Homes for Heroes comes to Maine - By Michelle Libby

Now for the first time military personnel, police officers, firefighters, teachers, first responders and others who serve the communities and nation in Maine can be a part of the Homes for Heroes program.  This program was born after the September 11, 2001 events to help those who rush in when others are running out. The program partners with realtors, mortgage lenders, title companies, attorneys and other service providers who “agree to provide significant rebates and discounts to those who serve our nation and its communities every day,” according to a press release sent out by the new local affiliates. 
 

In Maine, Rick Yost of Keller Williams Realty is currently working with heroes to find affordable homes. Hal Inman of The Mortgage Network is a lender and Matt and Randee McDonald of Cumberland Title also provide a discount to heroes. 

“I stumbled across it on LinkedIn. I visited the website and did research,” said Yost. 

“Creating a network is more valuable to the heroes. The core is real estate,” said Randee. 

“A program like this is for the people who make your community a better place to be. We make it affordable for them to live in their community,” said Yost. “They can live in the community they work in.” 

“Some of the people put their lives on the line every day,” said Inman.

Yost and any other realtors in the program agree to rebate 25 percent of their commission back to the hero. On a $250,000 house, that could be as much as $2,500 that will go toward the closing costs. Inman waives half of the application fee for the mortgage and the McDonalds discount the mortgage title and some of the closing costs. The network is also looking to find discount property inspectors. 

The program also works for sellers to discount the cost of selling their home and buying a new one. It doesn’t have to be for a first home. “No hidden fees, no fine print. No catch,” said Yost. “It couldn’t be easier to use, couldn’t be easier to find.”  

“Those people have enough going on. We don’t want to make it any harder for them,” said Randee. 

Inman knew a family of two married teachers. “They were paying $1,200 in rent each month. They couldn’t imagine saving for a down payment,” he said. “This is a chance to help people like that for what they do. It makes you feel good,” he said. 

When Inman speaks to someone going through the program, he will qualify that person for how much he can afford. Going through Homes for Heroes does not exempt someone from using the different types of loan programs including VA, Rural Development or HUD. 

“This is money given to the hero. It’s coming out of our pockets. Nobody’s subsidizing me,” said Yost.  

If a person qualifies as a hero anywhere in the state, they will be assigned to this team until more realtors join the program. Contacting them directly is the best way to go, they said. The phone number for the Maine program is 207-482-0588.  

The program is 12 years old and has saved heroes an estimated $4.7 million. There are a few heroes involved in the program now, though none have closed on their property because real estate transactions take at least 20 to 30 days to close, said Yost. 

The trio is not done yet. They are looking for more to join in their network from a home inspector and builders to barbers and oil companies. “The way they can support us is to use us,” Yost concluded. 

For more information or to sign up visit www.homesforheroes.com and register as a hero or call 482-0588.

Homes for Heroes, Thanking Heroes One Home at a Time.

Smitty's expands to include new theater - By Michelle Libby

Less than a year after they opened Smitty’s Cinema is expanding into what was the storage area for Big Lots which moved out at the beginning of the year. 
 

“Business is good, doing well. We’ve been very pleased,” manager Tucker Smith said.

When Tucker and his uncle Milton Smith opened Smitty’s, they had planned to expand to have more seating, since the configuration with tables cuts the seats by half of what they were in the old theater.

“We never believed Big Lots would leave within a year,” Tucker said. The new eighth theater will be the largest at Smitty’s on taking up 3,000 square feet and seating 170 people. At this time, the largest theater holds 115 people. “It will be configured so we can run live events in there, but mostly our new films. We hope to turn away less people,” he said. 

Construction starts next week and will be completed in three months or so, according to Tucker. 

For more information like Smitty’s Cinema, Windham on Facebook.

Gearing up for annual fishing derbies - By Elizabeth Richards

The last two years have been tough ones for the Sebago Lake Rotary Club’s annual ice fishing derbies, but it looks as though that luck will change this year. “Big ice is a chance for a big derby, and we’ve got big ice coming on right now,” said Toby Pennels, the event organizer. 
 

Though the derbies include Kezar Lake and all legal Cumberland County waterways, good ice on Sebago is key to a successful event, said Pennels. “There’s always ice to fish. It’s the allure, maybe the magic, of Sebago that’s the draw. If we don’t have good ice on Sebago, we suffer,” he said.

