Sentinel The Weekly
ECRWSS PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID Seacoast Media Group Portsmouth, NH POSTAL CUSTOMER
Your Community Newspaper Serving: ARUNDEL, BERWICK, CAPE NEDDICK, ELIOT, KENNEBUNK, KENNEBUNKPORT, KITTERY, KITTERY POINT, MOODY, NO. BERWICK, OGUNQUIT, SO. BERWICK, WELLS, YORK & YORK HARBOR
Friday, December 31, 2021
Volume 17 • Issue No. 53
New Year’s Eve Alternatives!
e y b d Goo021 2
STATEWIDE Despite ever-present pandemic news, the desire to have some fun and celebrate the arrival of 2022 remains high with young and old alike. And like 2020, many are happy to put 2021 in the rear view mirror and cap off the holiday season with “something” to welcome the New Year. While many venues and communities are scaling back large scale get-togethers,
here are some local New Year’s Eve events taking place plus a few fun ideas for celebrating at home with friends and family. Last Blast New Year’s Eve Beach Party: Old Orchard Beach’s Last Blast Party is back on this year 4:30-8 p.m. on Friday, December 31. Revelers are welcome to bring their Christmas trees to feed what will surely be an epic bonfire. Maine Kitchen Concessions will be on
site as well as marshmallow toasting pits, hot cocoa, kettle corn. and cotton candy. All eyes will be on the sky when the fireworks show starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information look for details on Facebook. First Night Portsmouth, NH: Thanks to the communities commitment to raising $15,000, Portmouth will be presenting
contact Executive State Director Christie Hines at maine@
unitedstatesofamericapageants. com.
See EVE page 4...
Miss Maine 2022 Hails from Kittery KITTERY Jessica MacNeill of Kittery was crowned at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Portland on November 7. She will travel to Las Vegas, NV, this February to represent Maine in the national United States of America Pageant. Her personal platform focuses on embracing being a tomboy and a girly girl by bringing together her passion for sports and love for dance/ pageantry, and also creating equal opportunities for women in sports. MacNeill graduated with an Undergraduate Degree in Sports Management with a minor in Communications from
Local Average Tide Chart Date High Low Sat
am pm
9:13
9:57
2:49
3:38
Sun 2
10:09 10:54
3:45
4:33
Mon 3
11:05 11:49
4:40
5:27
4
12:00
5:35
6:20
Wed 5
12:43 12:54
6:30
7:12
Thu
6
1:37
1:48
7:26
8:05
Fri
7
2:30
2:44
8:24
8:59
Tue
1
am pm
Sun Rise Sun Set Sat
1
7:12 4:18
Sun
2
7:12 4:19
Mon
3
7:12 4:20
Tue
4
7:12 4:21
Wed
5
7:12 4:22
Thu
6
7:12 4:23
Fri
7
7:12 4:24
Arts & Entertainment Calendar of Events Classifieds
Computer Lady Dining
9
7
21-22 10
14-15
Home & Business 18-20
Endicott College (2020) and furthered her education by returning to Endicott for their fifth-year graduate program, where she received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration (2021). United States of America Maine Pageants are designed to encourage women to strive to achieve their hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations, while making them feel confident and beautiful inside and out! Their focus on women empowerment, promoting positive self-image and advocating a platform of community service, allows con-
testants to rise by lifting others. Other divisions crowned were United States of America’s Teen Maine 2022 Haleigh Mclain of Fairfield, United States of America’s Ms. Maine 2022 Laura McKee of Portland, and United States of America’s Mrs. Maine 2022 Emily Bailey of Farmington. For more information on how to become a contestant in the 2023 United States of America’s Maine Pageant (Teen ages 13-17, Miss ages 18-28, Ms. ages 29+, and Mrs. ages 18+), visit www.usoamissmaine.com or
Downeaster 20th Anniversary, Progress in Wells WELLS The Amtrak Downeaster celebrated 20 years of service on December 15, connecting Northern New England with passenger rail service between Brunswick and Boston, MA. The service was originally established in 2001 as a result of a citizen’s initiative by TrainRiders Northeast to restore passenger rail service to Maine after a 30-year hiatus. Since then, many improvements have been made to the service including reductions in travel time, increased frequency, and expanded service. “And the best is yet to come,” said Patricia Quinn, Executive Director of NNEPRA. “We are exploring innovative ways to improve mobility, ad-
Library News
5-6
Obituaries
16,18
Pets
8
Puzzles
22
Sports & Outdoors
22
Real Estate
17
PAGES
vance safety, combat climate change, and support a growing economy.” Initiatives under consideration to support and enhance existing service include inbound commuter service, Portland Station relocation, and the addition of a Downeaster platform in West Falmouth to name a few. The 20th Anniversary was marked with a celebration at the Wells Transportation Center, featuring Governor Janet Mills, as well as executive leadership from Amtrak, Pan Am Railways, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). There were video presentations from Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and comments from a representa-
Health & Fitness
A section concerning your health...
12-13
tive from Congresswoman Chelli Pingree’s office. In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of the past, the event included a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on a $22.9M infrastructure project in Wells which will improve Downeaster service reliability and set the stage for added frequencies into the future (with a goal to expand service to a six-daily trip between Wells and Brunswick). The project is funded in part with a federal grant made possible through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) program which will be administered by the FRA. Additional funding for the project will
be provided by Pan Am Railways and the Maine DOT. See AMTRAK page 7... Have you seen our
Check out the pages on
FINANCE & CAREER 11
New Hampshire Newspaper? The Granite State Newspaper
Available at www.granitestatesentinel.com