April 25,2025
Good morning Sangerville,
It appears spring has finally arrived. Yesterday was a nice day, as today is supposed to be as well. Of course, it is supposed to rain all weekend once again, but at least they are not forecasting any snow.
Our road committee met last night, and we decided that it is now safe to take down our road postings, I am planning to remove signs this coming Wednesday the 30th. I noticed on my way into work this morning that MDOT has removed their signs on the Douty Hill Rd. We also discussed in detail next winters plowing and sanding contract, which I will be putting out an invitation to bid in the next couple weeks. We discussed Maple St.; our current plan is to begin prepping that for paving in the next two weeks. I will be preparing an invitation to bid on the paving for that in the same time frame.
Another sure sign of spring is that Stutzman’s has opened for the season. The downside to that is that I am really going to have to increase my exercise to offset the pizza and whoopie pies I regularly consume from there, but it is well worth it. It is great to have them open for the season.
Mike from Big Rock Center Pond Campground let me know they have done a big spring cleanup and are ready for the camping season. Also, on the topic of spring cleaning, Mid-Maine Solid Waste Association is having a free disposal day on Saturday May 3rd. You can get rid of up to 5 passenger vehicle tires, 1 refrigerator or air conditioner and 1 TV or computer monitor for free. You do need a current permit for Mid-Maine Solid Waste Association, which as a Sangerville resident you can purchase here at the town office for the cost of one dollar.
I want to remind everyone that we do have a public hearing scheduled for Wednesday April 30th at 5:00 PM at the fire station to hear public input on a dangerous building located at 6 Mill St. That will be followed by a special select board meeting at 6:00 PM that we scheduled, primarily to open bids for road grading for the town this summer.
Finally, I want to keep our Two Knights festival and parade this summer at least in the back of everyone’s mind. We would really like to get several floats in the parade and are discussing the possibility of having some trophies and prizes for some of the floats. To do that we really should have a theme for the parade. We are looking for ideas for a theme. If you have any ideas for a good theme, please contact Matt Blockler or me and let us know. Have a great weekend everyone, enjoy the rain.
Brian
April 18, 2025
Good afternoon Sangerville,
Tonight is the 250th anniversary of the famous midnight ride of Paul Revere, immortalized by the Longfellow poem. Although much myth surrounds the event, Revere did in fact ride from Charlestown, (now part of Boston) to Lexington and Concord to alert local militia. Revere’s home, the old North Church, Bunker Hill and the Charlestown Navy Yard are a few stops along the Freedom Trail in the North End of Boston, which is a great walk if you are visiting Boston on a nice day.
On April 19, 1775, British troops marched into Lexington and Concord to seize arms stockpiled by the colonists and arrest members of the Sons of Liberty. The colonial militia forced the British to retreat to Boston. To commemorate this event the Massachusetts legislature had declared the third Monday in April as Patriots Day, a legal holiday in Massachusetts. Sangerville being incorporated by the Massachusetts legislature on June 13, 1814, six years prior to Maine becoming a state, obviously has strong historic ties to Massachusetts.
In recognition of this Maine and Massachusetts state holiday, our office will be closed this coming Monday, April 21st. Also, of interest Patriots Day is the when the Boston marathon is run and the Red Sox always play at home that day with the game starting at 11:00 am so the crowd can leave Fenway and catch the end of the marathon. This is a busy day in downtown Boston.
On to news about Sangerville, after a recent post, I was asked what the Two Knights Festival is. The second annual Two Knights Festival will be held this year in Sangerville on Saturday July 19th. It will consist of a parade from the village cemetery to the veterans park, and then a day of events at the park with plenty of games for kids, touch a truck, a car show, live music in the gazebo, food and vendors. In the evening following all this, Two Knights Brewery will begin their outdoor summer music series with the Lynard Skynard tribute band “the Breeze”.
The purpose of this event is to celebrate Sangerville. It was conceived of last year by the Fire Department, and Friends of Sangerville Fire to help bring the town together after a very divisive spring in town.
This year, fortunately, we are celebrating a positive year in Sangerville. I told people when I accepted the town manager position last fall, my personal mission statement was to help turn “Angerville” back into Sangerville. I believe we have accomplished that goal together with more credit going to you the citizens of Sangerville than to me.
My new catch phrase, if one needs a catch phrase, is “Sangerville is on the move”. We had a very positive annual town meeting a couple of weeks ago, we have an active road committee and are getting started on some big road projects, roofers will be starting on the town hall, hopefully at the end of next week and the engineer is preparing for the next phase of the project. We are planning a big town wide celebration for July, and we are continuously looking for ideas to improve the town. I would say Sangerville is definitely on the move.
As I finish this post our fire department is working on its second wildland fire of the day, assisting Guilford on a fire in Parkman. I would like to remind everyone that a fire permit is required for open burning. You can get these online through the Maine Forest Service when weather conditions are permissible. Days like today are not good days to try to burn, it is windy with very dry conditions, a small fire can get out of hand quickly.
Have a safe and enjoyable Easter Sunday and Patriots Day.
Brian