Maine Dispatches

Maine Dispatches
Maine news
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Opinions, advisories, and musings from the length and breadth of Maine

 

Lovell

The family of the late Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme donated his 1967 ski boat to the Lovell Historical Society’s annual auction. The boat has never been on water outside Kezar Lake, where Demme had a camp.

Camden

Children’s book author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen gave a 9-minute high-school commencement speech in storybook verse: “You’ll agree, I think, with me, no matter what their plans, this world will be a better place, the future’s in their hands.”

York

During a power outage, employees at Wild Kingdom amusement park manually turned a stalled Ferris wheel so that 13 up-in-the-air guests could get off the ride.

Southwest Harbor

A town employee neglected to yell “Fore!” when he ran a lawn mower over a golf ball, which the spinning blades sent flying into a parked car, doing $480 of damage.

Windsor

Wiscasset farmer Jeff Burchstead sheared five sheep in 22 minutes and 35 seconds, beating out dozens of other shearers at Maine Fiber Frolic’s first (and the state’s only) sheep-shearing contest.

Blue Hill

So many caterpillars swarmed Mines Road that state officials posted a warning about the slippery conditions. The squished bugs made the road look “freshly paved,” one driver reported. They popped like popcorn when run over, said another.

Read more Down East Dispatches.