Area Legislators Announce Reconstruction of Route 1 and Route 9

AUGUSTA/WELLS—
Senator Ron Collins (R-Wells) and Representative Kathy Chase (R-Wells) were pleased to recently learn that road maintenance projects have been planned and are scheduled to begin this summer for sections of both Route 1 and Route 9 in Wells.
The Route 1 project, which will include paving and drainage improvements for 0.9 miles between Route 9 and Harriseckett Road, is scheduled to begin July 5, with a completion date of August 27, 2011. This project has been awarded to Pike Industries of Lewiston, Maine.
The second project will include paving and safety improvements of 1.2 miles of Route 9, between Homestead Drive and the northerly intersection of Depot Street. Work is scheduled to begin after May 9, 2011 and will be completed by June 18, 2011. Because of the nature of the maintenance that needs to done, this work will be performed at night between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“Maine winters can cause havoc on our roadways, and the roads in Wells are no exception. There are several roads throughout my district that need repair,” said Sen. Collins. “I am pleased to see the beginning of these projects being scheduled and hope to see many more this spring. As Senate chair of the Transportation Committee, I know that this problem is widespread throughout the state.”
Rep. Chase said the Route 1 stretch has been a problem for some time. “It’s the number one question asked by motorists who drive that part of the road,” she said. “I’m glad they are paying attention to our concerns. And these projects come on top of the rebuild of Route 109 between the turnpike and the town line that we worked so hard to get. It’s good to see some highway investment coming to Wells.”
The Route 109 project, announced in January of this year, addresses nearly 4.5 miles of Route 109 in Wells. The first phase of construction will begin this spring and is due for completion by October 2012.
Sen. Ron Collins represents Maine State Senate District 2 which includes the York County towns of Acton, Berwick, Cornish, Lebanon, Limerick, Newfield, North Berwick, Parsonsfield, Shapleigh, and Wells.

National 9/11 Flag Comes to York

YORK BEACH—
From 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, the National 9/11 Flag stopped at the York Beach Fire Station, one of many Maine stops on its national tour.
According the Flag’s website (http://national911flag.org), the National 9/11 Flag is one of the largest American flags to fly above the wreckage at Ground Zero in New York City. Destroyed in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, the flag was stitched back together seven years later by tornado survivors in Greensburg, Kansas.
The flag is currently on a tour of America in commemoration of the 10th Year Anniversary of 9/11. The goal of the tour is “to display this historic flag at leading venues nationwide, to empower local service heroes in all 50 states with the privilege of stitching the flag back to its original 13-stripe format, and to inspire 300 million Americans with the flag’s rich visual history in order to deepen our sense of citizenship and national pride and bolster the spirit of volunteerism on the 9/11 Anniversary and year-round.”
When the tour is complete, the Flag will become part of the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial Museum being built at the World Trade Center in New York City.
Photo caption: On March 23, the National 9/11 Flag appeared at the York Beach Fire Station. (Photo courtesy Dave Osgood)

