The Greenwood Budget Committee, Board of Selectmen, and Town Manager Kim Sparks met on Tuesday to complete their work on the proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2026. Like everything else, municipal costs have continued to rise, an inescapable fact that will be reflected in an increase in the budget. We are fortunate, however, that mindful management over the years has meant that the town has been able to build up a healthy surplus that exceeds the amount our auditors recommend keeping in reserve. This year, voters will be asked to take $150,000 from that surplus to reduce the impact on our tax bills. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 16, at 9 a.m. and plan to attend the annual Town Meeting at the Legion Hall on the Gore Road.
I’ve attended the first two Sunday afternoon live readings of The Age of Homespun, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, and I’m really enjoying the opportunity to slow down, sit down, and work on a knitting project for a couple of hours while learning something new.
Ulrich’s book is organized around detailed descriptions of 14 domestic items from pre-industrial America and how the objects, which range from a spinning wheel to an unfinished stocking, fit into the culture and history of the ordinary people who made or used them.
Last Sunday, we heard about Molly Ockett and her life and times from the chapter that describes a pocketbook created more than 200 years ago from fabric she wove and decorated with dyed moose hairs. It was given to her friend Eli Twitchell of Bethel (who, incidentally, was the brother of my fourth great-grandfather, Eleazer Twitchell, making Eli—I think—my fourth great-grand-uncle) and it is now in the collection of the Maine Historical Society.
The reading and discussion, led by Jessica Jolly, continues each Sunday in February, from 3-5 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Robinson House at MBHS. Please join us! Bring along a handcraft to work on, or just come and listen.
Some other upcoming events to chase away the late-winter doldrums:
Saturday, February 21, from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Mason House of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society: “Ghosts of Centennials Past.” MBHS Executive Director Will Chapman will present a program on how the American Centennial of 1876 and Bicentennial of 1976 were celebrated in the Bethel area. (Having been in on some of the planning of his program, I can guarantee that it’s going to be both engaging and fun.) This program is just one of many events taking place in 2026 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Click here to visit the website 250bethel.org to learn more and see the full list of events, exhibits, and book discussions.
Wednesdays, February 25, March 4, and March 11, from noon to 1 p.m. at West Parish Congregational Church: Lenten Lunches. This simple meal of soup and bread is an opportunity for people of different faiths to gather and reflect together on the journey to Easter. The meal is free. Each church is invited to bring the food for the three lenten lunches.
Thursday, March 5, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the West Parish Congregational Church in Bethel: “Caring for Your Heart,” a free wellness program sponsored by To Your Health and presented by Dr. Daniel van Buren, a resident of Bethel and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.
Each month, the Bethel Area Age-Friendly Community Initiative (AFCI) creates a calendar of community-wide events and activities that older people can attend to stay healthy. All are social activities that are mostly free and address emotional, mental, physical, and sometimes spiritual needs. Here’s February’s.
I made a late-afternoon solo trek up to Buck’s Ledge, and Eli the Wonder Pup and I enjoyed a couple more hikes in the McCoy-Chapman Forest this past week. On Saturday afternoon we hiked the Chapman Brook/Sam’s Trail loop in the still-falling snow, and had the place to ourselves after meeting one cross-country skier with his dog, also a Golden, near the start of our hike. Then on Monday we set off to hike to the scenic overlook on the McCoy-Gray Birch Trail. Most of the trail was pretty firmly packed, but we turned around about three-quarters of the way up, as soon as we got beyond the better-traveled sections, when my boots threatened to poke holes in the trail. As I’m sure you’ll agree if you’ve ever been on a snowy trail that someone hiked in bare boots when they should have used snowshoes, there’s a special place in hell reserved for “post-holers.”
While Eli was hiking with me on Saturday, Will and Rosemary were hiking the Flume Gorge in Lincoln, N.H. I’ve only been there once myself, and even though I was a sulky teenager at the time, it has always had a special significance for me. My mom took me there one summer, because she and my dad had hiked it on their honeymoon, in early April of 1942, and she wanted me to see it. I’ve always planned to go back again, and someday I will.
My mom was almost a Valentine’s Day baby, having been born on February 13, 1920. The 13th fell on a Friday that year; she always said that the 13th was her lucky day, especially when her birthday happened to fall on a Friday. This year, in her honor, I’ll donate blood on her birthday at the Red Cross Blood Drive, which is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the West Parish Congregational Church in Bethel. As of Wednesday evening, there were still a few appointment spots left, in case you’d like to join me!
This online newsletter is intended to keep our communities informed, so if you have news, events, or photos you’d like to have included here, I hope you’ll share them with me! You can reach me by email at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or by phone or text at 207-890-4812.
“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.” – Sinclair Lewis
I liked your comments on The Flume. I was there as a child also and have always wanted to go back. I did not know it was accessible in the winter. Thanks for letting us know.