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SOUTHERN MAINE VOLKSSPORT ASSOCIATION
MARCH 2017
President Carroll Tiernan
(207) 632-3978
Vice President
Ken Jackson
Secretary/Sales
Sondra Taylor
(207) 856-6464
Treasurer
Wally Johnson
Membership/Sunshine
Sandy Johnson
Historian
Sylvia Allen
Newsletter Editor
Linda Johnson
Webmaster
Don Bolin
(508) 845-1984
North East Regional
Director
Betty Green
www.ava.org/clubs/reg_northeast
Website
www.SMVA.8m.com
President’s Corner
Weather this time of year is tricky. One day
it is warm and sunny and feels like spring
and the next we are shoveling and scraping
again. As the days get lighter longer, and
they are, we know that spring is coming,
but when?
Walking this time of year can be tricky.
Snow and ice can be downright dangerous;
we do not bounce as well as we use to.
Mud and puddles are no fun either. There
are a couple of indoor venues where you
can get in some laps, namely the Maine
Mall and Falmouth High School; soon,
though, we will be able to walk outside
again.
This news letter contains the "We're Walk-
ing in Maine 2017" brochure. Please help
us spread this around. Also, there is a report of
the holiday party, New Year's Day walk and
upcoming April Fool's weekend events. The
slate of officers for 2017 is also included. We
will vote on the slate in June before Linda
Johnson leads us on another exciting and in-
formative walk.
Having survived another Maine winter, I look
forward to see you on the trails.
Carroll
You have to stay in shape. My grandmother,
she started walking five miles a day when she
was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know
where the hell she is.
Ellen DeGeneres
Look at this picture. This shows the walk-
ers that showed up for the New Year's Day
walk - just Denise and Carroll. And, I can-
not tell a lie, they did not walk. This is the
first year in my memory that no one has
done this walk. Also interestingly no has
walked the Portland YRE yet either. I am
really proud of the maps this year; thanks
to my son Gerry, they really look good.
And the two new AVA programs, under-
ground railroad and ice cream parlors, are
both included. There are many, many ice
cream parlors in Portland during the sum-
mer, but they all close this time of year ex-
cept Gorgeous Gelato and Gelato Fiasco.
ANNUAL WALKING TOUR OF
PORTLAND
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
Everyone is invited to SMVA’s annual guided
walking tour of Portland on Wednesday, June
14. Our tour guide will be Linda Johnson,
SMVA member, editor of our newsletter and
owner of Beaten Path Tours. This year, we
will be exploring the West End. Please meet
at 6:45 pm as we need to vote on the slate of
officers; the walk will start at 7:00 pm.
SMVA members and friends should meet at
Fort Allen Park (on the corner Morning and
Fore/Eastern Promenade Streets. From this
location, we will be able to learn about such
things as the many memorials on the prome-
nade, George Cleaves and Richard Tucker,
the kidnapping of Capt. Henry Mowatt, the
view of Casco Bay, the St. Lawrence Church
and the Portland Observatory. This will be a
leisurely stroll, not “speed walking”. Linda is
very knowledgeable about the history of
Portland and she always shares lots of fun
facts and human interest stories.
This guided walk is free and open to all. Pre-
registration is appreciated in case of any
changes. Register via email at
[email protected] or leave a message
at (207) 632-3978
For more information about Beaten Path
tours, please check out
www.beatenpathtours.com or contact Linda
SMVA Slate
President - Carroll Tiernan
Vice- President - Ken Jackson
Secretary/Treasurer - Sondra Taylor
Board of Directors - Sandy Johnson, Penny
Cole, David Cole, Elaine Johnson, Jane
Haugen and past president Denise Macaro-
nas.
This slate will be voted on in June.
SMVA.MYSITE.COM
This is our new web address. If you want to
check out our web site, that is the address
you need to use.
SEASONAL WALKS BEGIN ON APRIL 1 (no fooling!)
It’s been a LONG winter with LOTS of snow and cold temperatures, but hopefully Spring will
bring good walking weather to Maine. Seasonal walks all start on Saturday, April 1 with a
choice of a 5K and a 10/11K route. These walks are available through October 31, 2017. The
Portland walk continues through December 31, 2017. All five of our walks qualify for the new
Ice Cream Parlor special credit walk, sponsored by our friends from Walk ‘n Mass. Now that is
something to look forward to!
Please see the enclosed “We’re Walking in Maine 2017” brochure for more details of all five of
SMVA’s walks. Hope to see you on the trail!
AUGUSTA is the state capital of Maine and is located on the banks of the picturesque Kenne-
bec River. Pass by the State Capitol, historic fort on the river front and part of an arboretum.
BRUNSWICK has a downtown filled with history including homes of Civil War General
Joshua Chamberlain and novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Enjoy world-class gelato at Gelato
Fiasco or have a donut at Frosty’s, one of Maine’s original gourmet donut shops.
KENNEBUNK/KENNEBUNKPORT are the beautiful towns by the sea with the unusual
names. Enjoy the grounds of St. Anthony’s Monastery as well as the beauty of Gooch’s Beach.
Visit the many galleries, boutiques and restaurants in Dock Square.
PORTLAND is Maine’s largest city. Enjoy views of the islands of Casco Bay and walk
through Old Port to browse and get a taste of some Maine-made products.
