WASHBURN NEWS
by Beth Boddy
King and queen
Carroll and Mary Jane (McAtee) Sperrey have been named the August Festival king and queen for 2014.
Carroll and Mary Jane are big-time volunteers for the Washburn Trailrunners Snowmobile Club, having spent many hours dragging the trails and working in the kitchen.
They have been married for 57 years. Mary Jane grew up in Caribou, one of 11 children. Carroll had three siblings: Dick, Howard and Janet. They are the parents of: Jeff, Rodney, Greg, Pamela, Cindy and Joseph — that’s three girls and three boys, the same ratio for the past three generations on the Sperrey side of the family! They have 14 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
In addition to their many hours spent volunteering at the Trailrunners Snowmobile Club, Carroll enjoys restoring antique tractors and farm machinery, while Mary Jane spends her spare time sewing and knitting. She is a member of the Stichin’ and a Givin’ quilters, who make quilts for donation to many charitable organizations, including for hospice. They have enjoyed many summers at the family camp on Cross Lake.
Both Carroll and Mary Jane worked for many years of their lives and now are retired, but they’re certainly not sitting back and taking it easy. They have many fond memories of their lives. Carroll recalls an early job, riding the Greyhound bus from Masardis to work at Taterstate here in Washburn. He earned 95 cents an hour! His first vehicle was a 1939 Plymouth, which he “ran into the ground.” Gas at that time cost about 20 cents a gallon. Before she and Carroll married, Mary Jane and her three sisters got together and bought a Kaiser to share.
The residents of Washburn wish to publicly recognize Carroll and Mary Jane as major volunteers in the community. Thanks for all that you do!
2014 grand marshal
This year’s August Festival grand marshal is Doug Conroy.
Doug served as Washburn’s police chief from October 2000 through his retirement in November 2012. Doug also worked as a police officer in Caribou from 1987 through 2000.
Doug grew up in Caribou, with one brother. He and his “best girl” Norma have a daughter, Jessica, who lives too far away! Doug is thankful to his Aroostook County roots for instilling a solid work ethic that has done him well for all of his work years and now beyond. Picking potatoes was a job that he, like most of us, lists as his earliest form of employment. He notes that he learned so much growing up and working in Aroostook County, and also while working with the public in law enforcement. He indicated that Washburn was a good “fit” for him.
He credits his strong respect for others to his grandmother, Ruth Conroy, who quoted the “Golden Rule” to him regularly during his younger years. Those who grew up in Perham may remember this same “Mrs. Conroy” as the first and second grade teacher at Perham Grade School! Doug also notes how important it is to listen to people — everyone likes to be acknowledged and heard.
Now that he has retired, Doug continues to enjoy motorcycling and is now getting around to some larger projects at home. The citizens of Washburn thank him for his service to their community, and wish him the best of everything as he continues his retirement!
Pageants
Washburn’s Little Miss, Pre-Teen, Junior Miss and Miss Teen and Miss pageants will be held on Saturday, Aug. 9. The Little and Pre-Teen Pageant is at 2 p.m., featuring seven contestants, and the Junior, Teen, and Miss Pageant is at 7 p.m., featuring a total of 13 contestants.
Author to sign books
An award-winning author is scheduled for a book signing during this year’s August Fest.
On Saturday, Aug. 16, award-winning author Noelle F. Carle will be at the Washburn Memorial Library for a book signing of her new book “Waiting For Wren.”
Carle grew up in rural Maine among its woods and waters, the setting for this award-winning novel, but now resides in Bristow, Okla. As a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mom while her three children were young, she lived throughout New England, Canada and overseas.
“Waiting for Wren” synopsis: A decade ago, Wren Preston left her hometown in Maine’s rural Aroostook County, hoping to distance herself forever from bitter memories — and especially from her alcoholic father. Now Wren is a professional magazine photographer living in Boston, engaged to marry her editor and accustomed to shielding herself against true intimacy from behind a camera lens.
When Wren reluctantly agrees to return to Aroostook to cover a story about her closest childhood friend, John Turner, she’s startled to find that John’s wife, Fiona, could be her twin. Within weeks, Fiona is found dead, the apparent victim of suicide, setting into motion a series of events that will rock Wren’s pulled-together world and alter the course of her life.
Driven to investigate Fiona’s death for herself after her brother falls under suspicion of murder, can Wren uncover the truth before her own life is threatened? And if her uptown fiance still figures into her future, why is she so drawn to a prayerful small-town detective? Wren’s past and present collide through a batch of recovered letters from her mother, through the town folk who see her dad as a changed man and through her own awakened memories. As her father patiently hopes for reconciliation, Wren faces a frightening possibility. Has someone else — someone with a twisted obsession — also been waiting for Wren to come home?
Carle’s “Waiting for Wren” is a suspense-filled, entertaining read, even as it explores deeper themes of mercy and redemption.
Annual Sunday Lunch
St. Catherine’s Catholic Church will be hosting a barbecue this year during August Fest on Sunday, Aug. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the menu will consist of barbecue beef brisket, homemade mac and cheese, cornbread, coleslaw, assorted salads, drinks and desserts. Cost will be $8 for adults and $4 for children; family pricing will also be available. Watch for more information in the upcoming weeks.
Historical Society
The Salmon Brook Historical Society will be holding a meeting Thursday, Aug. 7, at the Washburn Civic center at 6 p.m. A business meeting will follow with a potluck supper. Please bring a place setting and either a main-course dish, a salad or a dessert. All are welcome.
Birthdays/anniversaries
Those celebrating a birthday between Aug. 6-12 include: Virginia Farley, Barb Churchill, Justin Clayton, Edward Woodman, Ron Ericson, Debbie Drost, Carolyn Rossignol, Barb Drost, Autumn Creasey, Tabitha Blakney, Eunice Carman, David Heald, Deno Aegerter and Derek Libby.
Those celebrating an anniversary between Aug. 6-12 include: Gary and Louise Cole, Sheldon and Sandi Cunningham, and Dale and Marci Driscoll.
Beth Boddy is the correspondent for Perham, Wade and Washburn. She can be reached by calling 455-8427 or by e-mailing bethwood@hotmail.com.
