Legislator wins toilet-flush raffle

Rep. Jarrod Crockett, R-Bethel, and other state and local officials were flushed with excitement on Aug. 14.

On that Saturday, they broke ground and learned about the long overdue $2.9 million Maine Department of Transportation reconstruction project on Route 17 and the Height of Land Overlook in Township D, and dedicated and toured the new Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc.

They also attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Oquossoc Comfort Station, or “Flush No. 2,” as Rangeley Town Manager Perry Ellsworth called the 21st-century public restroom opposite the museum.

Public “Flush No. 1” is in Rangeley.

Prior to the ceremony, Ellsworth walked into the crowd of about 40 people gathered to watch and handed out raffle tickets to any who wanted to fill one out. The prize: being the first person to flush one of the new toilets.

After the short ceremony, Rebecca Kurtz of the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust picked the winning ticket, tilted her head back and grinned.

“Jarrod Crockett,” she said.

Crockett quickly laughed with the crowd and replied, “They always say politicians are full of it.”

— Terry Karkos

Going batty

Thursday night’s meeting of Rumford selectmen in Rumford Falls Auditorium offered more than just the usual municipal business at hand.

Selectman Jeff Sterling added some unexpected levity at the start of the meeting when he poked fun at Chairman Brad Adley, who sells and repairs cars at his business, Adley’s Auto Sales and Service.

Sterling offered the audience lemonade, saying that it was from a “budding entrepreneur” in merchandising at Adley’s business, who handed him a bag with two half-gallon jugs for the audience.

“When I got here tonight, I pulled them out and noticed they were Adley’s brand lemonade,” he said.

With a straight face, Sterling then presented a sample label of the product to Adley, who was trying not to burst out laughing while the meeting was filmed by local access Channel 7.

The label sported a logo of a lemon on wheels, which Sterling read: “Made with 100 percent pure Adley’s Auto Sales and Service Lemons.”

Below that read, “All natural anti-freeze free,” and a quote from Adley: “When life gives us lemons, we make lemonade.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sterling. I appreciate that,” Adley managed to say.

Later in the meeting, what looked like a big brown bat suddenly began flying around the room high overhead. Room lighting caused its shadow to loom much larger than life, like Batman’s logo spotlighted in the night sky.

The distraction caused some in the audience to continuously duck and protect their heads.

Selectmen took it in stride, albeit with some ducking and watching the bat, rather than the board member who was speaking.

— Terry Karkos

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