Waterville: First impressions

 

There is no way around the fact that there are parts of Waterville that are depressed. My favorite yarn/fabric store of old is in a particularly sad area. . . . broken parking lots, trash, grass areas that are more weeds and soil than grass. The image to the left is not one of those areas, though. The sign made me laugh. A Lot. "Damon's Beverage and Redemption". The redemption part refers to the fact that you can redeem bottles for money here (5 cents each, I think), but it sounded more like a religious experience. You are also asked here if you would like to pay 5 cents for a plastic bag whenever you buy anything. I have yet to hear a person say "yes". Pretty progressive?

So while I started talking about the depressed parts of Waterville, we had a nice patio dinner at the Silver Street Tavern. And yes, they do allow dogs on the patio. It was upscale bar food, with a large list of taps and a decent wine list. Not cheap, not expensive. We went for a walk afterwards, and found a city park where some 20-somethings were playing. . . rugby? Not sure of the game. The park was right along the Kennebec River, which we passed over via the 2-cent bridge. This pedestrian bridge connects the cities of Waterville and Winslow. Nice on both sides. It was a great evening walk for Jasper. And for us, as well.

It was such a beautiful evening. Beautiful water. There are old mill buildings along the river similar, though smaller, than ones that we saw in Nashua New Hampshire.

Placing locks on the bridge is a romantic gesture borrowed from a famous bridge in Paris. I can't remember which one. Eventually the locks become too numerous, and city officials remove them to start the process all over again. That's in Paris. No idea if that happens in Waterville!

We're encouraged by several things in Waterville, in spite of the poor condition of some of it. One is that there is a huge hole in the ground (remember our hole in Boise?) where they are building a new creative arts center. . . in conjunction with Colby College.

The second is the amount of small business that still seems to be thriving. As I said in the previous post: Bakeries! Also restaurants. And the Opera House is an old fixture that recently hosted LeeAnn Rimes. I don't pretend to know her work, but I recognize the name as a Big Person in Music. Ha. Ask me about mycorrhizae, but not LeeAnne Rimes. John commented that the city is investing in the town, and if I'm not mistaken, some of that may also be Federal money from Covid relief.

I am also heartened at the number of people who are wearing masks. People seem to think it isn't a big deal. Oh wait. It isn't a big deal. Well, whatever.