Attendees of the Waldoboro Republican Town Committee’s third annual Great American Family Picnic serve themselves lunch the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 7. On the menu for the event’s meal were hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and other sides, drinks, and desserts. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Mainers from Lincoln County and beyond gathered at the Trump Wall on Route 220 in Waldoboro on Saturday, Sept. 7, to enjoy an afternoon of food, conversation, and speeches from local Republican candidates and politicians.
The Waldoboro Republican Town Committee’s third annual Great American Family Picnic garnered over 100 attendees, with many sporting hats, shirts, and other apparel supporting GOP candidates.
The event was originally supposed to take place on Aug. 10, but was postponed due to Tropical Storm Debby, which left the parking lot and picnic area by the Trump Wall wet and muddy.
The lunchtime event offered a picnic-style meal, with the main course consisting of hamburgers and hot dogs. Also on the menu were sides, such as chips, drinks, and desserts, such as cookies and cake.
Pastor Jon Vermilion, of Damariscotta’s Midcoast Christian Fellowship, led attendees in a prayer before lunch.
After the meal was served, candidates addressed the crowd, speaking about issues that Mainers are facing.
Rep. Edward “Ed” Polewarczyk, R-Wiscasset, who is seeking reelection to represent House District 47, spoke about how the increase in property taxes is hitting Mainers hard, especially elderly citizens.
“The only way that I know to fix that is to put Republican majority back in the House,” he said.
Polewarczyk also spoke about the education of Maine children, and that he believes it is not up to par.
“We are not doing justice for our children,” said Polewarczyk. “They’re not reaching the appropriate assessment levels they should be at for the grades they’re in.”
He left the crowd with a sentiment about how remarkable the state is and that its status can only be preserved and improved upon if Republican candidates are elected.
“What brought us here was a very unique way of life. We’ve lived in many states: Massachusetts, Georgia, Connecticut, Illinois, and Texas,” he said. “Maine is something unique, and something very, very special, and it seems to me, being up at that House, that we are hell-bent on screwing that all up.”
House District 47 consists of Alna, Jefferson, Whitefield, and Wiscasset.
The event also attracted candidates for national office, including U.S. Senate candidate Demi Kouzounas, R-Saco, and Ron Russell, R-Kennebunkport, a candidate for U.S. representative for Maine’s 1st Congressional District.
Former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin spoke as a representative of former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
He encouraged people to talk to their neighbors about the Republican candidates on the ballot in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election and to have conversations about the burdens Maine citizens are carrying.
“This country and this state is worth saving. It is worth saving, is worth getting up, is worth talking to your neighbors … Make sure you express your values with everybody you know,” said Poliquin. “This election, nationally, is tied. Now, this is an opportunity for the good people of Maine … to step up and make a difference.”
Kouzounas spoke about issues such as access to affordable health care, rising energy costs, and securing the country’s borders.
She discussed with attendees that the country is experiencing an opioid crisis due to drug smuggling across the border from Mexico to the United States.
“Fentanyl’s killing people 100 times more than the guns are … They keep on looking at an issue, like a gun, which doesn’t kill anybody because it takes people to pull that trigger, instead of fentanyl, that accidentally gets mixed into our drugs,” said Kouzounas. “We need to take control of our government. Our government is not suiting us.”
Russell also spoke about the quality and cost of education in the state.
“We’ve got to do something about our education … It’s not a money issue; it’s where that money’s going,” said Russell. “I say it’s going to administration, an administration that is required by law to provide statistics to the United States government. We don’t need that. We probably need to get rid of the Department of Education to eliminate a lot of those requirements.”
Other speakers at the event included Richard “Dick” Campbell, R-Orrington, who represents House District 19, which includes Eddington, Holden, and Orrington; Heather Sprague, R-Cushing, who is running for House District 43, which consists of Cushing, part of Owls Head, South Thomaston, Thomaston, and St. George; and Scott Rocknak, R-Camden, who is seeking the Senate District 12 seat, which represents Appleton, Camden, Cushing, Friendship, Hope, North Haven, Owls Head, Rockland, Rockport, St. George, South Thomaston, Thomaston, Union, Vinalhaven, and Warren.
Each candidate noted that it’s important for Mainers to stick together if they want to flip the state from blue to red in the upcoming election.
“We’re all in this together. That’s really the bottom line,” said Russell. “The Democrats and the unenrolled, they are facing the exact same problems that all the rest of us are facing, we just have to get that word out to them,” said Russell.
Yard signs to endorse local candidates and politicians were available for attendees to purchase. The event also included a raffle.
Children played in a bouncy house and ran around against the backdrop of contractor Tony Lash’s monument to Trump.
The wall is made up of cement blocks and is nearly 15 feet high. It is decorated with photos of Trump, flags supporting Trump’s campaign, and “Trump 2024” banners. It was installed in September 2020.
Proceeds from the event support the Waldoboro Republican Town Committee.
