Cover art by Holman Davis, '59

My dear alumni of Rockland High School and Rockland District High School. I am sending this letter today in respect for all the memories you have of your four years in high school. The Liz I mention was associated in some way with my old Girl Scout Troop 6. If you know her or know how to contact her, please let me know. I will tell you how it all turns out as soon as I hopefully get a reply from these online vendors. Be aware of the scams out there.

An Open Letter to

 Classmates.com,

Memory Lane Inc.,

And a Girl Named Liz

When I opened the package containing a reprint of my Rockland High School yearbook, the Cauldron for 1959, I was very excited. I had lost my original copy from my graduating class with all the personal notes from classmates in it in a flood four years ago. I ordered this reprint from you, Classmates.com. The package itself came from you, Memory Lane Inc.

As I flipped through the familiar pages and viewed pictures of all the classmates and friends I had made in high school, I was soon distraught. Why? Because there are five pages containing the sports activities for that year that are missing. I am in at least one of those sports pages as a member of our girls’ basketball team for that year.

After consulting with a classmate from 1959, we discerned that the pages should fall between the last page of the Literary section and the graphic for the next section, “Activities.” I have included copies of those pages for your reference. What appears in the reprint you sent me in that space are 12 pages, front and back, of ads and an autograph page. These ads should in fact appear in the back of the book with the rest of the ads. In fact, one of the ads “The Wendell White Studios” appears here and also in the back section of ads. Who would place ads in the middle of any yearbook anyway?

Another question I have is “Who is Liz” There are 13 personal messages for a girl named Liz, who I have figured out was an under classmate that year. Obviously you copied Liz’ yearbook. Does she know about this? How did you get her yearbook? If Liz is reading this, do you know that they in fact copied your yearbook and your personal messages are now in the hands of me as well as anyone else who ordered this book?

Today, Liz would be around 68 years old if she is still alive. Perhaps the book was part of an attic cleanout at one time and eventually fell into the hands of an entrepreneur who said to himself, “Hey, maybe I can make some money here.”

In any event, I can live with Liz’ messages in my reprint, however I would like my sports pages included.

As someone who has been in the printing and publishing business for most of her adult life, I can see exactly how you put this book together. You obviously cut out each page, remounted and scanned it for reprinting. Where was your pagination proofer or do printers bother with such a very important member of their team anymore?

Memory Lane, I don’t know if you actually produced this reprint or farmed it out to another vendor, but as you and Classmates.com are the only people I dealt with, I ask you to remedy this situation.

If you and Classmates want to do the right thing towards me, here’s how you fix it. 1. Put the sports pages where they belong between these two pages. That will leave you with 7 extra pages. As you must have an even number of pages in the book, I don’t mind if you delete them altogether. Or: 2. Put the ads at the end of the book where they belong. You may delete the “Autograph” page altogether if needed as no one uses that page anyway. 3. Figure out for yourself how to even out the pages. There are 2 extra blank pages you can play with at the end of the book.

I must tell you that this letter will appear in my blog space at:

www.southeendstories.blogspot.com

This blog “Beyond the South End” currently has a readership of over 35,000. The letter will also appear in my blog space on:

www.villagesoup.com/knox.

This blog space has even more readers as it is a local newspaper that also appears online.

If you in fact “do the right thing” and send me a corrected reprint of my Cauldron, I will publicly thank you and I will also delete this letter from both online sites.

The Cauldron was printed every spring for close to 100 years or more. As Rockland High School and Rockland District High School no longer exist, the alumnus, including myself, consider our Cauldron to be part of our personal history, a relic of our past if you will. I feel as though you have disrespected all of us by producing such an inferior reprint. I hope you will remedy the situation at once. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Sandra Sylvester

Please reply to www.southendstories@aol.com. Also please forward this letter to Classmates.com as I do not have an address for them. Thank-you.

