Hope & Kindness are not cancelled be strong and stay healthy.

newsletters@harrisonmaine.org

 Hope & Kindness are not cancelled…be strong and stay healthy.
 • The Town Offices and The Transfer Station will be closed on
 Monday, January 17, 2022, for the Holiday
 • Full Wolf Moon on Monday, January 17, 2022
 ▪ The 2022 Transfer Station Stickers can be picked up at the Transfer
 Station or at the Town Office during regular business hours.
 In consideration of the safety within our community, we encourage people to
use on-line services for renewal of registrations (car, trailer, boat, ATV), pay taxes, get fishing licenses,
etc. links can be found through our town website www.harrisonmaine.org.
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Maine Fun Facts: Foods that made Maine – Ployes.
When Britain conquered Canada in the mid-1700s, French-Acadians fled into the unsettled forestland of
northern Maine along the St. John River Valley. They brought their language, crops and food — including
ployes.
Ployes are spongy crepes made of buckwheat flour, water and a pinch of salt. They are simple, but versatile.
They can be sweetened with fruit, cream and maple syrup, dipped in hearty stews, used in lieu of bread for
sandwiches or eaten plain. Sometimes, ployes are topped with cretons, a French-Acadian pork spread similar
to pate.
Maine was once the breadbasket of America, according to Lindgren, until westward expansion brought grain
production to the vast Midwest. The stone walls that once surrounded farms still run through thick forests today.
The French brought buckwheat — a misnomer, as the grain-like seeds are more closely related to rhubarb —
to the St. John River Valley in the 1780s. The crop was popularized among the Madawaska Settlement in the
mid-1800s when pests and blights threatened other grain crops. By 1850, buckwheat represented about 40
percent of all grain production in the Valley, and hearty ployes were a staple food for the area’s farmers.
The tradition began to die, though.
“In the early 1970s, the ploye was a thing of the past,” Janice Bouchard, owner of Bouchard Family Farms, said
in a 2009 interview published in the Bangor Daily News. “No one was growing buckwheat anymore.”
The revival of ployes is a direct result of efforts in northern Maine to promote awareness and pride in the
Acadian way of life. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II issued a royal proclamation apologizing for the forced
deportation of French-Acadians, stirring renewed interest in the culture. Changing diet trends have also
sparked the ployes resurgence.
“Ployes have come up in the world because they’re gluten-free,” Laskey said. “I see them a lot here in southern
Maine where they weren’t before.”
Now, the Bouchard Family Farm ployes mix is sold in grocery stores around the state. Every summer for
almost two decades, the Greater Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce has held a Ploye Festival alongside other
annual celebrations of local culture. Buckwheat, too, is making a comeback are an agricultural product.
“Now that different kinds of buckwheat are being grown in Maine, I look forward to seeing ployes more and
more,” said Sam Hayward, owner and chef at Fore Street Grill in Portland.” From The Bangor Daily News ®.
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If you have town related business, or information on events you would like included in the update,
please email the information to newsletters@harrisonmaine.org.

Brain Teaser of the Week:
 What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
 Last week: In baseball, how many outs are there in an inning? Answer: Six. Each team has 3

FROM THE DESKS OF RANDY & CASS – Your Harrison Team 
Upcoming Holiday Closing Schedule:
 - The Town Offices and The Transfer Station will be closed on Monday, January
 17, 2022 for the Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr.)
 - As temperatures drop significantly. Please watch out for and check on your elderly
 friends & neighbors to be sure they are safe and warm. Also check on your inside
 or outdoor animals to make sure they are safe. Stay Safe
Thank you for your continued support.

 Quote of the Week:
 Who said this quote? “It isn't where you came from. It's where you're going that counts.”
 Last week: The Author is – Eleanor Roosevelt , “You must do the things you think you
 cannot do.”
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FROM THE CLERK’S OFFICE ~
The 2022 Transfer Station stickers can be picked up at the Transfer Station or the Town Office during regular
business hours.
Register your Dogs before January 31, 2022. Dogs can be licensed online here. They can also be licensed
in the clerk’s office during business hours. Proof of rabies is required. Neutered dogs are $6, non-neutered are
$11 after January 31, 2022 there is an additional fine of $25 per dog.
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 Citizens of Harrison:
 It is almost time for the annual town report.
 I would like to give the citizens of Harrison a chance to submit their images
 for a possibility to be featured on the front or back of the Harrison town report.
 Photo credit will be given to the photographer of the two chosen images.
 If you are interested, please submit any/all pictures to: tcorreia@harrisonmaine.org
 MUST BE AN IMAGE TAKEN IN HARRISON, MAINE
 Deadline: March 15th
 Have fun! - Taylor
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Harrison Rec Dept ~ For more information contact Kayla at 583-2241 or klaird@harrisonmaine.org
Join our Winter Bucket List Challenge. (See list at the end of the Update)
Senior Luncheon Pick up will done monthly. The first Wednesday for Harrison & the third Wednesday for
 Waterford of every month. It is $5 per meal. Contact Kayla for more information,
 Ceramics Night at the Wilkins House on Wednesday, January 19th
 Pallet Sign Party in the meeting room on Wednesday, January 26th. See the information at the
 end of the Update.
 Our 6th Annual Family Ice Fishing Derby is scheduled for Saturday, February 26th and we have opened
 registrations. See information at the end of the Update.
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From Public Works ~
WINTER PARKING BAN is now in effect from November 15, 2021 to April 15, 2022 parking
on all public streets, roads and parking lots is prohibited during snowstorms. Vehicles
will be towed at owner’s expense. This is being done to facilitate the plowing of snow.
 NOTICE - DO NOT ENTER the Public Works/Town Garage facility.
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From the Transfer Station ~
The Transfer Station will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

The 2022 Transfer Station stickers can be picked up at the Transfer Station or the Town Office during
regular business hours.

 SAND * SAND * SAND * SAND * SAND * SAND
 It’s that time of year to remind residents who need sand; you are limited to two 5-gallon pails of
 sand from the Transfer Station when they are open. This sand is for your walkways and steps.
 DO NOT fill your pick-up truck to sand your private road and driveway.

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Harrison Village Library ~ Harrison Village Library is fully open for walk-in service during our
regular hours. Please wear a mask when visiting the library. Curb service remains available for anyone who
wishes it. Monday: 1-7, Wednesday: 1-7, Thursday: 11-5, Saturday: 10-2. To call the library: (207) 583-2970.
To email: director@harrisonvillagelibrary.org
Saturday, February 5, 2:00pm: Book Club This month's selection: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine
Evaristo (postponed from January). New members are always welcome!
Join us for Storytime! We talk, sing, read, write and play--all the elements that help get kids ready to read--via
Zoom. Storytime is held each Thursday at 10:00; email Kathleen at director@harrisonvillagelibrary.org for an
invitation to join.
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Recurring Events ~
HARRISON FOOD BANK – Tuesdays – 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Located at the Harrison Food Bank, Ronald G. St. John Community Center located at 176 Waterford Road in
Harrison, mailing address: PO Box 112, Harrison, ME 04040 Telephone 207-647-3384
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Upcoming Events ~
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