Despite the weather we are certainly sailing through July and our activities schedule is in full swing.

Tim and Abby Mahoney have arrived with their children and are assisting with getting things up and running.

There are many folks to thank for a successful first week of activities.

Thanks to Jonathan and Kate Dawson and the band our annual Horribles Parade was a huge success as were the races that followed. Our Grand Marshall this year was Steve Johnson who was appropriately attired in a 4th of July theme and driven by Dana Demers in his antique truck.

Our time-honored tradition of softball was held on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game was a close one with Team Dawson narrowly defeating Team Anderson. The younger players captained the Sunday game and again Team Rush narrowly defeated Team Yerrall 5-4. Owen Dawson was the winning pitcher and both Al Dawson and Luke Arnpriester had some great defensive plays for their respective teams. Although we didn’t have our traditional Chicken Barbecue this year everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day.

Holly Cleary and Kate Dawson chaired a delicious Ice Cream Social that was very well attended, thanks to them and their assistants Addie Cleary, Angela and Hadley Hornor.

As usual Patty Gardner ran a fun-filled Food Sale and Raffle last Friday morning which was also very well attended. Patty would like to thank the following helpers: Ann Hussey-Hogaboom, Ginny and Ciara Rush, Tammy Peckham, Lynn Wilson, Lynn Tsuzuki, Sue Kern, Mark Pond, Peter Gardner and Lanny Whitehouse. Many thanks to all the talented bakers/chefs for the incredible variety of food items and to those who donated to the raffle and who came to support.

What a turnout for the annual OP 5K and Fun Run! Over 90 runners and many kids laced up their shoes early Saturday morning to compete in the events. Stephanie Newell and Kelly Robbins certainly organized a terrific race, thank you ladies. Upon completion of the race Stephanie and Kelly expressed their heart-felt thanks to all the many volunteers who contributed to such a successful race. I don’t have race results but hopefully I can include them in the next column.

The results of last Sunday’s softball game are as follows: Team Rush defeated Team Dawson 27-0. Owen Dawson pitched for another win. Jonathan Yerrall had a grand slam and Greg and Zach Arnpriester, Kevin and Kyle Rush and RJ Anagnost each had multiple hits. The teams honored Jimmy Anagnost during the game. Jimmy was an avid participant of the Sunday softball game for many years.

Upcoming events for this week include: Taco Tuesday at 6:30, purchase your tickets on line, Kids Bingo on Wednesday at 6:30 and Kids Trivia on Friday also at 6:30.

The Ocean Point Memorial Golf tournament will be held on Saturday, July 15 beginning at 8:00 and the Pancake Breakfast is that same morning at 8:30.

Marcus Privitt, Pastor Haverhill Commons Church, Haverhill, Massachusetts will conduct Sunday Services at Wilson Chapel beginning at 9:30. Marcus is the husband of Caroline Kern daughter of long time Ocean Point residents Sue and Dave Kern. He attended Virginia Tech University and Gordon Cromwell Theological Seminary. Marcus is one of the founders of Haverhill Commons Church and currently serves in an executive role. All are welcome to attend.

The first Ball Game Grill will take place immediately following the Sunday Softball game July 16 and is hosted by the Brown Family. Burgers and hot dogs provided please bring a side dish/salad to share.

Monday evening, July 17 Bigelow Lab will be doing a presentation at the Casino beginning at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend this interesting and informative activity.

Mark your calendar for the two-day Attic Treasures Sale which will be held on Friday, July 21 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, July 22 from 8 a.m. to noon. The set up for the sale will be Thursday July 20 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your items to the Casino at that time. Volunteers are still needed for those three days; see the sign up sheet at the Casino.

Paul Taylor would like to remind everyone that we are continuing with the CLYNK program this summer. Bags and stickers can be found at the Casino or from him directly. This is a worthwhile fundraiser for the OPCT.

Speaking of fundraisers, the OPCT community agreed at our recent Town Hall Meeting that we are in need of improving the acoustics at the Casino. A fundraiser has been started to raise the necessary funds. Please contact Paul Taylor or our Treasurer Barb Klein if you would like to donate. A beautiful lobster poster has been created by Susan Anderson to show the fundraisers progress, the poster can be seen at the Casino. The goal is to raise the funds by the Annual Meeting.

Congratulations to Brian Shea on his recent graduation from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Brian will attend Dartmouth University in the fall to continue with post-graduate studies.

As you can see we are extremely busy with activities. Check the bulletin board at the Casino for any and all updates.

Have a great week!