Antique, Classic or a Passing Fad

One of my favorite shows on TV is “Antiques Road Show.” The items discussed are usually at least 100 years old or even centuries old. I often wonder how many people have handled the article, like a vase, over those centuries.

To be an antique an item must be at least 100 years old. If it’s at least 50 years old but less than 100, it’s called “Classic.”

A fad on the other hand is only a passing fancy, something that generation of teenagers holds dear. It may not be an item at all, but simply an idea, a form of music, a special dance.

 I came across an article from an unusual site called howstuffworks.com. Why they included “Fads of the 50s” I don’t know, but I found their top ten list of those fads to be lacking in many of the items and things I remember from that time in my life—when I was a teenager. I see gaping holes in their analogy which I’ll try to fill in here to the best of my ability. I’m sure you can think of many more hole fillers yourself if you are of the same age as I. Here goes.

Number Ten: The poodle skirt. Every teenage girl my age had one. Mine was grey I think with a pink poodle. They were usually made of felt and appliquéd with a poodle, thus the name. They may also have had other appliqués like 45 rpm records, dice, hot rods, or musical notes. Usually worn with a petticoat, and coming in just below the knee and worn with bobby socks and either penny loafers, white bucks, or saddle shoes, we would swish our way down the old Rockland High School corridors with pride.

What’s missing: The aforementioned petticoats. Every teenage girl had at least three or four. When one got limp, we’d just add another new one on top. Sometimes we’d end up with about four under our skirts at any given time. I remember a classmate, Joan Knowlton, who on our Senior Washington D.C. trip had to struggle to pack all her petticoats when we were leaving.

As for the boys, the 50s was the beginning of the Tee-Shirt. At this point they were simply white and worn without another shirt on top. Boys also rolled up the pant legs of their jeans or dungarees as we called them. They might also roll a pack of cigarettes in the sleeve of their tee, or sometimes they’d carry a ciggie behind one ear. If they had a leather jacket to go with all this, they were something special, a real greaser. By the way, the word “greaser” was a word made up later to describe them. We never used that word in the 50s.

Number Nine: The Sock Hop, so named because we had to take our shoes off to protect the gym floor where the dance was held. These dances were chaperoned and the music in our case came from someone spinning our favorite records of the day (45s, by the way.) The 50s was the beginning of the TV show “American Bandstand” with Dick Clark out of Philadelphia.

The people of my era in the 50s are very proud of the fact that they were there at the birth of Rock ‘N’ Roll, certainly not a passing fad.

Number Eight: 50s dances. The dances we danced in those days were “The Stroll” and “The Jitterbug (which is called The Jive by those who lived in the big city, and also on today’s “Dancing With the Stars.” You might say that the dances are two different dances, but they certainly are similar. It gives me a chuckle that they include that dance in the “ballroom” category. We teens in the 50s would certainly have cringed at the very thought of that. Towards the end of the 50s and into the early 60s “The Twist” came into vogue. I did a mean twist. As far as ballroom goes, the closest we got to that was what we called “a slow dance.” This dance was usually done in a “box step” or simply moving our feet in one spot while snuggling with our partner. Many a chaperone split these couples apart. The dance usually ended the night for the sock hop.

Number Seven: 3-D movies. The genre lent itself to horror and fantasy movies the best. Remember Vincent Price in “House of Wax?” Also “Bwana Devil” in 1952; “It Came From Outer Space,” in 1953; and “The Creature From the Black Lagoon.” I must admit I was too much of a scaredy cat to attend these movies. I’ve never seen a 3-D movie.

Number 6: The conical bra. For the life of me I can’t see why this was such an important fad if it really was one. Seems to me it still exists today. I would have put the above petticoats here. Hollywood movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Jane Russell wore them and they were so-called because they “lifted and separated” in a conical shape. It was also called a “torpedo bra” or a “bullet bra.” The legend goes that Howard Hughes engineered the bra to enhance Russell’s profile in “The Outlaw.”

