While southernmost Maine has turned away from American Legion baseball in recent years, the tradition-laden summer program has battled to maintain its foothold in eastern and central areas of the state. From its peak of 48 Senior Legion teams spread from central Aroostook County to the New Hampshire border in 2007, the roster of programs for the oldest level of the national program in the Pine Tree State has gradually dipped to just 16 teams this summer.

Four of the region’s high school track teams took part in a May 17 Penobscot Valley Conference meet at the University of Maine.

Dexter Regional High School did most of its damage in the top of the third, scoring five runs on the way to a 7-0 Class C North victory at neighboring Piscataquis Community High School May 15 to start the second half of the regular season for both teams. The Tigers (7-2) won for the seventh time in eight games since the 2019 opener while the host Pirates dropped to 2-7.

In rural Maine the ownership and use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) of every make and description has become a way of life. This ATV presence has taken off like a rocket leaving the launch pad at Cape Kennedy. According to Maine state officials, ATVs generate $250 million a year in revenue.

We are hoping to recreate some of that success on Chesuncook Lake and we need the help of anglers interested in catching salmon. The situation on Chesuncook Lake is similar to that of Moosehead Lake back in 2008. The lake simply has too many salmon and growth is suffering. At one time, this lake produced some of the largest salmon in the Moosehead Lake region.

Canoeists and kayakers braved the rain to paddle approximately 10 miles from King Cummings Park in Guilford to the shore across Foxcroft Academy in the Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis’ 47th annual Piscataquis River Race on April 27.

Tim Obrey, the regional biologist in Region E, based in Greenville, offered up a few tips that pay off for Moosehead-area anglers.

Around this time of year, trucks from the state’s fish hatcheries begin to visit plenty of fishable waters, disgorging thousands of brook trout and landlocked salmon that will provide fishing opportunities to Mainers for months.

Team Iron Will, a powerlifting group from Dexter, recently traveled to the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters (WABDL) World Cup in Madison, Wisconsin. The team is comprised of five lifters that train together at Millside Fitness in Dexter. The group grabbed national attention with 11 first-place trophies, four Best Lifter awards and two second-place medals.

Trailing 3-0 after the top of the first during a May 8 contest against neighboring Dexter Regional High School, Foxcroft Academy would score 11 times in the home half of the inning. The Ponies would need most of the early offensive output in a 14-9 victory.

Off to the East, behind Pagoda Peak, dawn was creeping upward. In the crimson half light, my horse picked its way along the rocky, mud-frozen pack trail. The boss, an elk outfitter I worked for, had given me the morning off and a loaned horse to get to the elk country above the Beaver Creek basin in Colorado.

Come help push a new Moosehead Lake region trail towards finalization. The Prong Pond Trail will be a relatively short trail to a pond overlook and shoreline peninsula. Right now, it needs blazing, clearing of winter damage, additional tread work and clearing of a modest section leading to the future trailhead.

On May 4 Foxcroft Academy, Greenville High School and Piscataquis Community High School took part in a Penobscot Valley Conference meet at Ellsworth High School. The Foxcroft boys scored 34 points to place sixth among a dozen schools.

While most all-terrain vehicle riders are safe and respectful while operating their ATVs, some others aren’t. On May 1, Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced that she has formed an ATV Initiatives Task Force to address the riders who operate on the wrong side of the law, trespassing, damaging private land and making landowners reassess their access policies.

Greenville High School put up a pair of high-scoring innings -- picking up four runs in the top of the second and then adding five in the fourth -- but the Lakers needed only one of these during a 14-3 interclass victory at Penquis Valley High School on May 2. Laker senior Caleb Snell tossed a complete game, 3-hitter as he and the defense kept the home team off the scoreboard until the fifth inning, at which point Greenville led 11-0.

Although my wife will mock me and guffaw when she reads this, when it comes to hunting and fishing equipment I am not a “gear hound.” Just ignore her scoffing. I really don’t buy a lot of new stuff, honest. Whether it is a fly rod, a shotgun or a pair of chest waders, I customarily make do.

On April 26 the Dexter girls finished fifth among six schools during a Penobscot Valley Conference meet at Bucksport. The Tigers scored 32 points.

Downtown Monson looks much different compared to several years ago through the efforts of the Libra Foundation, and a portion of West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft is also undergoing a transformation thanks to the Portland-based organization.