Berwick Resident Achieves Eagle Scout Award

BERWICK—
Ross Andrew Conroy of Troop 313 in Berwick, Maine, recently earned the highest advancement award the Boy Scouts of America offers to Scouts, the Eagle Scout Award. Only 2% of Boy Scouts nationwide earn this award. Ross was 15 years old when he completed the requirements and attained the rank of Eagle on November 24, 2010.
Ross was recognized in a formal ceremony on March 12, 2011 at the First Parish Federated Church, in South Berwick, Maine, with over 90 friends, family and fellow scouts in attendance. Joining them were Maine State Senator Ron Collins, Maine State Representative Beth O’Connor, Cabela’s retail store manager of Scarborough, Maine, Rich Pschirrer, Mr. Glen Walsworth from the American Legion Charles S. Hatch Post 79, as well as numerous representatives from the York District and Local Troop 313.
Ross earned over 30 merit badges and successfully completed a community service project to earn his Eagle Award. His project was building wildlife enclosure for the Center of Wildlife in York, Maine. Through donations from local businesses and individuals,Ross raised in excess of $1,000 in cash and materials for construction to build a wildlife enclosure for recuperating small mammals.
Rick Raynes, the Scoutmaster of Troop 313, met Ross in his first year as a Webelos Scout in 2005, at an outdoor winter event with temperatures below zero. According to Raynes, who spoke about Ross at the Eagle Court of Honor, “It was evident that Ross showed a lot of promise, as he started his own fire to enjoy a warm lunch.”
Numerous scouts participated in the Eagle Court of Honor in South Berwick. Scouts Cody Farwell and Casey Wallbaum read the Scout Law, as it was interpreted by John Wayne when a Scout ranch in California was dedicated in his honor.
State Senator Ron Collins presented Ross with a flag that flew over the State House in Augusta, and spoke to the importance of leadership. Representative Beth O’Connor read a formal recognition from the state of Maine, “This is the highest award in Boy Scouting and is given for excellence in skills development, leadership, personal growth and community service...”
Ross is the son of Drew and Janet Conroy of Berwick, Maine. His younger brother Luke is also Webelos Scout, who opened and closed the ceremony with a few musical arrangements played with fellow Webelos Scout Noah Safford on their trumpets. Ross would like to thank all the sponsors and fellow scouts who have supported him along the way.
Photo caption: Ross Conroy of Berwick recently received his Eagle Scout Award in a formal ceremony on March 12. (Photo courtesy Rebecca Chasse)

Heroes Welcomed Home from Afghanistan

AUGUSTA—
On March 8, 173 members of the 1136th Transportation Company (SECFOR) of the Maine Army National Guard returned from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom at the Augusta Armory. The 1136th Transportation Company had served a year in Afghanistan.
The soldiers deployed last March to Afghanistan, where they provided security for bases and convoys against Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces.
The 1136th Transportation Company is stationed in the Sanford, Bangor and Calais. In 2003, the unit deployed to Kuwait and Southern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Photo captions: Bottom - Jason Pepin of North Berwick, greeted by his family and friends, along with National Recruiter Wayne Elkins VFW Post 1285 and seven members of VFW Post 5744 South Berwick. Top - Brian Dickerson of South Berwick, greeted at the Augusta Armory by his family, friends, and VFW members. (Photos by Robert Place)

Shipyard Continues to Affect Maine Economy

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
KITTERY—
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard continued to be a major contributor to the economies of southern Maine and southeastern New Hampshire in 2010 with indications of even further increases this year.
The Seacoast Shipyard Association recently released the Economic Impact Study for the calendar year 2010, showing growing employment, the purchase of goods and services, and contracted facility services.
Civilian employment at the Kittery facility has risen from 3,648 in 1998 to 5,168 last year with a corresponding increase in payroll. In 1998, workers earned $192,008,527, while last year’s payroll was set at $395,166,516.
The total civilian payroll for the shipyard is set at over $395 million, and $227,335,288 of that is to workers in the state of Maine. A total of 2,911 Mainers are employed there. New Hampshire’s 2,015 workers have a payroll of $149,514,994.
The military payroll also showed an increase over 2009. The 2010 figures included $24,961,035 for Navy personnel and $14,978,396 for the Coast Guard.
The shipyard purchased over $44 million in goods and services, $6.4 million from Maine and $4.3 million from New Hampshire providers. Over $20 million worth of goods and services were purchased in the six New England states.
Good news on the horizon for the shipyard came in a joint press release from Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, New Hampshire Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, announcing that the Navy proposes to invest approximately $100 million during Fiscal Year 2012 in facility upgrades and modernization.
The funding, provided through the Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization (SRM) budget, would be used for energy conservation and repairs to submarine enclosures, building renovations, repair to the waterfront support facility and structural repair and consolidation of the yard’s workshops.
“This announcement represents an important commitment by the Navy to the future of the Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and I am pleased by this response to our efforts to encourage such investments in the long-term health of the Yard’s facilities,” Sen. Snowe said.
Sen. Susan Collins said, “This is wonderful news not only for the dedicated men and women who work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, and their families, but also for the economy of the greater York County region.”
“I am glad to see the Obama administration prioritize funding of these long overdue improvements at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” Sen. Shaheen said. “Investments in this facility are critical to our country’s national security. (This) announcement is encouraging news to the hardworking men and women who keep the shipyard up and running.”
“The workers at Portsmouth have a long history of executing high quality work, and this funding is a reflection of that stellar record,” Sen. Ayotte said. “As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I will continue the fight to ensure that Portsmouth receives the strong support it has earned.”
The funding is contingent on Congressional authorization and appropriation of the funds in the 2012 budget.

