Jayna Smith

[email protected]

There is lots happening this Saturday in and around Calais:  

There are two great craft and vendor fairs happening this Saturday.  At Calais Elementary School, you can find Calais Community Hospital’s Auxiliary’s fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Lunches will be available for purchase, as well.  

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Prepare for a burst of pink, along with some community engagement for a great cause, as the Flamingo Fundraising Season gears up this month.

Flamingo Fundraising directly supports Sarah’s House of Maine, a cancer hospitality house located in Holden.  It serves many from all over the state who are receiving treatment, with Washington County residents making up the majority.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

On Thursday, March 25, 2024, the Calais City Council met for its regular meeting, with Councilors Kevin Niles, Mike Sherrard, Marcia Rogers, Elery Beale, and Bill Quinn present.  Councilor James Macdonald and Mayor Artie Mingo were absent. Rogers was appointed Mayor Pro Tempore.  

What follows is a brief summary of the meeting, with the full meeting available for viewing on the City of Calais’s Facebook page.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

The Wabanaki Culture Center is hosting a Wabanaki Spring Market, just in time for Mother’s Day shopping.

According to organizer Lynn Amakehs Mitchell, this is the first year for the market and will highlight Wabanaki artists from all over the State of Maine and Canada.  And, she added, “We do have a couple other artists from other confederacies as well.”

Machias Savings Bank is a proud Gold sponsor of Down East Hospice Volunteers’ 33rd annual Cobscook Bay Race taking place on June 2, 2024, in Pembroke.  Left to right - Barbara Barnett, Executive Director of Down East Hospice Volunteers, and Clint Mercer, Assistant Branch Manager of Machias Savings Bank in Machias.  For more information information about this event, www.cobscookbayroadraces.org runsignup.com/cobscookraces

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

In the recent Calais City Council session, concerned citizens voiced their concerns regarding disruptive behavior from youth, with incidents ranging from mischief to even arson.  The meeting, held last Thursday, saw a gathering of residents advocating for stricter measures to address what they perceive as a growing problem.

Jon Reisman

I attended the 2024 Maine Republican Party Convention in Augusta, aptly named “Restoring Freedom.” What follows are my Statler and Waldorf intern observations and notes.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Thursday, May 9, is the Harlem Wizards basketball game at Woodland High School.  Doors open at 6 p.m., and the game starts at 7 p.m.  Proceeds from this fun event will benefit

Woodland Parks and Recreation Department, Woodland High School JMG, and Woodland High School senior class.

This is Beans. He’s been missing for about a week from the Carson Road area. Text or call 207-904-7578 with sightings.

Will Tuell

Maine’s commercial lobster fishermen certainly have had a lot on their plate for the past several years with federal regulators adopting or proposing stringent new gear requirements designed to protect North Atlantic Right Whales that may, or may not, be present in the Gulf of Maine; concern over the location and scale of floating offshore wind farms; and most recently, stock assessments that could trigger changes in the rules governing what constitutes a legal lobster. 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

The greater-Calais community is eagerly anticipating the latest fundraising endeavor:  the Floating Flamingo Fun Fundraiser!  Following the success of another flamingo-themed event, this new initiative aims to further support Sarah’s House of Maine.

Jon Reisman

Esports is short for electronic sports, and according to middleschoolesports.com, it “is the home for all gamers to compete and learn together by making it easy for communities of all backgrounds and ages (middle school and high school) to socialize and connect through video games.” Students can even earn college scholarships through Esports. 

Princeton Parks & Recreation teamed up with Baileyville’s Recreation for a craft fair at Woodland Jr./Sr. High School last Saturday.

At the Princeton Parks & Rec. booth, members offered free plants from the plant swap, along with freshly cut daffodils. Each vendor at the fair generously contributed an item for a lively raffle, resulting in a basket filled with unique treasures. The fortunate winner of this basket was Becky Santerre.

