As many know, I am originally from England and growing up there, I had of course read a few Stephen King novels. I’m not a lover of horror, but his books were kind of obligatory reading when I was in school many eons ago. It wasn’t until I found myself in Somersworth some 20-plus years ago though that I really began to understand his books.
In England, we don’t have swamps filled with peepers and bull frogs, and half-rotten trees that half fill with mist overnight and create the perfect ambiance of horror. A few years ago, I went to the “Le Kermesse” festival in Biddeford Maine, which for many years has celebrated the French Canadian culture of the New England region. This particular Saturday evening took on a new vista when the field where the festival was being held was inundated with June bugs. These huge bugs were seemingly everywhere you looked, tried to hide or run, and would have made a perfect plot line in any Stephen King movie as was noted by many of the festival-goers, myself included. .
Now you might be wondering why I’m mentioning Stephen King in a column about Somersworth. The answer is simple enough. Somersworth Public Library hosted the novelist in 1980 when he would sign his books which at the time included “Carrie.” This, however, is just one connection Somersworth has to the novelist. A little-known fact is that Stephen’s brother David was a resident of the city and also its tax assessor. He would hold the post from 1977 until 1985 when he would resign and go onto other pursuits.
It has been rumored for many years that Stephen worked in the bleachery on Main Street for one summer, but that is as far as I can tell not true. I know, I really, really wanted it to be as well, but both myself and my colleague Mike Cousineau who recently wrote an article on Somersworth, discovered it was sadly not so. In King’s book “On Writing,” he details working in a bleachery in Chapter 21. Sadly for Somersworth, it would be the Worumbo Mills and Weaving in Lisbon Falls, Maine. He also details the fact that he hated the job so maybe it isn’t such a bad thing it wasn’t Somersworth’s bleachery after all.
As scary as Stephen King’s novels may be, there are many things that once we get to know and appreciate them, they can be seen in a new light. For example, here in the city, we have many Indonesians and this past Saturday those immigrants who now call Somersworth home came together to celebrate the opening of the Indonesian Cultural Center which is located at 156 High Street. Now, instead of having to go to Indonesia, you can get a taste of many of the 17,508 islands that make up Indonesia, right here in the city. The center is the vision of Indonesia Cultural Connect and is open to all Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is lots to see there including a gift shop that features goods made in Indonesia.
Returning to Stephen King, I have to tell you of the first time I ever heard the word “dickering” used in any context other than part of a King novel and it was on Cemetery Road at a yard sale. It seems silly now, but I was so excited to hear the word as I actually dickered for a picture that I still possess today.
Talking of Cemetery Road, I just want to remind you that this week work will begin as the city embarks on the next of its complete streets projects along that stretch of road. Complete streets, as the name suggests, means completely revamping the street. This will entail the sewer and water pipes that lay beneath the road and will mean completely digging up the street at some point. If you can avoid the area, please do.
It would be remiss of me not to mention Stewart’s Ambulance service who so adequately serve Somersworth and its citizens. This week, if you look up at Citizen’s Place next to City Hall, you will see the EMS flag flying as we commemorate Emergency Medical Service week. Many don’t realize it, but we did not have an ambulance service in the city until 1962 when Benoit Ambulance would become the cities full-time company. There is one employee who began his career at Benoit who today is chief of Stewart’s Ambulance service here and that is Paul Robidas. A huge thanks to Paul and all those who serve as our first port of call when we are in need of medical assistance.
That’s all I have for this week, but as we begin the journey of returning to some order of normality, please remember to be kind to one another. We are still all in this together and together we can come out the other side.