Preserving Maine’s Skiing Heritage • Summer 2014 A quarterly publication of the Ski Museum of Maine, Kingfield, Maine • 207-265-2023 www.skimuseumofmaine.org • [email protected] Finding ‘lost’ ski areas: History hobby has strong roots in Maine By Scott Andrews Editor, Snow Trail They seek telltale remnants of skiing’s past: the lanky steel frame of a long-abandoned T-bar terminal thrusting through the puckerbrush, an ancient automobile engine rusting on a hilltop or a lone sheave train wedged in the branches of a tree. It’s the search for “lost” ski areas. It’s a interesting hobby and it’s happening all over the U.S. Few of the many practitioners know that the national lost ski area phenomenon has strong Maine roots and draws inspiration from our state. Or that Glenn Parkinson, who recently retired as president of the board of directors of the Ski Museum of Maine, was both a pioneer and an inspiration. It’s been nearly four decades since the T-bar at Mt. Agamenticus in York carried its last skier, but the derelict machinery still fascinates people who seek “lost” ski areas. Above: Cherie Perkins gazes at the upper Please turn to page 6 bullwheel. (Scott Andrews photo) 1 From the president... As the Ski Museum of Maine begins a new fiscal more and more year, we are laying the groundwork for updating of these stories our strategic plan, which I find very exciting. This and precious presents a wonderful opportunity to look at how we links to Maine’s can build the capacity of the Museum to support ski heritage are program expansion and increase community lost forever. engagement and participation. I anticipate that build The Museum will be a key word this year. recognizes that Geographically, the Museum is making a these stories concerted effort to build a presence in Aroostook are worth Jill Ducharme, president County, where Maine skiing has its roots. Karla preserving for Wolters, who makes her summer home in Madawaska future generations and will continue to place a great Lake, joined our board of directors and is already emphasis on attempting to capture them. representing the Museum at three big events: the In addition to individuals and objects that provide Maine Swedish Colony Midsommar Celebration in connections to Maine’s ski heritage, there are New Sweden, Maine Potato Blossom Festival in Fort organizations that play an equally important role. Fairfield and the World Acadian Congress in Fort Scott Andrews, the Museum’s historian and resident Kent. expert on oral histories, and I recently met with Within this issue of Snow Trail there is a story Peter Adams, executive director, and Deb Maxfield, about the Museum’s plans to expand its presence marketing and development director, at Maine by establishing a location in Bethel. I will not talk Adaptive Sports. MAS programs are based on the too much about this here as Wende Gray provides an fundamental belief that access to and participating overview of the project on pages 8-9. I will share how in recreational sports is integral to a well-rounded life thrilled I am by the prospect of working with folks for every person. The Museum will be working with in the Oxford County and across Maine to make this MAS staff and program participants to produce a happen. Fireside Chat that will illustrate MAS’ history. This The Museum is stepping up participation in Chat is slated to debut at several events this fall. local events to show our support, reach out to the Be sure to look at the events listed on page 14 to community and build relationships. We are planning learn about upcoming Museum happenings -- like a few fund-raisers to help with the financial piece the Maine Ski Hall of Fame banquet on October 24 associated with opening a new Museum site and and the Ski Season Launch Party on November 6 hope you will take the opportunity to support the -- as well as others that Museum staff and board Museum at what will certainly be FUN fund-raising members will be attending. events. Please know there are opportunities to support The Bethel Historical Society has already very the Museum by volunteering your time in a number generously offered to loan the Museum appropriate of different ways. The Museum has fund-raising, artifacts, photographs and other ski-related event planning and history committees that would materials for display and research purposes. Of welcome the involvement of committed individuals course, the Museum is always interested in vintage who share our passion for preserving Maine’s rich photos, memorabilia and historic equipment with ski history. If you do not have time to volunteer, Maine connections and the stories they tell. Another I personally invite you to join us in supporting incredibly valuable historical resource is oral histories. our mission through membership, donations and Right here in Maine there are amazing stories attending upcoming