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Friday, March 24, 2017
Volume 13 • Issue No. 12
Chase Farms and Sugarhouses Open for Maine Maple Sunday STATEWIDE Commissioner Walt Whitcomb has formally announced that Maine has adopted the international grading system for maple syrup. This standard to take effect, comes in advance of this year’s Maine Maple Sunday, held Sunday, March 26. Most Maine producers have already implemented the voluntary standards in hopes of providing consumers with a better understanding of the natural product they are buying.
Maple Sunday is held annually, every fourth Sunday of the month. Participating sugar-
houses will be open for visitors to enjoy freshly made maple syrup and candy, demonstra-
tions of syrup production, sugarbush tours and a variety of other family activities. The voluntary standards announced by Commissioner Whitcomb are designed to match those used by other countries in order to give consumers standardized information for selecting maple syrup. It is in response to a 2010 petition from the International Maple Syrup Institute, an organization of producers in the United States and Canada. “The new system, utilized
by most Maine producers, combines 4-5 different systems into one standard that is easier for consumers to follow,� said Whitcomb. “Customers benefit from a system that more accurately portrays what they are buying and how it tastes. Retailers can also more easily choose the grades they want to stock based on customer preferences.� Maine Maple Statistics: 545,000 gallons were proSee MAPLE page 7...
Mary Elizabeth Steves Receives Boston Post Cane By Nancye Tuttle, Staff Reporter NORTH BERWICK Mary Elizabeth Steves never traveled far from North Berwick, where she was born on July 6, 1917, the second oldest of Clyde and Helen Staples’ six children. She grew up there, surrounded by a caring family. Along with her late husband Jack, she raised her children, Carol and Johnny, there. And it’s there where she lives today, en-
Index
Page
Arts & Entertainment 14-15 Business & Finance 20-21 Calendar of Events 10 Classifieds 33-35 Computer Lady 16 Health & Fitness 17-19 Home & Business 30-32 Library News 8 Obituaries 27 Pets 13 Puzzles 38 Real Estate 29,40 Where To Dine 22-26
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circled by a large, loving family that includes eight grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and nine great-great grandchildren. Last Saturday, Mrs. Steves was honored by her hometown when Selectman Chairman Charlie Galemmo, along with fellow Selectmen Mike Johnson, Sr., and Mike Johnson, Jr., presented her with a replica of the Boston Post Cane along with an engraved plaque that proclaimed her “the oldest living citizen of North Berwick.� (A brief history of the Boston Post Cane tradition follows at the end of this article.) Smiling broadly, Mrs. Stevees accepted the cane as a crowd of 30 proud relatives looked on, taking photos and applauding their beloved matriarch.
“I think it’s quite an honor,� said Mrs. Steves, who inherited the cane from her late first cousin Richard Goodwin, who passed away on February 4. An inspiration to all, Mrs. Steves lives on her own in a tidy apartment adjacent to her granddaughter Bonnie and her husband Scott Emmons’ home. She spends her days reading, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles and enjoying frequent visits from her doting family. An avid Red Sox fan, she rarely misses a game during baseball season. But Mrs. Steves’ life wasn’t always leisurely, although she’s too modest to talk about it. “My grandmother helped See CANE page 6...
Find Out About Your Family’s Civil War Years KENNEBUNK The Kennebunk Free Library Genealogy Group will host researcher Clay Feeter, on Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m. for a family-friendly event with audience participation. Children, grandchildren and questions are welcome! "Your Civil War ancestors' stories are always much deeper than the few lines about them that you might-or might not!-find in your family genealogy book," says researcher Clay Feeter, who gives a lively, informative “Cus-
tomizing your Personal War of the Rebellion� self-help talk and question and answer session on
the subject. Guests are encouraged to bring in family history notes, ge-
nealogy books, artifacts and letters of discharge papers to share at this “Ancestors Road Show� event. Feeter, who lives in York, has performed more than 2,300 Civil War ancestor searches over the past 20 years. His goal is to bring not just your soldier-ancestor’s stories to life, but to help you understand and discover more details about the full picture of suffering and challenges that The War of The Rebellion
Those interested in the KFL Genealogy Club are urged to bring questions about soldier-ancestors they would like to learn more about.
See CIVIL page 4...
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Mary Elizabeth Steves is presented the Boston Post Cane and a plaque proclaiming her the “oldest citizen of North Berwick� from Charlie Galemmo, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. (Nancye Tuttle photo)
Health & Fitness A section concerning your health... INSIDE:
PG 17-19
Also check out our section on
BUSINESS & FINANCE PG 20-21
Pets Consider a new fuzzy family member!
PG 13