A son of Bowdoinham

Bowdoinham felt a collective sadness this week with the passing of Calvin Temple on Thursday. Calvin, a retired Lieutenant from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department, was a true local character, known for his prolific storytelling both in person and on Facebook.

I remember meeting him years ago when I was working as a cable guy. I went to his house for a simple internet installation but ended up staying for hours, captivated by his stories. My coworker even showed up, thinking I must be wrestling with some complicated technical issue (I wasn't), and even he got drawn into Calvin's orbit. We spent another hour there, simply enjoying his company.

While the details of our conversation that day are lost to time, the feeling of warmth and welcome remains. He had a way of making you feel like an old friend within minutes of meeting him.

Calvin was a special man, and his absence will be deeply felt in our town.

This week’s Highlights:

1. There will be a Select Board meeting on Tuesday. They will stream it for your entertainment, of course.

2. The Loose Ladies book group will be discussing not one, but TWO books on Thursday. You can call the library for a copy if you want to speed-read one of them before then. Could you read BOTH of them before then? I don’t know. How amazing are you?

Merrymeeting Music announced their remaining shows for the 2024-2025 season, and the lineup is amazing…

Antje Duvekot (2/8), Samuel James (3/8), Genticorum (4/26), Jason Anick Trio (5/3), Peter More (6/7)

These shows are popular and seats fill up fast! So, if you're thinking of attending (and you definitely should), you'll need to RSVP. The best way to do that is to get on their newsletter list. Just shoot an email to [email protected] and say something like “Bowdoinhammer told me that I should subscribe to your newsletter so that I can be one of the cool kids in town.”

They’ll get a kick out of that. 😉 

Here’s what’s happening this week in Bowdoinham:

Monday, January 13th

• Open Pottery Studio, Merrymeeting Arts Center Studio (9 Main St.), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. $10 Suggested donation. The maximum capacity is 10 pottery enthusiasts.

Tuesday, January 14th

• Select Board Meeting, Kendall Room, John C. Coombs Municipal Building (13 School St.), 6:30 PM. Townhall Streams link. For a list of other town meetings, visit the town's calendar.

Wednesday, January 15th

• Bridge, Bowdoinham Fire Station (57 Post Rd.), 9:30 AM - NOON. FMI: Judy Gray, 666-3025. The group welcomes all players. Current players range from high-scoring duplicate players to seniors who played in college and newbies who have taken a class.

• Bowdoinham Food Pantry OPEN, Bowdoinham Food Pantry (9 Main St.), 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. For all residents of Bowdoinham and Bowdoin. Building community, with food. NO income verification. FMI: (207) 751-7779. Shop there first.

• Pickleball, Bowdoinham Community School Gym (23 Cemetery Rd.), 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. This is open to adults of any age and ability. The group has friendly games with mixed levels of competition.

• Open Pottery Studio, Merrymeeting Arts Center Studio (9 Main St.), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. $10 Suggested donation. The maximum capacity is 10 pottery enthusiasts.

Thursday, January 16th

• Cribbage hosted by Age Friendly Bowdoinham, Bowdoinham Fire Station (57 Post Rd.), 9:30 AM - NOON.

• Loose Ladies Book Group, Merrymeeting Hall (27 Main St.), 1:00 PM. The book discussion will be on "Foster” by Claire Keegan AND "Gather" by Kenneth Cadow. Call the library (207) 666-8405 to request a copy.

Friday, January 17th

• Bowdoinham Community Connections Office hours, Bowdoinham Fire Station (57 Post Rd.), Noon - 2:00 PM. Pop in to see what the BCC is about!

Saturday, January 18th

• Visit/Volunteer/Donate/Shop at the Bowdoinham Gift Shop, Recycling Barn (243 Post Rd.), 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Clean and FREE curated household items, clothes, and toys are available; donations and volunteers are welcome to support this community resource and reduce waste. Contributions are accepted inside and returnable beverage containers may be dropped off in the window near the road at any time.

• Open Pottery Studio, Merrymeeting Arts Center Studio (9 Main St.), 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. $10 Suggested donation. The maximum capacity is 10 pottery enthusiasts.

Sunday, January 19th

• Sunday Service, Bowdoinham Second Baptist (1 Church St.), 10:00 AM. Potluck Luncheon following service.

• Sunday School/Service, Bowdoinham Church of the Nazarene (7 School St.), 10:00 AM, Service 11:00 AM.

• FREE swimming, LeRoy Greason Pool (Bowdoin College, 35 Watson Dr, Brunswick), 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM. For ALL ages and residents of MSAD 75. Runs January 12th through April 6th.

(These events may change or cancel without notice)

Next week: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Digital Equity Center’s iPad Intermediate 3-day course, Guilt-free Book Group meeting, Yummy Fundraiser Dinner by Gallit & Abigail.

That’s about it from us here at Bowdoinhammer.

Be extra kind to people you meet this week. You’ll never know who really needs the benefit of your patience.

Love,

Rodney

❤️