By Jayna Smith

New businesses in the area are always a positive thing, and what is just as pleasing is when “hometown folks” move back to start them.  Such is the case with 1999 Woodland High School graduate Chip Smith, owner of Smith’s Towing and Recovery.

 Smith studied business at the University of Maine at Machias and spent close to the last twelve years in the Bangor area as a manager with Pepsi.  There, he dealt mostly with independently-owned convenience stores, appreciating the direct interaction with the small business owners and staff. 

By Kaileigh Deacon

Literacy is such an important part of a child’s education, but for so many, reading is not a priority or too challenging for them so they choose not to do it. Every spring the Calais PTO helps to encourage literacy at Calais Elementary School by hosting a two-week Read-a-Thon. 

By Jayna Smith

Being part of a basketball team that has played and practiced together for years, or even many months, often makes for a much stronger, better skilled team than one that has not.  This year's Calais Rec. 5th/6th grade girls' team, made up of only seven players from three different schools, all with varying levels of basketball experience, proved that working extra hard in only a short time--coupled with friendship among the teammates--can indeed make a championship team.

By Jayna Smith

Regardless of where one travels from Calais, the starting point of the route nearly always leads “through the woods.”  Traveling 65 miles northwest from Calais will lead you to Lee, population 884 (according to the US Census Bureau), which many may say is a nice drive “through the woods.”  What many do not know, however, is that there is something big tucked away in that little town—House in the Woods Military & Family Retreat. 

By Jayna Smith

For many, the date of August 23, 1984, is a haunting one.  At that time, what is now the parking lot of Johnson’s True Value was the hang out for many teenagers and young adults.  Summer was coming to an end, and most of those kids would soon be headed back to high school or off to college. But it was the last time 18-year-old Linda Maxwell was seen alive.

On Tuesday, March 5, dairy farmer Jane Bell of Tide Mill Organic Farm in Edmunds Twp., presented students and staff of Princeton Elementary School with a grant check for $1,600. The award is from the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program, which is funded by dairy farmers, and is to be used for healthy eating and physical activity initiatives within the school. PES will be getting a new smoothie machine and serving smoothies during breakfast, and they will be getting playground stencils to help increase play and activity during recess. Ms.

Many are familiar with the Calais Lioness Club, a group of hard-working ladies who bring good to the area.  The membership of the club is dedicated to working within the local community, to enhance the area and assist others in need. 

The small club makes local donations in excess of $8,000 annually.  This money is raised through various events such as yard sales, road tolls, raffles, and the ever-popular Super Draw held during the International Homecoming Festival, to name just a few. 

By: Natalie Boomer

Crafts N Mingle is known as part art class and part party. When you sign up for a Crafts N Mingle class, instructor Silk Alderette will teach you how to create your very own painting while you get to socialize and make new friends. 

“I noticed there were not many places for artists/craft-makers to meet and socialize. Thus, I started having paint and sips at Tri Cinema Studios, which is the parent company of Crafts N Mingle,” said artist and teacher, Silk. 

By: Natalie Booomer

Lanette Pottle, a former student of Washington County Community College, returned to the school on February 6th to give a presentation, “When Big Feels Overwhelming, Start Small.” Pottle is now a life coach who helps people reach their goals, as well as an author, who recently published a new book, “Small Steps, Big Impact.” 

By: Natalie Boomer

The crowd counted down from 10 with Darin McGaw, Dean of Academic Affairs at Washington County Community College. When the clock struck noon on March 8th, the 19th Annual Polar Dip began and the group of participants ran into the cold water. 

The most-recent fundraiser held by the St. Croix No. 1 Fire House Association – a raffle for 100 scratch-off tickets – was won by Shari Doten of Artemis’s Attic. The top prize for the tickets, which were purchased from Hardwicke’s, was $2,000. Hardwicke’s manager Bill Kilby drew the prize. Present were Tom and Billie Parks and Chairman of Fundraising Mary Barnard. Top fundraisers were Tom Parks, Brother Benson, Angela Nesbitt, and Irene Moreside. (Photo by Lura Jackson) Pictured in the lower photo is Dick Barnard presenting Shari (middle) her prize.

By Lura Jackson

The creation of the cosmos took a significant amount of time and energetic force – and the result is as indescribably beautiful as it is incomprehensibly varied. While none of us can recreate such a momentous event, we can recreate and share it visually. Those who appreciate the celestial beauty of the universe can now see it through the eyes of 12-year-old Aubrey Stevens, the latest artist to be featured at Crumbs Café and Bake Shoppe.

Dragger Dave Underhill and his crew pulled up this remarkable specimen of an ancient walrus skull in the Bay of Fundy recently. This is the second such skull that the crew has pulled up. The first one was dated by scientists as being between 900 and 10,000 years old, and this one is presumed to be of a similar age. The skull was taken to a museum in Saint John. (Facebook photo)

The students of Washington County Community College are able to utilize this newly-installed Sharing Shelf near the Assembly room. The shelf offers donated food goods from the staff and community to help supplement the diet of on-campus students. (Photo by Lura Jackson)

By Lura Jackson

Living with a chronic rare disease is a singularly difficult situation for the individuals affected by it. In addition to contending with the symptoms associated with their particular rare disease, the afflicted live in a world that doesn’t always understand what they are going through. In an effort to raise awareness and support for those with similar conditions to her own, Calais native Bridget Hunnewell is continuing her advocacy with the Hemophilia Alliance of Maine [HAM].

 By Amanda DeMusz, Regional Wildlife Biologist

Last April, an orphaned bear cub from Caribou was placed in a den with a new mom, Jen, an experienced mother bear that had been found in good shape with her single cub when her den was visited by the department bear research crew a few weeks before the orphaned cub was found. Warden Alan Dudley managed to catch the cub whose mother had been hit by a car on the highway, and Biologists Randy Cross and Amanda DeMusz took the cub deep into the woods to its new family.

Dana is a beautiful beige Torbie. She has incredibly soft fur that perfectly matches her equally soft personality. Dana is very calm, and can be a little shy. However, she loves face scratches, and even is ok with belly rubs once she warms up to you. She requires a little extra patience at first, but once she's comfortable Dana loves to purr and will head bump you for more affection. If you'd love to add Dana to your family, come visit her Thursday to Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.!  

February 19th saw the rising of this massive supermoon, as seen from Eastport over Campobello. A supermoon occurs when the moon is near its closest point, or perigee, to the Earth. (Photo from Eastport, Me. City with A View)

By Lura Jackson

Whether you prefer to call it Woodland or Baileyville, have you ever been curious about the Baileys that passed their name on to the town? Local history fans will be glad to add a new piece to their bookshelf in the form of An Amazing Journey, a recently-released nonfiction story of the original Bayley family by descendant Jim Bailey.

By Kaileigh Deacon

In its first full year in operation the Calais High School Drama Program has been improving and working to build their program back up. They have put on two plays with this most recent one making their third. This play not only represents their third production but also their first time performing in a competition. The State Drama Festival is coming up and the Calais Callbacks will be competing in the festival for the first time in over five years. 

Greetings, members of the local Calais and worldwide community! We are pleased to present our newest website, designed to be easier to view on tablets and phones for the convenience and enjoyment of our digital readership. Here, subscribers will be able to access the top stories from the Calais Advertiser every week, as well as being able to access the PDF version of the full paper. 

We hope you like our new look and we look forward to continuing to provide you with all the news from way Down East! 

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