Homecoming week at Machias Memorial High School ended in a festive parade featuring students and alumni, led by Grand Marshal Jean Cole Bowles (center), Salutatorian of the Class of 1946. At her side are Homecoming King Mr. James Black and longtime Coach Cindy Moore-Rossi, who received her honorary Bulldog diploma onSept. 28, making her the newest MMHS graduate at yesterday’s festivities. Click the photo above to see a video of the Homecoming Parade thanks to Judy Dorr Hansom. Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

By the time May rolls around, we are all well and truly finished with firewood – stacking it, hauling it, feeding it into the stove, hauling out ashes, and sweeping up after it. So no one in my family appreciates it when, in June, I announce we have to fill the living room woodbox one last time. 

I just don’t like the way it looks empty. 

Sadly, it’s about to be empty again, as a round of September morning fires has depleted what will be the best firewood I burn all year, seasoned, as it has been, all summer in our living room.

Meanwhile, yesterday we stacked the final two cords of the next season’s wood, which, thanks to a restful summer hiatus and mercifully short memories, I am ready to welcome again.

As a child I was dragged kicking and screaming into firewood management by my father, who had also been raised heating his home with wood, in Cross River, New York, then a teeny rural village. 

In high school, Dad and a buddy began taking regular hunting trips into Aroostook County, sometimes bunking at active lumber camps, and fell in love with Maine enough that he determined to go to college here, at Ricker College, in Houlton.

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Washington Academy cheerleaders on the sidelines of Saturday night’s game against Bucksport, which sadly ended as a loss for the Raiders. Homecoming week at Washington Academy is always full of spirit and culminates in a Saturday night dance for the students. Click the photo above to see lots of photos from Homecomings past and present on the school’s Instagram page. Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

After graduation, life moved him around a bit – out to Missouri for work, to Nebraska to be married, and when he could finally arrange it, back to the northeast where he could get away from Midwestern snakes, and into tax-free New Hampshire and a 1700s Cape which had spent most of its 200-or-so years heated by firewood.

When he purchased that home in the 1970s, oil was about 65 cents a gallon, making the home's drafty old windows somewhat affordable. But as the price of oil surged, so did the cost-effectiveness of heating with firewood. This simple math kept Dad extremely active into his late 70s until it became the reason for a bad fall outside, and ultimately, how he came to live with us here, in Maine, for the last two years of his life.

He spent most of his time in his favorite chair, next to our woodstove.

There’s an old saying that winter wood warms you twice, once when you chop it and again when you burn it. 

But I think that number is much higher.

A Delightful Coincidence

I was happy to hear from Jane, a reader with roots in Danforth, last week when she wrote to offer me suggestions on how to better connect with the northern parts of Washington County!

I would like to see more of it, I said, and then visit where my father went to college in Houlton. Oh! She went to Ricker College, too, wrote Jane, and asked, “What is your father’s name?”

Upon reading my reply, she wrote back.

“I knew him well.”

What a lovely small world.

Local musician, educator, and all-around great guy Duane Ingalls stands with new window inserts constructed at the 2019 WindowDressers event in Machias. If you have drafts and need inserts, or if you can help sponsor inserts for a family in need, keep reading below. Photo courtesy Mark Brown

Then you might need custom-made inserts from WindowDressers. Thanks to the Machias Area Community Action Workers, a new Windowdressers Community Build will take place in Machias from Nov. 8-15. Machias Savings Bank has partnered with local organizers to support this event at the Edward L. Hennessey Building, 1 Colonial Way in Machias.

Local organizers are looking for customers who need these inserts to help keep warm and save money. Inserts are custom-made to fit each window.  Volunteers will come to your house to measure the size needed for each window to guarantee a perfect fit. Cost is determined by the size of each window; a medium size window would cost about $50 but money has been donated by 350 Downeast to pay for inserts for those who cannot pay.  Repairing inserts made in earlier Builds can be done for $15 each.  To order new inserts or schedule repairs please go to www.windowdressers.org or contact Mark Brown at Dr.MaineBlackfly@gmail.com, or call at 207-271-8514.  All who order inserts or rewraps are expected to volunteer for at least one 4-hour shift at the Community Build.

Volunteers are also needed to help assemble the window inserts and wrap them with plastic at the Community Build.  Organizers are also looking for local businesses and individuals who would like to sponsor a family that is in need.  If you wish to volunteer you can do so at www.windowdressers.org or contact Dale Miller at dalem2115@gmail.com, or call at 207-271-6173.

A friend gave me a bag of this calendula, chamomile and lavender tea for my birthday this month and it’s nearly gone, so I must get more! It’s one of several delicious varieties grown and made by Wildroot Farm in East Machias. I also love the Tulsi, Mint, and Lemonroot variety. You can pick them up at Machias River General Store, 25 Main Street, Machias. Wildroot sells other products, too, you can call them at 207-615-2010. Photo courtesy Wildroot Farm

Nothing shows off fall foliage like fog, as evidenced by this image captured this morning in Northfield. According to this week’s state foliage report, Washington County is still in the “low” phase, meaning 10-30% of our leaves have turned. Judging by my walk through East Machias yesterday, this seems correct. You can follow the fine work of Maine’s foliage team on Instagram here. Photo by Michael Hoyt

By the Numbers

This recurring feature is a Washington County riff on the Harper’s Index. This week’s theme is (mostly) housing, following my attendance at last week’s GrowSmart Maine event in Machias. But also, potatoes.

