Centurion to Turn 101 at Kittery Estates

KITTERY—
Alice Mayhew of Kittery will celebrate her 101st birthday Feb. 8th, 2010. She was born in Eliot, Maine, daughter of Charles D. and Georgia Tobey Tetherly. To celebrate reaching the 100 year mark last year, she fulfilled her dream of riding a motorcycle. There will be a lunch celebration to honor her at Kittery Estates Retirement Community, where she has been a resident since September of 2009.
Photo caption: Alice Mayhew (left) enjoys dancing with Gabe Friedman at a special event at Kittery Estates. (Courtesy photo)

TV’s Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Comes to Sanford

By Devin Beliveau
Staff Columnist
SANFORD—
A handful of Maine 5th graders are getting their shot in the national television spotlight.
On Jan. 6 several 5th graders from around southern and central Maine made their way to the Bonanza Steakhouse in Sanford for a chance to be on the popular Fox TV show: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
The game show is a trivia contest that pits 5th graders against adults. The 5th graders who showed up in Sanford, however, were not auditioning to be contestants on the show. These students were being recorded asking and answering trivia questions for viewers at home watching the show.
“It’s not an audition to be on the show, but the question that’s asked (on the local broadcast) is what was taped using these kids,” explained Geoff Titherington, the owner of Bonanza.
“In this way the folks at home can play along and have some local community involvement,” said Jen Myles, an account executive with the CW. “(These taped questions) will actually be in the show. It’s the third break in the show. Then it goes to a commercial break, then the show comes back with these kids saying the correct answer.”
Kayla Bott, a 5th grader from Mt. Vernon who enjoys watching the show, came to Bonanza because “I want to be on TV.” Her favorite part of the show is “when people lose. It’s funny,” Bott said with a laugh.
Jaycee Roberts came to Sanford from Buxton because “I love the show. I like answering the questions.”
Titherington’s restaurant was selected to be the audition location because he advertises with WPXT, the Portland CW Network affiliate that airs Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? “One of the things that they do with the local sponsors of that show is have sessions where the kids can come in and they ask a question which is shown on TV,” explained Titherington.
Titherington has owned and operated the Sanford Bonanza for 25 years, a notable achievement given that only 35 of these restaurants remain from a franchise that once boasted 650 restaurants nationwide. “We have a very stable staff here. There are actually two employees who have been here longer than I have,” said Titherington, explaining his restaurant’s against-the-odds longevity. “We try to be consistent with our service.”
“We look for businesses that are really in the community, and Geoff’s been a really great community supporter so we thought it would be a good fit for him,” commented Myles. Myles also said she believes that these kids questions will be put on the air immediately.
Photo caption: Jaycee Roberts, a 5th grader from Buxton, answers a question at the Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader audition in Sanford. (Devin Beliveau photo)

Maine Diner Named 2010 Restaurateur of the Year

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist
WELLS—
Maine Diner owners Myles and Dick Henry added another acknowledgement to the list they’ve compiled for their restaurant over the past 26 years. The Maine Restaurant Association recently gave the Wells establishment its 2010 Restaurateur of the Year Award. The Henry’s will receive the award at the association’s annual dinner at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland on March 30.
“I was shocked,” Myles Henry said, noting that association CEO Richard Grotton had visited the restaurant recently to inform the Henry’s of the award. “He came in with balloons and everything. It was a nice surprise. This is a great award for us to get. I’m thrilled about it.”
The award has been given annually for the past 30 years by the association, with recent winners including the Union Review Lobster Pot in Ellsworth, Slate’s in Hallowell, and Arrow’s in Ogunquit. Grotton said the Maine Diner has long been acknowledged for its quality.
“We have watched them for a long time,” he said. “We watched when they got four and then five million customers and said ‘wow.’ You have to have a really strong game plan to last as long as they have and been as successful. Food fans are fickle.”
The restaurateur award is one of four the association awards annually, along with Chef of the Year. Allied Member, and Lifetime Achievement. “We put out amongst our membership a nomination form asking for the four categories,” said Grotton. “Then a committee reviews the nominations. Generally, one nomination ends up standing out. We cover the gamut of (restaurant types). It’s how well you do what you do and the Henry’s do it very well. You get a measure of the restaurant by the way the help responds. When we went there, they were all out clapping and were pleased for Myles and Dick. It was clear we made a good choice.”
The award culminates a notable few months for the Diner. The Henry’s celebrated their 25th anniversary a couple of years ago and hosted their 5 millionth customer in December 2008. Gov. Jon Baldacci visited recently to acknowledge the diner’s milestones. In addition, the Henry’s will be participating in the New Orleans Food Festival this spring, showcasing their hallmark seafood chowder.
“We’ll be in it annually from now on,” Myles said.
The association is creating a video about the Diner that will be shown the night of the award ceremony. Tickets to the event are $70 and can be ordered online at www.mainerestaurant.com. The ticket price includes a Chef’s reception prior to the diner, the dinner itself, and the ceremony.
The award recognizes more than the Henrys’ 26 years of effort. “It’s a reflection on the restaurant,” said Myles. “It’s an award for the employees and how they do their job. I’m very proud of them.”

