Three Boys of Maine Sunday School Drown In Lake Near Caribou: Little Madawaska Lake Takes Trio While on Class Camping Trip.

Schenectady Gazette, August 21, 1929

Schenectady Gazette, August 21, 1929

Caribou, Me., Aug 20 (UP) Three boys, members of a Sunday school class from the settlement of Colby, near here, which started out on a camping trip yesterday, were drowned in Little Madawaska lake last evening.

They were Albert Thomas, 16 years old; Horace Skidgle, 13, and Leonard Skidgle, 15.

Eighteen boys, all in their early teens, left Colby with the Rev. William Robbins, pastor of the Baptist Church there, and Colby Buzzell Jr., 18.

They were members of the minister’s Sunday school class and had planned all summer for the three-day trip to the lake, 15 miles away.

After lunch the party walked about Big Madawaska lake and crossed the “thoroughfare,” the stream which connects with Little Madawaska lake, in an old boot which was pushed across the 100-foot stream with poles.

Only two boys were allowed in the boat at one time, but on the way back to camp seven boys climbed in the little boat while Mrs. Robbins and young Buzzell were busy.

As they reached midstream a strong wind struck the boat and carried it about 100 feet into Little Madawaska.

Lewiston Daily Sun, Aug. 21, 1929

3 Young Boys Drown in Madawaska Lake; Four others saved after boat capsizes—rescuer ill;

Lewiston Daily Sun, Aug. 21, 1929

Caribou, Aug. 20 (UP)– Three boys, members of a Sunday school class from the settlement of Colby, near here, which started out on a camping trip yesterday, drowned in Little Madawaska lake last evening.

They were Albert Thomas, 16; Horace Skidgle, 13; and Leonard Skidgle, 15. Eighteen boys, all in their early teens, left Colby with the Rev. William Robbins, pastor of the Baptist church there and Colby Buzzell, Jr., 18.

They were members of the minister’s Sunday school class and had planned all summer for the three-day trip to the lake 15 miles away. After lunch the party walked about Big Madawaska lake and crossed the “Thoroughfare” the stream which connects with Little Madawaska lake, in an old boat which was pushed across the 100 foot stream with poles.

Only two boys were allowed in the boat at one time but on the way back to camp which had been pitched on the shore of the lake, seven boys climbed in the little boat while Mr. Robbins and Young Buzzell were busy.

As they reached midstream a strong wind struck the boat and carried it about 100 feet into Little Madawaska.
Overloaded as it was the boat capsized, throwing the seven boys into the water.

Mr. Robbins and Buzzell brought four of the lads to shore but the others sank, the Skidgle boys, who were cousins, pulling young Thomas from the boat where he was clinging.

Their bodies were recovered after several hours grappling.

Young Buzzell was under a physician’s care today due to his exertions in the rescue work

1938 Tri-Town Marathon: Madawaska Lake substituting for Fort Fairfield/New Sweden/Caribou/Fort Fairfield substituing for Presque Isle/Fort Fairfield

1938 Tri-Town Marathon (Madawaska Lake/New Sweden/Caribou/Fort Fairfield):?
1. Laverne Anderson, New Sweden
2. Gerald Everett, New Sweden

? Sam Ouellette, Milo

1938 Tri-Town Marathon, Fort Fairfield/Caribou/Presque Isle/Fort Fairfield, 102 miles (part of Fort Fairfield’s 11th winter carnival) newspaper items:

Three Day Ski Race, Fort Fairfield, Feb. 3—Ten long-distance skiers toed the mark at Madawaska lake today, ready for a gunshot that would start them on a three-day ski marathon and open Fort Fairfield’s 11th annual winter carnival. Insufficient snow on the usual route, Fort Fairfield to Presque Isle to Caribou to Fort Fairfield, forced a change that will take the ski plodders from the lake to New Sweden to Caribou to Fort Fairfield. Among the skiers ready for the first day’s lap of 34 miles were Laverne Anderson, New Sweden, last year’s winner of the annual event and Sam Ouellette of Milo, who won the 1937 Bangor to Caribou Jaunt of nearly 200 miles. While the marathon runners push along toward their goal, ski jumping, snowshoeing, skating, ice horse racing, bobsled races and a see show will occupy carnival spectators here. Gov. Lewis O. Barrows is expected here tonight to crown the carnival queen at the annual mardi gras ball. (Lewiston Evening Journal, Feb. 3, 1938, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1913&dat=19380203&id=qrU0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=qmkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5481,2656609)

Anderson Wins 102 Mile Ski Marathon, Fort Fairfield, Feb. 5, 1938—Laverne Anderson, blond skier from New Sweden, today won a 102-mile ski marathon, feature event of Fort Fairfield’s 11th winter carnival. Anderson ended the final leg of the three day Fort Fairfield-Caribou-Presque Isle-Fort Fairfield circuit a half minute behind Gerald Everett of New Sweden today, but won on elapsed time. (Lewiston Evening Journal, Feb. 5, 1938, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1913&dat=19380205&id=rLU0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=qmkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4030,2812414)

(This blog post is a work-in-progress!)

