Norway Tower Cab lifted into place
at Ashland museum
ASHLAND NEWS
by Susan Feeney Hopkins
Continuing what has been a tremendous volunteer effort from the greater Ashland area, a quick and clever crew gathered at the Ashland Logging Museum Oct. 8 to lift the Norway Tower Cab into place.
IN MAY 2012, the Maine Forest Service moved the Norway Bluff Fire Tower via helicopter to its current residence in Ashland. 
The Maine Forest Service moved the tower cab and its 26-foot tall metal frame via helicopter from the top of Norway Bluff Mountain May 8 and moved it to the logging museum for its preservation.
Originally placed on the bluff as a fire lookout tower in 1914, it was removed to make way for a new statewide radio communication tower. Members of the Maine National Guard and volunteers Bob Flint and Mark Rafford saw that the tower and cab were moved from a staging area in T9, R10 WELS to Ashland. Over the past six weeks, Eagle Scout candidate Malcolm Milligan has teamed a crew of Boy Scouts from Ashland Troop 179 in addition to other volunteers, to reconstruct the cab, sand the metal tower and to apply many coats of paint (on both the cab and tower) in an effort to bring the tower back to its original state of glory.
In this phase of reconstruction, Portage Construction volunteered its time, crane and expert machine skills. While it’s looking good, there are still bits and pieces that need to be completed such as putting in windows, erecting a fence and the installation of a table map. The Ashland Logging Museum hopes to open the tower to the public very soon and anticipates an official “grand opening” during Ashland’s 2013 Summer Fest.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Barker
THE ASHLAND LOGGING MUSEUM is the new home of the Norway Bluff Fire Tower. Thanks to the efforts of the Maine Forest Service and many volunteers, the tower will once again stand watch over the North Woods. Here, Portage Construction Co., which donated its time and equipment, lift the tower into place. 
Throughout the project, a tremendous amount of assistance has been provided by the Weeks family of Masardis, whose family ties have been intertwined with the tower for several generations. In the mid-1910s, Link Weeks was hired intermittently to help move materials and construct the new fire towers being built. Later, his brother, Harold Weeks, was hired by the Maine Forest Service to be the Chief Warden of the Aroostook River and Big Machias River Districts, a position previously held by their father, Charles L. Weeks. Today, Link’s great-grandson Todd Weeks is a 25-year veteran of the Maine Forest Service and was a major contributor in helping to move the tower off Norway Bluff. Todd, his father, John Weeks, and brother-in-law Dana Cameron have all donated their time, materials and expertise to the project.
Like so many other families in the Ashland area and beyond, the fire tower lookout system employed many people over its lifespan also leaving behind some wonderful memories. The Ashland Logging Museum would like to put together a roster of local fire tower watchmen, as well as a photo album of past fire tower watchmen and the towers they manned. If you have photos and/or names of someone to be included on the roster, please contact Amanda at 435-4870, via e-mail at ashlandloggingmuseum@gmail.com or find them on Facebook by searching Ashland Logging Museum.
Religious education program coordinator needed
St. Mark’s Parish and Our Lady of Lake churches (in Ashland and Portage Lake) are looking for a coordinator for their religious education program. This person will be responsible for recruiting catechists each year, registering students, and scheduling and meeting with the religious education committee for St. Mark’s/Our Lady of the Lake. They are also expected to attend bi-monthly meetings of the Parish of the Precious Blood Religious Education Council, as well as attending several mandatory training sessions.
This year religious education classes will be held Sundays (after the Ashland mass) for second grade and on Mondays (after school) for all grades up to grade 5. This is a paid position.
For more information, please contact Corrine Routhier at arouthier@roadrunner.com or call the Parish of the Precious Blood office in Caribou.
Ashland Ambulance Service offers community talk
The Ashland Ambulance Service, in conjunction with the Ashland Senior Citizens Group, will be providing a free information session for all interested community members. The topic of this informational in-service will be on the “DNR” (Do Not Resuscitate) form commonly used within health care settings. The instructors will discuss what this form means — to you, the patient, and to the EMS providers involved in emergency care. The in-service will be held Thursday, Oct. 18 from 1-2 p.m. at the Ashland VFW located at 36 Portage Road. The Ashland Ambulance Service encourages you to stop in and pick up a free “File Of Life” form to keep important personal health information handy while receiving the latest information on this important topic.
Looking for Halloween party volunteers
Seeking all zombies, butchers, witches and such! Volunteers are being sought to assist with the community Halloween party being held Saturday, October 27 (from 6-8 p.m.) at the Ashland Recreation Center. Assistance is required to help with games, the snack table and the haunted house. This party is open to the public. More party details to follow. Please call Jessica Nason at 435-8097 for more information on how you can lend a spooky hand.
Susan Feeney-Hopkins is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and the surrounding areas. She can be reached at 435-8232 or Feenhop@aol.com.
