A Blast from the Past

Samuel Mayall was born in North Gray in June of 1816. (He’s a relative of the founder of the Mayall Mills). He attended public schools and was tutored privately at home. From 1845 to 1855 he was active in Maine politics, serving as a member of the Maine state House of Representatives, the Maine State Senate as a U.S. Representative from Maine’s 2nd district. He joined the Union Army as a commissioned captain and served in the Civil War. He moved west where he remained active in politics eventually running as the Prohibition candidate for Governor of Minnesota in 1871. He became a wealthy landowner in that state and died in St. Paul, Minn. on Sept. 17, 1892 and is buried at the Oakland Cemetery in that city.

Gray/New Gloucester Business Association Invites You to Annual Membership Banquet and Fundraiser

Comedian Karen Morgan will headline the entertainment at the Gray-New Gloucester Business Association’s annual banquet on Saturday, Jan. 19. The event will be held at Spring Meadows Banquet Center on Route 100, across from Cole Farms Restaurant.

The night starts at 6 p.m. with a cash bar and a social/networking time, a dinner at 7 p.m. The Association will award the Business Person of the Year award at 8 p.m., followed by the comedy of Karen Morgan. The night is also a fundraising event for the association’s scholarship fund for two scholarships totaling $1,500 to Gray-New Gloucester High School. Ticket prices are $40 per person for the dinner, entertainment, and a portion to the scholarship funds. This event is open to the general public and tickets can be purchased by contacting the GNGBA at 657-2033, or at the following businesses: Key Bank, Androscoggin Bank, and Gray Chiropractic Center.

It’s a sure bet that you’ll enjoy the evening of comedy provided by Karen Morgan. She has been hailed as “Maine’s Funniest Mom” as one of seven finalists in Nick at Nite’s first Search for the Funniest Mom in America from more than 1,000 entries nationwide. Her weekly radio spot, The Mother Load, is featured on The Coast Morning Show. Her new TV series, “You Gotta Be Kidding Me,” can be seen each month on WCSH6’s “207” show.

As a corporate speaker, audiences applaud Karen’s sharp, clean and hilarious views on life and the office. In addition to her individual appearances, she can be seen on TV, in comedy clubs, and in theatres nationwide with her trio of funny moms, Mama’s Night Out! Karen’s book, “You Might Be A Mama!” (PER Publishing, 2006) is now available online and in national and local book stores.

That’s a Lot of Gas Money

A couple of Gray gas stations are listed as for sale on the BizBuySell Web site. The gross income from the stores is listed at just over $5 million dollars, broken down as $3.9 million in gas sales and $1.2 million dollars in store sales. You could own your own gas station for a little more than the average price of a home in the area, $275,000.

A New Year, a New Career

Women, Work and Community was started as a displaced homemaker program. It now offer classes in buidling careers, starting businesses, managing money and becoming leaders. An upcoming class in Portland will teach you how to design your own Web site. If you’d rather head north, check out the Career Exploration class offered in Lewiston that promises to help you identify your goals and create a step-by-step plan for achieving your career goals. The complete listing of classes is available at www.womenworkandcommunity.com.

How About Those Snowshoe Trails in Gray?

Visit the blog at http://libbyhilltrails.blogspot.com, for an update on trail conditions for winter skiing and snowshoeing at Libby Hill Trails. The blog reports conditions on several miles of trails and reports sighting many deer this season. The Middle School hills are a favorite place for kids to sled and with all this snow, the conditions were great for sledding during vacation week.