As you are getting your cottage ready for the summer or making room in your home for summer guests and find stuff you don’t need just getting in the way, have a yard sale with us at the American Legion Hall this Saturday, June 27. This Yard Sale is open to the community and will be both indoors and outdoors. Tables in the Hall will be available for $50 each, outdoor 10’ X 10’ space for $25.  Set up can be the day before, Friday, from 3 to 6; or after 6 a.m. on Saturday. Yard sale will run from 7 a.m. to noon. Coffee and munchies will be available during the yard sale. The number of tables inside will be limited and will be "sold" on a first-come basis.  Call the Hall at (207) 633-4487 to reserve a space. 

OK, so as we lead up to the 4th of July, I asked my friend “CHAT” what fun facts I could include in this article. Here is what I learned:

We celebrate Independence Day on July 4th because that is the date on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted. However, John Adams believed July 2 should have been the holiday because that was the day Congress voted for independence. He wrote his opinion in a letter dated 3 July 1776 to his wife, Abigail, predicting that July 2nd would be celebrated by future generations as American’s great anniversary. He believed this because July 2nd was the day the Lee Resolution was approved by the Continental Congress, formally declaring the colonies independent from Great Britain. However, on July 4th, Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence. The printed document was dated July 4th. While Adams recognized that the public had embraced July 4th, he reportedly declined invitations to July 4th celebrations later in life. Ironically, he died on the 4th of July 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence! Coincidentally, Thomas Jefferson also died on the same day. Five years later, James Monroe died on the 4th in 1831. The only President born on the 4th was Calvin Coolridge, the 30th President, in 1872.

According to those folks who keep track of these things, Americans will consume approximately 150 million hot dogs on the 4th, and if placed end to end, they would stretch multiple times from DC to LA. On that theme, 700 million pounds of chicken, 190 million pounds of red meat, and $1 billion worth of beer will be consumed! On a more serious note, the American Flag has been altered 27 times, the last being in 1960 with the addition of the 50th star when Hawaii became a state.

As we gather to celebrate America's 250th year, let us remember that freedom was earned through sacrifice, sustained through service, and strengthened by communities that care for one another. Take a moment to appreciate the blessings of living in this remarkable corner of Maine and in this remarkable nation.