Photo caption: (L to R) Myles Henry, Richard Grotton; President, Maine Restaurant Association, Derek Henry, Dick Henry. (Courtesy photo)

MLK Day Celebration to Host Projects for Maine Soldiers

YORK—
Want to spend a couple of hours making a difference on a national holiday? You can, on Monday Jan. 18th during York’s first Martin Luther King Day of Service celebration.
The MLK Day of Service Committee has just announced two afternoon projects that will reach out to Maine soldiers –those who have just returned from Afghanistan and those that are leaving for that part of the world later this month.
You can spend the afternoon baking and decorating cookies for Maine National Guard troops and their families or you can design and write thank you letters to the National Guard troops about to be deployed. The letters will be held and then sent to the soldiers once they are settled in Afghanistan.
“This is a way to tell them they are appreciated and not forgotten,” according to Zoe Keefer-Norris of Old York and the MLK Committee, who initiated these projects. “It will be a ‘day on, not a day off’ as part of a nationwide service program to honor Dr. King’s life and teachings,” she added.
The mass baking effort will begin at 1 p.m. in the Remick Barn on Lindsay Road, and the letter writing will be held at the York Library off of Long Sands Road at the same time.
More than 20 non-profit organizations are participating in the day’s events. Volunteers can choose whatever project most interests them – for the Maine soldiers, at the York Community Services Thrift Shop, York Hospital, or others.
Other non-profits will have informational booths during the morning program to be held at the York High School. They include the 4-H Club, Center for Wildlife, the York Schools’ Civil Rights Teams, ELKS Lodge, Think Again, Hospice of York, Caring Unlimited, the York Art Association and others.
The Day of Service begins at 9:30 a.m. at the York High School with a performance by seventh grade students led by musical artist Randy Armstrong and a performance by Jasmine Shah’s Indian Dance troupe. An inspiring keynote address will by given by Richard Haynes on his experience as an African-American artist. A Community Service Fair will showcase the area’s various non-profit organizations.
Both children and adults can then spend the afternoon on the specific service projects.
People and/or groups are encouraged to register by sending an email to yorkmlkservice@gmail.com or through Facebook (MLK Day of Service: York), or by calling 207.752.0843.

York County Senior College Announces Winter Seminar Series

SACO/SANFORD—
York County Senior College’s annual winter seminar series will focus this year on science, culture, mystery and music. The “intellectual smorgasbord” is designed to help seniors find respite from the winter doldrums with full days of learning, plus lunch provided by the Brothers of Christian Instruction in Alfred.
The seminars of Wednesday, Jan. 13, focus on China, as participants will hear from Noah Miner, an engineering graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, who sailed natural gas tankers throughout the Far East. Miner will describe his trip to China and his cruise to view the “eclipse of the century” taken off the coast of Iwo Jima, in “The China Eclipse Cruise.” That afternoon, Professor Ronald Morrison of the University of New England will shed light on the intellectual foundation and burgeoning of this no longer sleeping giant in Chinese Philosophy and Contemporary China.
The sea takes center stage on Feb. 10, with presentations that carry attendees from ocean to ocean. Sheri Poftak and Kathleen White, of the Friends of the Wood Island Light, will illuminate the history and personality of this 200-year-old landmark, one of just two island lighthouses in Maine open to the public, as part of their discussion of Wood Island Light: On the Road to Recovery. Following lunch, David Jordan, founder of Nauticos, a deep-sea exploration company, recounts his experiences in Adventures in Deep Ocean Exploration: The Search for Amelia Earhart and Other Tales, which took him 20,000 feet under the sea off Howland Island looking for Amelia’s Lockheed Electra.
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) will provide a focus on immigration. The featured morning speaker is Dr. John F. Sutherland, retired history professor, whose illustrated talk will describe the immigration waves and roles of immigrants in the U.S. industrial explosion of the 19th and 20th centuries in They Came to America. During the afternoon session, Kennebunk’s Monica Grabin will bring her special brand of musical history to Ethnic Music of the Labor Movement, with a particular nod to the musical contributions of the Irish.
All seminars meet at Denis Hall on the campus of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, 133 Shaker Hill Road (off Route 202) in Alfred. Morning seminars run from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and afternoon sessions take place from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. The $15 fee for each day’s program, payable at the door, includes a lunch of soup, salad, sandwiches, dessert and beverages, and coffee breaks. If Sanford Schools cancel due to inclement weather, the seminars will be cancelled. Call 1-800-696-3391 for reservations. All seminars are open to the public; membership in Senior College is not required to attend.
York County Senior College, providing low cost educational and social opportunities for York County adults 50 years of age and older, is affiliated with the University of Maine System. The University of Maine System, established in 1968, consists of seven unique universities and 10 university college regional outreach centers.

