Happy Saturday, Lewiston!
Mark LaFlamme is my muse this week. Reading his Cherchez LaFlamme column below, where he riffs on hearing a radio countdown of greatest rock songs, got me thinking about the iPod I bring with me on all road trips, and my nearly 4,000-song playlist of favorite pop songs from 1954 to today.
If that sounds like a ridiculously enormous amount, bear in mind that about 1,000 are Beatles-related ... band and solo alike (Paul's had a lot of songs).
Speaking of musical matters, I recommend you check out the Bates Dance Festival, which features Cynthia Oliver Co. Dance Theatre's performance of "Turn. Turning. TURNT" this weekend, and Kyle Marshall Choreography's "Femenine" the next weekend. More information below.
And if you'd like to possibly see a familiar Lewiston face in a professional musical, Roger Philippon is an understudy in the Maine State Music Theatre’s "1776," which concludes its run in Brunswick today. Roger has memorized five roles for this production!
As always, I encourage you to email me with submissions about upcoming events or other community contributions to be included in this newsletter.
In this week's newsletter: Lewiston’s "Singing Soldier" prepares for his next performance; a Lewiston thrift store is moving to an Auburn shopping district; and Patrick Dempsey and the U.S. Senate.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, - Alex Lear
P.S.: Sorry, Mark LaFlamme ... but I have a bunch of Chicago songs in my playlist, too! |
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LEWISTON VOICES: MELANIE THERRIEN |
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Q: What do you wish that more people knew about Lewiston's art scene?
A: I wish that they knew that Lewiston's artists have been working to help make their community better through community engagement and volunteerism for decades. They donate a lot of their time, talent and resources for community events and public art. |
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We work with a great Public Art Committee, local and nationally renowned artists, our wonderful Public Works department, businesses and citizens to make sure any money is allocated responsibly and activities are safe. All of this helps create a sense of place, cover up vandalism and elevate artists, and it stimulates economic growth.
Click here for a list of public art that Wicked Illustrations has been involved in, free coloring pages and a traffic control box art scavenger hunt.
— Melanie Therrien, owner/operator of Wicked Illustrations Studio & Gallery |
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Subscribe today and save 76% with this offer exclusive to our Lewiston Now newsletter readers. Thanks for supporting local news. |
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I've never been so enraged.
My holiday weekend was marred, somewhat, by the Classic Vinyl radio station's list of the top 250 rock songs of all time.
I listened to this countdown on the long drives to the mountains and for every mile that unwound behind me, I became a little bit more infuriated, because every other song on that list, it seemed like, belonged to the band Chicago.
Chicago! A band so bland and uninspiring, no human in history has every listened to one of their tunes all the way through without dropping into a coma.
Six songs, Chicago had on that list, and it's just ludicrous. This traitorous radio station would have us believe that somehow "Saturday in the Park" is a better rock song than Springsteen's "Born to Run," Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and The Doors' "Break on Through."
I had to pull over a half-dozen times during my travels just to kick stuff in my rage over this abomination. My so-called wife took to wearing earplugs so she wouldn't have to hear it anymore, but come on! Chicago?
And then, hiking the beauty that is Sunday River Whitecap, I found myself humming a song over and over. That song? "25 or 6 to 4," which, in my book, should be on the list of Dumbest Songs Ever Recorded.
Why are you throwing random numbers at me, Peter Cetera, you hack!
I'd be worried about offending Chicago fans here, but I don't think either of those two people read this column. |
Send feedback to Mark | Read his regular columns on sunjournal.com |
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THINGS TO DO IN LEWISTON |
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is hosting an evening of learning about urban soils and strategies for safely growing food in Lewiston. This free event, with refreshments, will be held at Gather to Grow, 208 Bates St., at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15. Mr. Drew and His Animals Too will visit the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St., from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15. This animal performance is free, and no registration is required. The Genre Roulette: Fantasy Book Club meets from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Lewiston library. The group will discuss "Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke. A man explores an infinite, labyrinthine house filled with statues and an imprisoned ocean, uncovering a shocking truth about his world. Kyle Marshall Choreography will perform "Femenine" at Bates College's Schaeffer Theatre, 305 College St., at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 17-18. Get tickets. The event is part of Bates' annual summer Dance Festival. |
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VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR
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Our in-state travel guide has ideas for where to go, what to do, how to save, outdoor adventures and more. |
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THE WAY IT WAS IN LEWISTON |
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July 12, 1957: “It took almost 32 years but she made it.
“Dana S. Thompson, executive director of the Central Maine General Hospital, opened a letter yesterday and found in it a hospital bill dated Aug. 17, 1925 with a $37.56 check in full payment of it. “The surprised Thompson said the yellowed bill listed charges for five days of room and board at $3.50 a day, a $15 X-ray charge, a $5 laboratory fee and a charge of six cents for a Sunday newspaper.”
Click here to read more of this story from 1957. Subscribers enjoy exclusive access to search and browse our digital archives on Newspapers.com. |
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Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent 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. His long-running “Learics” column won first place in the Maine Press Association’s 2023 Better Newspaper Contest. He and his wife Lauren are kept young by their 9-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex. You can support this newsletter by encouraging friends and family to subscribe here. Read more news at sunjournal.com. |
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