History Night in Livermore Falls

It's time to start experimenting with the blog, at least until such time as someone who knows how to do this happens along to help!

On Friday, May 23,  Jane and I enjoyed History Night in Livermore Falls in the evening, despite the rain.  Good music and fascinating historical exhibits.  Susan Gagnon's film, "Down by the River's Edge," on the history of Chisolm and its immigrant families was especially captivating, incorporating old still and movie photography along with superb oral history interviews.  It was striking to hear her stories about Italian, Slovak, and French immigrant groups - including the discrimination they endured during cultural assimilation as well as their resiliency and success - on the same day that our Attorney General declared unlawful a new rule put forward by the LePage administration that would have discriminated against new arrivals to our country seeking a permanent home in Maine. (The rule would have denied funding to towns and cities that chose to help needy persons in that situation.) 

We took the opportunity of our visit to History Night to continue the organizational phase of my campaign for Representative from House District 75.  I will start visiting voters door to door very soon, but right now I am still getting to know my volunteer team, learning the ropes regarding campaign finance reporting, and getting photos taken and literature ordered.  At History Night, we caught up with Chris Hastedt, who is lending her formidable photographic talent to help me get images for my palm cards.  We previously had a wonderful Monday afternoon and evening in Turner and Leeds with Gloria Varney, Ike and Jody Goodwin, and David and Nancy Trider -- aside from the pictures, the conversations were inspiring and informative -- I already feel a little better equipped for this journey.  This Friday in Livermore Falls, we caught up with Rep. Paul Gilbert and his wife Jean, who introduced me to several of his neighbors, among them a former Livermore Falls police chief  who is tired of counterproductive tone in Augusta and ready for a change, and Gary Desjardins,  now active with the Otis Credit Union and formerly a mill worker, who swapped memories with Chris about the long, hard International Paper strike back in 1987-88.  I enjoy these opportunities to listen and learn!