Republican town caucus

The New Gloucester Republican Committee will be hosting its biennial caucus on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Community Building, 381 Intervale Road. Sign in will start at 9:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 10 a.m.   

The purpose of the caucus is to elect delegates and alternates to the Republican State Convention on Friday and Saturday, May 4 and 5 at the Augusta Civic Center. It is also to elect New Gloucester Republican Committee officers and Cumberland County representatives.

Contact George Colby, 577-5181 or gccolby@maine.rr.com, for more details.

Democratic town caucus

The New Gloucester Democratic Committee will host its biennial town caucus on Sunday, March 4 at the Community Building, 381 Intervale Road. Check-in will begin at 3 p.m., and the caucus will start at 3:30 p.m.

The reason for the caucus is to allow local voters to meet Democratic candidates for state and local offices, as well as to elect state convention delegates. Also, town and county Democratic committee members will be elected, and election clerks will be nominated. Complimentary refreshments will be offered.

All New Gloucester Democrats are invited to attend. New voters, or those not already enrolled in a political party, may register as Democrats at the caucus. They should bring a photo ID and a printed item showing their current physical address; for example, rent receipt, utility bill, bank statement, etc.

Pre-registration at mainedems.org/caucus by Friday, March 2 is encouraged but not mandatory. For more information, contact caucus convener Nichole Stevens at 807-7694 or nicmitdsd@gmail.com.

Benefit ice fishing derby

The New Gloucester Eagles FOE #4131 will host a benefit ice fishing derby at Sabbathday Lake from 6 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday, March 4. There will be a 50/50 raffle, as well as hotdogs and burgers sold on the ice.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for ages 15 and under. The price includes a buffet dinner and banquet following the event. A maximum of 200 tickets will be sold, and all proceeds will benefit the family of Rodney Theriault who died of renal cancer on Feb. 1.

For tickets, go to Mooney’s Bait Shop, 1235 Lewiston Road, New Gloucester; Dags Bait Shop, 4 Towle St., Auburn; or Jeff’s Bait and Tackle Shop, 136 Fore St., Oxford. For more information, call New Gloucester Eagles member Lloyd Tripp at 272-9535.

Within a telephone interview, Tripp provided a concise update on the beneficiary of the 2017 derby’s proceeds, Shayla McGraw who had received a kidney transplant last June. “She’s doing amazingly well,” he said.

Historical society announces new schedule

The New Gloucester Historical Society recently announced their new schedule. The Meetinghouse, 389 Intervale Road, will be open the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon with staff and specific material from the archives available for research assistance.

Brief tours of their nearby History Barn will be available upon request on those Saturdays for the months of December through March. Regular History Barn Open Houses will be held on the first Saturday of each month from April through November from 9 a.m. to noon.

The History Barn will also be open for the annual municipal Christmas tree lighting on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and on July 4th for the reading of the Declaration of Independence, plus possible other special occasions to be determined.

Registrations and licenses

Stickers are now available for the 2018 boating season. Any motorized watercraft must be registered. Motorized watercraft consists of any boat with any type of motor, including canoes with electric motors and personal watercraft. All motorized watercraft on inland waters must display the lake and river protection sticker “Preserve Maine Waters,” otherwise referred to as a milfoil sticker. The purchase of a new sticker for owners of Maine-registered watercraft is $10. Owners of non-Maine registered boats are required to purchase a milfoil sticker at a cost of $20. A sticker is not required to operate a watercraft in tidal waters.

Also, hunting and fishing licenses for 2018 are now available. The cost of a fishing license is $27, and a hunting license is $28. A combination fishing/hunting license is $45.

Boat registrations, as well as hunting and fishing licenses, expire on Dec. 31 of each year and are available at the Town Hall, 385 Intervale Road, for New Gloucester residents only.

The NG Town News

The 2018 winter edition of the “New Gloucester Town News” is available at newgloucester.com. Click on the “Newsletter” sidebar to view previous editions. Subscribe to receive each quarterly edition of the newsletter emailed directly to you by sending an email to smyers@newgloucester.com with the words “subscribe me” in the subject line.

Holiday closure

All town facilities will be closed on Monday, Feb. 19, in observance of Presidents’ Day.

Marc Richardson, of Freeport, gets ready to enjoy the perfect snow conditions blanketing the Pineland Farms’ cross country ski trails on Feb. 9. As a season’s pass holder, he said that he ventures out on the trails approximately three times per week.

Photo by Patti Mikkelsen