Ashland High holds 60th reunion

60-Year Reunion
    Members of Ashland High School Class of 1947 gathered recently for a reunion at the Portage Lake cottage of Don and Dolores Laveway. Ten classmates and five spouses were in attendance. A delicious meal, provided by Ray and Elaine Wakefield, was enjoyed by all. Baby Announcement
    Proud grandparents Keith and Edith Smith are happy to announce the newest addition to their family. Brooklyn Dorothy Smith was born Aug. 24, 2007 to their son, David, and his wife, Bree Smith. Brooklyn resides in Laramie, Wyo. with her Dad, Mom and big sister, Braley. Other family members celebrating the birth are: Grandparents David and Crystal Bennett of Laramie, Wyo., Grandfather Jim Mikolash, who resides in Arizona, Aunts Jennifer and Amber Smith of Ashland, and Aunt Cori Adams, who resides in Pennsylvania.
Benefit for Alzheimer Association
    Put on your dancing shoes for a great cause. On Saturday, Sept. 22, the Alzheimer Association of Maine will hold a fund-raising dance at Dean’s Motor Lodge beginning at 9 p.m. Admission will be by donation and a 50/50 raffle will be held, as well. All monies raised from the evening will be used to help Alzheimer’s causes within the state of Maine. For further information, please contact Corrine Routhier at 435-6854.
Accidental Omission
    My apologies to the Ashland Area Senior Citizens Club. I mistakenly removed your meeting information from the ongoing events section of this write up a couple of weeks back. Please note that beginning Sept. 6, the meetings changed back to every Thursday. If you would like more information about the Ashland Area Senior Citizens Club, you may contact acting President Helen Beaulieu at 435-3411 with any questions. The club will have Andrea White as a guest speaker Thursday, Sept. 27. Andrea will be discussing the Ashland Area Playground project.
Businesses Closing
    It is with sadness that I write to inform you that both Ashland’s Diner (operated by Joyce Eastman) and The Body Shoppe (operated by Nancy Flint) will be closing their doors at the end of September. We thank Joyce and Nancy for the services that they provided to our community, and wish them the best in their future endeavors.
Self-Defense Course
    Ten women wanted to participate in a self-defense course to be held at 6 p.m. Thursday nights at the grade school multi-purpose building. The cost for the course is $50 and it will run for a total of 10 weeks. The start date will be set once enough participants are registered for the course. Please consider coming to learn something new and also to get some exercise. Call Julie at 435-7137 to sign up.
Time is Running Out
    If you are interested in purchasing a raffle ticket for a 3-day, 2-night all inclusive stay at Chandler Lake Sporting Camps, which includes a scenic flight over the North Maine woods, please contact Julie Graham-Berry at 435-7137 or Andrea White at 435-6363. Tickets cost $10 each and all funds raised will go toward the Community Playground Project. The winner will be drawn Sept. 30.
Ongoing Events
    The Ashland Area Senior Citizens group meets every Thursday at noon at the Ashland Rec. Center. Any senior citizens wishing to participate in the potluck lunches and meetings are always welcome.
    The Portage Lake Seniors’ Lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11 a.m. at the Town Hall. All seniors are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share or give a cash donation. For more information, contact Wilza Robertson at 435-6211 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
    The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet the second Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time, too! For more information, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
    If you can help plan for Portage Lake’s Centennial Celebration, please contact Barb Pitcairn at 435-2368 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
    Ladies, are you interested in crafts or have some that you’ve started and just can’t seem to finish? If so, take yourself over to the Portage Lake Municipal Building for Girlz Night every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy the company and the satisfaction of finally completing a project!
    (Julie Graham-Berry is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and surrounding townships. She can be reached at 435-7137).