hinds

Isabella Messer takes the ceremonial crossing 

By Lorraine Glowczak

At 12:01 a.m. on Friday, there were a group of girls from Windham, Raymond and Naples who were bringing down the house at Camp Hinds in Raymond. In a non-traditional ritual that made history, the girls ceremonially crossed over from Cub Scouts into Scouts BSA. The newly formed Raymond troop 851 is the first group to make this crossover.

“This is monumental as it's the first time in the history of Boy Scouts of America that girls can join the program formerly known as “Boy Scouts,” stated Alissa Messer, wife of Scoutmaster, Jeff Messer.

Scouts in Raymond’s Troop 851 will now begin their journey towards earning merit badges and the rank of Eagle Scout. And, as their websites states will be among the many former Scouts who “sit on the boards of global corporations, walk the halls of the White House and have been known to occasionally go hiking on the moon.”

Jeff Messer explained that the girls, ages 10 to 18, started out as a co-ed group before the crossover into Scouts BSA took place, but now the troops will remain separated among boys and girls. “Scouts BSA is not a co-ed group,” Jeff explained further. “There must be an all-female and an all-male troop.”

Jeff also shared how the newly-formed Troop 851 named their group. “The new troop is linked to troop 800, thus the number 8. They were also once a part of Pack 51 and the girls wanted to pay homage to that, and thus the Raymond Troop 851 number was assigned.”

The Raymond Village Community Church agreed to be the troop’s sponsor and will be the location where they will hold their weekly meetings.

Briefly, the Council was organized in 1919 and was known as the Portland Council. In 1933, the councils in southern and central Maine merged to formally become the Pine Tree Council with York county joining the organization in 1937. The Scouts BSA mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

And for the first time in its 100+ year history, the Boy Scouts of America is open to both young men and young women. Scouts BSA is a year-round program for boys and girls in fifth grade through high school that provides fun, adventure, learning, challenge, and responsibility to help them become the best version of themselves.

Newly formed Raymond Troop 851

A traditional ceremony of Raymond Troop 851’s crossover was held on Sunday, February 3 in Raymond, at Camp William Hinds.

To learn more about this troop or to become a member of the Pine Tree Council, go to their website at www.pinetreebsa.org or call 797-5252.

Snowmobiling and more – winter leisure sport activities available in our own backyard

By Lorraine Glowczak

No one will deny that a snowmobiling trip or a snowshoe hike in the northern and western areas of Maine makes for an exciting weekend getaway for all who favor winter leisure sports. But family duties and the costs involved for these adventures make it is impossible to get away every weekend from the Lakes Region and greater Windham areas.

But do not despair if you need to get your winter sports fix in just a couple of hours without spending tons of money and time. There is everything you need right here in our own backyard. The Windham Drifters Snowmobile Club (WDSC), a group made up of families and businesses that enjoy the fellowship of others who share enthusiasm for the sport of snowmobiling, makes sure you have access to 36 miles of groomed trails that are safe for daytime, evening and weekend explorations. 

Whether you are a snowmobiler, snow shoer, winter hiker, cross-country skier or a fat tire bike rider – you have plenty of trails to choose from and is it all is available at no cost.

But where are these trails? “We have Windham trails that connect systems in Gray, Falmouth,
Raymond, Gorham and Westbrook,” stated treasurer and groomer operator for WDSC, Barry Bernard.

For more detailed knowledge and experience of the trails, join WDSC on Saturday, February 16^th for a community group snowmobiling ride that will provide an opportunity for local residents to familiarize themselves of the trails available through fields and forest – FOR FREE.

For those interested, WDSC invites you to meet and gather at the Mountain Division parking lot at Gambo Road at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 16 for this amazing exploration. There will be stops along the way including a buffet style lunch at Binga’s, in Windham on the outdoor deck – all with an outdoor heating fireplace and all you can eat for $15, payable the day of the event.  Up-to-date details and sign-up for the ride and lunch events are available on the club’s Facebook page.

There are also trail maps available at your convenience. “Trail maps are available for $5 at Windham

Town Hall, Richardson's Annex, Windham Powersports, Binga's Windham and Westport Motor Sports.” Bernard said. “For $6, you can order one from our website at wwww.windhamdrifters.com.” However, if you participate in February 16th ride, you will receive a map for free.

As of this writing, there are over 50 interested individuals who hope to participate in this riding event, including people new to the Windham area. “I've had conversations with two families that have recently moved to the area and have little knowledge of our system,” explained Bernard.

“They are both looking forward to bringing their families out the day of our February 16th event.

WDSC has been a dedicated part of the Windham area winter sport staple providing trails since 1977.

“We love what we do, and we work hard at maintaining these trails,” stated Bernard. “WDSC includes a group of dedicated individuals, but we are always looking for new members whose passion includes the great outdoors – especially winter.