The Wild and Crazy Guy Gets Serious

By Chip Schrader
Book Reviewer
“An Object of Beauty” is actor Steve Martin’s latest novel featuring the cutthroat business behind art collecting. A follow up to the novella “Shop Girl,” which was adapted to the screen, Martin positions himself as a Renaissance Man with screenplays, stage plays, novels, albums featuring his banjo playing, and comedic writing all credited to his name.
“An Object of Beauty” is told from the perspective of Daniel Franks. While the reader might expect the novel to be the lamenting of his own life, Daniel’s focus is on the life and times of his muse, Lacey Yeager. Lacey is a street-wise, unattached, and ruthless self-promoter. Starting in the basement of Sotheby’s restoring and cataloging “dogs,” or lesser paintings, she climbs her way up to work for a private collector.
Martin’s descriptions of the paintings mentioned in the story please even readers who do not have an understanding of art and its collectability. The story uncovers why certain paintings become valuable, and how successful people become successful through cunning. Lacey’s beauty and cunning embody the art and the business of the art trade. As Martin describes the beauty of a painting, and the teetering values of these pieces, the reader quickly realizes, he is also describing his main character.
The intermittent first person insertions in the narration give this book a shade of the old hard-boiled detective fiction. While narrator Daniel admits some of the details of his subject are made up, the account of her life seems plausible. Furthermore, this admission by the narrator is a clever device that Martin uses to enable for a more complete depiction of the elusive Lacey that even her greatest admirer could not follow her enough to witness.
The sensuality, wit, and strength of Lacey are almost enough to forgive her predilection to use the people around her. She is nearly tragic as value has only a material context, and the story, without judgment takes us on her rise to Power. Among the most interesting incidents during her ascent is her trip to Russia where she is asked to trade paintings. It is here that she meets Patrice, a European with the eyes and hands of an artist. For the first time, Lacey finds interest in somebody for more than a one-time rendezvous.
Another touch this novel provides is full color reproductions of many of the paintings Martin references in the story. Martin never falls into the trap of using art world jargon, and he keeps his audience interested in his subject while retaining the integrity and intelligence in his storytelling.
While readers might expect a fluffy romp from the actor who made “The Jerk” a household classic, Steve Martin veers away from comedy avoiding high drama, and weaves a tale with a great deal of class and tact. His descriptions are light and read quickly, yet vivid enough to paint a thorough picture in the reader’s mind. “An Object of Beauty” belongs in the same category as the work of Peter Mayle and even Truman Capote.
Grand Central Publishing, November 2010, 292 Pages, $26.99.
Photo caption: (Courtesy book cover of “An Object of Beauty” by Steve Martin)

