Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Five more small earthquakes have been reported in central Washington County, bringing August’s total to 13, which constitutes a “swarm,” according to Maine Geological Survey’s Henry Berry. [See previous earthquake story in the Aug. 18 edition of The Calais Advertiser]

Local lore says the earthquakes are caused by a fault line running under Centerville, but that’s only partially true, says Berry.  

The 56th Peskotomuhkat Ceremonial Dances took place on Sunday, August 14th at the 56th Annual Passamaquoddy Days Celebration at Sipayik Indian Reservation at Split Rock in Perry. (Photo by Natalie Boomer)

Jayna Smith
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A popular event of International Homecoming Festival is one held at the skatepark, the Skate4Life event.  This was the second year the important event took place, all in an effort to not only have fun, but to also raise awareness of and provide resources on mental health and suicide prevention.

Jayna Smith
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On Thursday, August 11, Calais City Council met for its regular meeting.  Present were Mayor Billy Howard and Councilors Mike Sherrard, Marcia Rogers, Mark Carr, James Macdonald, and Elery Beale.

The council approved the minutes of the previous meeting, along with departmental reports and treasurer’s warrants.

From Cassie Oakes Alexander news column: The Alexander Grange Hall was hopping on August 9th when the Kids at the Grange arrived for a day of fun. The weather did not cooperate, so their plans of visiting the Alexander Art Trail got washed away with the rain. But never fear, there were back up plans that included learning a little bit about the Grange, sharing some fun facts about butterflies, designing personal jigsaw puzzle, and playing BINGO (with everyone going home with two prizes). The day ended with some singing and dancing thanks to Jen Sanford’s piano skills

Jon Reisman

The unprecedented August 8th raid on former President Trump’s Florida home has loosed the whirlwind (to reference Senator Schumer’s public threats to Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett) Like Fort Sumter, it will be noted in history as the action signifying the formal start of the second American Civil War, although the roots and divisions go back many years. They just cannot be papered over any more, even though the legacy media and our own Bangor Daily News will do their best (see the August 10 editorial).

Jayna Smith
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Despite the missed international parade, this year’s International Homecoming Festival was hailed a success by its organizers, all in celebration of the friendship between Calais, Maine and St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

U.S. chairperson Theresa Porter said the attendance at the numerous events was high.  “It’s always hard to judge what kind of crowds to expect, but in spite of 90 plus degree heat, there were still a lot of people around enjoying the events.”

Natalie Boomer
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The Calais Free Library hosted its first ever Annual Art Show for Youth last week. Elementary, middle, and high school students were invited to bring their artwork to the library and put it on display on Thursday, August 4th, as part of an event for the International Homecoming Festival.

What started as a small Blue Seal Feed outlet in 1982,  has now become a thriving family-owned farm supply business, the area’s largest Canadian package receiving hub, and a six-unit apartment complex. To celebrate the Eldridge family establishment, and to honor the muscle behind the business’ growth, the second “Clyde’s Classic Car Show” is being coordinated for September 11th.

Last Friday, August 5, as part of the International Homecoming Festival, Dancing in the Street was in downtown St. Stephen. Hayden and Friends played from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Boundry Street Blues Band played from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and Saving Sweet Polly played from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Pictured are Hayden and Friends. (Photos by Pierre Little)

Jon Reisman

A Few Choice Orwell Quotes:
“There is no swifter route to the corruption of thought than through the corruption of language.”
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”

Jayna Smith
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A trip to the grocery store is not typically fun for most, but when summer school students from Woodland Elementary School recently visited Calais IGA for a field trip, a good time was had, all while learning valuable life skills.

For the second consecutive year, students visited Calais IGA as part of their learning.  The 17 students who took the trip to the grocery store also each earned a sweet reward at the end.

Jayna Smith
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There’s nothing like a hometown celebration, and that’s just what the Town of Robbinston will be doing on Saturday, August 13, thanks to the Robbinston Historical Society (RHS).

According to Jane Honeck, one of the organizers, Robbinston Days will be an annual event.  “Last year, we celebrated the 200th birthday for the State of Maine and The town of Robbinston.  Because it was such a huge success, we decided to make Robbinston Days an annual event.”

Excerpt from the Alexander news column by Cassie Oakes

The Kids at the Grange had a wonderful time at their last meeting on July 26th.  It was a busy day that included candle making, flower pressing, starting Christmas cards for the Troops Project, and learning old songs.  As always, there was perusing of the books that the Grange has on hand for the Free Little Library and popsicles to end the day.

Natalie Boomer
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“If you are or know a pregnant mother who uses substances that lives in Hancock or Washington county, the Prosper Initiative program through Healthy Acadia may be for you,” said Maine Recovery Core Intern Renee Mozeliak.

Jayna Smith
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Former Maine Governor Paul LePage visited the Sunrise County on Thursday, July 21.  LePage hopes to oust Janet Mills in November to win back his old job steering the state.  

His visit marked his second one to the area in just nine months, having visited last October.  

Jayna Smith
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The return of the Chair Affair to the International Homecoming Festival will certainly be a draw to the downtown triangle park this year.  The once-annual “chair-ity” auction has been added to the lineup of events, after not being held for a few years.

The Chair Affair is an event spearheaded by Calais Downtown Revitalization Coalition (CDRC) as a fundraiser for the non-profit group.

The Howard Fox Memorial Pool offers a great escape from the summer heat, but it could not be done safely without the competent lifeguards.  This year’s staff is (front) Ava Brennan, Bailey O’Rourke, (back) Gavin Parks, Luke Furtek, Cameron Kelley, Tyler Furtek, and Adam Barnard.  Absent from photo is Tristan Seavey.  (Photo by Jayna Smith)

Natalie Boomer
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You could be one of the first people to own an official Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue cookbook.  Cook and Ladder, A Collection of Recipes from the Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Auxiliary went on sale last Saturday, July 23rd.

The team held a fundraiser at the station over the weekend and sold these cookbooks, along with baked goods, raffles, crafts, hot food, and more.

Ricky Cleghorn

The Mexican-style family restaurant, Mama Lola’s, has been doing remarkably well. A few months ago, owner Manuela Medrano, traded out her hot truck for an air-conditioned brick-and-mortar location in downtown Calais, and has since hired much more staff.

“Now we have a full-time staff,” says Medrano. “We have wonderful, wonderful girls. And it‘s still very much a family business.” Her children were running around, taking orders and delivering food at the new 28 North Street location.

Jayna Smith
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Coaches from area schools will join together to lead a free soccer clinic next week, all to help local youth learn new skills and improve their play.
Participants will take part in skills and drills over the weeklong clinic.  “The camp is meant for grades 6 through 12 boys and girls, and all skill levels are welcome,” said coach Josh Smith, who is the Calais Junior High School coach, as well as assistant to the high school girls’ varsity team.  

Unfortunately, some misinformation is circulating in media sources regarding the Washington County Community College’s Outdoor Adventure Center (OAC).  

The College has not closed the Outdoor Adventure Center (OAC) and the Center resources remain available to WCCC students and community members.  The OAC has a wide range of outdoor equipment for enjoying outdoor educational opportunities in the area.