Number 5: Beatniks. Being isolated as we were in Maine, beatniks didn’t live among us. We knew they existed of course, but the word “beatniks” was almost a dirty word to us. I really didn’t discover any of their writings until later on as a young adult. They certainly did leave an impression on American arts and literature. The most famous works are: “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac, 1957; “Howl,” by Allen Ginsberg, 1956; and “Naked Lunch,” by William S. Burroughs.

I did read “Howl” at some point, probably because it was one of those books that were “banned in Boston” and I didn’t go along with the idea that a church or government official can tell me what to read and what not to read.

The Beatniks are often credited with helping along the “Flower Power” or “drug” generation that followed in the 60s. I believe they belong in this list, albeit as Number 5.

Number Four: Drive-in Theaters. These theatres certainly belong in this list. As the car craze revved up the teenagers of the day, the drive-in was the next logical step. They disappeared as bigger and better indoor theaters came about. There are about 500 left in the country. Remember what the guys used to do with the door speakers? Not telling…but.

What’s Missing: Somewhere in here I think they should have at least mentioned some of the classic cars of the day. I’m not much on cars, but you guys could certainly rattle off the most popular cars of the day. Of course, we on the coast of Maine, could mainly just dream of owning one of these cars.

Number Three: Gelatin molds. Really? If I put this anywhere in the list it would be at about 20^th place.

Number Two: Davy Crockett coonskin hats. Again…really? While I admit the popularity of this hat due to the TV show, I don’t think I’d give it such a high place on this list. Then again I’m a girl and the hat wouldn’t have interested me anyway.

Number One: Soda Fountains. Now this I’ll agree with. When the last soda fountain, Goodnows, left Main Street it was a sad day for me. How many hours did we spend in one of these soda fountains? Some in the bigger cities had juke boxes such as the one in “Happy Days.” They faded along with the Drive-ins when fast food places came along. Before “home refrigeration” this was the only place to get a cold drink and ice cream.

The “soda jerk,” so-called because of the motion of operating the fountain taps, gave us some unique creations including sodas, egg creams and milkshakes or what we called in Maine “ice cream sodas.” Many were made with store-made syrups making them unique.

So there you have it. What would you subtract from this list and what would you add in its place? How many of these classic things do you think will survive in the history books to come? How many of them will become antiques or at least collectibles? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Thanks for listening.

Visit the House of Horrors

Facebook friend Becky Wilcox-Brann shared this online.

Check it out if you dare. Admission is $10.

 

 

Oct. 17,18,19,20,24,25,26,27

 

Oct. 31-Nov. 1,2

7PM

 

16 Richville Rd., Standish, Maine

More pumpkin pictures from Mary Sue Hilton Weeks

Sail, Power and Steam Museum

 

 

 

October 18, 7:30 pm

Seats $12

Info and reservations at 207-701-7627

Moving Dos and Don'ts

As Nanci and I were unpacking the dishes in our new apartment, she said to me, “the next time you decide to do this…don’t.” She was talking about the shredded paper and strips of paper I had prepared for weeks so we could pack our glassware safely. I shredded all extraneous paper so I wouldn’t have to pack it or lug it up to the dumpster; and I also cut the Sunday paper ads into strips to add to the garbage bag I labeled “packing materials.” Seemed like a good idea at the time, however, we are still picking up little pieces of paper around the place. So I guess it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Using what’s at hand for packing materials like old T-shirts, rugs, dish towels and the like are a better idea than all the shredded materials.

Moving is not fun, but it can be easier if you plan ahead. As you know, I have moved about 17 times or so since I left Maine and Connecticut years ago. I’ve learned a few things along the way and continue to add to my knowledge with each move. Here are a few suggestions for you if you are moving or for a reference for a later move. Put this blog somewhere on your computer so you’ll have it when you need it.

Throw Throw Throw

Throw as much stuff out as you can so you won’t have to move it. I keep a garbage bag right next to the box I’m packing. If I see an item that’s just been hanging around for a long time and which has no earthly use anymore, out it goes. Be sure to attach a big X with masking tape on the bag so you won’t throw something out by mistake.

