EVENTS: Annual cookie walk, craft sale and food drive in Vassalboro

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Simone Antworth coordinates the annual Cookie Walk with a crafts sale at Vassalboro Methodist Church. A food drive to benefit programs at the Vassalboro Food Pantry, and information about other local missions will also be available at the event on November 15. (contributed photo)

by Dale Potter-Clark

Vassalboro Methodist Church (VUMC), at 614 Main Street, is holding its annual Cookie Walk on Saturday, November 15, 0 a.m.-2 p.m. This is an exciting time for all ages when for $5 folks can take home as many cookies as can be fit inside the container provided. There will be more than two dozen varieties of homemade cookies to choose from. VUMC will have crafts for sale in addition to those delicious cookies and their famous beans and biscuits “To Go” for supper after a day of shopping!!

There will also be a food drive during those hours when people can bring donations of food for the Vassalboro Food Pantry Station (VFPS) Thanksgiving basket and Backpack programs. The latter provides food to students from Vassalboro Community School, when school is not in session. A list of foods needed is available for viewing on the VUMC and VFPS Facebook pages. VFPS volunteers will also be there selling crafts to help financially support the mission. “The generosity from the community is very much appreciated and goes a long way to support our neighbors during these tumultuous times of uncertainty,” said Cindy Ferland, VFSP director.

Other missions present at the event will include “Sew for a Cause” from St. Bridget’s Center, to share information about their mission, which benefits a variety of causes from newborns to nursing home residents and veterans at Togus. Also, there will be information about the Vassalboro Ministry Association Fuel Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides Vassalboro families who are in need of fuel assistance.

FMI about this event and other VUMC programs and services visit the VUMC Facebook page or contact vumc.info@ gmail.com or (207) 873-5564 or pick up a copy of the Nov.-Dec. VUMC newsletter at the Vassalboro Library, Town Office or Historical Society.

EVENTS: All aboard the Polar Express

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Sat., December 6,
4 p.m. departure
Whitefield Library train depot

Tickets are FREE but must be obtained in advance due to space limitations. Grab yours at the library.

Arrive at the Whitefield Library train depot, 1 Arlington Lane, at 3:45 p.m. Wear your PJs and bring your favorite stuffy or blanket. There will be hot cocoa with marshmallows, cookies and every child will get a special gift to take home.

EVENTS: Without family to share Thanksgiving? Join friends and neighbors at Palermo Community Center

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If you have no family nearby to share the Thanksgiving Holiday, you are welcome to join friends and neighbors at the Palermo Community Center for a potluck dinner, on Thursday, November 27, at 2 p.m. There will be a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and fresh cranberry sauce. To prevent duplications, there is a sign-up list so we can share all our favorite dishes and make sure we have enough pies.

Space is somewhat limited, so please call Connie at 993-2294 or email pwhitehawk@fairpoint.net, to reserve a place at the table. There is no set fee, but donations to the Living Communities Foundation are most welcome. We view Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude and sharing, so if you have a story, song, or legend to share, that would also be appreciated.

This celebration is hosted by the Community Center and the Great Thunder Chicken Drum, which honors a spirit of peace, sharing, and teaching, parts of the original Thanksgiving tradition among the early immigrants and the Native Peoples. Thus, if you choose to bring a Native American dish, that would be especially welcomed. Examples might be roasted venison, chestnut pudding, stewed blackberries, Indian pudding, or succotash. The food donation is not strictly necessary, however. Some people don’t or cannot cook, and SNAP benefits have been cut off, so the emphasis is on sharing and fellowship. You are most important. We look forward to welcoming you.

The Palermo Community Center is just off Turner Ridge Road across from the ball field. You will see our new sign as you approach Veterans Way.

Festival of Wreaths to benefit Winslow Community Cupboard Food Pantry

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Photo courtesy of Beth Warren

The Festival of Wreaths – a raffle-benefit for Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry – will be held on Saturday, November 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Centerpoint Church, 155 West River Road, in Waterville. Admission to the event is a donation of any amount; raffle tickets will be 50 cents each. Food and beverages will be available for sale, and there will be a very special appearance by Santa Claus!

Featuring dozens of wonderful Christmas and holiday wreaths, the raffle-benefit will seek to raise urgently-needed funds for the food pantry, which serves food-insecure children, seniors, and other adults in Winslow, Waterville, and more than 20 surrounding towns. The Festival of Wreaths is sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank.

For more information, please contact Winslow Community Cupboard, at 207-616-0076 or WinslowCupboard@Gmail.com.

PUBLIC NOTICES for Thursday, November 6, 2025

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TOWN OF CHINA

Notice of Public Hearing The Municipal Officers of the Town of China will hold a public hearing at the town office on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. regarding an On-Premises Liquor License Application submitted by Nash’s Cafe LLC, located at 9 Legion Memorial Drive.

EVENTS: All Saints Sunday in Vassalboro

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Vassalboro United Methodist Church at 614 Main Street/Route 32. (contributed photo)

A special service will be held at Vassalboro United Methodist Church on All Saints Sunday, November 2, at 10 a.m., when those in attendance will be given opportunities to remember those loved ones they have loved and lost. Folks are invited to bring their loved ones pictures to share and to write the names of those loved ones in a book of remembrance upon entering the sanctuary. Following the reading of a poem, names will be read and a gentle chime will sound as each name is spoken. A time of fellowship will follow the service.

