STONEHAM – Toni Seger’s dream came true about two weeks ago.

That’s when the Western Oxford Foothills guide to artists, organizations and services was published.

It’s a compilation of local writers, dancers and craftspeople. It has musicians, singers, theaters, libraries, articles on folklore, listings of historical societies and some historical pieces.

It has Seger’s imprint, her heart and two years of labor in it.

“It’s called discovery research,” Seger said. “Discovery research is an ongoing process. We continue to make exciting discoveries about our own communities that point the way to a new future even as they illuminate our past.”

The first copies came out June 26. Seger said the purpose is to provide a cultural guide for schools, libraries, historical societies, chambers of commerce and all types of groups and individuals.

“We’re also giving copies to real estate offices,” Seger said. “When people want to move here, they want to know what’s going on culturally.”

Although it is starting to be circulated in the western Oxford County area, the book’s official debut is Thursday at the Commons Art Collective, adjacent to the Fare Share Market at 5 p.m.

Seger said the directory was made possible by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission and local support from Western Maine Development, Oxford Chamber of Commerce, Denmark Arts Center, Maine Balsam Fir and the Maine Cooperative Extension.

She said she began gathering photos for the book 2 years ago.

“I also had to gather the data,” Seger said. “To get the data, I had to form a committee. Then we went to all the fairs and festivals to survey people. Some were skeptical at first.”

She said she formed a committee in February of 2001 and received the initial funding in May. The committee, which became the Western Oxford Foothills Cultural Council, started as a discovery research project doing a cultural inventory of three school districts: SADs 17, 44 and 72.

There are 21 towns and some townships and villages in this area that stretches from Brownfield on the southern tip to Upton in the north and Hebron west to Chatham, N.H.

“We held cultural town meetings in August and September in each of the school districts,” Seger said. “There were good turnouts and people were excited about this.”

Seger said local historian Peter Lenz made “a remarkable contribution” to this directory. She said he lost about four months of work he had been doing for us and was in the hospital when his home was destroyed by fire.

“He said, ‘It’s all in my head, don’t worry,'” Seger said. “There are a number of historical articles he researched and wrote. He also provided photographs.”

Seger said her group already has a grant application into the Maine Community Foundation to do a second edition, which she says will be bigger and better.

“We’re hot to do the second edition,” Seger said. “We’re getting responses and we haven’t officially handed it out yet.”

Seger said she is accepting survey forms for anyone wishing to be listed in the second edition. Forms can be obtained from any board member listed in the first edition or by calling Seger at 928-3712.

Copies of the first edition will be available at the Norway Summer Festival on Saturday at the lawn of the library on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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