Recycle and Donate

Keep another box or bag to put things in you’re going to donate to Goodwill or other such recycling place. When you go out the door on an errand take a full box with you and drop it off. That way you won’t have to lug it out all at once.

Keep packing supplies in a special place

I kept a small shallow box filled with packing tape, cutting blades, and sharpie pens in a central place so I’d know where they were. Be sure you buy plenty of supplies, you’ll need them. I also kept a small plastic container nearby that I could put picture hooks and nails in once I took the pictures off the wall in a room. They were easy to locate afterwards when I wanted to hang things back up.

Boxes

You will need more boxes than you think you do. A good place to get them from is storage facilities or from the moving company if you are using them. They will deliver them to you ahead of time. As Nanci works for a grocery company, she was able to keep us in boxes.

Be sure the bottoms of each box are strong enough to hold what you are putting into them. Be careful also to watch the weight of each box so that you don’t end up with the contents dropping out of the bottom while you are moving them. Try to vary heavy items and light items in each box if possible. How much you pack into each box may depend on whether you are going to end up lifting them or a moving person is going to do it for you. Movers have ways to move heavy things easier than you do. Always tape the cover down if possible. Some items like big pictures may not fit. In that case, be sure they are buffered with plenty of newspaper etc.

As you are unpacking each box, put it by your door so you can take it out when you leave the next time. It’s possible, especially here in the South, boxes will carry bugs with them so it’s best to dispose of them as soon as possible.

To Hire a Mover or Not

I’ve learned over the years, especially as I get older, that hiring someone to lift, carry and transport your stuff to a new place is a good idea. Twice Nanci and I have used a company called “Two Men and a Truck.” You do the packing and they will come move it for you. They are inexpensive and efficient and I highly recommend them. This time we used a man and his co-worker who are movers and who lived next door to us at the old apartment. They also were very good at what they do and were inexpensive also.

A Few More Tips to Keep in Mind

1.    Pack those things you don’t need for daily living ahead of time so you won’t have to pack everything in just a couple days. Pictures, knick knacks, books, and the like are good candidates.

2.    Tape cords and fixtures together so they don’t flop around when you are moving them. Tape fixtures to the curtain rods you will use in the new place, for example, so they won’t get lost in all the mess. Generally speaking, tape up anything that is going to flop around when moving, like the book case I have that has shelves that flop down.

3.    Don’t carry dirt with you. Clean your kitchen appliances. Shake the crumbs out of the toaster, etc. so they will be nice and clean in the new place. Clean scatter rugs.  Dust things that need to be dusted. Throw away things like old shower curtains.

4.    If you have a deposit and need to leave the old place clean, try to clean as much as you can ahead of time. Such places as drawers after you empty them, cupboards, the oven, etc. Vacuum those places you can as they become empty spaces. If possible, repair any damage pets may have done. I was able to sand down, fill in, and repaint several door frames my cat used as scratching posts. They are now as good as new.

5.    Use your suitcases to pack some clothes. Those clothes on hangers can go as they are with a good garbage bag over them.

Pack an overnight bag the night before you move.

The night before you move, pack your bathroom items and your medicines in a small bag or backpack where you will know where to find them after you’ve moved in the next day. If you take daily meds, it’s very important to pack them safely. If you have old medicines to dispose of don’t flush them down the toilet. It’s bad for the environment. Ask your pharmacist for special envelopes to send them to a safe place in.

 More Tips Online

Go to this site for many more moving tips:

http://interiordec.about.com/od/moving/a/org_movetips.htm

It’s Nice to Be Home Again

Nanci and I are happy to be resettled again. We hope to stay here till that day when we’ll make the trek north to Maine to relocate for the last time.