1937 Tri-Town Marathon, Inaugual year: Fort Fairfield/Caribou/Presque Isle/back to Fort Fairfield

1937 Tri-Town Marathon, Inaugual year (Fort Fairfield/Caribou/Presque Isle/back to Fort Fairfield; 35 miles/day & repeated the loop three consecutive days. 18 skiers started the race but only 8 finished w/3 from New Sweden):
1. Laverne Anderson, New Sweden, $50 prize
2. Alden Anderson, New Sweden, won prize of a car radio
? Harold Bondeson, New Sweden

? Earl Pearson, New Sweden
? Sam Ouellette, Milo (broke tip of ski, finished on slow downhill skis)

1937 Tri-Town Marathon, Fort Fairfield/Caribou/Presque Isle/Fort Fairfield newspaper clippings:

Laverne Anderson, age 18, was the winner the 1937 Tri-town mararthon.

Anderson and Pearson Both Share Honors in Tri-town Ski Marathon. Fort Fairfield, Feb. 4, 1937– Lavern Anderson and Earl Pearson, both of New Sweden, shared honors today in the first 35 mile lap in the tri-town ski marathon marking the opening of the three-day Fort Fairfield Winter carnival. Over a countryside two feet deep in snow, the two glided from here to Caribou and Presque Isle and back to Fort Fairfield in five hours and 32 minutes, leading seven other contestants. The other two laps, over the same course, will be run off tomorrow and Saturday.
Hoyie, a Mars Hill horse, was the surprise victor in the first day’s ice-racing on the Aroostook river, winning the free-for-all and a $150 purse. Ski, skating, and snowshoe races over varying distances for boys and girls of grade school ages and up, ski jumping, ski boring, and a hockey game between Edmonton, N. B., and Madawaska teams completed the day’s program.(Lewiston Daily Sun, Feb. 6, 1937, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19370206&id=vsYgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=omoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3154,2643347)

Read more about the 1937 race here.

Golden Wedding Anniversary 1912 Stadig Family

Lewiston Evening Journal, Nov. 12, 1912

Midsommar Info

The 2013 Midsommar Celebration will be held on June 21-23.

The photo shows the decorating of the pole in New Sweden, ME in 2005.

Here’s this year’s schedule.

Midsommar Info

June Weddings: “Wiedens observe 60th anniversary”

“Presque Isle –– University of Maine at Presque Isle President Emeritus and Mrs. Clifford O. T. Wieden observed their 60th wedding anniversary June 2 at a family dinner at the Northeastland Hotel. Four generations, representing all branches of their family, were present.
Marguerite Hill of Auburn and Clifford O. T. Wieden of New Sweden met while teaching at Mapleton High School. They were married Sunday, June 1, 1924, in the First Baptist Church of New Sweden by the bridegroom’s father, the Rev. Oscar Carl Wieden.
After their wedding, Wieden taught at Gorham Normal School, now the University of Southern Maine, for 16 years before assuming the principalships of the Washington and Arooostook State Normal schools, now the University of Maine at Machias and Presque Isle, until his retirement in 1969.
Mrs. Wieden continued her teaching on the secondary school level in these and neighboring communities, retiring in 1968.
She was president of the Maine Congress of Parents and Teachers and was instrumental in establishing the Maine Junior Classical League, serving for several years as its director. Both remain active in community and professional affairs.
The Wiedens have two children: Mrs. Louis (Carolyn) Carey of Waterville and Clifford Jr. of Falmouth, Mass., 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
They were honored by a coffee served after the Sunday church service by the Diaconate of the Presque Isle Congregational Church.
The Wiedens have resided at 31 Barton St., Presque Isle, since their retirement.”