Stephen King’s New Epic: Under the Dome

By Chip Schrader
Book Review Editor
Whenever Stephen King comes out with a new book, it seems Maine stops in its tracks to take notice. Never forgetting his roots in the state, his books are filled with local references, figures of speech, and scenery evocative of small town life. Upon the release of Under the Dome, before having a tour in all the major cities, King came to Bridgeton, Maine to sign books and celebrate with the community that inspired his creation of Chester’s Mill.
Chester’s Mill is a small working class town complete with old grudges, trapped citizens who never find their way out, and filthy politics. The police, town council and even clergy are bound by their own corruption and blackmail. When the town pariah, Barbie (Dale Barbara), finally decided he was finished with this place, a strange thing happened, he looked up to watch a plane fly over head, and at that moment, it spontaneously crashed with no apparent cause.
All along the town line people perished by crashing into this invisible wall, and when it came down it maimed countless people who were merely gardening on their property that ran along town lines. Even with the nation’s eye on the town, the people on the outside still had no idea what happens on the inside.
The dome became a lid for this pressure cooker. Almost immediately old factions aligned, and King referenced a scenario from Lord of the Flies where society flips to where the most animalistic personalities take control. After the dome, the police chief taps his son with sociopathic tendencies and his group of misfits to patrol the town. Needless to say, the word terrorize and brutalize is more the word.
Barbie never made it out, and has no choice but to try and help solve this dome mystery. The local journalist, the former chief’s widow, and a handful of middle school kids work together to try and find out just what this dome is before the propane for generators, and the sanity of the town runs completely empty.
Considering the overview this review provides doesn’t do justice to all of the subplots and intrigue in this book, many people are using the word “Epic” when describing King’s latest work. While it is hipper and more relevant than most epics, this word best describes this miraculous work of fiction. Only the greatest mind in American letters could conceive of a story as deep, intriguing and terrifying as this.
Many horror and science fiction writers settle on a page turner that reveals thrill after bloody thrill, and these authors often build distracting back stories to draw out the suspense. King’s writing requires neither of these tactics, even at the 1100 page count. Every citizen’s back story feeds deeply into the plot, and through most of the book, figuring out what the dome is doesn’t even matter as much as the story going on within it. The reader wants to know the situations Barbie and all of the players have gotten into, and what will come of their actions. Sometimes, the characters even surprise the reader when they do something uncharacteristic giving them all a very human color.
King’s portrayal of small town America and the middle and lower class has elevated him to what John Lennon would call “a working class hero.” Under the Dome is a devastating, poignant, funny and masterful political satire that will wedge the legendary author firmly between H.G. Wells and Mark Twain.
Photo caption: Book cover of Stephen King’s newest novel "Under the Dome".

CMP Tree Care in Southern Maine will Enhance Power-System Reliability

AUGUSTA—
More than two dozen communities in York County and southwestern Cumberland County are among an estimated 180 cities and towns in central and southern Maine to benefit from Central Maine Power Company’s (CMP) tree care program this fall. The work along utility lines is part of a $23 million annual vegetation management program to improve the reliability of its roadside distribution lines.
“We have more than 23,000 miles of distribution lines, and along much of it, trees are growing toward the wires or at risk of falling down on them,” said CMP spokesman John Carroll. “Contact with vegetation is the most frequent cause of blinking clocks and power outages, so customers should see better reliability as the crews trim along the roadsides in their towns.”
CMP trims along one-fifth of its distribution lines each year. In the coming weeks, the company’s contractors will continue to trim trees along distribution lines in Acton, Alfred, Baldwin, Berwick, Biddeford, Cornish, Dayton, Eliot, Hollis, Kittery, Lebanon, Limerick, Limington, Lyman, Newfield, Ogunquit, Parsonsfield, Saco, Sanford, Shapleigh, South Berwick, Standish, Waterboro, Wells, and York.
Motorists are urged to use caution when they encounter tree crews working alongside Maine roads.
“These crews play a key role in helping CMP provide the safe, reliable service that customers depend on,” said Carroll. “This kind of work can be difficult, and we urge motorists who come across these crews to proceed slowly and at a safe distance.”
CMP contracts with professional arborists who are required to follow practices established by the International Society of Arboriculture. These include consideration for the health, shape, strength, growth rate, and appearance of trees before and after pruning. CMP notifies customers about its vegetation management activities every year with inserts in its bills. Customers can sign up to receive a notice when tree trimming is happening in their area. For more information, call CMP’s vegetation management department at 1-800-972-8600.
Additional information about CMP’s tree care program, along with tips for tree planting and care can be found on CMP’s Web site at http://www.cmpco.com – click on “Usage and Safety,” then “Tree Care.”
Photo caption: Contact with vegetation is the most frequent cause of blinking clocks and power outages. The heavy snow, ice and winds of winter make it even more likely. (Courtesy photo)