Happy Saturday, Auburn!
I hope you've all been keeping warm and have had little trouble digging out of the snow Mother Nature dumped on us this week. I admit I'm hoping Punxsutawney Phil doesn't spot his shadow on Groundhog Day this Monday, meaning spring may get here a little early.
In keeping with our goal of having our reporters write and curate the newsletters for their respective towns or regions of Maine, it is with this edition of Auburn Now that I turn the reins over to Kendra Caruso, the Sun Journal's talented reporter for this city.
It's been a real pleasure producing this publication each week and sharing anecdotes from my life, and reading some of yours. I'm moving onto other projects, and you'll see my byline in other places.
Going forward, you can email Kendra with submissions about upcoming events and other community contributions to be included in this newsletter.
In this week's newsletter: County to discuss Auburn building's future; Auburn letters; First Universalist Church to celebrate Black History Month.
Thanks for reading,
- Alex Lear |
|
|
|
| LOCAL NEWS |
|
 |
Edward Little High School student Akol Maiwen celebrates after making a basket Tuesday that gave the team the lead in a close game against Brunswick in Auburn. Maiwen scored 25 points and Edward Little won 65-61 in overtime. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
My friends, I have been schooled.
Anyone who has lived in Maine a while is aware that no matter how much snow falls on us and no matter how cold things get, there is always that one guy running around in basketball shorts.
It's almost always a guy, and it's almost always basketball shorts, according to my exhaustive study of the issue. The fellow in question is usually heavy set and, even though it makes you feel frozen to your bones just looking at him, the cat seems perfectly impervious to the cold.
I spotted such a man outside a convenience store over the weekend. There he was, having a smoke and wearing shorts and a thin hoody while an icy breeze moaned across the parking lot.
I had to know.
"Say, chum," I began. "It's presently 4 degrees out here and a chill wind is blowing. Ain't you cold in those skimpy duds?"
The big man went on to share his thoughts on cold weather dressing at length. While he was a smidge chilly standing outside, he explained, the comfort he felt the rest of the day completely validated his choice in winter wear.
Since he spent 99% of his time in a warm apartment or a heated car, he explained, he felt no urge whatsoever to bundle up in 40 layers like the rest of us.
"Remember," he said in his sage way, "it's much easier to get warm than it is to get cool."
He was practically Yoda. The man articulated his thoughts so eloquently and so convincingly, by the end of the conversation I was tempted to dig out my '70s-style jogging shorts and mesh half-shirt and have at it.
I don't know who this interesting stranger was, but if there is any kind of Big Guy in Shorts association out there, he should definitely be their ambassador. |
Send feedback to Mark | Read his columns on sunjournal.com
|
|
|
|
COMMUNITY VOICES/AROUND TOWN |
|
|
The First Universalist Church of Auburn, 169 Pleasant St., is celebrating Black History Month throughout February with Food for the Soul. Programming will be led by Charles I. Nero, the church’s Adult Religious Education chair, and Worship Associate John Spruill Jr. After worship on Sunday Feb. 8 and 15, Nero will present episodes of “High on the Hog: How African American cuisine transformed America.” This docuseries charts the paths of African Americans in the U.S. and the food legacies they carried with them on their journeys. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
| THINGS TO DO IN AUBURN |
Books-A-Million, 730 Center St., will host a free talk with Rand Clark, author of "The Appalachian Trail, God, and Life," today from 1 to 3 p.m. Reserve a spot. Steve Bjork performs at the Great Falls Comedy Club, 34 Court St., from 7:30 to 9 p.m. tonight. Mark Riley then takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7. Get info on all shows. Auditions for "The Secret Garden" will be held at Lewiston-Auburn Community Little Theatre, 30 Academy St., from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Feb. 1 and 2. Learn more. |
| VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR
|
|
|
|
|
Jan. 31, 1946: “The general increased flow of traffic through Auburn since the end of the war was reflected in the Auburn Police Department's 1945 accident report ...”
“... The 1945 figures as compared to the 1944 totals indicated the overall greater use of cars as a result of the war's end and the consequent abandonment of gasoline rationing.”
Click here to read more of this story from 1946. Subscribers enjoy exclusive access to search and browse our digital archives on Newspapers.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent about 25 years in journalism, the first 20 as a reporter for newspapers in Damariscotta and Falmouth, and the rest as the opinions section editor for the Sun Journal. He and his wife Lauren are kept young by their 8-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex. You can support this newsletter by encouraging friends and family to subscribe and sign up for the companion newsletter, Lewiston Now. Read more news at sunjournal.com.
|
|
|
|
|
