A Bit of Dis, A Bit of Dat

There is trouble brewing in Maine. Big trouble. Not since the great license plate debate have passions stirred so strongly over an issue that's not really going to change anyone's life. The "issue" is signs . More specifically, town-line signs - the signs placed at the side of the road indicating town boundaries.

Up until this year, the town-line signs have been rather unassuming. Black and white vertical signs mounted on wooden posts. They did just what they were supposed to do, provide a bit of information without making a statement or appearing ostentatious. They blended into the landscape well, complimenting it rather than overpowering it. And so it had been, for as many years as anyone can remember.

Until this year. For reasons unfathomable to us "reasonable" people, the signs which have served their purpose so well over the years have suddenly become "outdated" and in need of replacement by large, green horizontal signs loudly announcing entry into a locale. Some mumbly jumbly about "uniform national standards" has been bandied about as the justification for this mass replacement campaign. Great, just what we need - now even our government is getting involved in the McMakover of America. Why leave New Jersey to visit Maine if it looks just the same as New Jersey?

Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way about the new signs. There was enough of an uproar from other folks that that sign "update" was halted until the Maine Municipal Association could poll it's members as to whether they preferred the existing signs or the new signs. And although no specific numbers were reported, it was quoted that results were split about 50-50 between those who prefer the old signs and those who prefer the new. Curiously, towns in the north half of the state tended to prefer the new signs, whereas those in the south preferred the old.

Unfortunately, the 50-50 vote was taken to be a mandate for the continued replacement of the old signs. And they are wasting little time in doing so - the old signs are disappearing at such a rate that I couldn't find one to take a picture of (so you'll have to settle for these drawings).

So, it appears another icon of uniqueness is disappearing from our landscape. It is a small thing, but they all add up over time. I just hope the government has the sense to save the old signs. I think it is just a matter of time before they realize that the new signs are magnets for buckshot and will end up costing a lot more to maintain than the simple, yet effective, black and white signs ever did.

Life in Maine turns 100

In what will no doubt rival the arrival of the new millennium as one of the most noteworthy events of our times, I'm happy to announce that this marks the 100th Life in Maine essay that I've produced. If you look at the Archive, you may be wondering why there aren't 99 essays listed there. That's because the essays from the first couple of years have long since been removed. Someday, I hope to publish them all in a book, but that may require another ice storm or other natural disaster to tie me down long enough to finish the project.