The only casualty of the move was two small juice glasses with roosters on them in which my mother used to give me my orange juice when I was small. I still have two left, but obviously the other two got lost somewhere in all that shredded paper. I have carried them with me for many years, but this time they didn’t make it.  I promise to hang on to the last two.

Thanks for listening.

Fall Pictures from Sister Sara

Sister Sara posted these Fall pictures from her neighborhood in Connecticut. She will travel to her home in Arizona soon. She says:

“Beautiful walk through our neighborhood on a gorgeous Fall day. Hard to leave this behind, favorite time of year.”

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing, Sis.



 

Pumpkin Fest in Damariscotta

Sunset in Damariscotta, photo by Mary Sue Weeks

 

The following photos come from cousin Mary Sue Hilton Weeks, owner of the Hilton Homestead. If you needed a reason to visit the lovely village of Damariscotta, you couldn’t find one better than the Pumpkin Fest. I can feel the fall in the air in Maine as I look at these wonderful photos.

Mary Sue says that the little gift shop just beyond Weatherbirds was voted Number 1 Gallery in Maine by Downeast Magazine’s Readers Choice. The shop has only been open a year. Be sure to visit while you are in town.

Thanks for these wonderful fall pictures of Damariscotta, Mary Sue.

 

 

 

 

A Special Appeal from Kendall

After Kendall’s trip to Poland and his return home, he received this email from a Polish friend he made while he was there. Kendall says a friend who knows the English government said these records are under the control of the Ministry of Defense Archives/Whitehall/London/W1. He appeals to all of you to help open up these vital records. Remember while you are reading that this is a Polish person writing in English, a foreign language to him.


A correction from Kendall:

Dear Sandra, Just a small correction to your wonderful blog.  I have never met Dr. Rygiel. His comment came to me by snail mail in 2008.  I had lost my copy but my translator, Renata Siuzdak, did have. a copy which she sent to me while I was in Poland—Kendall.

 

Friday, February 22, 2008 12:14 PM

Subject: Katyn

 

Dear Kenny, I just completed reading all your works and hurry to share with you my

Impressions.

Undoubtedly you deserve most sincere gratitude and acknowledgement for the interest and compassion you have for the victims of Katyn in particular for the only women-heroine, Janina. It is certainly uncommon to find a non-Pole being so deeply emotionally involved in matters so distant and foreign to him and to take upon himself an enormous task of finding the sources, contacts, overcome immense difficulties in language and many more. I salute and praise you. And I appreciate very much your kindness in sending me your works and the book on Katyn. Personally I have had no opportunity, or chance to learn more about Katyn, except the common facts and data’s.

My life was someway delimitated since year 1941, when I was arrested by the Gestapo for involvement in the underground activities and as a 15 year old boy incarcerated in Auschwitz. In 1943 I was transferred to another concentration camp in Neuengamme, which in April of 1945 was evacuated to Lubbock. There about 7 thousand of polish prisoners were put on two German ships Cap Arcona and Thielbeck and anchored 5 km of shore. On the 3rd of May British RAF planes attacked and sunk both ships which resulted in death of about 7 thousand of Poles.

This, the largest sea catastrophe in history is practically unknown to the world, mainly because of moratorium of first of 50, then of 100 years on all materials re. Cap Arcona and Thielbeck. All attempts to throw some light on this scandalous and compromising piece of history were left unanswered. So much for the history.

Frankly I have no desire to go back to these times and happenings, right now I am concentrated on my domestic situation, my wife being seriously ill and myself having severe health problems. At 82 my chief desire is to enjoy the remaining years(?) in peace, far from all horrifying and painful experiences, and drama of wars and human cruelty. I will retain the book on Katyn however with many thanks and words of friendship. I also submit a cheque for 60 can dollars, which hopefully will cover the expenses. So long, and good luck in your endeavours, and thanks again, Witold.  (In handwriting) P. S. Best regards to your kind wife and you. Feb. 22. 2008.Witold

I have added a YouTube video here which is a documentary of the Katyn Forest Massacre mentioned at the beginning of the email. There are a total of 9 videos covering this event on YouTube. Be warned, this one is graphic—Sandra

 

Is There Anything Worth Watching on TV?