WHS Art Students Receive Regional Recognition in National Contest

WELLS—
Six Art students at Wells High School have placed in the Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a national competitive art competition sponsored regionally by Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk.
The students are those of Vanessa White-Capelluti. According to White-Capelluti, 12 students entered the regional competition with 6 students receiving awards or honorable mentions. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognize students with three levels: Gold and Silver Keys and Honorable Mention.
For the past three years, Heartwood College of Art has hosted the Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. This creative competition is open to all Maine high school and middle school students from grades 7 through 12.
Those from WHS who placed in this year’s Regional Scholastic Art Awards include Megan Foster (Grade 12: 1 Silver Key Award for Photography Art Portfolio), Cheyenne Bastille (Gr. 12: Honorable Mention), Courtney Crawford (Gr. 12: Honorable Mention), Wantana Theerathampitak (Gr. 11: Honorable Mention), Emily Knight (Gr. 12: 1 Gold Key Award for Drawing, 4 Silver Key awards including one for Art Portfolio plus 1 Honorable Mention) and Kaley Merrill (Gr. 11: Honorable Mention).
Emily Knight received a Gold Key for her black and white drawing “Hatching Things Up.” As a result, she will be entered in the national competition of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, which will take place in New York City in the spring. Knight will also exhibit some of her work on March 19 at a ceremony at the Coastal House in Wells. At that time, the work of all Gold Key winners will be displayed. Entries that received a Silver Key will be presented in a slide show.
Another of Knight’s work, a computer generated drawing titled “Mixed Thoughts” will be on display in the Maine Art Education Association’s display for Youth Art Month at the Portland Museum of Art beginning in March. Knight says she will study art in college and hopes to become an Art teacher.
According to White-Capelluti the students’ artwork was entered in the contest in December of 2010.
“I always tell them they do good work and sometimes they are recognized for it; sometimes they aren’t. So celebrate the times when you are. They’ve all done so fantastic (a) job this year. So I was very pleased to see them rewarded.”
Photo caption: In the back row from (l to r) are Megan Foster, Cheyenne Bastille and Courtney Crawford. In the front row (l to r) are Wantana Theerathampitak, Emily Knight and Kaley Merrill. Emily Knight’s Gold Key Award winning drawing is on the table in front of the students. (Photo by Reg Bennett)

Opening Scenes: ‘The Adjustment Bureau’

By Chip Schrader
Movie Reviewer
“The Adjustment Bureau” begins with Matt Damon standing alone in a cathedral like room with the light seeping through ornate windows. The key words are “Next Senator David Norris” as a montage showing dailies and GQ with his face on the cover, an appearance on “The Daily Show,” and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsing him all accompanied by Norris’ speech at a rally. The last headline to drop across the screen regards a college prank that could cost his election.
Set in New York and inside some of the most palatial buildings, “The Adjustment Bureau” follows the handsome political hopeful through the early stages of his career. But, through a misstep of chance interfering with “The Plan,” his career is sidetracked by a woman with whom he is forbidden to fall in love. The Bureau is employed, like guardian angels of a sort, to ensure that “The Plan” is followed through and properly executed. When David Norris is in the wrong place at the wrong time, he finds himself having to choose between the greatness he is fated to become or the woman he loves.
Norris is genuinely and articulately played by Matt Damon. While this role provides little challenge to Damon, he comes off naturally as the Kennedy-like politician. Elise, played by Emily Blunt, is seductive but with an organic soul. Blunt’s performance is so intimate the viewers feel they are in the room with her whenever she speaks. Like Damon’s performance, Elise is not a difficult character to manage, but Blunt brings about very natural portrayal, as well.
The characters are likeable, charming, and interesting to watch, but there is little psychology in their development. Other than loving Elise, we really aren’t shown what makes David Norris tick. We see his public side and his yearning for this woman, but we don’t see much about who David Norris really is, other than a well groomed politician with a relatively squeaky clean image. Much of the same can be said about Elise. We learn she is a passionate dancer and has a wit that equals that of Norris, but there is little development beyond that.
The wide-angle shots, visual effects, and shots from various angles are dazzling. The pacing of the film is even, but it never gets dull. While one might expect more action from a film like this, the intrigue and interplay between chance and “The Plan” are more than enough to keep the audience invested in the story. The wide-angle shots that show Norris inside a palatial room or a giant warehouse nicely parallels the concept that one man is very small portion of a much larger architecture. The imagery, setting and design are stunning!
“The Adjustment Bureau” has the soul of a classic Hitchcock thriller coupled with a postmodern edge like “North by Northwest” meets “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” The story that inspired the film came from the same author who inspired the science fiction cult classic “Blade Runner.” While this film sets its aim high, the movie falls just short of the mark needing a deeper back-story to make the need for the characters’ success more compelling. With that said, the combination of romance and intrigue make “The Adjustment Bureau” a date movie well worth the price of admission. 3.5 out of 5.
Photo caption: (Courtesy movie poster of “The Adjustment Bureau”)

