ANSWER: Lewiston Adult Ed has multiple types of art classes for adults; call 207-784-2928 ext. 2. Other sources include YMCA of L-A at 207-795-4095; Auburn Adult and Community Education at 207-333-6661; and you can ask LA Arts at 207-782-7228 as they interact with many local artists.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Concerning the question about the local Indian Village, your readers will find more information about the village in the book “Alnôbak: A Story of Indigenous People in Androscoggin County” which is available for sale at the Androscoggin Historical Society or for borrowing at all the public libraries in the county.
The book was written in 2003 to celebrate the county’s 150th anniversary and will answer many of the questions readers might have about the indigenous peoples of this region. Your readers can also find accurate information about the Laurel Hill site on our website at www.nedoba.org/p3_me_lewiston.html or www.nedoba.org/ne-do-ba/menu_la.html/.
The village location was call Amitgonpontook and it was an Abenaki village, not a Penecook village. The confusion stems from the fact that a Penecook warrior, Kankamagus, and some of his people were at the village as refugees at the time the village was attacked by Benjamin Church’s army. Kankamagus is the same Indian the highway in New Hampshire is named after. — Nancy Lecompte, research director for Ne-Do-Ba.
HI SUN SPOTS: I doubt that the writer was asking about the fires in 1933 in the Sun Spots column on Wednesday, Nov. 11. In 1975, there was a series of small arson house fires and they were all along Broad Street in Auburn over about a three-week period.
The man was caught who lived on Broad Street. He set fire to his own garage to allay suspicion, but also set fire to a number of private homes along Broad Street and one, I believe, on Mill Street. I lived on Mill Street at the time, and my home was directly in back of the man’s home and I knew him fairly well at the time. — Cordially, P. in Auburn.
RESPONSE: Sun Spots cannot confirm the information you supplied in regards to a named suspect. Sun Spots researched news articles published in the Lewiston Evening Journal after the July 1974 arson fires in New Auburn. From one report: “Auburn fire officials and law enforcement authorities said today they have no new information to report regarding the fires which plagued Auburn this past weekend.”
The fires referred to in that statement included five fires that occurred on Broad Street, Mill Street and Steele Road; and one averted fire on Broad Street.
From an article after the fifth fire: “Two teenage subjects in the area of the fire were taken to police headquarters for questioning. They were later released. … Four of the five fires have involved non-residential buildings, however, the one Saturday night involved residential property, although no one was at home when the fire broke out.”
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