Pastor Karen Merrill will be returning to the pulpit for the first time after several weeks’ absence on medical leave. Dale Potter-Clark will assist with the service. FMI phone, text or email Dale at (207) 441-9184 or crossings4u@gmail.com.

All are welcome to the All Saints Sunday service or anytime at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church, which is located at 614 Main Street/Route 32.

EVENTS: China appeals board

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China Town Officeby Mary Grow

The China Board of Appeals meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Oct. 23, to continue discussion of Timothy Theriault’s application for a variance has been canceled. A new date will be set and announced.

EVENTS: Erosion Control workshop slated for November

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Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District and Maine DEP are co-sponsoring an in-person day-long training in Basic & Advanced Erosion Control Practices Certification for contractors on Thursday, November 6, at the Wiscasset Community Center, located on 242 Gardiner Road. The training will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and includes a light breakfast, lunch and refreshments.

If you are an excavation contractor, landscaper, well driller, or other individual involved with soil disturbance within the shoreland zone and have not yet taken a class, sign up now so you won’t have to turn away jobs! The course is geared for, and of primary interest to contractors but could also be helpful to municipal codes enforcement officers, consultants, engineers, and public works employees.

In this eight-hour course, participants learn why erosion control practices are important; be exposed to the principles of erosion and sedimentation; learn how to properly install and maintain Erosion & Sedimentation Control (ESC) Best Management Practices (BMPs); and become familiar with regulations requiring Erosion and Sediment BMPs. Participants are provided with information on the proper selection, installation, and maintenance of ESC practices in accordance with Maine DEP’s “Erosion and Sediment Control Practices Field Guide for Contractors.”

John Maclaine of Maine DEP will facilitate this course, which is necessary to become a Contractor Certified in Erosion and Sedimentation Control Practices by the Department.

Pre-registration with payment of $95 (mail-in registration) / $98 (online registration) is required by Tuesday, November 4. Attendees may register and pay at the Knox-Lincoln SWCD website at https://www.knox-lincoln.org/events-workshops/basic-and-advanced-erosion-control-practices-certification-nov or for more information, contact Knox-Lincoln SWCD office at 596-2040, louisa@knox-lincoln.org.

EVENTS: Vassalboro 5th Annual Christmas Stocking and Hanukkah Dreidels

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Contributed photo

As part of their mission to thank veterans for their service, American Legion Post #126, in Vassalboro, is planning its Annual Christmas Stocking and Hanukkah Dreidel for veterans served by the Togus outreach programs.

American Legion Post #126 needs your help with this project. In 2024 the Sew for a Cause sewers made and donated 250 stockings and dreidels that volunteers filled with personal care products donated from area businesses and the public. The public is invited to drop off personal care products, puzzle books, playing cards, snacks, or donations, at 860 Main St., Vassalboro, or the Connected Credit Union, 12 Monument St., Winslow, by December 5, 2025.

If you would like to make a monetary donation, it can be mailed to American Legion Post #126, PO Box 112, N. Vassalboro, ME 04962. Anyone interested in helping fill the stockings and dreidels can stop by St. Bridget Center, 864 Main St., in Vassalboro, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, starting at 1 p.m. Call 207 616-3148 for more information.

EVENTS: Palermo Community Cookout coming Saturday, October 11, 2025

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Submitted by Connie Bellet

The weather report for October 11 looks great, with Indian Summer gracing us with autumn warmth. This is the perfect time to kick back and enjoy some wonderful food and camaraderie with friends and neighbors in a backyard setting beneath a real grape arbor and some shady shelters. The fragrance of roasting meats over a charcoal fire whets our appetites as the Palermo Community Center and the Great ThunderChicken Drum welcome everyone to the feast. Some of Palermo’s best cooks will share a buffet of salads, beans, roasted turkey, chicken, pork, and brats in a beer hot tub (child friendly) and, of course, seasonal pies and crisps. Tickets are only $12.00 for people over age 12, with smaller kids free. Takeout is also available. The fun and food commence at 1:30 pm., and there is plenty of parking behind the grape arbor. The Community Center is at the corner of Turner Ridge Rd. and Veterans Way. A left turn behind the Center at the wood shed will lead down a pathway to the parking area.

Following the feast, Don Kealey will enliven the crowd with the raffle drawing. The prizes include serious garden tools donated by The Home Depot, potting soil and fertilizer from Annie Frier and Sandy Davis, a bird feeder and seed from Ruth Flint, and a backyard firepit from Ann and Peter Bako. There are also some nice wall décor pieces from Nancy and Dawn Beekley, with some other intriguing items still arriving. Then, there will be entertainment! A Japanese Taiko Drum group of young adults and their sensei will make sure nobody drifts off on a full stomach.

This is a celebration honoring our volunteers, who have put in many long hours working on the grounds, placing a new sign on Turner Ridge Road. The Food Pantry volunteers have been serving neighbors in need every week for the last 14 years. The Great ThunderChicken Drum has brought inspiration, cultural wisdom, and song to many hearts since 2008, and the Community Garden provides hundreds of pounds of very fresh, organic produce to the Food Pantry. The Community Foundation thanks AARP and Community Connections for a grant of $3,700 for the road sign, and SeedMoney.org for a grant of $2,150 for the Community Garden. Thanks also go to Hannaford for their contribution of meat for the feast!