Half in the bag A report came in earlier in the week of a man walking down East Avenue in Lewiston with a bag over his head. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, maybe the guy is simply ugly and self-conscious about his appearance. But no. This guy was walking around with a Ziploc […]
Mark LaFlamme
Posted inMark LaFlamme
‘In this news jungle, the press is King Kong’
There’s this bathroom down here at the paper that’s tucked in right next to the presses. It’s a tiny windowless space with ink-stained walls and none of the frilly accouterments you’ll find in the more popular bathrooms up near advertising. This gloomy little spot carved into massive concrete walls is where the pressmen go when […]
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Je suis Russ Dillingham
Can you believe what Russ did? So, I’m in line at Kmart when a woman taps me on the shoulder and says, “I know you. You’re Russ Dillingham.” It took me by surprise, being mistaken for the Sun Journal’s stud chief photographer. If I’d been on my game, I would have dropped my drawers, mooned […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Your questions are important to us
Well, it’s mid-April and that means it’s time to open the old mailbag. True, I’ve never actually answered letters in this column space — but I’ve always meant to and just you shut up. I can do it if I want. Here are some questions I’ve received lately. Thoughtful, intelligent questions asked by people who […]
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Talk of the town: You gonna eat that tail?
Soft shell So, now it’s official. The lobster is the state crustacean. I’m happy for the spider-looking sea creature that tastes so delightful in butter, but has anyone considered the feelings of the lowly crayfish in all this? I’m pretty sure I saw a crayfish on Lisbon Street in Lewiston the other night and he […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Cream, sugar and shame in my coffee
I was having a sit-down interview with a 70-something woman one recent afternoon when she offered coffee for me. “How do you take it?” she asked. “Cream and sugar.” The woman looked at me a moment over the top of her spectacles. “Geesh,” she said. “What a sissy.” My shame is great. It’s one of […]
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Talk of the town: Beware the penguin
A tree grows in Lisbon A nice woman from Hebron called me to inquire about the tree that sits atop the now doomed Worumbo mill. Why is she calling me about the tree, you ask? Don’t know. Apparently my new superhero name is Worumbo Man. Which I’m fine with, by the way. The point is […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme
Talk of the town: Just one guitar, slung way down low
Hot Blooded How stoked are you that Foreigner is coming to Maine? Pretty stoked, I’ll bet. You got your roach clip feather hanging from the pocket of your denim coat. You got your bright red bandanna hanging from your back pocket. You’ve got your Bic lighter, your feathered hair, your 12-pack of Stroh’s. Rock on, […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Is Waterville the new Lewiston?
The young man in the shopping cart appeared to be comfortably asleep. He had a big puffy coat for a pillow and his legs hung neatly over the side. He was parked just outside the door at T. Woody’s bar in the Concourse, where even curious alley cats paid him no attention. I made a […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme
Talk of the town: In lieu of flowers, please send crayons
Color me impressed That Eldridge character is at it again. This time he rendered a drawing of me hard at work coloring lovely flowers and designs, complete with that dang tongue hanging out of my mouth. This was a response, I assume, to my recent piece on the joys of coloring. Eldridge’s artwork captures the […]