If maintaining winter trails for the activities you enjoy and deem an important part of the Maine experience, WDSC is always seeking new members. Whether you are a snowmobiler, snow shoer, or a fat tire bike rider – you most likely want groomed and safe trails available for you, free of charge.

To become a part of the club or to help maintain these trails that are a part of “way life should be” in Maine, considering joining WDSC through their website at www.windhamdrifters.com.

Or, perhaps, more importantly, join a group of like-minded individuals for free on Saturday February 16^th and have the time of your life. Right here – in your own backyard.

Raymond Village Community Church to offer free meal for furloughed employees

Even though the most recent government shutdown has ended, affected federal employees will be feeling its effects for some time to come. With an estimated 78% of full-time workers living paycheck to paycheck, having a month’s pay delayed would be a big problem for almost anyone.

As a way to support and thank furloughed federal workers for their commitment and sacrifice, and to encourage a greater sense of community in Raymond and the surrounding area, Raymond Village Community Church (UCC) at 27 Main Street in Raymond will offer a free Friendship Meal for federal employee families and also all area residents Wednesday, February 6 from 5 pm to 6:30 pm in the vestry of the Church. 

“By our estimate, over 2500 of the 15,000 federal employees in Maine are furloughed.  Most of these people have continued to work in spite of not being paid since December 22,” said RVCC Pastor Rev. Nancy Foran.  “Their sacrifice and sense of duty should inspire us all.  Our congregation feels that whether or not the furlough ends soon, we want to do something to help them and to show that we care.” she said. 

In addition, RVCC is working to reach out to the broader community to include them in this meal as one of many planned actions to help enhance community spirit in Raymond and the surrounding area. 

“This is an “all-ages/all circumstances” meal. Our fondest wish is that young and old, individuals, friends, and families of every income level will all feel welcome here.” said Rev. Foran.

The meal will include roast turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables, a salad, beverages, and a delicious dessert. The dinner is absolutely free for anyone who attends, and there are no strings attached.

For further information, contact Rev. Foran at nancy1@maine.rr.com or at 207-655-7749.

The importance of proper recycling and the cost of “wishcycling”

Manchester School students discover what is recyclable (in 2016)

By Lorraine Glowczak

We are all aware that recycling is the process of collecting materials that would be otherwise thrown away and make them into new products. To recycle reduces waste in landfills, conserves natural resources and prevents pollution, to name just a few of the benefits. It’s for these reasons most Americans will properly recycle items such as water bottles, newspapers and glass jars.

But what about that plastic fork? Is that a recyclable item? If you are not sure but throw it in the recycling bin and hope that all is well? Then you are a “wishcycler.” And this one act can cost you and the town money.

The term, wishcycling, is when an individual throws questionable items into the recycling bin hoping that the object will be properly recycled once it reaches the facility. The Windham Town Council learned about this and more at their last Tuesday, January 22 meeting. “We receive a report each month on how much contamination is in our recycling,” Interim Town Manager, Don Gerrish, told the council. “We’ve been on notice and we are going start to pay if the recycling hits a certain percentage of contamination.”

As a result, Gerrish invited Environmental Educator from ecomaine, Katrina Vehnhuizen to speak to and inform the council on the improperly recycled items that occurs at both curbside and the silver bullet site within the Town of Windham.

Vehnhuizen provided a PowerPoint presentation and shared with the Council some of the major contamination materials that people try to recycle which include (but are not limited to) the following: CDs or DVDs, appliances, such as microwaves or refrigerators as well as vehicle parts, propane tanks, hair dryer, coffee grounds and diapers. For the record - plastic cup lids, straws, knives, forks, and spoons are not recyclable materials either and, if put in the recycling bin, are considered contamination material.

“We also get a lot of plastic bags including big black trash bags to grocery store shopping bags,” Vehnhuizen stated. “These items are considered contamination and should not be placed in the recycling bins or in the silver bullets.”

Informing the public is Vehnhuizen’s job and she mentioned her success in educating students at Maine schools regarding the importance of proper recycling. She told the Council about her work at Windham’s Manchester School.

Katrina Vehnhuizen from ecomaine speaks to the Town Council about about improper recycling, otherwise known as 'wishcycling'

In the December 23, 2016 edition of The Windham Eagle’s article, “Fifth graders are ‘talking trash’ at Manchester School’, it was explained that as a result of the efforts of fifth grade teacher Jennifer Ocean, the school was awarded a $3,000 School Recycling Grant from ecomaine to teach the students about environmental responsibility.

Vehnhuizen visited the school and provided a hands-on and educational opportunities, teaching the students the difference between what is trash and what is not, by quite literally going through the garbage produced by the first school lunch hour.

