For those that remember, Lovell's Chili Challenge always was a popular event. Not only did it attract local chefs entering their 'special' recipe, people came from all over to taste a variety of very good chili. And to top it all off, significant funds were raised for the Fuel Fund.

Every year, however, there were a number of people who would suggest that a beer tasting would be the perfect compliment to the chili. As in many parts of New England, there has been a wonderful explosion of local craft breweries. Why not take the opportunity to showcase them!

So, this November 10th, we will have Lovell's First Annual BOWLS & BREWS. It will be at the VFW Hall on Smart's Hill Road from 2-5 pm. This year's charity will be MSAD 72’s Sunshine Backpack Food Program which sends weekend food home to children in need in the three elementary schools within the District. All proceeds will be donated to the Program. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

As before, there will be two categories, Judges' Favorites and People's Choice. A special prize will also be awarded to the Best Decorated Table and the always popular Bake Sale table will be full of goodies!

Whether you would like to cook or taste, be sure to come to the VFW Hall on November 10th. Please note that the event is now on a Saturday so you won't have to worry about whether the Patriots are winning or losing. 

Click here for an application form. For more information, please contact either Stan Tupaj at 207-925-1500/stan@fairpoint.net or Paula Hughes at 207-925-6846/hughes.paula@yahoo.com. And a special thank you goes to Paula for her effort on soliciting the breweries and doing the necessary liquor license paperwork with the town and state.

-

Ethel -- Thanks for all the columns!

Prior to receiving a recent phone call, I was completely unaware of the important role that the Local Health Officer plays in the rural communities throughout Maine. Every year, I see the position listed under Town Officers in the Annual Report but never gave it much thought.

Lovell resident Lucinda (Lucy) Rogers called me recently to let me know about an incident that may have been prevented if she had been made aware of it. I asked Lucy to provide me with a summary of the incident as well as the role of the Local Health Officer.

"Hello, I'm Lucy Rogers, your Local Health Officer. On Saturday, September 15th, I received a call from the local Animal Control Officer who made me aware of a home in Lovell that really surprised me and appalled me. A neighbor of ours was living in squalid conditions. He is no longer there, thankfully, and he is being cared for by his family in Massachusetts. His two cats are being cared for at the animal shelter in Fryeburg.

From speaking with a few people in town, it became clear to me that many folks are unaware of this service. Here is some information about Local Health Officers. Every town has one. If you know of a situation that is unhealthy or unsafe, please call the town office (207-925-6272) or me.

Click here for more detailed information: maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/public-health-systems/lho

Thanks, Lucy Rogers"

In our small towns, we tend to respect our neighbor's privacy and rightly so but we should also make an effort to be aware of someone who might need help; especially if they are elderly and live alone.

Please note that the Maine site lists three Lovell names as Local Health Officers but that currently, only Lucy Rogers is serving as one.

The 2018 New England Patriots’ Magnetic Football Schedule has arrived at Kezar Realty. As always, the schedules will be available in local stores. If you can’t make it to Lovell, feel free to drop me an email at stan@fairpoint.net and I will send one (or two) your way.

The story of Lovell in the 20th century cannot be told without a considerable amount of attention paid to Severance Lodge. Located on the eastern shore of Kezar Lake's Middle Bay, Severance Lodge has majestic views up and down the lake as well as the White Mountains to the west. Over the decades, Severance Lodge served as an introduction to the region for many guests with some deciding to have a primary or second home in Lovell.

Carol Severance Taylor's new book, Woodsmoke, The Story of Severance Lodge, tells the historic development of the Lodge with wonderful pictures and stories from her father, Harold. Looking at a Rate Schedule from the 1950's, you have to wonder how the family was able to treat the guests with such luxury on a daily rate of $13-16 per person!

My father-in-law, Al Stearns, worked as a waiter in his teen years and his favorite Severance story is about the time he received a canvas canoe as a tip rather than cash from a Lodge customer. He didn't appreciate it then but he now treasures the canoe. Severance Lodge served as an employment center for many of the local youth. By no means was it cushy job. Harold Severance and his management team had high expectations and you didn't last long if you didn't perform. Strong life lessons!

Carol grew up in Lovell at the Lodge and attended the Fryeburg Academy. She and her husband Hal still have a home in Lovell and are active members of the community. This book is a perfect addition to your library. In addition, Carol is donating proceeds to Camp Susan Curtis in Stoneham.

Woodsmoke is available for purchase for $20 at the Lovell Historical Society, the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Kezar Realty, Bridgton Books and White Birch Bookstore. Or contact Carol at halandsev@aol.com.

Be sure to sign up for the 14th Annual Lovell Old Home Days 5k Run this Saturday,  July 21st! As always, it is a fun and fast course down Route 5 and ending at Lovell Athletic Field. This year a second water table will be on the course, just past the VFW on Smarts Hill Road. Great prizes and t-shirts to the first 100 registered runners.

Visit www.Lovell5k.com for more details.

