Henry David Thoreau, beholding Moosehead Lake for the first time, wrote this: “a gleaming silver platter at the end of the table.” If only he could have seen the lake from the air! The first time that I saw the big lake from the air in a north-bound ski-plane my jaw dropped. The expansiveness, not only of the lake itself, but the entire north woods watershed, presents a panorama like no other.

We groomed all of our trails on Friday. They were in great shape for the weekend except for the 2-mile rough section on the CCC Road which needs more snow before we can groom it. The rain and sleet did not seem to damage the trails.

It is with deep regret that organizers announce that this year’s Wilderness Sled Dog Race will be canceled, the event had been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1.

Shortly before noon on Saturday, Jan. 25 a snowmobile collided with a sled dog musher just north of Brownville Junction. The musher was taking part in a sled dog race that shared part of its route with snowmobile trail ITS 110.

The other qualifiers were Woodland (53), Lee Academy (51.6), Penquis of Milo (49.4), Machias (46.6) and Wiscasset (44.9).

The other four qualifiers were Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (65.1), Houlton High School (64.2), Bucksport High School (57.5) and Dexter Regional High School (57).

Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville visited the home of Phyllis and Harlan Spaulding of Dover-Foxcroft and presented him with an Honorable Service Coin and a certificate from the State of Maine.

Eighth-grader Izzy Story earned top honors at the 10th annual SeDoMoCha Middle School District Spelling Bee on the evening of Jan. 23. Story will now go on to represent Piscataquis County at the Maine State Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Portland Press Herald and scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, March 21 at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

For more than 20 years -- since I first caught the fly fishing bug and began traveling up to the East Outlet of the Kennebec River every chance I got -- I’ve looked forward to regular visits to downtown Greenville, and to the fly shop that sits just a few long casts from Moosehead Lake.

Dover-Foxcroft native Jesse Havea -- best known among her many fans as the high-energy New York City drag queen Brita Filter -- is among the 13 queens announced for season 12 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” set to premiere Feb. 28 on VH1.