Lila Blechman holds a replica of the Boston Post Cane presented to her by the Damariscotta Historical Society the afternoon of Wednesday, April 30. At the celebration, Blechman, 103, shared her secret to a long life. “I always said there were three things: You had to be happy, you had to be giving, and you had to keep moving,” she said. (Molly Rains photo)
According to Damariscotta’s oldest resident, Lila Blechman, there are a couple important things that help one achieve a long, healthy life.
“I always said there were three things: You had to be happy, you had to be giving, and you had to keep moving,” she said on Wednesday, April 30, during a gathering at Damariscotta’s Hodgdon Green. That afternoon, Blechman received the town’s Boston Post Cane, a ceremonial cane bestowed upon the town’s oldest resident in a tradition that has run since the early 1900s.
“You’re an inspiration to us all,” said Valerie Seibel, president of the Damariscotta Historical Society, who presented Blechman with the cane that afternoon.
The post cane tradition began in 1909, when Edwin Grozier, publisher of the Boston Post newspaper, sent gold-tipped ebony canes to 700 towns across New England with the instructions that the canes were to be given to the oldest male citizen of the town. The canes were to be handed down continuously to the oldest residents, according to the Boston Post Cane Information Center.
Damariscotta conserves the original cane in the custody of the historical society; a replica is handed out to the town’s oldest residents.
“At the time, the Boston Post was considered the nation’s leading standard size newspaper, so it was a pretty big deal,” Seibel said. She also noted that in 1930, “after considerable controversy,” eligibility for the cane was opened to women.
Now, at 103 years old, this makes Blechman “certainly qualified” to receive the cane, Seibel said.
Born Oct. 29, 1921 in Underhill, Vt., Blechman has lived through several notable phases of American history.
Before friends and family on April 30, she recalled her childhood during the Great Depression, when she said her family was happy despite their struggles.
“We had less than anyone in the neighborhood, but we were the happiest,” she said.
Blechman remembered her father making homemade candy for the family, and seeking out free fun outdoors with her six siblings. She has always enjoyed time outside and was an avid skier and hiker, she said. Laughing, she recalled the days when a lift ticket for one day of skiing was about $6.
With her family, Blechman moved to Massachusetts before starting school. There, she was a dedicated girl scout and a good student. She attended Essex Agricultural College in the 1940s before working in a munitions factory during World War II, according to previous reporting by The Lincoln County News.
Blechman had three children and held a variety of jobs throughout her life.
She eventually moved to Colorado, where she would remain for 20 years. But when one of her daughters came to live in Maine, Blechman came for a visit, fell in love with the state, and decided to stay.
“I’ve been very happy here,” she said. “Probably more than anywhere.”
Blechman lived in a home on Damariscotta Lake when she first moved to Maine, and is currently a resident at Hodgdon Green in Damariscotta.
She is a talented artist and singer. On her 100th birthday three years ago, Blechman participated in a choral performance with the Hearts Ever Young performance group. During the April 30 celebration, prompted by two nieces, Blechman regaled the room with a few songs she first learned as a Girl Scout in Methuen, Mass, including “A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track,” a song about a doughnut shop, and a song about a “poor girl” that brought chuckles out from listeners.
Blechman’s nieces, Lynne Nickeson and Lisa Pinault, joined in, just as they said they always had as children singing with “Auntie Lila.”
“(Lila) has been such an amazing value, an amazing treasure to our family,” Nickeson said. “It’s a legacy for sure.”
Dr. Allan “Chip” Teel, who founded the ElderCare Network of Lincoln County of which Hodgdon Green is a part, said Blechman brings joy and energy to the residence. He credited her flexibility and ability to “roll with the spur of the moment” as contributing to her longevity as Blechman can always be counted on to be up for last-minute plans.
With friends and family reminiscing and taking photos all around her, Blechman listened to their comments and laughed along, holding on to the ceremonial cane. The day concluded with cake and refreshments in the brightly lit community room at Hodgdon Green.
“We hope that you hold this honor for many more years to come,” Seibel told Blechman.