Remember when we first got color TV?

According to the Roush Review in TV Guide, there’s nothing worth watching as far as new shows go this year on television. What do you think?

I tend to stick with my old and familiar favorites, leaning heavily towards the reality side of things. I sometimes feel guilty for this since my preferences may in some way put a dramatic TV writer out of work. I’m a fictional writer too and should really support my fellow writers in this way, but I don’t as far as TV is concerned.

Some TV viewers go GA GA over shows like “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” I must admit, I’ve never watched either one of them. The same goes for all the zombies, vampires, and witches who appear on TV. As far as I’m concerned, it’s only a desperate attempt to snare all the younger viewers who would prefer to watch Netflix or view shows on the internet.

As far as drama goes, I was able to watch “Boardwalk Empire” and “Homeland” for a while as an introductory thing on my TV setup. I loved both of them and hope to buy their boxed sets someday to catch up. Any show with an historical background, a period piece, is something I love to watch. If “Boardwalk” was awarded simply for the lighting, period sets, and costumes, they should win. Similarly, Nanci and I love to watch “Downton Abbey” and look forward to the season upcoming.

I love “Revolution” and also “The Dome” by Steven King. The apocalypse genre always is a favorite of mine. Just imagining what you would do in similar situations boggles the mind. I remember a series on National Geographic called “After People.” Remember that? It followed what happened to the world after all humans disappeared from Earth. It boggles the mind again.

Other than the above, when in doubt Nanci and I always stick to reality shows like “Storage Wars” and “Pawn Stars.” My professor in one of my communications courses as part of my Masters at Fairfield University in Connecticut called this selection process “least objectionable programming.” How right he was.

As far as reality goes, Nanci and I both love the “Amazing Race” which has started up again. We missed the first show because we didn’t have our TV hooked up yet after we moved. We also both love “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Got Talent.” I sometimes get disgusted with “American Idol” even though I continue to watch it every year. I am watching the X Factor here and there. If it disappeared from my set altogether, I don’t think I’d miss it at all.

A show we’ve discovered recently is “Too Cute” on the Animal Planet. Every week they follow three sets of different breeds of newborn kittens or puppies up to the stage where they find their “forever homes.” Other shows on that channel, like “Tanked” where an aquarium company installs humungous one-of-a-kind set ups is fascinating.

When we had this TV connected in our new apartment we added some more channels, which I’ve missed, like DIY and all the Discovery channels. I also like to watch some shows on OWN, Oprah’s network. Yesterday I watched Vanilla Ice on the DIY channel all day long while I was working on the computer as he totally overhauled a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. He does flips when he’s not touring and this place is fabulous and will bring millions when he resells it.

Let’s not forget “Dog” and “Beth” of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and the new show “Dog and Beth on the Hunt.” Love watching them.

If Nanci can watch her Food Network channel on one TV and I get to watch DIY or HGTV on the other set, we are happy campers. In the evening we watch our favorites together.

Someday maybe I’ll get someone to write a TV movie script for my book “The South End.” Maybe we’ll all get to watch it on “Lifetime.”

Last but not least, is my fondest wish to have the NBA channel so I can watch my WNBA games. I miss most of them because unless they’re on ESPN2 they are on a network you have to pay extra for. Yesterday in the championship series, which I was able to watch on ESPN with our Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Lynx, I watched a real slaughter of our girls. I fear for them for the rest of the series. Nanci is often verklemped because she doesn’t get to watch her precious Eagles very often down here in the South. She ends up listening to the game’s audio via the internet. We both need special sports channels I guess. Maybe someday. Sigh.

Of course if you are my brother, Ted, with his 50 inch flat-screen TV, the only channels you need are the ones that carry the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots as that’s his only reason for even turning on his set.

