Monday

It's Garbage Day

37.9 degrees.

First things first!

JEAN DAVIS

STAN DZIEKONSKI

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Tim and Cindi Wandle were married at SouthGate Ministries on Saturday.

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After weeks of advertisements and conversation about the May 16 auction of the famous Sanger Mansion, now it's a thing of the past: the signs are gone .........

............ the driveway and great field are empty .............

and it looks as if nothing happened and that nothing has changed.

In a way, that's true.

It was a different scene on Saturday morning.



One tent was for spectators and "hopefuls," the other for small household items that were auctioned off after the property itself. Food concessions lined the upper driveway.

Hundreds gathered in an enormous tent and listened to auctioneer Bernie Brzostek outline proceedings.

He started with a Good News announcement and, asking for a representative of the Waterville Fire Department's Fire Police to come forward (they were all down on the field controlling traffic and parking cars) he held up a check that will be presented to the WFD for their services. It was in the amount of either (I'm sorry - I can't read my own writing!) $4,570.00 OR $4,750.00 --- either one, a pleasant amount!

After that he introduced the McLanes, the owners of the mansion, who had undertaken the task of renovating their 52-room home, and they in turn introduced Jim Briggs, the general contractor: applause all 'round.






O-D reporter David Handelman knelt down beside me to ask how old I was and why I was there!

Pat Louise, editor/publisher of The Waterville Times, interviewed one of the bidders. Attorney Mark Barnes was present, holding a folder and conferring, often, with the McLanes.

Bidding had begun - not really at a dollar, as advertised - but at $100,000 dollars, and crept upward, 50K at a time. There was nothing speedy about the bidding. One by one, bidders or their phone-holding representatives dropped out. Kathryn McLane was on the phone throughout the bidding with "Rachel in New York" whose final bid was $650,000.00.

It was at that point that the reason for Mark Barnes' presence became clear.

After yet another huddle with the McLanes and Mr. Brzostek, he handed an envelope to Brozostek who then announced that Attorney Barnes, acting as proxy, had just presented a sealed bid of $700,000.00 on behalf of Mark and Kathryn McLane.

Silence; double-take: gasps!

"They bought their own home?"

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The crowd was more than surprised: "stunned" would be a better word, and also disappointed for the McLanes.

After all of the money that they had put into the renovation - as much as two million dollars - and although they had planned, they said, on moving to Florida, they had apparently decided ahead of time that they could not let the property go for less than $700,000. (It is assumed that they had to pay the auctioneer his 10% commission to "buy" their home!)

Almost immediately, the larger, most-essential household items were removed from the auction list.

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I didn't stay for further bidding, but at around 4:00 in the afternoon I went back to see what was going on: the Fire Police had left and auction-goers were straggling back to the parking lot, some carrying "treasures" and others driving their cars up the hill to collect whatever they'd "won."

Then I sent an E-mail to the McLanes, sympathizing with the way things had gone, and - finally - saying,

"Welcome to Waterville!"

(She said, "Thank You!")

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Meanwhile, back in the Park, "Mayfest" was in full swing.

One couple danced to music by Fritz's Polka Band .........

............. while a vendor tried to control his tent as it waltzed in the wind.

Historical Societies had displays, as did the Friends of the Library plus three food concessionaires and half-a-dozen or more craft vendors. (I saw a table of pottery that was "calling to me," but there was no place to park except farther down on Main Street and the weather was definitely "iffy.")

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Just the answer for some heavy-duty housework!

May be seen in front of the Town Barn in Sangerfield.

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TODAY

The WKTV weather forecast: "A chilly but quiet start to the day. As an area of high pressure builds in, any clouds lingering around this morning will be long gone by the afternoon. High temperatures expected in the upper 50s, about 5 degrees warmer than yesterday. Less wind is expected today.

With clear skies and light winds, it will turn into another cold night. More frost is expected, especially in many of our colder spots.

Sunshine will continue for the first half of Tuesday. During the second half, a cold front will approach from the north, bringing us some clouds and maybe a sprinkle late. Temperatures will be seasonable, with highs in the upper 60's. Wednesday's high temperature will all depend on how far south that front advances. We think the front may stall north of town, meaning a warm Wednesday, with continued sunshine.

Thursday is looking summer-like, with highs in the mid 80s! A return to the 70s for Friday and beyond."

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There is a notice of the death of Richard (Dick) Bogan, 66, of Waterville in today's Observer-Dispatch.

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"GREEN WASTE COLLECTION"

TOMORROW


The storm that finally felled the "beaver tree" brought lots of branches down throughout the community and thus created more heaps for the DPW to deal with.



And don't forget to VOTE!


He's back! After an absence of several months - some even said that he had died during a super-cold spell - the "hermit" is back on his usual route, 'tho his residence is now in a "modern" location north of Bridgewater.


FOR THE RECORD

Have a good day, everyone!