It is very important to read these in the order in which they are presented. These events unfolded over time and the participants appear and reappear and often reference each other. Also, when attorneys become involved their letters refer to each other.
MATTAWAMKEAG, Maine, February 5- What started as a casual conversation in a smelt shack has blossomed into a controversy that has divided this small community in Penobscot county. Everyone knows that Mainers are particular about language, but no one expected it to reach this level. Skip Ahern, who is covering the story for The Mattawamkeag Sentinel, says he's astonished at the intensity of people's involvement, " This whole town is divided into the "eds" and the "not eds", he said. There has even been some pushing and shoving at the Irving Mainway."
All of this is about the use of the famous Maine word 'wicked' and, more specifically, what kinds of words can be appropriately modified by it. All parties agree that "wicked" may only be used as an adverb, not as an adjective. So you cannot say "That's a wicked tree", but you would say, "That tree is wicked tall". The controversy that has galvanized the Mattawamkeag community is that the 'not eds' maintain that 'wicked' can not modify past participles, especially those ending in 'ed'. They feel that expressions like "wicked tired" are sloppy and really emasculate a powerful modifier. The 'eds' on the other hand maintain that the past participles are euphonious and traditional.
It's hard to believe the passion that this is provoking in this small northern Maine town. Ned Thurlow, shift foreman at Wayne's Hydraulics, and one of the leaders of the 'not ed' movement puts it this way; "Wicked is one of our most valuable and versatile adverbs, and I think it's just wrong to stick it any where in a sentence. It's like giving something away."
Randy Mayhew, assistant vice president at the Mattawamkeag Savings Bank, and a spokesmen for the 'eds' says, "We're taking this one all the way. When people start telling other people how to use words, you have to take a stand. This is about freedom, this is about our right to use parts of speech in way that feels right to us".
Bud St. Pierre, the state senator for the district, says that the townspeople have always been contentious in this way, "I can remember my grandfather telling me about the zucchini feud in 1904. Zucchini was a new vegetable then and a lot of people were against it. They had heard stories about how fast it grew and how much fruit it produced and they were concerned that it could become what we now call an invasive species. Of course the other side, the innovators, thought that this was just the kind of vegetable we needed. The whole feud lasted for a couple of years and there are still families that won't talk to each other because of it. I think this 'wicked' thing might be the same way."
So, whether its zucchini or past participles, the folks in Mattawamkeag have strong feelings and aren't afraid to speak out. Next month, the 'not eds' will be placing an article in the town meeting warrant which will create a first-of-its kind town ordinance regulating modifiers. "It seems to me," Ned Thurlow says, "that government is always doing stupid stuff like starting wars and raising taxes, we're doing something here that really matters."