SOUTH PORTLAND is a beautiful walk with many views of the water along the Green Belt-
way, Bug Light Park and the campus of Southern Maine Community College. Take time to
visit the Cushing’s Point House Museum, home of the South Portland Historical Society.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR WEST SIDE TRAIL WALK
SMVA is planning a one-day special event in the Fall to explore the West Side Trail in Yar-
mouth. This trail is a multi-use trail for walkers, runners and bikers. It connects neighbor-
hoods, office parks, preserves and public beaches.
We have been contacted by a member of Yarmouth Trails who is very excited about co-
sponsoring this event. He calls the West Side Trail “really cool” and is looking forward to join-
ing the fun that a volksmarch can offer.
This is a great opportunity to work collaboratively with another organization that has a similar
goal of getting people out on the trail.
In order for this event to be a success, we need volunteers to help plan, promote, and work the
day of the event. If you would like to help out, please contact Denise at
[email protected] or leave a message at (207) 774-3415.
I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. - G.M. Trevelyan
Southern Maine Volkssport Association
PO Box 722
Westbrook, ME 04098-0722
Your 2017 Southern Maine Volkssports
Assoc. dues should be paid. Dues are
$12.00 for a single person and $15.00 for a
family. You can pay Sondra at meeting or
send a check to SMVA, PO Box 722, West-
brook, ME 04098-0222, Attn: Sondra Tay-
lor.
“GO GREEN”: If you prefer receiving
this newsletter via email, please email Edi-
tor Linda Johnson and help cut down on
the paper trail. Her email address is
MARK YOUR CALENDARS –
2017
Please check our websi te a t
smva.mysite.com and our Facebook page
for updates.
Saturday, April 1: Seasonal Walks begin
in Augusta, Brunswick, Kennebunk, South
Portland. Check elsewhere in newsletter for
group walks on April Fool’s Day week-end.
Wednesday, June 14: Annual Walking
Tour of Portland with SMVA’s own Linda
Johnson, owner of Beaten Path Tours. Ad-
ditional information in newsletter.
Wednesday to Friday, June 7 – 9: AVA
National Convention in Billings, MT
Please check the convention website at
http://2017avaconvention.org/ for the full
schedule of walks that have been scheduled
between June 5 and June 11.
Facts about Billings and some of the con-
vention walks: Billings has 39 city parks
and more than 500 geocache treasures in
the city. It has 47 miles of trails, with over
7 miles along the Yellowstone River, which
is the longest free-flowing river in the
United States. The Yellowstone Art Mu-
seum was originally the Yellowstone
County Jail, built in 1884 ($5 admission). A
stretch of trail along the Rimrocks has fan-
tastic views of the mountains beyond; on a
clear day, five mountain ranges can be
seen. The downtown brewery tour will be
incorporated into one of the sanctioned
events. The Western Heritage Center is an
affiliate of the Smithsonian, and is on the
National Register of Historic Places
Wednesday, October 11: Tater Tours in
Maine (on their Northeast Fall Foliage Tour)
Tater Tours and Mary Ptacek are scheduled to
be in Maine on Wednesday, October 11 to
walk the 5K route in Augusta in the morning.
They will make a stop in Freeport for a short
shopping spree and then continue to Kenne-
bunk to walk another volkswalk. More infor-
mation/details will be available as time gets
closer. If you are available on Wednesday, Oc-
tober 11, and would like to walk with the
group, please contact [email protected]
or leave a message at (207) 774-3415. Walking
and meeting people from all over the United
States is a great way to compare walks, learn
about other areas of the country and to share
ideas of how to keep our volksmarch associa-
tions going.
Phileas Fogg, having shut the door of his
house at half-past eleven, and having put his
right foot before his left five hundred and sev-
enty-five times, and his left foot before his
right five hundred and seventy-six times,
reached the Reform Club
Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty
Days
The simplest consequence of walking on
crutches is that you walk slower. Every step
must be a necessary one. When you hurry, you
get where you're going, but you get there
alone. When you go slow, you get where
you're going, but you get there with a commu-
nity you've built along the way.
Bruce Feiler
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: SPE-
CIAL APRIL FOOL’S WEEK-END
GROUP WALKS
SMVA will be sponsoring group walks on both
Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2. If you
can’t make these group walks, gather your
own group at another time to enjoy these
walks. We will be walking (not running) the
5K route as a group but if you prefer, you can
choose the 10K route. To make it more fun,
wear a foolish hat! SPECIAL NOTE: SMVA
will pay for one free walk to anyone who
walks all three walks.
Saturday, April 1 at 10:00 am: South Port-
land walk (Hannaford Mill Creek)
Saturday, April 1 at 1:30 pm: Kennebunk
walk (Maytag Laundromat and Cleaners)
Sunday, April 2 at 1:30 pm: Brunswick
walk (Hannaford Supermarket)
Pre-registration appreciated in case of any
changes ([email protected]). For up-
dates on these walks and other SMVA events,
please check our website at smva.mysite.com
or our Facebook page (Southern Maine
Volkssport Association).
HOLIDAY POT LUCK
CELEBRATION
Once again, SMVA members and friends
celebrated the holiday season at our De-
cember meeting with food, fun, laughs and
the traditional Yankee Swap. Thanks to all
who attended, brought food, swapped gifts
and shared a good time together. Mark
your calendars now for this year’s Holiday
Pot Luck Celebration on Wednesday, De-
cember 13. Start looking now for a great
Yankee Swap gift ($5 to $10 range)