July — Bethel saw the opening of new businesses during the month of July. Tara Savage opened her own dental clinic, branching off from Bethel Family Dentistry. In the article describing her business, written by Rose Lincoln, it was reported that, “For the past six years Savage has worked for Bethel Family Dentistry (BFD), currently Bethel’s only dentistry office. She will stay on part time until a replacement is found, working at her new office on Wednesdays (when BFD is closed), Thursdays and Fridays.”

Dental Hygienist Tara Savage of Bethel will hold an open house on August 1 at her new business Polished Dental on Mayville Road. Rose Lincoln

The Root Cellar was purchased by Jennifer Cross, and celebrated with a float in the Summerfest parade. The paper also commemorated Swain’s farm, an island farm in the Androscoggin that, as the article said, may very well be the last of its kind in Western Maine.

August — With summer drawing to a close, so begins Maine’s unofficial fourth season- Construction. Funds amounting to $182,360 were taken from the reserve account to make repairs to Bethel’s sand/salt shed, which had been damaged from gradual wear and tear over time caused by the sand and salt that it housed.

Roger Wheeler in 1961 with a car full of mica. Wheeler and his brothers started Wheeler Brothers Mica Mine in Gilead Maine in the 1950’s.

On a more historical side, an article by Rose Lincoln detailed the historical development of the Wheeler Brothers mica mine in Gilead, Maine. While it has fallen out of use as the mining industry decreased, the mine was at one time a prominent employer for the town of Bethel. Residents were encouraged to look back at this historical place, and learn a bit about a once popular industry of the local area.

September — Continuing construction season into September, the slightly controversial condo project in Bethel was greenlit for moving forwards, to be built in the field beside the old Bethel barn. Work on this project is expected to take place moving forwards into the next year.

The town was also treated to the unusual sight of students filling Sunday River before ski season when a fire alarm malfunction required school to be held elsewhere and Sunday River offered its facility.

Nate Crooker and his wife, Katy, own Sparrowhawk Orchard on Grover Hill Road in Bethel. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen

October — The approach of fall saw a focus on the natural world for locals looking to spend some more time outdoors. Valentine Farm held a successful outdoor event with talks, workshops, and food made from wild ingredients. The event was well attended by locals, and went hand in hand with a talk at the Gem theater about the process of growing apples.

With apple season at its height, Sparrowhawk Orchard detailed their plans for moving forwards in the year ahead, developing an “all around agricultural experience” for both locals and visitors looking for a chance to have some fresh picked apples and homemade cider.

However, not all of the connections with nature were entirely positive, as the Bethel town hall discovered mold in the basement. This mold ended up forcing the Bethel Town Hall to relocate to the Fire Department, which has remained in effect throughout December.

November — Election season may have dominated the national news, but in Bethel the local news were focused more on contributions made by the younger members of the community. Black Diamond Nutrition celebrated opening under a new owner – Maya Taylor, who is only 21 years old.

In town, on the younger side, Telstar students worked to aid seniors in the community in their day of service- a biannual service day held in conjunction with the Age-Friendly Community Initiative (AFCI)

On another note, the community rallied together after an election-day tragedy. Jade Gianforte and Matt Thurston, who had rescued a couple from the river at the start of the year, had their home burned down in an active shooting. The community, however, came together to support them and help them with donations during this time.

Bethel Historical Society held an open house at the Mason House on Dec. 7, with warm cider and cookies inside a decorated Mason House. Visitors could also enjoy live fiddle music, while seeing the inside of the historic house decorated for Christmas. Chaia Alford/The Bethel Citizen

December — During the festive season, Bethel begins to gear up toward Christmas with a window decorating contest hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.

The discussion of speech at Telstar took on a new angle as debates arose about what to do with cell phones at school. The school board held an open discussion about their new cell phone policy, which was met with displeasure by school board member Scott Cole, who did not agree with the new policy and called it “a concession to technology.” Nevertheless, with some revisions, the new policy was passed at a school board meeting.