Ogunquit Celebrates Mardi Gras in Style

By Molly McCoy
Staff Columnist
OGUNQUIT—
Hats, masks and floats filled the streets of Ogunquit on Saturday, March 5, as visitors and locals gathered to celebrate Fat Tuesday early with events all weekend. A Hat and Mask Making Party at MaineStreet helped outfit the crowd who then paraded downtown, led by the King and Queen of Mardi Gras who had been crowned the night before at The Front Porch. Homemade floats were pulled down the street and sidewalks as colorful Mardi Gras beads were thrown from the second floors of downtown businesses.
Award ceremonies at Old Village Inn immediately followed the parade. Best Child Costume went to Estelle Reardon. Best Hat Made at MaineStreet was by Isabella DeHart. Best Hat Brought from Home went to Brenda McKeon. The Best Float was made and decorated by Julie Twombly. Best Costumed Group or Family went to the Fournier/Kaszubinksi Family. Judges’ Choice for costuming, hat and overall attitude went to Dan Leonard.
Photo caption: The Ogunquit Mardi Gras Parade is pictured leaving MaineStreet’s Hat and Mask Making Party and beginning their route through downtown to Old Village Inn. (Courtesy photo)

Chamber Leader Joins Senator’s Staff

By Molly McCoy
Staff Columnist
YORK—
Jeff Pelkey, Chairman of the Board of the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce, announced recently that Cathy Goodwin, Chamber President, has accepted a job with U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins as her state office representative for York County. Ms. Goodwin has led the Chamber for 15 years.
“While we are certainly going to miss Cathy, the board is very pleased that she will be taking on this new role with the Senator,” said Pelkey. “Cathy has grown our chamber into becoming a strong advocate and voice for businesses in southern Maine. We believe her new job with the Senator will only expand and strengthen the linkage between local businesses and our federal government.”
“It’s a mixed blessing,” said Ms. Goodwin, when asked about her new position. “I’ve had a long-term relationship with the [Greater York Region] Chamber, and I was President of the Kittery Chamber for two years prior to that. There is a lot of history.”
Despite the change of occupation, Ms. Goodwin is optimistic about taking that history with her.
“That’s the good part about my new job,” said Goodwin. “I was hired precisely because I have these relationships, and I plan to continue to nourish those relationships and be as helpful as I can to the Senator’s office.”
To say that the Greater York Region Chamber has grown under Ms. Goodwin’s watchful eye would be an understatement. When Goodwin arrived in York as President, there were only two full-time employees, and the Chamber had opened their new building off of Route 1 just two years prior to her coming onboard.
“We didn’t even have a fax machine,” says Goodwin. “Now, we’ve grown the Chamber into the web world. It’s hard to believe that people thought it was just going to be a short-term thing, but now we know it’s hugely important.”
Other big changes under Goodwin’s presidency have included the official purchasing of the Welcome Center land at fair market value, securing their four-acre presence for years to come. In addition, Goodwin has seen her members come together to maintain that building with “huge donations of time, talent and money,” to accommodate the more than 90,000 visitors they see every year – half of which arrive during the three summer months alone.
“We continually have to ask ourselves how we stay relevant to our members,” said Goodwin, referencing the redesigning of the Chamber website as one of many updates necessary to appropriately represent the organization.
“We started the Farmers’ Market before that was a trend, and now we have one of the largest summer markets in Southern Maine,” said Goodwin. “HarvestFest is in its 27th year, and I’ve been around for fifteen of those. It’s been a long, long time.”
In addition to her role as President, Ms. Goodwin has co-chaired a bi-state committee to save the Kittery Shipyard, and worked on committees to manage the Memorial Bridge Project, among other causes.
“I’ve had an active job, an active role,” said Goodwin.
Clearly, her presence has been felt throughout York County over the past 15 years, and her friends and colleagues can look to continue their relationships with Ms. Goodwin, who will soon be working in the Senator’s Biddeford office.
The Chamber Board of Directors has been in a strategic planning process for the past several months. They do not expect to replace Ms. Goodwin until their planning process is completed, at which point a search committee will be formed to fill the position. Holly Roberts, the Chamber’s current business manager, has been appointed Interim Manager for the Chamber.
For more information, contact Mr. Pelkey at 207-439-4900.
Photo caption: Cathy Goodwin, the President of the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce, has accepted a job with U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins. (Courtesy photo)

