Our island store, founded by the Pinkham family in 1882, will be 140 years old next year. Now owned by Barbara and Todd Leland, the store has undergone many changes since our small children, clutching a nickel, eagerly ran to the back of the store to the display counter where they could buy a handful of penny candy. Now workmen, native Mainers, year-round summer folk, and seasonal visitors can order and be served through a window on the entrance porch or browse around inside for a variety of ready to eat foods as well as groceries, wine, and beer to take home Then they can retire to the new picnic tables with benches and canopies made locally by Tiger Dalton and Sarah (Peanut) Connor, as well as rocking chairs that fill the grounds closest to the store and the Barn, inviting friends to meet for a meal together.

The Barn has been restocked for the summer with the emphasis on Maine-made products, celebrating our love for this special place. These include: maps of the area made by Jane Crosen and reminiscent of the work of Southporter, Ruth Rhodes Lepper Gardner; sweatshirts with a Southport logo; candles, soaps, jewelry, books, and cards; and “green toys,” which have no batteries and are made from plastics recovered from the ocean. They all speak of the Lelands' goal to offer the work of local artists and to honor the legacy of well-known islander, Rachel Carson, by offering products that are gentle to the earth. Thoughts for the future include inviting artists to work onsite and/or give talks about their work.

Keeping the store open during the pandemic as well as enacting some of their new vision for the business has not been easy for the owners — who live both on Southport and in Hong Kong — but we are grateful for their imagination and efforts. Barbara credits Nancy Long, the general manager, and her staff for holding the day-to-day operation together. More help is still needed before hours can be extended. But many of us are delighted that the Southport General Store and the Barn offer us an opportunity to visit with friends and to get the provisions we need and want without the trip to town.

Remember that the summer chapel of All Saints by-the-Sea opens this Sunday, June 20, with services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Since only 45 people may be seated inside, you are asked to pre-register on the church website, www.allsaintssouthport.org or by calling the chapel at 633-7301 and leaving your name. If you did not pre-register you may find a seat on the porch. Please wear a mask inside and outside if you have not been vaccinated. The Reverend Dr. Virginia Sheay with be the celebrant and preacher; Henry Lowe will be the organist, but due to Covid restrictions there will be no congregational singing.

Another reminder that Monday, June 21, at 4 p.m. we can gather at the Harris’ home, which is the former Lawnmere Inn for the annual meeting of the Friends of the Southport Historical Society. Joe Gelarden will share the history of the Lawnmere Inn after a short business meeting. If raining, come to the Southport Town Hall instead, where you must wear a mask.

The Southport Island Association’s distribution of “Southport Sprouts” was very successful. We picked up our bag containing a marigold, a bean plant, a cucumber plant, a tomato plant, and a parsley plant. Along with the plants we got an instruction sheet as well as a chance to talk with Irene Barber, a horticultural therapist from the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Thanks to Sharma Schacknow and Janet Duchaine as well as Carole Allison who were all handing out the plants.

The next SIA event will be a free cookout in honor of fathers sponsored by Newagen Inn. Come to the Southport Central School between noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 19 to enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs will they last. This event is open to anyone who brings a father figure. No reservations are needed but donations will be accepted.

But, with great reluctance, the Southport Island Association has decided to cancel Bolster Day, the traditional opening reception of the summer, which was scheduled for Saturday, June 19. Other activities, such as the annual picnic and annual meeting, planned for later in the summer, are still on the schedule. Hopefully, by that time, people of all ages will feel comfortable gathering and we can socialize in a normal fashion.

Rescheduled for July 1, beginning at 8:30 p.m. at the Meadow Mall we can enjoyed the treat of a drive-in movie, “Raider of the Lost Ark.” The gates will open at 8:15 p.m. with the cartoons beginning about 8:30 p.m. and the feature film beginning as darkness falls about 8:55 p.m., just like the old days. Thanks to Southporters Helen and Ham Meserve for providing this summer fun.