[From an article in the Bangor Daily News, June 2, 1984]

After Clifford Wieden’s Wedding. Right to left: Rev. O. C. Wieden, Rev. David Anderson, Mildred Wieden, A. E. Nelson, Marguerite Widen, Clifford Wieden, Lars Johanson, Floyd Wieden, Hilda Norberg, Virginia Stadig, Alger Stadig, Annie D. Wieden, Lindley Wieden. June 1, 1924

 

Midsommar 2012 June 22, 23, 24

Midsommarstång (Midsummer pole) preparations at New Sweden, ME

Midsommar is almost here! Here’s hoping that the weather will be practically perfect here in Maine Swedish Colony (after the past few years rainy events) and that the official start of summer will have folks  in a happy mood for the Fest.

The whole thing starts on Friday morning with the gathering of wild flowers up on Carlstrom Hill just north of Madawaska Lake. The view is incredible and it is an experience everyone should participate in at least once in a lifetime! Bring a pair of clippers or scissors to cut lupines. After the flower gathering, head back to the New Sweden museum grounds and pitch in to help put up the tents to get things ready for Saturday’s festivities. Helping hands are very needed and you will meet some new friends!

Friday evening features a supper and Swedish dance at the Stockholm American Legion. Proceeds support our veterans and you will have a great time with the very special Orust folk dancers and musicians who are making their second visit from Sweden.

There is a full day planned for Saturday. Head to the New Sweden museum grounds around 10 am Saturday and browse around. Make a hair wreath to wear out of  wildflowers (at the table near the Lindsten Stuga out in back of the museum) and then choose lupines from the buckets to pass to the Swedes who’ll tie them onto the big Midsommarstång (Midsummer Pole). Follow the Pole out to the front of the museum and see the little folk dancers perform. Perhaps have a homemade ice cream from the Lutherans and a red hotdog from Ralph Ostlund (nearly 90 and charming!) or coffee with a homemade sandwich and sweet under the shade of the birches. There are local crafts to browse, Swedish gifts in the restored one-room Capitol School, and the various musuem buildings to go inside, including a tour of the Ostlund log house and the blacksmith shop (down the road past Thomas Park.)

A brand-new Midsommar event is a Chicken Barbeque at the New Sweden School from 4-6 PM on Saturday evening for supper. Proceeds benefit programming for the local kids. There is also a Swedish supper with continuous seating put on by the folks at the Lutheran church in New Sweden with homemade dishes made by talented cooks.

Direct from Sweden, the Orust folk dancers and musicians perform throughout the weekend, including up at the New Sweden school Saturday night at 7 PM. [also performing: Friday evening 6 PM supper and Swedish dancing at the Stockholm American Legion; Saturday 11 AM Midsommarstång (Midsummer pole) and 1 PM Swedish dance lessons on the grounds of the New Sweden Museum, and 7 PM Swedish dance and lessons at the New Sweden School; and Sunday 1 PM at Thomas Park.]

Enjoy the Sunday afternoon program in the “music bowl” at Thomas Park (starts 12:45 with the arrival of the Midsommarstång) which includes the Orust folk dancers/musicians, the New Sweden Little Folk Dancers, and ends with the Långdans where all are invited to join hands to form a long chain to march around the park for the closing dance .

Catch the latest news by following Maine Swedish Colony on Facebook.

There are lots of other events. Too many to list them all here! You can get your own schedule with a download of the pdf at http://maineswedishcolony.info/

Midsommar is a wonderful family experience. Don’t forget your camera!

Kick-Sled

Here’s something that would be fun to have a chance to try out someday soon. Certainly it would be great exercise, unless you are the passenger! Here is the link to the blog with some photos.  Kick-sleds are still used in Sweden in the rural areas of the country. If memory serves me, I think there may be an old one in the basement of the New Sweden museum, but it will be spring until the museum is open again to check it out!

 

Artists to Show New Work at First Friday Event

Two Swedish Colony artists are featured in downtown Presque Isle, ME at First Friday Downtown Art Walks tonight, Friday evening Jan. 7, 2011. Richard Clark of Perham, owner of Wood’s Edge Gallery, will show his landscapes at Morning Star Art & Framing from 6-8 PM. Alan and Brenda Nasberg Jepson of Crown of Maine Productions are showing their video work across the street at Stew’s Sight and Sound. Refreshments will be served! Several other artists within walking distance will also show new work. FMI on the event see the Facebook page for First Friday Downtown Art Walk

FMI on Jepson’s work see Crown of Maine Productions

Lovely Lucia

Here’s a beautiful video of a lovely Lucia celebration.