Climber Narrates Harrowing Himalayan Adventure

NORTH BERWICK—
The accident happened on Summit Day, four weeks into the Himalayan expedition. Jack Hudock of South Berwick and the 15 members of his climbing team were within hours of the 23,494-foot summit of Mount Pumori, an ice-capped peak on the Nepal-Tibet border about three miles west of Mount Everest.
At first, Hudock wasn’t aware anything was wrong. He and another climber were plodding up the ice field, laboring heavily just to breathe at that elevation, while on the ridge ahead of the team two sherpas were putting in the route with snow stakes. But before the route was fully secured, the climber behind the sherpas put his weight on the rope, the same rope linking all the climbers, and disaster struck.
Hudock will present a slide show about his 2006 expedition on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Noble High School library. The event is free and open to the public. Snow date is Wednesday, March 9.
The event is part of the first annual Community Read sponsored by Berwick Reads and Noble Adult & Community Education. For the past month, a number of MSAD 60 families and school children have been reading “Peak” by Roland Smith, a fictional account of an American boy who attempts Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
Hudock, 46, was initiated into climbing in 1989 on Mount Rainier in Washington, where he and his brother Joel were turned back by high winds and blowing snow at 11,000 feet. Undaunted, he climbed New Hampshire’s Mount Lafayette the following year, fell in love with the White Mountains, and has climbed many of the Whites in the years since.
During an African safari in 1998, Hudock and his then-wife summited Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, which at 19,298 feet, is the highest freestanding mountain in the world.
A few years later he struck up an internet acquaintance with Dan Mazur, the famed American hiker best known for leading Greg Mortenson’s 1993 K2 expedition described in the bestselling “Three Cups of Tea.” Mazur invited Hudock to join him on a Rainier expedition in 2002, and this time he successfully summited the highest and most glaciated mountain in the continental U.S.
“That experience inspired me to do something bigger,” said Hudock, who works for American Airlines. “I mentioned to Dan that I was looking into climbing Aconcagua in South America, the highest peak in the Americas, and he suggested, why not come to the Himalayas and climb with us? I thought there was no way, you must have to summit certain smaller mountains first, but I took him up on it.”
It was Mazur who, two months after he had to leave the Pumori expedition because his father was ill, helped rescue Lincoln Hall, the Australian climber who collapsed and was left for dead on his descent from the summit of Everest. Mazur and several of his clients abandoned their own summit attempt to save Hall’s life.
Is there another mountain in Hudock’s future?
“Well, I’d like to do an 8000 meter when I’m 50,” he said with a grin. “Maybe Shishapangma in Tibet, the 14th highest mountain in the world.”
Photo caption: Jack Hudock, seen here at 20,000 feet on Mount Pumori with a photo of his children, Alexy, now 10, and Max, 8, will present a slide show about his climbing expedition Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. at Noble High School in North Berwick. (Courtesy photo)