The last two years were tough, and this year the club considered not even running the derby. Pennels agreed to be the point person, and the club rallied to make it happen, gathering sponsors big and small. “The message that I’m the most proud of is that in the wake of two pretty miserable years for the derby in terms of weather conditions, is that our local businesses have stood up beyond belief,” said Pennels. “The $100, $250 and $500 contributions have been amazing. That’s why we have a derby, because the community stood up and wrote the checks.”

It’s sometimes easy in a bad ice year to forget all the good stuff, said Pennels. And yet, even in a “bad year” thousands of dollars have been raised. “Last year was a bad derby year and they raised over $60-70,000 for Maine Children’s Cancer. It’s amazing, and we forget that,” he said. The Polar Dip, sponsored by Shaw’s and run by the Maine Children’s Cancer Program with assistance from the Rotary Club, is the most consistent fundraiser, since it can occur even when there is no ice, said Pennels. 

The Derby was shifted to the first weekend of school vacation to coincide with free fishing weekend in Maine. This year, it will be held on Saturday, February 15^th and Sunday, February 16^th. Weigh stations will open at 7 a.m. each day, and will close at 5 p.m. On Sunday, the 5 p.m. time is a hard close, meaning you must be in line by then to be weighed. A kids derby will be held on March 8^th, rather than the same weekend as the regular derby, this year. The change is due to both limited volunteers and a hope for warmer temperatures. “Last year was brutal. It was about a five minute stay time on the ice and you couldn’t do it anymore,” said Pennels. 

The derbies serve three purposes; to raise money for charity, to serve as a fish management tool for the state, and, this year, to feed hungry people in Cumberland County. An organization, Hunters for the Hungry, plans to gather unwanted fish from the ice, bring them to a food processor that has agreed to process the fish according to regulations, and feed people throughout the area.

Registrants can fish for all four species – pike, pickerel, perch and togue on both Sebago and Kezar Lakes. The objective in having another togue location was to have a backup body of water, in case Sebago didn’t freeze. Cancelling the derby has a great impact on anyone coming from a distance, so moving weigh stations and recommending another venue is preferred, said Pennels. The management objectives of Kezar Lake are the same as those for Sebago, and therefore this lake can also offer the unlimited fish pool prizes according to state law. “This is the state working with us, understanding the problem – it was perfect,” said Pennels. The Cumberland County Derby allows for fishing of the other three species on all legal ice fishing waters in the county.

There are three ways to win in this year’s derbies. The 30 days of Derby is an incentive for people to register early. Anyone registering between January 15^th and February 10^th is entered into a drawing for a variety of prize packages. Early registrations can eliminate the need to hire outside administrative help, preserving more dollars for charity. 

There are big fish prizes, including a $100,000 prize for catching the largest togue that breaks the state record of 31 pounds, 8 ounces. There are prizes for the top three fish for all four species, including a 2013 Polaris Sportsman ATV for the largest togue.

Finally, there are the fish pool prizes. Any fish caught, up to the limit of six per species per day, will earn the registrant an entry into the fish pool drawings. This encourages those fishing to bring in the smaller fish so biologists can examine the catch and gather important data. 

This year two reality television shows will be joining in the fun. The National Geographic Channel is sending a production crew to film a reality-based show about ice fishing. Signs placed all around the filming areas will serve as permission for anyone in that area to appear on camera. Though Pennels doesn’t know the name of the show or any details, he said, “What I do know is that if it is done right, there is comedy on the ice for sure.” The reality show Northwoods Law will also be filming at the derby. 

Other events for the weekend include the polar dip, helicopter rides at Raymond Beach, vendors for food, ice fishing equipment and bait, and the Sebago Speed Trials on Sunday. Rules, registration forms, prize lists, weigh station locations, and more information can be found on the website, www.icefishingderby.com.

Chili Challenge offers up spicy competition - By Michelle Libby

With ingredients fresh from the garden, chefs from around the area gathered at the North Windham Union Church to show off their signature chili recipes to support the Windham Community Garden. With competitors from Saint Joseph’s College, Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS), Rustlers, Buck’s Naked BBQ, Southern Maine Community College as well as private groups like Chili con Corey, Ron’s Mexican Cantina & Grill and Ron Juergens. 
 

Maple’s Organic Gelato on Route 1 in Yarmouth run by Valerie Waters and her brother Patrick Martin had a table to cool down the mouths of the public who were invited in to sample and vote for their favorite. The chili’s ranged from moose meat chili to chicken chili to elk meat chili, there was a flavor and heat level for everyone. 

Scott Walsh, the chef at Saint Joseph’s College, won the people’s choice vote with is elk chili, which is low in fat and low in cholesterol. “It’s heartwarming, heart healthy chili. I’m honored to be named favorite two times in a row. I’m looking forward to doing it again next year,” Walsh said. His secret ingredients were chocolate and port wine. Being close to valentine’s day, he figured he couldn’t go wrong. 

