We are now officially into the holiday season, the Gardens are aglow and the Boothbay Festival of Lights are in full swing. Santa and Mrs. Claus lit the Boothbay Harbor Christmas tree, three wise men (rumor has it there was 1 wise-man, one not so wise, and a wise-woman) led the crowd across the footbridge to the Catholic Church for Christmas carols and hot chocolate, the Harbor Lights Festival was spectacular … again ... and this is just the beginning!

It is also the season for lots of football, college and pro. The Patriots are heading for another Super Bowl and hopefully your favorite college team will be in one bowl or another. Well, for us military and veteran types, THE football game of the year is the Army-Navy game! Army and Navy both beat the Air Force Academy this year, so this Saturday, Dec. 9, will be for the Commander-in-Chief trophy, which goes to the service academy that beats the other two. This year, American Legion Post 36 is starting a new tradition of hosting an Army-Navy game party at the Legion Hall. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. and the Post will have a Tailgate Party starting at 2 p.m. Hot dogs, hamburgers, potluck sides will be on hand. Soft drinks available and a cooler will be available for BYO beer. This is a family event and is open to all veterans and their guests.

The American Legion has a contest for all high school and home school students, which leads to scholarships of $18,000, $16,000, and $14,000. There are some students at BRHS that have expressed an interest and hopefully there are others that would like the chance to compete. The deadline for applications was Dec. 1, but if the applications go in this week, they will likely be accepted. Go to www.mainelegion.org/pages/programs/oratorical.php to learn more about it or call 633-4487, leave your name and number and we will call you right back.

Veterans, join us at the Hall this Saturday at 2 p.m. and watch Navy beat Army … or watch Army go for two in a row over Navy. Either way, it is always a fun game to watch!