Local Standouts Named to Maine McDonald’s High School All-Star Teams

AUGUSTA—
In Augusta recently, the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches (MABC) announced the A/B East and West and C/D West player selections for the 2011 Maine McDonald’s® High School Senior All-Star Basketball Games.
The A/B West Girls’ Team includes Keila Grigware, Biddeford H.S.; Rebecca Knight, Catherine McAuley H.S.; Kayla Burchill, Deering H.S.; Mia Rapolla, Gorham H.S.; Courtney Anderson, Leavitt Area H.S.; Maggie Sabine, Oak Hill H.S.; Abby Hasson, South Portland H.S.; Hannah Ebling, Thornton Academy; Nicole Taylor, York H.S.; Stephanie Gallagher, York H.S.
The A/B West Boys’ Team includes Steve Simonds, Bonny Eagle H.S.; Cam Brown, Cape Elizabeth H.S.; Theo Bowe, Cape Elizabeth H.S.; Sam Johnson, Greely H.S.; Cam Kaubris, Mountain Valley H.S.; Zach Bean, Scarborough H.S.; Vukasin Vignjevic, South Portland H.S.; Andrew Shaw, Thornton Academy; James Ek, Thornton Academy; Alex Furness, Wells H.S.; Luke Pierce, Yarmouth H.S.
Players representing 62 high schools from across the state have been honored with selection to the All-Star teams. The All-Stars were selected based upon ballot returns on a statewide high school basketball coaches’ vote conducted by the MABC in January.
“Since 1988, the local Owner/Operators of Maine’s McDonald’s restaurants have been committed to recognizing student athletes across the state with this hallmark sporting event,” said Mike Ortins, local Maine McDonald’s Owner/Operator and Ronald McDonald House Charities® Board Member. “We salute the Maine McDonald’s All-Star Team players for their dedication to academic and athletic excellence, sportsmanship and team spirit. “
Also announced were seventeen teams from across the state that were nominated for the new Maine McDonald’s/Maine Red Claws Team of the Year Award. Throughout the winter, basketball fans and community members submitted nominations for the award that will be presented at the All-Star Games on Sat., March 12. The Maine McDonald’s/Maine Red Claws Team of the Year Nominees include the Wells High School and York High School girls’ teams.
A selection committee made up of representatives from Maine McDonald’s, Maine Red Claws, and RMHC of Maine will select the winning teams – one boys and one girls – that have made an exceptional impact on Maine High School Basketball and in the lives of others through Contribution to Community, Exemplifying Sportsmanship, Team Competitiveness and Spirit, and Commitment to Academic Excellence. The two teams selected for the Team of the Year Award will each receive $1,000 for their schools’ basketball programs.
Maine McDonald’s® High School Senior All-Star Basketball Games 2011 All-Star Coaches Roster also includes Rick Clark, the A/B West Girls’ Team coach, from York H.S.
The 2011 Maine McDonald’s High School Senior All-Star Games will be played at Newman Gymnasium on the campus of Husson University in Bangor on Saturday, March 12. The game-day program will feature head-to-head competition between top players in the state’s A/B and C/D Boys and Girls divisions.
All-Star players, All-Star coaches, members of the All-State Academic teams, Regional Foul Shooting Champions, Maine McDonald’s Spirit of the Game Award recipients, the MABC Contributor Award honoree, and Mr. and Miss Basketball will be recognized at an awards banquet on Friday, March 11, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Husson University’s Newman Gymnasium.
Game Day tickets may be purchased at the door on Saturday, March 12 and are good for all four Games. Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and children.
For more information, visit www.mainemcdonaldsbasketballorg. (Courtesy logo)