Vehnhuizen began the trash audit session, first weighing, then discarding a full bag of rubbish on a huge blue tarp. With tongs and rubber gloves, the students were asked to separate the trash into four piles, 1. Actual trash. 2. Re-useable items such as Ziploc bags, 3. Recyclables such as milk cartons and 4. Compost. The students discovered that what initially began as 25 pounds of waste, when separated into appropriate piles, ended up being only 1 pound of real trash. The students quickly discovered how many unnecessary items are placed into landfills and thus the need to reduce the amount of solid waste disposal.

Below is a helpful list to not only help reduce the amount of trash going into landfills, but to also help you and the Town of Windham save money.

Items that can be recycled:

Paper, including but not limited to:

All clean cardboard, paperboard and pizza boxes

Newspapers, advertising inserts and mail

Magazines, catalogs, phone books, hard cover books

Clean paper plates (not soaked or caked with food or oils)

Wrapping paper that can rip

Milk & juice cartons (it helps to remove caps, but isn’t necessary)

Drink boxes and other aseptic containers (such as nut milk boxes)

Shredded paper (contained in a clear plastic bag)

Plastic rigid containers marked with a #1 – #7 (NO Styrofoam, bags & films), including but not limited to:

Water bottles and salad containers

Milk jugs

Detergent bottles

Yogurt containers

Takeout food containers (not styrofoam)

Metal containers, including but not limited to:

Tin cans

Aerosol cans, such as shaving cream and hair spray (completely emptied)

Aluminum cans, tins and foil (not caked with food residue)

Pots and pans

Glass, including:

All glass bottles and jars

Items that cannot be recycled:

Propane, fuel, or gas (O²) tanks 

Plastic bags and film, such as SaranWrap®, shrink wrap or boat wraps 

Rope, cables, cords or wires

Yard waste or food (compost them instead!)

Video and audio tapes

e-waste, such as computers, laptops, TVs, etc. 

CDs or DVDs 

Appliances, such as microwaves or refrigerators 

Clothing, shoes or bedding 

Car, truck or boat parts, including batteries and brake rotors

Plastic cup lids, straws, knifes, forks, and spoons

Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) and regular fluorescent bulbs.

For more information, contact ecomaine at 207-773-1738 or peruse their website at www.ecomaine.org.

Windham community to experience the joy from Munjoy Hill: Celebrating Black History Month on February 10

The choir from Green Memorial AME Zion Church

By Lorraine Glowczak

They are at it again. The group of individuals whose mission is to bring the community together to enjoy and learn about other cultures and beliefs in a variety of exciting ways will provide a venue to explore other philosophies in February. Or, so states Father Tim Higgins of St. Ann’s Episcopal Church who is also a member of the Windham Area Clergy Association (WACA). “WACA is at it again.” Higgins began. “We will celebrate Black History Month on Sunday, February 10 at 4 p.m. at North Windham Union Church, 723 Roosevelt Trail. Pastor Ken Lewis and his gospel choir from Green Memorial AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Zion Church in Portland will join us and offer two musical selections from their choir. Dr. Rick Nickerson will direct the combined choirs to end the festivities,” stated Higgins in a recent email to The Windham Eagle.

WACA consists of the greater Windham area clergy that include the following churches besides St. Ann’s: Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS), Windham Hill United Church of Christ, North Windham Union Church and Faith Lutheran Church. The mission of this organization is to share concerns and joys, to support one another as well as to exchange outreach ideas within the greater Windham and Lakes Region communities. As an organization, the goal is to provide awareness of the communities’ needs as well as respond to any tragedies or difficulties the community may experience, all the while learning about others in the process in order to live together in harmony and respect. Any religious organization in the Lakes Region area is welcomed to join WACA.

For Black History Month, the purpose is to celebrate culture and how it contributes to personal and spiritual growth. “This gathering gives me hope and optimism,” began Glenn Davis, Bishop of LDS. “For me, the gatherings we have had thus far have helped me understand other cultures and people. It gives me a sense that things can change. It is a great opportunity to meet and serve with WACA who are willing to learn and share with one another. For this Black History event, it reminds me of the terrible injustices placed on others throughout our history and the ways those who faced such injustices have overcome great challenges despite the overwhelming odds.”  

Davis went on to explain the past events that WACA has provided for the community. “In the past year we have gathered together in many ways including an opportunity to learn about the Jewish tradition, the Seder. We [WACA] and other community members met last year during a Seder meal lead by a Rabbi from Portland and hosted by Faith Lutheran Church in Windham. It was an amazing gathering that provided a learning experience for me.” Davis hoped that others learned from the experiences the WACA events provided from the past year that included community Thanksgiving gatherings and a Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this Black History Event is the inclusion of the Green Memorial AME Zion Church from Portland. The church’s choir will provide two of the musical selections and will be a part of the Windham area church choirs, led by the one and only famous musical conductor, Dr. Richard Nickerson of Windham.

