Rumford Lithuanian Heritage Club members Trish Hotham, left, and Barb Arsenault display some of the wooden ornaments painted with the colors of both the Ukrainian and Lithuanian flags that they and other club members made for donors at the group’s picnic Sept. 17. All donations will go to aid Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

Rumford Lithuanian Heritage Club members Trish Hotham and Barb Arsenault, of Dixfield and Rumford respectively, crafted wooden ornaments with other club members to be given as thank-yous to people who donate to Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania. The group will offer the ornaments at their traditional Lithuanian picnic Sept. 17 at Black Mountain of Maine. The event is open to the public. Any donation will be accepted and 100% of the donations will be forwarded directly through the Lithuanian Federal Credit Union in South Boston to Lithuania to help supply Ukrainians fleeing their country with basic necessities such as food, clothing, books and toys.

We recently reached out to Trish and Barb about their efforts.

The wooden ornaments that you and other club members have made have the yellow, green and red stripes of the Lithuanian flag, with a heart in the center that has blue and yellow stripes representing the Ukrainian flag. What is the meaning of the colors of the flags and why was it important for you to make the ornaments and offer them to donors? The ornaments are designed to represent the colors of the Lithuanian and Ukraine flags. The Lithuanian flag colors are yellow, green and red. Yellow represents the prosperity of the nation as well as the light of the sun. The green band stands for liberty, hope, and the nation’s many farms and forests. The red stripe represents the courage and blood of the Lithuanian people who fought and died for their country.

The Ukrainian flag colors of blue and yellow represent the blue sky and the fields of wheat which sustain and support the people. The Lithuanian Heritage Club feels that combining the colors of the flags in the ornament shows the support of the Ukrainians coming into Lithuania. Club members feel a strong bond and empathy toward the refugees as our own close relatives came to this country as refugees fleeing unstable living conditions caused by foreign takeover.

Both of you have grandparents who were refugees from Lithuania. What ages were your grandparents when they left the country and why did they leave? Some ancestors of club members came to this country through Ellis Island and various other ways in throughout the mid- to late-1800s and into the 1900s. Most arrived in the United States as young adults and began working in factories, shops and on farms to build their new lives here. Lithuanians lived under the rule of the Russian Empire until the 20th century although there were several major rebellions, especially in 1830-1831 and 1863. During these times, conditions for Lithuanian citizens were poor and very dangerous.

(Trish:) The story is told that my grandfather, Stanley Masalskis (later changed to Masalsky), and his brother were taken involuntarily into the Russian army. We have no written or oral history of his journey nor do we know the reason, but he did end up in South Boston, Massachusetts. His brother, however, found himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The two wrote each other often but did not see each other again.

During the time of rebellion, my grandmother, her sister and brother-in-law boarded a boat from Lithuania for travel to the United States in hopes to save their own lives. They, too, would never see their families in Lithuania again. My grandmother, sister and brother-in-law arrived safely in New York City through Ellis Island in October of 1908. We are not certain of the details, but she traveled on to Massachusetts and also settled in South Boston where she was taken in by a welcoming family and she assisted with the care of the family and the home.

She met my grandfather and they were married in a church there in South Boston, Massachusetts. Soon after, they were told of work available in the paper mill in Rumford . . . and traveled to Maine. My grandfather and his brother-in-law began work at the paper mill and continued to support their family throughout their lives. Although I was very young, I was very lucky to have lived together with my grandparents in Mexico, Maine. I watched them, and even helped them grow and harvest their family garden plot, watched them make traditional Lithuanian foods and enjoyed traditional holiday celebrations.

You both visited Lithuania some years ago. Why were your trips meaningful and what were some of the highlights? The Lithuanian Heritage Club has traveled to Lithuania twice. Once in 1997 and again in 2017. The trips were enjoyed by 12-14 members. In 2017, the group was led by very knowledgeable guides as we crossed from the capital of Vilnius to Palanga on the coast of the Baltic Sea. We enjoyed the sights, sounds and foods native to the country and witnessed their recovery and rebuilding after the destruction of war. The feeling of respect for their country and fellow citizens can be seen and felt. The guides also included parts of the history that many found not so pleasant. The guide stated it was not her favorite part of the tour but a necessary reminder of terrors they do not want to occur again.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, your group hasn’t had its traditional picnic since 2019. Tell us what these picnics are like and why members of the Lithuanian Heritage Club and the community enjoy the event. Our club members have grown up hearing grand stories from parents and grandparents about the fun times enjoyed at picnics held in local open fields. There would be food and drink and much music, dancing and singing. Children run and play while adults enjoyed each other’s company.

Our modern-day picnics are a gathering of family, friends and others from near and far. We serve traditional Lithuanian foods such as kielbasa, kugelis, cheese, rye bread and more, as well as raguolis, which is a traditional cake for special occasions. The mission of the Lithuanian Heritage Club is to share, enjoy and preserve family, social and cultural traditions of our ancestors that could otherwise be soon lost.

For more information about the Lithuanian/Ukraine refugee support program, the ornament project or the upcoming picnic contact Barb Arsenault at 207-357-4252 or Trish Masalsky Hotham at 207-357-1406.