Museum events. waiting to be told by people who were instrumental in shaping the history of ski equipment, competition Jill Ducharme and ski areas. Unfortunately, with each passing year, President, Ski Museum of Maine 2 From the executive director... Whenever a sport is born, people inevitably a historical slide show in collaboration with Maine want to turn it into a competition. Skiing and Memory Network (a division of the Maine Historical snowboarding are no different. Much of the Society) that highlights the only World Cup alpine development of skiing and snowboarding in Maine races held in Maine. can be traced through the various competitions Our most recent acquisition of photos was held throughout the state. shared with us by Dave Stonebraker of Hebron These range from the famous ski marathons Academy, and Scott was able to scan many images of the 1930s -- run over a 176-mile course between from their archives. Scott was also able to obtain Bangor and Caribou -- to local and international two narratives from Hebron Academy alumni level races. The Ski Museum of Maine has been who were deeply involved in skiing as schoolboys: able to make connections with several schools, clubs Bernard Helm who was manager of their ski team and heritage societies around the state to view and from 1957-1959, and Harvey Lipman, who competed share their archives. Many schools have had ski for Hebron about a decade later. (See page 11.) programs for many decades, some predating World Acquiring images like these and first hand War II. accounts by people “who were there” are an By having these schools and clubs open their important part of our mission to preserve Maine’s archives and share photos and narratives with us, skiing heritage. the Ski Museum of Maine’s curator, Scott Andrews, has been able to create a Fireside Chat chronicling ski and snowboard competition throughout the Bruce Miles state of Maine. We have also been able to create Executive director, Ski Museum of Maine Hebron Academy has been a leader in Maine schoolboy ski competition for decades. The photo above (considerably cropped) was taken in the pre-season and shows the school’s jump as it appeared in the 1960s. Slalom racing took place on the open slope to the left. (Courtesy Bell-Lipman Archives of Hebron Academy) 3 New Officers Elected at the Ski Museum of Maine’s Annual Meeting At the Ski Museum of Maine’s annual meeting in Wende Gray, June, the board of directors elected a completely new vice president slate of officers: Jill Ducharme, president; Wende (Bethel) Gray, vice president; Russ Murley, secretary; and We n de i s Vito Courtney, treasurer. president of Gray “With any organization, the willingness of Marketing, a members to step up to leadership roles is crucial,” marketing and said Bruce Miles, executive director of the Ski public relations Museum of Maine. “Our four new officers bring consultancy new energy and a wide array of skills that will help specializing in lead the Ski Museum as we enter our third decade of recreation and pursuing our mission of ‘Preserving Maine’s Skiing tourism-based Heritage.’” businesses and associations. Jill Ducharme, Prior to president (Wayne) starting her own business, Wende held positions as Jill is the executive director of the Maine Nordic Ski Council, principal of marketing director at Sunday River Ski Resort Sustainable from, general manager of the Camden Snow Bowl Writing & from and the marketing manager at Sugarloaf/USA Consulting, a from. nonprofit and Wende is a member of Sunday River’s Prime small business Time Ski Club and avid alpine skier. She also enjoys consulting firm snowshoeing and cross-country skiing with her two that focuses on goldens in the backwoods of Oxford County. This d e v e l o p m e n t , spring, she was the recipient of the Bethel Area b r a n d Chamber of Commerce’s Rocky Freda Award for management Outstanding Stewardship of the Environment and and integrated Sincere Commitment to our Forests and Rivers and marketing. is the first non-Maine guide to so honored. Jill worked at Cole Haan in marketing, product Wende has a Bachelor of Arts degree from management and planning positions for 17 years Wellesley College. before deciding to put her business experience and writing ability to use by helping nonprofit Russ Murley, organizations and small businesses grow. secretary (Pownal) Jill has a tremendous love of history that led her Russ is a private to buy a ca. 1838 post-and-beam New Englander, meteorologist which was originally a parsonage and is where she and operations lives now. An outdoor enthusiast who embraces the manager for cold weather of Maine’s winter months, Jill is a huge Precision Weather proponent of being active outside year-round and Service, where he enjoys skiing, snowshoeing, golfing, kayaking and has worked since hiking with her rescue-hound dog, Bailey.