The man with the colorful array of homemade signs condemning President George W. Bush is as outspoken as you might expect him to be.

T.L. Mikesell called Thursday morning to take credit for the handiwork around his home on Youngs Corner Road in Auburn and offer thanks for his 15 inches of column infamy in that day’s Sun Journal.

“I only wish it had been on the front page,” he said.

True to the message etched with his markers, Mikesell hopes to see bold headlines on Nov. 3 declaring John Kerry the 44th president of the United States.

Mikesell said he didn’t take it personally that my column suggested some of his language was juvenile, charging that the tactics of Bush campaign manager Karl Rove are similarly lowbrow.

Not surprisingly, Mikesell said that not everyone who travels his road – a common route to Minot, Hebron and South Paris – enjoys the way his 15-or-so handwritten placards enhance the scenery.

Motorists routinely hurl rotten apples into the yard, he says. Others honk and scream, whether or not Mikesell is outside to hear it.

Mikesell, who is retired and has four grandchildren, describes himself as a peace activist whose views often leave him at odds with his extended family. But his sense of humor and antagonistic tone remain intact.

“Hey, I missed going to Vietnam by three days,” Mikesell said, explaining his intolerance for the war in Iraq. “I’m very scared of this administration.”

– Kalle Oakes
Idol’ dream still alive

Rowena Demers came in second at last weekend’s “American Idol” competition at the Auburn Mall.

But her friends still believe she has what it takes to be a star.

They’re raising money to send her to California next month to audition for the TV show.

“That’s the final call, so we’ll have to get her there,” said Jodi Smith, a friend and former classmate at a Lewiston cosmetology school.

Demers, a 25-year-old mother of two, made it through three stages of competition last Saturday in an “Idol” contest sponsored by radio station WJBQ 97.9, Fox 23 and the Sun Journal. With her mix of smooth and sultry sound, she beat out 200 of the area’s most talented young singers to win runner-up.

But as a second-place winner, she did not win the grand prize: two plane tickets to California and a guaranteed audition for the hit TV show.

When Demers’ former classmates at cosmetology school heard about her near-win, they decided she needed another chance. More than 30 of them have agreed to donate their tips to send Demers to California to audition on her own.

The plane ticket will cost $300. So far, they’ve raised about $100.

Demers’ friends have until next week to raise the remaining money. The last “Idol” audition is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 5.

“She deserves it,” Smith said. “She has the talent and I feel anyone who has that much talent and is a hard worker deserves to pursue her dreams.”

– Lindsay Tice