Will Tuell

In yet another sure sign of spring, state officials have opened the Down East Sunrise Trail to ATV use. Game Warden Joe McBrine of the Maine Warden Service said in a message prior to the trail’s reopening that, despite severe flooding in January which caused extensive damage to the throughway, ATVers could expect things to be fully back to normal by early-to-mid summer. 

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Every second Saturday in May marks the annual Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive, a nationwide event hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers.  

Last weekend, this massive one-day food drive unfolded across the United States.  Over its three-decade history, the initiative has contributed over a billion pounds of food to local food pantries and shelters, making it the largest of its kind in the country.

On Thursday, May 9, Austin Theriault, shown left, a Republican primary candidate in Maine's 2nd congressional district, visited Calais.  He was accompanied by City of Calais Mayor Artie Mingo, shown right, who is a candidate for Maine House of Representatives to represent District 9.

A business owner and former NASCAR driver from Fort Kent, Theriault was elected to the Maine House of Representatives last year.  He hopes to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in the November elections.

Jon Reisman

5 a.m. trips to the garden (the black flies are not early/cool morning risers) sometimes clears the head and fuels the column, but when horticultural discipline fails to inspire, careful inspection of the inbox and assorted internet flotsam offers copious column fodder.

Possible People’s Veto of National Popular Vote 

As the high school baseball season nears its end, seniors Kaiden Sockabasin, Ryley Case, Sean Look, Ethan Barnard, and Keegan Trainor were honored at a recent home game.  Pictured with their families, they received recognition for their contributions to the team. (Photo by Kobe Saunders)

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

On Sunday, June 2, 2024, Pembroke's Cobscook Bay will be the backdrop for a day of outdoor festivities at the 33rd Annual Cobscook Bay Road Races. 

This event, featuring a 5k, 10k, and Kids Fun Run, promises to be a celebration of community spirit and charitable giving, all in support of the Down East Hospice Volunteers of Washington County.

Your future is beyond bright. 

Congratulations on a 

job well done!

From all of us at The Calais Advertiser

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

This Saturday, the Calais Motor Inn is the location of a benefit dinner for Skeet and Tina Seelye.  The event will feature a spaghetti dinner, available for dine-in or take-out, and priced at $10 per adult and $5 for children.  The doors will open at 3:30 p.m. for ticket sales of a Chinese auction, with dinner service starting at 5 p.m.

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

Ian Pratt and his automobile dealerships support many local causes throughout the year.  Among his long-standing commitments, Down East Hospice Volunteers stands out as a cause close to his heart. 

Woodland High Recognizes Top 10 Graduates

Jayna Smith

[email protected]

On May 9, 2024, Woodland High School celebrated its top 10 graduating seniors at an assembly attended by family and friends.

Leading the class as valedictorian is Hudson DePriest, son of Jerry and Sonya DePriest. Hudson is set to embark on a journey studying civil engineering at University of Maine, Orono.

Alexander homeschoolers, student council, Grangers, and several residents gathered together on Monday, May 20th, to place flags on veterans’ graves at the cemetery in time for Memorial Day.  Each veteran was remembered as their flag was placed by their name being read out loud.  Students learned a little bit about each person, including where they served, the branch of service, and the two special dates engraved on each.  

Two dedicated volunteers – Teresa Huff, of Baileyville, and Tonia Griffin, of Pembroke – from the Downeast Service Unit, recently received the Appreciation Pin from the Girl Scouts of Maine (GSME). The Appreciation Pin is an award bestowed upon a volunteer or staff member who

provides exemplary service in support of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) that has had a measurable impact on two or more troops in one or more geographic areas.

Will Tuell

It isn’t every day one of the world’s best childhood golfers comes to Downeast Maine, but last week, junior high students from area elementary schools packed into gyms across Washington County as part of a speaker series organized by Down East and Calais Community hospitals to hear Kyle Quilausing tell of how a ten-year-old phenom battling Tiger Woods at the top of the world junior golf rankings spiraled out of control and became “a menace to his homeland.”