First place in the judged category was Rustlers Steakhouse. “I honestly don’t know (why I won),” said chef Stewart Purinton. “It’s not too spicy and a little sweetness to it. There’s also a lot of meat in it,” he said of his winning chili. He also let it sit overnight for everything to meld. 

 

Second place went to PATHS seniors Victoria Dudley (WHS), Brandon Buck (G-NG) and Adrianna DiBiase (Casco Bay HS) under the direction of teacher Doug Armstrong. “It’s tremendous,” said Armstrong of the win. 

Even in the chili didn’t win, everyone commented that it was a good way to help the Windham Community Garden. 

The event raised close to $500.

"Mum Mum" celebrates a century in Raymond - By Michelle Libby

Muriel “Mum Mum” Yeager asks “Who do you love?” And the answer is always “Mum Mum.” If the attendance at her 100^th birthday party is any indication, lots of people love Mum Mum, who turned 100 last Saturday. 

 

Her daughters Margo Fournier, from Raymond, and Donna Dowse, from North Carolina, organized a surprise birthday party for their mother. They were able to keep the party a secret until 10 a.m. on Saturday when, with the food on the pool table set for an army, they told her that there would be a few people stopping by. 

Yeager was born in Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada. When she was born in 1914, singer Anne Murray’s grandfather brought her into the world. Yeager was one of 12 children. 

She told her children she didn’t want a party. “No, I want a quiet day.” 

“It was like Grand Central Station,” Yeager said. 

The biggest surprise was when her son Jim arrived with his adult son in tow, after saying he couldn’t be there, said Margo. 

The whole Raymond Village Church was invited and most came to the party. “I told the minister that she could have brought the offering plate here,” Yeager said. People from the neighborhood association also stopped by to wish Yeager well. 

Yeager is part of a group of women who call themselves the golden girls. Anne Harriman, Rosemary Tripp and Yeager were known to take off after church to visit Tim Horton’s and Walmart. 

“They used to raise hell,” said Dowse. “When you get to be this age you can get away with saying anything,” she added. 

“We were never arrested,” Yeager declares.  

Yeager can be found most days, sitting on the couch knitting baby sweaters, pants and hats to sell at the Raymond Village Church’s Christmas fair. She started knitting at five years old. She watches only a few shows on television like The Price is Right and The Sound of Music, which she said she’s seen five times. 

“Oh I love that.” 

On TV she said, “Nowadays someone’s shooting someone or in bed with someone.” 

Back in the day, she was married to Floyd “Bud” Yeager, who passed away at 77. He was the director of military transport for TWA. He was quiet and reserved, which according to her daughters was the opposite of his wife. One night at an officer’s club, he had to beg her to get off the stage, when he came in and she was dancing mostly to egg him on, she said. 

She ran a nursery school where she charged $.50 an hour and $.75 if she gave a child lunch. “But then it was only $.30 for a gallon of gasoline,” she added. 

She moved to Portland in 1996 and spent one year in an apartment before moving to Raymond to live with Fournier. 

Yeager loves to garden and was raking leaves at 98 years old. “I’d rake for an hour, come in have a Boost, then go back out for another hour,” Yeager said. “I told the mailman to drive up very slow. I don’t want the leaves to fall from the trees.” 

She got her hair cut for her birthday at Guys & Gals. “They gave me a freebie,” she said. Yeager wanted everyone to know that they too can have a free hair cut when they turn 100. 

“I’m on Facebook,” she boasted. Joanne Riley at the salon posted a picture of Yeager’s hair once it was done. 

The mother of four children, Bob is the oldest, followed by Fournier, Jim and Dowse. She has 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. She is proud of her children happy to tell about Fournier working as assistant director of transportation at RSU14, Dowse is an art teacher, Bob was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and now works for TWA and Jim helped with the building of the lunar module that landed on the moon, she said. 

Fifth-graders at Manchester School made 107 birthday cards for Yeager. “I’m going to get every card out and read every one of them,” said Yeager. 

In addition to gardening, being a New England sports fan and knitting she also likes to have a glass of wine every night. She was a member of a wine of the month club at one point. “My wine and Boost and eating oatmeal every morning,” she said are her secrets to longevity. 

“I try to do for myself,” she said. 

When she blew out her birthday cake candles she made a wish, but this year, she didn’t want material possessions. Her wish was for everyone to get home safely.