Jayna Smith

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Happy October! October hosts Halloween on the 31st, Canadian Thanksgiving on the 13th, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the 13th. It’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

St. Croix Council #149 of the Knights of Columbus held an exemplification of all three degrees for new members at the Immaculate Conception Church in Calais on Sept. 21. Pictured are (front) State Advocate Gary Boynton, new member Josh Hoyt, new member David Smith, new member Kevin Scarlett, new member Gabe Dillio, State Deputy Michael Giroux, Council #149 Grand Knight Michael Boies, (back) Past State Deputy and Ceremonial Dir.

From left to right are Reps. Mathew McIntyre (R-Lowell), Will Tuell (R-East Machias), and Tiffany Strout (R-Harrington) join Senator Marianne Moore (R-Calais) in presenting David and Julie Barker, owners of Helen’s Restaurant of Machias, with a legislative sentiment recognizing the eatery’s 75th anniversary in business following a lunch meeting Sept. 23. (Courtesy photo) 

Jayna Smith

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Warm up with the flavors of fall at the first-ever Soups & Stews Cook-Off, hosted by the Calais Lioness Club, this Saturday as part of CDRC’s Harvest Festival. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and promises a deliciously cozy start to the day.

Autumn air, falling leaves, and the promise of spooky nights, this Downes Street home is embracing the spirit of Halloween in full flair. (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Passamaquoddy language and culture teacher Lynn Mitchell led Calais High School students in the annual school-wide march for Wear Orange Day on Sept. 30, remembering Indigenous children lost to residential schools and those who returned with lasting hurts. Many students wore orange shirts, a symbol of remembrance and resilience inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story, and marched alongside Mitchell in song and drumming. Mitchell later visited Woodland High, where five students joined her in drumming and singing, earning a standing ovation.

The Princeton Parks & Recreation group held its second annual Halloween Costume Swap at the Princeton Public Library. This year, pumpkins were purchased in order to offer an opportunity for the kids to paint one and bring it home. The kids were really creative in their painting of their pumpkins. There was a wide variety of costumes to choose from, as well. 

Down East Hospice Volunteers and friends were hosted by Audrey Patterson with a luncheon at her home on Blueberry Point in Perry to celebrate another year of compassionate volunteer hospice service in Washington County, our 44th year. DEHV is offering volunteer training on October 20, 23, 24, 28, and 29. For information about our free services or the upcoming volunteer training, call 207-454-7521, ext.

Jayna Smith

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This year’s Harvest Festival got a little sweeter thanks to Jo’s Diner & Pizzeria, which hosted its very first Whoopie Pie Eating Contest for kids ages 12 and under. And let’s just say, it was messy, chaotic, and a sugar-fueled frenzy of fun.

Jayna Smith

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The Baileyville Big Stop Restaurant, a long-standing fixture of the Irving-owned truck stop since the 1980s, is reportedly set to close this December. Yet, despite repeated inquiries over the past year, Irving Oil has remained tight-lipped about what’s next for the location.

Paul Sylvain

How does an $11 million bond referendum question become something much less? It happens when Washington County’s Board of Commissioners pledges to cap the amount to be borrowed to only what is needed to pay for the principal and interest on the county’s 2025 Tax Anticipation Note (TAN), due payable in full on Dec. 31, 2025.

Time to Vote! 

Find “Calais, Maine Annual Scarecrow Contest” on Facebook. Vote by clicking “like” under the picture on the original post. Help spread the fun by sharing the page and encouraging your friends to follow along and “like” their favorite! Voting ends on October 28. Shown are only some of the scarecrows; check them out online or in downtown Calais.   

Jayna Smith

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The Maine Family Business Institute has announced the winners of the 2025 Maine Family Business Awards, with Calais and Orono IGAs earning the prestigious EOS Worldwide First General Award.

Miriam Libby proudly serves as Grand Marshal for the 2025 Octoberfest Parade in Baileyville held last Saturday, Oct. 11. (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Jon Reisman

Maine is a largely rural state, but that rurality is not distributed evenly across the State or by Congressional District (CD). Rural demographics differences include being poorer, older, more spread out (lower population density), more agrarian, and more Republican. Maine’s Congressional districts both contain significant rural/non- metro areas, but the 2nd CD is decidedly more rural, with associated demographics. 

Jayna Smith

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Millions of dollars in new federal funding will support efforts in Maine to reduce the presence of “forever chemicals” in the food supply. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month announced grant awards to ten institutions across the country, three of which will direct their research toward projects based in Maine.

Sparse Turnout for Bond Hearing in Machias as Cuts Loom Either Way 

Paul Sylvain

“It’s like what you see on TV when someone hits the Megabucks and two years later, they’re broke. The county is the same way. They got that ARPA money, and a year and a half later we’re broke.”

Jayna Smith

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As the chill of winter approaches, Calais Community Thrift Store on Main Street has once again launched its annual coat giveaway–an effort dedicated to spreading warmth, comfort, and kindness throughout the community.