Green Memorial Choir will sing with Windham Area Church choirs

Briefly, AME Zion Church is a historically African-American denomination based in the United States. It was officially formed in 1821 in New York City that made its way into Portland. Reverend Kenneth I. Lewis, Jr. of Green Memorial AME Zion in Portland, who provided the invocation at Governor Janet Mill’s convocation ceremony, will be participating in this event and will offer historical and musical presentations from the Green Memorial’s choir. Rev. Lewis is looking forward to joining in with area Windham churches to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s message. “I am a believer of Dr. King’s promotion of a beloved community irrespective of race, stated Rev. Lewis “We are all brothers and sisters, where people are known by the content of their character not the color of skin. I think opportunities [such as this event] is a great way to promote and demonstrate the very best of our Christian character through education in a shared space and we are looking forward to sharing this space with Windham”

Rev. Lewis also stated that Green Memorial, although historically an African-American church, is diverse in nature and has carried the mantel of Dr. King’s message. “We represent what heaven will look like. Our motto is ‘there is joy on Munjoy Hill’.”

The afternoon celebration event will include musical selections as well as readings, prayers, scriptures and pastoral commentary from all participating churches. The Green Memorial AME Zion choir will join in with the rest of the choirs and will be conducted by Dr. Richard Nickerson.

“This event is so very important to those of us who live in the Lakes Region area because we live in a homogenous community,” commented Rev. Higgins. “Most of us in this area are European-Americans and it will be beneficial on many levels to celebrate Black History Month by word and song with our African-American brothers and sisters.”

All are invited to experience the joy shared by our neighbors from Munjoy Hill.

If attendees wish, any financial donation will go toward the Green Memorial AME Zion ministries. All are welcome to attend for joy, celebration and refreshments after the event.

Lakes Region Senior Center settles in at Little Falls Activity Center

Clarence Wisecup and Blanche Alexander

By Elizabeth Richards

The Lakes Region Senior Center has moved around quite a bit in their seven-year history but has settled in nicely at the Little Falls Activity Center in Gorham, where they hope to stay for the long haul.

The center was founded after Tim Hortons in Windham closed. The first president, Glen Lynds, ran an ad looking for others interested in developing a place for seniors to gather. Current president Blanche Alexander was among those to answer the call.

The Lakes Region Senior Center is a membership organization and operates as a drop-in center.  Members don’t need to sign up for specific activities – they show up and participate however they see fit.  “They come because they’re lonely, they’re looking for companionship,” Alexander said. “It doesn’t mean you have to do something, just come and enjoy being with others.”

Founding member Clarence Wisecup said that there are only a few married couples who are members. “A lot of our members are singles who live alone,” he said. The center gives them a place to come and socialize.

The official hours of the center are from 9 am to 1 pm, Monday through Friday. Many members stay past 1 pm, however, and they are welcome to be in the room whenever the building is open. The center has a newsletter published each month by Wisecup to keep members informed of activities and upcoming events.

Weekly events include Mah Jong on Mondays, card games on Tuesdays, twice per month board meetings on Wednesdays, Bingo on Thursdays, and a new crafting group on Fridays. They also have use of the gym for walking every Monday from 9 am to 11 am. “We try to find things that will interest different groups at different times,” Alexander said.

One popular monthly event is the luncheons the center puts on, which include a speaker on various topics of interest to seniors. In January, a police officer from Portland spoke to the group about RAD (Resisting Aggression Defensively). 

Alexander said they also try to let members who are ill and can’t get out know that the group is thinking about them. Wisecup adds that they have a member who will call people on a regular basis, just to talk and relieve loneliness.

The center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. They conduct a few fundraisers throughout the year, including a bake sale at one of the election sites in Gorham. Next November, they’ll participate in a Christmas Fair to raise funds.

Wisecup said they’d love to have a manager to run the center, but because they operate on a volunteer basis, it’s difficult to find someone who wants to devote that much time to the center. 

“A lot of our seniors have been doing this all their lives, working, volunteering, and now they’re coming to have a little down time,” Alexander said. “They don’t want to come here and work.”

There are currently 66 members in the Lakes Region Senior Center, and their current goal is to reach 70 members. Membership costs $20 per year and is open to anyone 50 years old or older in the surrounding communities.

Alexander said that the places that offered the center a temporary space – the Grange, North Gorham church, and Sunset Ridge - were all very kind to the group. “They all tried to help us as much as they could,” she said.  The group loves having a space to call their own now, she added. “We wanted a place to call home, and everyone has been satisfied so far.”

The senior center has been a bright spot in Alexander’s life. “When I retired from nursing, I was looking for something special to do. That ad in the paper was a godsend to me because it’s been a wonderful experience for me,” she said.