Machias Town Manager Bill Kitchen points to the crowd as he drives grand marshals John and Carole Anne Sprague (with hat, sitting behind John) along the July 4th parade route in Machias. Seated behind Kitchen is Machias Memorial High School Principal Nicole Case. (Photo courtesy Paul Sylvain)

Deanna MacNichol, riding Jay, won first place in the youth 3D barrel race with a time of 19:16 seconds.  Brayden MacNichol, riding Smokin Assets, took first place in the 2D pole bending event with a time of 23:359 seconds.  Both siblings brought home trophies from the event held on June 28, 29, and 30.

Jayna Smith

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The Town of Vanceboro is gearing up for a grand celebration on Saturday, July 20, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., to mark the 150th anniversary of its incorporation and the re-opening of the Vanceboro Historical Society.  The festivities will be held at the Vanceboro Community Center, located at 101 High Street.

Joe Storey led the Pembroke Fourth of July Parade as Grand Marshal. (Photo courtesy of Emily Van Ormer)

Jayna Smith

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The guided missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) visited Eastport last week for the city’s Independence Day celebration, bringing with it around 300 sailors, including one local man, Tobias Francis from Sipayik. 

The USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer and part of Destroyer Squadron 28.  It has a displacement of 9,200 tons and measures 509.5 feet in length. 

First National Bank recently announced a $10,000 contribution to the Maine Seacoast Mission toward their Mission Downeast Capital Campaign.

Since 1905, the Maine Seacoast Mission has been committed to the people of Maine’s outer islands and Downeast coastal communities. Based out of their 63-acre Downeast campus in Cherryfield, they operate a host of robust programs focused on education, food security, and community engagement.

Paul Sylvain

Already on the hook for $221,880 on a failed loan it financed in 2021, Caribou-based Northern Maine Development Commission, at a June 25 auction, essentially bought back the 101 Court St. property with a winning bid of $400,000. 

A summer reading program for children is being held at the Lincoln Memorial Public Library in Dennysville on Thursday afternoons, from July 11 through August 8, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.  Led by talented local artist and book illustrator Rebekah Guiltner, each session will feature enriching stories, educational activities, reading aloud, snacks, games, and crafts.

Paul Sylvain

Washington County Commissioners on July 11 gave the green light to Regional Communication Center Director Josh Rolfe to begin the process of hiring two new full-time dispatchers at the RCC.

The decision follows a June 18 emergency meeting between Commissioners Chris Gardner, Vinton Cassidy, the RCC, and the county budget committee to discuss the need to immediately add the new dispatchers.