Local character, "Uncle" Al Scheeren, mimics the poster behind him of himself years before. Scheeren was feted at a 70th birthday party. (Part one of two)

Western Mountains — The year began with large amounts of snowfall welcomed by snowmobilers, skiers, boarders and the businesses that services them. But two fatal tragedies cast a pall over the area. A wind farm approved for just north of Eustis was underway with talk of being granted a TIF which generated lots of opinions. Pond hockey, snowmobiling and of course skiing, were celebrated throughout the area in a number venues. The abundance of snow drew an abundance of drivers, many of whom found traversing the "S" curves more than they could handle. And Rangeley's boys of summer secured the school's first championship.

January

In Carrabassett Valley, questions were being asked about WSKI's status as a public access channel which prohibits commercial use. After consulting a lawyer, the town referred the issue to the TV station and Time-Warner to work out. Copious amounts of snow had the area abuzz with expectations for the coming season. The purchase of the former Forster Manufacturing Co. toothpick mill was completed and plans for opening a wood pellet mill were well underway. The MSAD #58 board of directors was looking at installing a wind mill at Mt. Abram. An arrest warrant was issued for the driver responsible for the death of Steve McKenney of New Portland. McKenney had been following a pickup truck pulling a load of large timbers when some of the material came off the trailer and struck McKenney's vehicle killing him instantly. Another vehicle following McKenney was totaled. The pickup truck driver left the scene. Tragedy struck the mountain as well when Andrew Peff, a Colby College freshman lost his life snowboarding. Rangeley held its annual snowmobile festival, Snodeo, with roughly 8,000 folks from as far away as Texas showing up for the excitement.

This L. Bretton truck just missed crashing into Longfellow's Restaurant at the intersection of Route 27 and Route 16 mid-January. Fortunately, there was no property damage and the truck was back rolling approximately one-half-hour later. February

Vernon Romanoski (paddling, left) and John Calloway (paddling, right) as they maneuver challengers Derick Allen (canoe, left) and Jeremy Seavey (canoe, right) into position in canoe jousting, a popular event at the annual Sandy River Festival in Strong last June. Franklin County Commissioners were considering a TIF for TransCanada's Kibby wind project although the company had not at that time made a formal request. The second annual New England Pond Hockey Festival was a success in Rangeley with 20 six-man teams including former Boston Bruin Peter Douris. Stratton resident Mitch Miller, a Sugarloaf snowmaker, spent a frigid night on Sugarloaf after he passed a steep ridgeline while snowboarding that offered no return. Stratton-Eustis held its annual winter celebration, Polar Blast, with hundreds of snowmobile enthusiasts descending on the area. Mt. Abram's girls' team swept the MVC Championships last February, and at about the same time, both the girls' and boys' Sugarloaf Area Ski Teams won their second state titles in a row. Carrabassett Valley hired former Maine State Trooper Scott Nichols as its Chief of Police. Famous throughout the area, the Irregular got national coverage in late February when David Letterman highlighted the paper in his "Small Town News" segment and then went on to speculate on the origins of the paper's name, before someone tipped him off.

Students from France tour Stratton Lumber last May. Their visit was part of an 18-day experience hosted by Mr. LePage's Mt. Blue French class, who visited them in France earlier in the year. March

March began with Annual Town Meetings in Kingfield, New Portland, Stratton and Strong held in wintery, snowy conditions. In Kingfield, there was debate only concerning the town accepting Commercial Street as a town road. Eustis also experienced debate on only one point, that of funding the Arnold Trail Snowmobile Club. After numerous folks had their say, the funding was approved. Jean Tucker, Mt. Abram High School's principal, was named MPA Principal of the Year, characterized by Superintendent Quenten Clark as the "Gold Ball of principalship." The MSAD #58 board of directors was tasked with trying to $1 million from the budget due to losses in revenue from the state, Medicaid and other sources. Residents in Carrabassett Valley approved a $3 million-plus budget at their annual town meeting. In the process, they approved the concept of a new library/community center and set aside $200,000 in matching funds.

Pictured is a backside slide that occurred in closed terrain on Sugarloaf's snowfields last February. The abundance of snow last year, presented hazards as well as opportunities. April

While MSAD #74 voted the previous fall to close Central Elementary School in New Portland, residents decided to keep it open. In MSAD #58, the board approved installing a windmill at Mt. Abram not only for the energy saving aspects but for educational purposes. The board was also considering converting its oil-fired furnace to one using wood pellets. Sugarloaf announced that it would make about $5 million in improvements before the start of the 2008/09 season, particularly in its snowmaking arsenal. Reggae Fest at Sugarloaf lived up to its reputation as the biggest spring party in ski country with nine reggae bands playing to a huge crowd. Cooper Friend, of Ellsworth, was named Sugarloaf's Iron Man of Skiing at the resort's annual Season Passholder BBQ. After a winter season of more than 65 accidents in the "S" curves in Carrabassett Valley, local law enforcement, and town and MDOT officials agreed to install flashing lights at the northern entrance of the "S" curves, which light when conditions were dangerous.

Emma Coffin does her thing on the slopes. She was one of a handful of young local skiers competing in the Nature Valley Championships held at Sugarloaf last March. She was competing against more well known skiers such as Lindsay Vonn, Phil Mahre, Tamara McKinney, Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso. May

Owners of the Geneva Energy Wood Pellet mill in Strong said they planned to begin production in the fall. Both Sugarloaf and Sunday River announced that they had more skier visits the past season than at any other time in their histories. Judson Cake, of Bar Harbor, and Amy Chekos-Sedgwick, of North Yarmouth, were the winners of the Sugarloaf Marathon. Taking the Sugarloaf 15K were Ethan Hemphill, of Freeport, and Jeanne Hackett, of Scarborough. Kingfield was adorned with 75 American flags that were to fly through Veteran's Day. The town was the first in Franklin County to undertake this project, and one among over 100 in the state. A project to replace the downtown Kingfield water main, in planning for over two years, had begun by late May. The $1.2 million project would replace mains that were estimated to be between 80 and 100 years old. June

One of two water towers is installed at the Kingfield Poland Spring bottling facility last May. Poland Spring representatives were hoping to have the silos full and operational by the end of June. The 198-foot Wire Bridge was destined for $600,000 in repairs during the summer. After 40 years at Mt. Abram, Patricia Patnaude was retiring —then the high school's first and only chemistry teacher. In Rangeley's "Biggest Loser Contest," 1,444 pounds and inches were lost. The overall winner was Errol Wentzel with 66.5 points. Despite the controversy, Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved a TIF for TransCanada's Kibby windfarm. A very localized storm dropped hail up to one-inch around in Eustis in late June, while down the road a short ways nothing fell. The Rangeley Lakes Region High School Boys' Baseball team secured the Western Maine Class D Championships by beating the Katahdin Cougars 3-2.

See Year in Review Part 2: July through December in next week's issue.

You can also check out the entire 2008 and 2007 issues in PDF format on-line: go to www.theirregular.com, and