Community Photo Album

GNG Animal Clinic expands

Above, Left, Kevin Rideout, General Manager of Rideout & Turner, Inc. of Gray stands with Dr. Pierre Giroux of the Gray-New Gloucester Animal Clinic during a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the Clinic's major expansion.

Dr. Giroux said that they are expanding from their current clinic size of 1600 square feet to a new building adjacent to the current building. The new, state of the art clinic will be 4,900 square feet.

Dr. Giroux said that the Veterinarians and the staff are very excited and are looking forward to the new facility. "We've outgrown the old one," Dr. Giroux said. The new Clinic will remain a full service clinic, with routine preventive maintenance services, surgery, dentistry, X-ray and more. The Clinic services cats, dogs, reptiles and "pocket pets" such as mice, hamsters, gerbils. Along with Dr. Giroux, Leanne Donovan, D.V.M. and Kimberly Tippie, V.M.D staff the clinic.

Laughing, Dr. Giroux said that the funniest incident he remembers was treating a small pug dog. The pug was extremely lethargic and anemic. "I thought he was going to die," Said Dr. Giroux. "The dog's mom said that the dog ate a lot. I X-rayed the pug and thought I saw coins in his stomach. Turned out he had eaten $6.93 in coins and it was the zinc that was making him anemic." The mom said that she had a grandson living with her and he would put his coins on the coffee table. The dog ate them every time. But the grandson thought it was his grandmother taking the coins, and hadn't wanted to say anything!"

Mr. Rideout said that he was pleased to have earned the job as general contractor, and estimated that the construction would take six months. Ground breaking for the foundation was begun on Wednesday.

Yarmouth Clam Festival

Yarmouth Clam Fest arcade players.
The Monument: Jeanne Adams photo

Scene at Yarmouth Clam Fest, above, the Ferris Wheel, below, New Gloucester resident Kris WIlls drove her pagoda car in the parade -- happy laughter from the parade watchers when several brightly dressed scooter riders exploded from the pagoda!
The Monument: Jeanne Adams photos

Dry Mills School Open House

Above: The Dry Mills Schoolhouse Open House on Wednesday, July 20 was well-attended by former alum and children alike. Louise Knapp of the Dry Mills School House committee said that it was their goal to welcome children and offer a peek at the past, experience the one-room schoolhouse, and learn how education was handled back then.

The Schoolhouse was active from 1857-1958, educating students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Gray resident Jane Donnel reminisced fondly about her time at the schoolhouse, back in 1942. She remembered a time when she was very small, and "I got locked in the outhouse. The door jammed and I was too small to push it open. It was music lesson time in the school./ We had a gramophone and the teacher had cranked it up to play "You're a sap, Mr. Jap" (a WWII song popular in 1942). I could only think of one person to call for, and older girl named Muriel Verrill. The kids were singing and nobody heard me calling. Finally when someone came to get me the teacher put me on her knee and bounced me until I was settled down."

Gray Councilor Denise Duda is the Dry Mills Schoolhouse liaison. She visited for a while and said "It is my first time here, it's wonderful." Ms. Duda said that her husband had attended a one-room schoolhouse and as adults they went to visit it. "It was run down and falling apart, that made us sad. It's great to see the effort the Committee has pt into this in restoring it.
The Schoolhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located on the Game Farm Road just 3 miles north of Gray center.

Below, Shirley Reid reads to the visitors, as the teacher would have done in the 1800s.

Below: Martha Howe and son Ryan listen to the story. They were there with son Scott (age 11), not pictured. They said that they enjoyed the outing. Nancy McMinn's grandmother wrote the "Diary of a Teacher" proudly displayed at the Schoolhouse.
Photos: Jeanne Adams: The Monument

Thanks, Soldiers

Above, Rep. Susan Austin (R-Gray), Rep. Mark Bryant (D-Windham), and Sen. Karl Turner (R-Cumberland) honored local returning veterans of the Iraq war Tuesday July 19 at the Gray Town Council meeting.

Rep. Austin read a jointly-presented Legislative Sentiment to Sgt. Warren Parker of Gray thanking him for his service. Other returning veterans not present but receiving a Sentiment were Sgt. Adam Farrington, Specialist Julie Rand, and 1st Class officer Jonathan Wood.

Rep. Bryant thanked them for their "sacrifice in supporting democracy, saying it was more than a job, it was a calling.We thank you for being willing to serve the call."

The Monument: Prata photo