49.1: The percentage of homes in Lubec built before 1940. In Danforth, that number is 11%. In Calais, 42.1%. In Jonesport, 25.4%, and in Machias, it’s 39.3%. 

80.4: The percentage of Washington County homes that are single-family (17,458 homes). In Machias, 52.7% of all residences are single-family homes and 37.3% are multi-family (apartments). In Calais, 22.5% of all housing is multi-family. In Machiasport, multi-family homes make up 2% of all housing.

15.5: The percentage of Machias homes built between 1980 and 1999. In Danforth, 39.1% of housing was constructed in the same period.

28: The percentage of Machiasport homes that are seasonally vacant. The same category is considerably lower in our largest labor market towns Calais (3.1%) and Machias (.7%).

460: The estimated number of homes needed to remedy a housing deficit in Washington County, according to the Maine Housing Authority’s Housing Production Needs Study.

1,700: The low estimate for how many homes Washington County will need to add to its inventory by 2030. The high estimate is 1,900.

9: Maine’s rank as a potato-producing state. No surprise, Idaho is still #1.

53,000: The number of Maine acres under potato cultivation in 2023.

$30: How much I paid for a 50-pound bag of Norland potatoes yesterday at the Machias Farmer’s Market, from Penobscot farmer Richard Merrill of Amber’s Best farm. I’m told I can store them in a metal trash can with less sprouting and no mice. Thoughts?

You’ll find Washington County-based musician Danny Holt, right, performing with his friend and colleague Molly Gebrian at the Eagle Hill Institute in Steuben at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. The duo will perform the entirety of their Trailblazers album, which shines a spotlight on rarely-performed sonatas from the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Ethel Smyth, Dora Pejačević, and Henriëtte Bosmans. You can check out the album here, and read more about next weekend’s performance, and others, here. Photo courtesy Danny Holt

Bumps and Babies will meet at Porter Memorial Library at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3. A place of support for all moms and caregivers during pregnancy and postpartum. Join us for connection and encouragement. Bring your questions, your growing belly, your new baby, and/or older siblings. Everyone is welcome! Always meets on the first Thursday of the month. The library is located at 92 Court Street, Machias. Call 255-3933 for more information.

Watch the Disney film The Haunted Mansion in the lovely Milbridge Theater and Community Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4. Adults are $10, kids 13 and under are $7. The theater is located at 26 Main Street, Milbridge. You can see their impressive list of October events here.

The Calais Harvest Festival will kick off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, in Flat Iron Park. Sponsored by the Calais Downtown Revitalization Committee, the event features a huge list of fun events. You can find the full schedule here and here.

An open farm day featuring mini horses and mini donkeys plus goats, bunnies, sheep, piglets, pigs, calves, and more fun animals will happen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Mill River Ranch Farm in Milbridge. The farm is located at 3 Old County Road. For more details, click here.

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The Celtic God of Death, a Banshee, the Angel of Death, the Grim Reaper, and the Irish Goddess of Death show up at an Irish wake for a bit of craic in this dark comedy about death, Ireland, and the other side of suicide. Looks to be a fantastic production coming to Machias and Eastport in October. Click the image above to purchase seats.

The Danforth Volunteer Fire Department will host a Harvest Supper from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. The menu includes Turkey & Gravy, Pork, Potato, Squash, Stuffing, vegetables, Bread, Dessert, and Beverages. Cost is $10 per person.

Are you a musician looking for a place to perform? Are you a music lover looking for a place to hear music? Then you’ll want to attend the Open Stage Event to be held at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, in the East Machias Cultural Arts Center, also known as the East Machias Congregational Church. The Center is located at 10 Cutler Road, East Machias. To learn more about the Center, visit its site here.

A New England Boiled Dinner Public Supper will be hosted by Whitneyville Public Library at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Highgrove Community Building in Whitneyville. Cost is $12 for adults and $4 for children under 12.

Danny Holt and Molly Gebrian perform at the Eagle Hill Institute at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, optional dinner immediately following the performance. For more details see the photo above.

The Swampwalkers, an excellent local band, will perform from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Oct. 5, at The Anchor in Machias, which also happens to have excellent hamburgers. Details here. The Anchor is located at 36 Main Street, Machias.

The Eastport Arts Center will host its next Sunday Talk, “Sharks!” with Ret Talbot and Karen Talbot. The talk will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the EAC, 36 Washington Street, Eastport. Read all about it here.

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Breabach, one of Scotland’s top Celtic bands makes its Washington County debut with a mix of traditional Gaelic songs and thrilling new music. The band will perform at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, in the Performing Arts Center of UMaine Machias. Admission is by suggested donation of $15. Click the photo for more information.

Baileyville’s Octoberfest runs from Saturday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, Oct. 13, and is chockablock with fun events like a parade, a craft fair, a car show, movies, and music. You can see all the details here.

Sweet Tooth BINGO will take place at the Jonesboro Grange #357 from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Grange Hall is located on Route 1 in Jonesboro (as in, you can’t miss it). For more information, email Jonesborogrange357@gmail.com.

We enjoy sharing our love of Washington County, Maine, so much that we’d honestly do it for free. In fact, we do! But if you wanted to buy us an oat milk cortado for our troubles, we wouldn’t say no. You can send support by check to our PO Box below, by PayPal, or by credit card.

Thanks!