To all parents of kindergarten-age children comes this news from our Southport Central School. “Due to the current health crisis, screening for students entering kindergarten for the 2020-2021 school year will be held in August. If your child will be turning five years old by October 15, 2020, he or she is eligible to attend our kindergarten program. Parents are asked to email principal Lisa Clarke at lclarke@aos98schools.org or call the school at 633-3132 to register your child and to acquire more information.” Let’s hope students will be able to return to the classroom when fall comes.

The Southport Island Association (SIA) would like to thank again its many members who have contributed to the SIA Pandemic Relief Fund. The fund was put in place to help ease some of the economic challenges many in the community are facing due to the "stay at home" guidelines that have put livelihoods at great risk. If you live on Southport and find yourself in a financial bind please know that help is available through SIA.

The association also continues to offer to residents, concerned about community exposure, assistance with picking up groceries or medically related items from the pharmacy. Please contact Carole Zalucky at 207-841-0577 or via email at czalucky@gmail.com. All requests will be handled with strict confidentiality.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the SIA Pandemic Relief Fund can mail a tax deductible donation to SIA, PO Box 505, Southport, ME 04576. Designate on the check or in a separate note that your contribution is to go toward the pandemic fund.

The Boothbay Region Food Pantry would like the community to know that there is an abundance of food available for the asking. Food delivery is possible and can be done discretely. Contact Fleet Davies at 207-350-4077 and leave a voicemail, if necessary, to make a request.You can also contact Carole Zalucky for a list of available items and to submit an order.

Last week we learned from the workers at the Thompson Bridge site that the stringers, the beams to support the road over the water, are due to arrive on May 14. I have learned from Gerry Gamage and the bridge foreman that another shipment will also come on May 20. Both those shipments will stop traffic for a short time because on some sections of the journey the load will block both sides of the road. The shutdowns will probably be for about five minutes, if all goes according to plan. Just be prepared.

Folks at the Hendricks Hill Museum have formed a Community Photography Project to be shepherded by a Museum Photography Committee consisting of Jim Singer, Shelby Kaider, Bruce Joule and Sarah Sherman. They are looking for photographs of people, places, things, and events that tell the story of Southport Island as a meaningful way to celebrate Maine’s 200th Anniversary. They decided that documenting the Island’s history throughout this incredible year might be of interest to future generations. The project is planned to last over ten month’s time to allow for sorting, categorizing, and creating a truly meaningful record for the museum.

All residents and friends of Southport Island are invited to be the photographers who create this historic archive. It will be particularly interesting to show, as best we can, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our way of life here during these unprecedented times.

Submissions can be prints or digital images. All should be identified with the photographer’s name, contact information, and a sentence or two describing the image. If you would like to submit prints, please mail them to the following address, and your images will be returned to you: Southport Historical Society, P.O. Box 3, Southport, ME 04576. If submitting digitally, please send to: mrbjtuna@gmail.com

The Committee plans to wrap up the project in early 2021 and deadline for submissions is January 31, 2021. The result will be a permanent photo slide show on the museum’s website, a book of photographs at the Hendricks Hill Museum, and at least one public meeting for the enjoyment of Southporters, friends, and visitors.

In other museum action, the Hendricks Hill Museum Trustees voted not to open the museum to the public this summer due to the current COVID-19 social distancing requirements. They look forward to re-opening during the summer of 2021.

Another decision caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is that of the Southport Yacht Club Sailing Program officials. They are delaying opening of the sailing program until at least July 6. A decision as to whether or not to open the club is still being discussed. Please look for another article in this paper for more information.

Maya Angelou was quoted in a sermon Kit and I listened to on Sunday. I pass along the quote along to those of you who, like myself, may feel intense pressure at times. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. That sounds goody two- shoes, I know, but I believe that a diamond is the result of extreme pressure and time. Less time is crystal. Less than that is coal. Less than that is fossilized leaves. Less than that it's just plain dirt. …we may encounter many defeats - maybe it's imperative that we encounter the defeats - but we are much stronger than we appear to be and maybe much better than we allow ourselves to be.”

Perhaps the photographs we collect for the project described above will show some of us striving to defeat the consequences of the virus and becoming stronger as a result. Stay well, dear readers.