On a recent Monday evening, I attended the Fall Court Awards for BSA Troop 200 at the American Legion Hall in Camden.  I am the parent of a Scout, formally the Boy Scouts, and he and his troop members were being recognized for the achievements they made over the last year.

The merit badges and ranks were hard earned, covering topics from Emergency Preparedness to Robotics.

Troop 200. 200!? I can get used to change, but as a proud Lincolnvillan I know that Troop 200 is the Camden troop. Lincolnville is Troop 244! Or was.

During my time as a Scout, Troop 244 was allegedly the oldest Troop in the state. But, apparently, at some point in the last 30 years, 244 disbanded, and Scouts from Lincolnville and the surrounding area have been welcomed to Troop 200.

It is OK. There are many Scouts from Lincolnville, and Scoutmaster Doug Grant hails from Lincolnville, as does assistant Scoutmaster Ed Hurlburt. But, feeling a wave of nostalgia at the ceremony as I found myself raising three fingers and the words of the Boy Scout Oath came automatically to my mouth, I decided I needed to reach out to my old Scoutmaster, to reminisce on Troop 244.

Andy Hazen still lives in the old farmhouse up on High Street — overlooking the rest of Lincolnville, where one can spot Penobscot Bay on a clear day — with his lovely wife Judy and daughter Emily. He complains about his nearly 80 years, while Emily and Judy chide him and keep him in line. 

The Hazen homestead is a place I know nearly as well as I know my own old home, and Judy and Andy are the closest I have to a second set of parents, ever since their son Ben and I met in that old private kindergarten in the basement of LCS. Sledding down their hills, watching horror movies in their living room with a pack of rowdy boys, sampling the beer Andy brew in the barn as a young adult.

But Andy Hazen was also my Scoutmaster, that incredibly important role in a young Scout’s life, teaching them skills that will assist them throughout their days.

My journey as a Scout began in second grade, as a Cub Scout. Judy Hazen and Carol Kennedy took on the role of Den Mothers; Cub Scout meetings were generally led by women. Later, my own mom joined Judy as a Den Mother, wrangling wild boys one afternoon a week. 

Progressing through the Cub Scout Badges of Bobcat, Wolf, and Bear Scout (Tiger Scouts for younger kids appeared a few years after my time) we hit the rank of Weblo — We’ll be loyal Scouts — the year that signifies the transition of a Cub Scout to full Scout at the age of 11. And this is where Andy Hazen stepped in, in 1985.

In the years before he founded Andrew’s Brewing Company, Andy Hazen’s barn was a cabinet-making shop, and we were all introduced to the beauty of fine woodworking.

The project that holds the most significance to me was the time he had each of us create a milking stool, cutting out the pieces, sanding and staining. The stool I made still resides in my mother’ living room.

And when we made the transition to full Scouts, Andy agreed to sign on as Scoutmaster of Troop 244.

Andy frequently references Troop 244 as the only troop in the country to offer a merit badge in foul language. This is not true, but only because Andy, and his assistant Scoutmasters Carlo Leach and Greg Boetsch, never cared much for the achievement of badges, and focused far more on the experiences, and the hands on skills we learned.

We met at the Community Building next the the UCC Church, which had plenty of room for tweens and young teens to blow off steam, British Bulldog being a favorite game. But the best scouting activity was camping out.

We camped all the time. Andy claims that we were the first troop to camp in the dead of winter. I remember sleeping in Korean War surplus tents on the banks of Moody Pond, when my contact lenses froze in their case. Or the night at Tanglewood, where we awoke to 10 fresh inches of snow. Andy told me that he wondered if we were going to be stuck in that old lodge all winter.

An especially memorable camping trip found us on Warren Island State Park, just off Islesboro, and the activity leading up to it that had us all make our own slingshots for a competition on the camp-out.

Andy blames assistant Scoutmaster Carlo for that misstep, though I did not seek Carlo for his memory. Needless to say, the giant paper wasp nest that hung high in the trees above our tent site became the preferred target for a bunch of rowdy boys with homemade slingshots.

Likely the most enduring legacy of my time in the Scouts was the rebuilding of Petunia Pump in the center. With the old well structure falling apart, and with funding from Mr and Mrs Doolittle, the Scouts (mostly Andy Hazen) constructed the current pump. I have strong memories of learning how to shingle the roof.

As his son, Ben, and I transitioned to high school, we gradually left Scouts, and Andy himself left the troop to Carlo Leach, as he was in the process of founding Andrew’s Brewing Company, one of Maine’s first microbreweries, in his old cabinet-making shop.

I never made it close to Eagle Scout, but my time as a Scout nevertheless shaped my life, and I think of it every time I fail to tie a proper knot. I never earned that merit badge, for sure. But I can build a heck of a fire.

While we talked at the kitchen counter, Judy Hazen located Andy’s old uniform in an upstairs closet, and we made him try it on. Judy and Emily may have noted loudly that the buttons bulged a bit, but I just saw my Scoutmaster, with the same grin, mustache, and the numbers 244 on his left arm.

A Mighty Group of Lincolnvillans

Last Saturday was the Midcoast Maine Making Strides walk to raise funds for Breast Cancer research. Lincolnville resident Amelia Grant is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, who’s philanthropic cause is Breast Cancer awareness.

Amelia had recently learned that her neighbor on the other side of Atlantic Highway, Chris Leary, is also a ZTA alumna, and recruited her to assist in the event.

While there, they ran into fellow Lincolnvillan Jessica Graham running the survivor’s tent. And found a platter of pink ribbon cookies decorated by Lincolnvillan Chelsea Mitchell.

This small group of Lincolnville women moved chairs and tables and ensured that the event was a success. I love it when we come together.

Halloween at the Center

Thursday night is Halloween. I will be there with my camera and costume to document it all. The parking lot at LCS is designated for Trunk or Treat, and many of the homes in the Center are ready for the onslaught of ghosts, goblins, Jedis, and princesses. Stop by the Lincolnville Library and the Firestation while you are at it.

And for the adults, swing by the Library Wednesday, October 30, at 7 p.m., where Lincolnville author Liz Hand will talk about her wonderful and terrifying book A Haunting on the Hill, the fully authorized sequel to Shirley Jackson’s seminal ghost story The Haunting of Hill House.

And that is all for this week, Lincolnville. Go out and be nice. Enjoy the falling leaves, and the hint of winter in the air. It is coming, like it or not, so you may as well appreciate the transition. Reach out to me at ceobrien246@gmail.com.

CALENDAR

Municipal Calendar

Monday, October 28

Selectboard Meeting,  6 p.m., Town Office

Tuesday, October 29

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Planning Board Workshop, 8:30 p.m. Town Office

Lakes and Ponds Committee, 7 p.m., Town Office

Wednesday, October 30

Library open, 2-5 p.m. 

Planning Board, 6 p.m. Town Office

Friday, November 1

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Saturday, November 2

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Sunday, November 3

United Christian Church, 9:30 a.m. Worship, 18 Searsmont Road

Bayshore Baptist Church, 9:30 a.m. Sunday School, 11 worship, 2648 Atlantic Highway