Whoever was responsible for the weather last week deserves a serious pay raise. For some it may have been a bit too warm, but come on, while most of the country sweltered and/or dealt with fires, we enjoyed pretty perfect conditions. Not only was the air enjoyable, but the water was amazing. Never in my 68 years of coming here do I recall seeing more people immersing themselves off boats, islands, docks, rocks whatever path of entry was available. Here in Bayville, Blackstone Island (erroneously named Turtle by some) was quite the playground. The dock and swim platform were practically standing room only. Groups of kids would head to Blackstone, swimming as a big blob, hoping to avoid the jellies. Most made it unscathed, but there were victims. Lucy Jordan and JJ Allison are two I am aware of.

Bayville was the place to be, and those in the know were here. Swifties (Taylor Swift fans for those not in the know) were agog over rumors her nuptials were happening in the Community House, but were heartbroken to find it was only Phil Roberts in drag. (This salvo finally evens the score following the fashion fiasco I suffered courtesy of Phil. It is now his serve).

No surprise, but the Bayville Improvement Association annual meeting emceed by Laura Allison on the morning of July Fourth was a great success. Good questions were asked, good answers were given, good suggestions made and unanimous votes taken.

Then at noon, Celebration 250 began as the Community Band and wended their through the floats and confetti along Bayville Road. They stopped in front of the Post Office and played a beautiful selection of patriotic songs, continuing a wonderful tradition.

In an amazing addition to the celebration, cast members from the Carousel Dinner Theater sang “The Star Spangled Banner.” Elena Tarpley, grandniece of Bayvillian Jill Albaum and granddaughter of her sister Tica Valleley, rounded up some of her fellow performers to treat us all to a beautiful rendition of our national anthem.

The band then led everyone to Waterfront Park where the hot dog crew was ready. As the band played on, a nice touch to the scene was the Pamela observing the happenings from the Bay. Though quite a bit smaller in size, it appears its capacity is similar to that of the Bennie Alice.

To fully celebrate the Fourth, the Village had set an unprecedented (for us) goal of 250 hot dogs. The prediction markets were proven wrong when, in the end, Oliver Cain downed dog 250 and was the proud recipient of the Joey Chestnut Award.

Thanks again to the Band and to the Carousel singers for helping make the Fourth so special! 

Some recent news…

There was a Rachel Roberts sighting. She was here with boyfriend Dustin Ryan. Rachel is in charge of event planning at The Country Club of Naples (Naples, Florida that is) and can pretty much arrange anything. Talk about following in your dad’s footsteps. A prerequisite for Rachel in a mate is a love of the water and Dustin has that in spades. He is an accomplished surfer and captain and owns a sailing charter company in Charleston.

Joanne O’Connor reports that Alane O’Connor was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame this year for her innovative work in addiction medicine. Frances Perkins of Newcastle was the other inductee. If folks are interested in Alane’s work it can be accessed on UTube under “Maine women’s hall of fame 2026”

Rudy Jordan reports that Will, his daughter Lucy and I came June 16. We missed most of the pine pollen! Will and Lu leave July 13, but Will is coming back for a week in August.

John, Stephanie and boys Oliver and Camden come for three weeks July 16- Aug. 6.The change in school start in North Carolina has cut short their Maine time. What happened to starting school after Labor Day??!!

Though wishing to remain anonymous, forensic evidence has enabled the Buzz to identify the four do gooders who bailed out the dinghy’s as mentioned in the previous Buzz. Please thank Oliver LaPointe, Emma LaPointe, Mallory Strojny and Presley Frascella for their work. So much of the charm of Bayville is built on volunteerism, so it’s great to see this young group starting early!

Please get your news to thejeffallison@gmail.com