Maybe it’s time we gave up TV altogether. Think that’s going to happen? Nawwwww.

Thanks for listening.

 

By TED SYLVESTER

 

(This column appeared in the BDN on May 26, 1972.

 We include excerpts from that edition of Fish and Chips.)

 

 

ROCKLAND—Not only is it illegal under the ordinance of the City of Rockland to sleep in campers anywhere in the city on either private or public lands. It is also a violation to allow the kids to sleep in a backyard tent. This interpretation was made this week by the city code enforcement officer.

It was stated that according to city laws, camping of any kind is prohibited within the city limits. Gerry Hall, the code officer, admitted that he wasn’t going to be traveling around the city inspecting every camper and tent to see if anyone is sleeping in them. He did say, however, that he was bound by the ordinance to investigate any complaints received.

Also, under the provisions of the ordinances, Hall has the power to inspect premises for suspected violations of the codes. Refusal to let him on one’s property can bring about a fine for each day he is refused entry.

CLASS MOTTO VOTED OUT

After the Camden-Rockport High School graduating class’ selection of a class motto of “keep on trucking” was disallowed, a subsequent election was held with the class then deciding not to have a motto at all.

The “keep on truckin’” motto was voted in by class members via a write-in on a ballot with several other selections. A student-faculty committee then rejected the selection by a 7-4 vote. According to reports six of the negative votes were cast by teachers.

Following the rejection, a committee was formed to draw up a list of new choices—one of which was to have no motto. This was what the students decided to do.

A school official said that the motto controversy now appears to be a dead issue. It was stated that the “no motto” vote of the students appeared to be a protest against the rejection of their first choice.

THE TREES ARE COMING

To the school children in Knox and Waldo counties who have been promised one or more of the approximated 12,000 trees by the Maine State Forest Service, they are on the way.

Bob Umberger, State Service Forester for the two counties, said that up until Monday young seedlings at the State Nursery at Greenbush had still been frozen into the ground. He said it was hard to believe that with temperatures into the 80’s in some sections of the state that the ground could still be frozen, but this was the case. The Greenbush Nursery is located about 18 miles North of Old Town.

In all, Umberger said, he has ordered approximately 800,000 trees, and up until this year the latest date he has seen for delivery has been May 23 in his 21 years with the service.

Except for the free trees to school children the state sells the seedlings to any land owner wishing to plant an acre or more for $22 per 1,000 trees.

Most of the seedlings are three-year old pine, some are spruce.

Umberger said that with luck the trees to school children can be delivered by the end of the week. He assured us that every child who has been promised a tree will receive one.

HEY! WE WON

An exuberant Thomaston mother called us one night this week to proclaim that the Georges Valley High School Softball Team had won its first game of the year, and she thought it ought to be in the paper.

So here it is…Georges Valley Girls 18, Wiscasset Girls, 17. Congratulations!

COMMERCIAL FISH CATCH UP IN 1971

The following is from the National Marine Fisheries Service concerning the 1971 commercial fish catch in the U.S.

Commercial fishermen in the U.S. caught 5 billion pounds of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic animals and plants in 1971. The total catch was valued at $643 million at dockside—the highest dollar value in history. The value is up five per cent from last year, and the volume increased one per cent.

Landings for human food were 2.4 billion pounds in 1971. A decline of four per cent from a year ago. Landings of fish used for industrial purposes, such as fish meal, increased by seven per cent and reached 2.6 billion pounds.

POOR CHOICES

A 37-year old man, who gives his address as Damariscotta and San Diego, Calif., didn’t exactly pick the right place to take a nap—the back seat of Sheriff Carlton Thurston’s car.

The sheriff, answering an emergency call early Wednesday morning, found the gentleman in his car which was parked next to the county jail. Sheriff’s deputies escorted the man to different quarters, a jail cell.

Later Wednesday he appeared before Judge MacDonald and was found guilty of being found intoxicated in an auto. He won’t have to hunt for a place to sleep at least for the next four days.