2018 Lovell Old Home Days T-Shirt Design by Fryeburg Academy Student Grace Marshall

2018 Parade Grand Marshals Jon and Pam Bliss

Bios Here

Be sure to be around Lovell this weekend. Lots of exciting events taking place all around town starting on Thursday and continuing through Sunday. The big event, of course, is the parade and 5k run on Saturday morning starting at 9:45 am on Route 5. See the list of events below:

THURSDAY

• Don & Cindy Roy (2018 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Winners) at the Brick Church for the Performing Arts. Christian Hill, Lovell. 7:00 pm. $10 per ticket. Click here to visit web site

FRIDAY

• 3 pm. Harvest Gold Gallery Artist Reception and Open House. Free to the public. Click here to visit Harvest Gold's web site
• 4:30-6:30 5k Race Registration & Packet Pick-Up Lovell Athletic Field.
• 5:00 Pm Burgers, Hot Dogs and Music under the tent. Proceeds benefit the Lovell Old Home Days Program.

SATURDAY

• 7 am. Hearty Breakfast at the Masonic Hall in Village
• 9 am. Parade Entries Gather at the Wicked Good
• 9:45 am. Run Begins!!!
• 10 am. Parade Begins!!!
• 11 am OLD HOME ACTIVITIES at the Lovell Athletic Field. The Jerry Hobson Band at the Gazebo
• 2 pm. Children's Theater Camp Performance at the Brick Church

SUNDAY

• 10 am to 3 pm Lovell Historical Society's Summer Fair
  • Live Auction at 11 am
  • Antique Dealers & Antique Car Display
  • Vendors
  • Live Music
  • Delicious Food
  • Free Admission
  • Click here to visit Historical Society's web site

It wasn’t too long ago that, when travelling to a big city like Boston, New York or Washington, you would take a licensed cab from the airport to your hotel.  Or, when leaving a restaurant, you would go curbside to hail a passing cab.

However, with the advent of mobile technology, travel patterns have changed dramatically. Pull up your UBER or LYFT app on your phone and you will soon have a choice of drivers offering their car to take you to your destination. And people sure do like the service of Air B n B where you have choices of renting houses, condo units or rooms directly from the owners, with prices somewhat cheaper than a hotel of large part of their appeal.

On the surface, this all seems very attractive. However, many communities are having issues with the short-term rentals. Problems such as too many occupants, loud parties with the renters showing no respect for the neighborhood. And from the renters’ perspective, there are stories of renter’s not finding the residence as advertised or not being told that they need to bring a supply of their own linens.

Which leads me to the following:

Since Kezar Realty opened in 2009, we have offered Vacation Rentals in Lovell and surrounding towns. In addition to listing and selling property, Broker Jeanne Bonner manages our Vacation Rentals. Jeanne has been matching vacationers with the perfect Maine cottage for more than 25 years.

In January 2018, Down East Magazine published an article “Home Advantage” that highlighted the positive resources that many local Vacation Rental Agencies in Maine provide, such as handling bookings, greeting incoming renters, coordinating Saturday morning cleaning, making sure the trash was taken to the transfer station and not left at the cottage, replacing misplaced/lost keys and much more. Kezar Realty is a member of the Vacation Rental Professionals of Maine, a group of about 30 Maine Vacation Rental companies and provides support and lobbying efforts on behalf of the industry.

An important element of renters arriving in Lovell is that they have a friendly place greeting them when they arrive and are provided with a packet of information about their cottage as well as local merchants and recreational activities. And if they need something during the week, they know that Jeanne is just a phone call away.

As we inch closer to the summer season, be sure to contact Jeanne for assistance on vacation rentals. And remember, you will be pleased that the personal touch is still considered important here at Kezar Realty. And that includes having extensive local knowledge as well as caring that you have a great experience.

Technology is great and we all benefit from the tools that it provides but hopefully it will never eliminate the Jeanne Bonners of the world.

It is official -- 2018 Ice-Out on Kezar Lake is today, April 25th. The determination is made by Lovell's resident expert, John Bacchiocchi.

The State of Maine's Bureau of Parks and Land uses the following to establish the date: "Ice Out" is defined for this webpage as when you can navigate unimpeded from one end of the water body to the other. There may still be ice in coves or along the shoreline in some areas, but when a person can traverse the entire waterbody without being stopped by ice floes we will consider the ice to be out.

To see the list of Ice-Out dates around the state, click here.  For a list of ice-out dates in Maine from 2003-2017, click here. For a historical New England list, including Kezar Lake, that dates back to 1901, click here.

Tom Henderson, the Executive Director of the Greater Lovell Land Trust, passed away this week. His vision and legacy will survive well into the future.

Over the years, Tom and I had many discussions and not all about the woods and the watershed. Baseball, a passion of his, was a frequent topic. A number of years ago, Tom and I served as judges for a local chowder competition where I learned he had quite a cooking background. And on that day, I learned a bit more about chowders, what he thought about the mix of ingredients, even if we didn't agree on which one was the best tasting. 

I often thought about how funny it was that his job was to preserve land while my job is to sell it. I would like to think that there was some mutual respect and many times he would refer people to me while I would not hesitate to ask him to take a look at a parcel to see if the Land Trust would have an interest in it.

We also had a number of conversations about the Land Trust's rustic camp on Whitney Pond in Stoneham. Tom was proud of the number of renters he was able to get for the rustic camp and we would often compare notes on the vacation rental business.

Lovell and the surrounding towns are in a better place because of Tom Henderson.