Southport Column: A wedding, successful clean-up and more

Tue, 10/20/2020 - 8:00am

I promised two weeks ago to learn the last names of our two new public works personnel. The information came too late for last week’s column, but I can fully introduce them now as Michael Jones and Nicholas Timberlake. Welcome, guys.

The Allisons had the whole family assembled for the wedding of son, Brian, to Roxanne Febick on Saturday, Oct. 10 in the Allisons’ back yard. The original plan was for them to get married on the little beach in front of the house, but the wind and waves were up, so the assembled family would not have heard their vows. Bob Mitchell did get some pictures on the beach. The newlyweds are living in Cumberland where both are involved in medicine. Roxanne is a nurse at Maine Med, and Brian, a neural and interventional radiologist working for Spectrum at Maine Med and other hospitals in the southern and midcoast areas.

Sunday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. volunteers fanned out around Southport’s roads, plastic gloves and bags in hand to pick up any trash. The event, organized by the Southport Island Association, was a great success with over 30 families showing up to participate. Perhaps the largest group congregated at Hendricks Head beach where over six families came with their children and grandchildren to spend some time picking up trash. The children were most fascinated by the find of a dead seagull (thank you Bruce Harris for handling its removal from the beach), a caterpillar, and a football, which was immediately put to use for an impromptu game of catch. There were “masked smiles” all around. This event is a wonderful teaching moment for our young residents as they learn the importance of coming together to keep our island home safe and clean. The association president, Medea Harris, thanks everyone for coming out, including head selectman, Gerry Gamage, who picked up the bags of trash for disposal, and the Southport Island Association Board whose new president, Alice Mutch, organized the event.

I also thank our island residents, workers, and visitors who seemed to avoid throwing bottles and other debris out car windows. Scanning the area from Sawyers Pond to Strout Road I found very little to put in my bag, picking up only a fully intact but dead chipmunk in the middle of the road and throwing him into the bushes instead of taking time for a proper burial.

Look elsewhere in this paper for an article about Gerry Gamage receiving the 2020 Ethel N. Kelley Memorial Award from the Maine Municipal Association at a surprise ceremony on Oct. 7 during the selectman’s meeting. Sixteen friends and family members kept the secret, but were there with cheers for Gerry. The annual award is given to a municipal official who has served 20 or more years while exemplifying selflessness, modesty and the ability to hold a community together. Fellow selectmen Smith Climo and Mary Lou Koskela had nominated Gerry.

Sad news in the obituary section of this week’s paper is the announcement of the death of longtime resident, Bob Bowden, on Oct. 14, 2020 at Sedgewood Commons in Falmouth, Maine, following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Bob and his wife Eleanor and family were well known residents of the Capitol Island area.

If you missed the sale in the Gift Barn at the Island Store, some item are still for sale in the back room at the store. Many Southport sweatshirts, some lovely cocktail napkins, mugs, cards, and maple syrup invite your purchase for your own use or for Christmas gifts. On the front counter are the Bob Mitchell calendars for 2021. My goodness, are we going to be there soon! Shopping locally either at the store or at the Alpaca Farm in Newagen are good ways to find special gifts without risking your health in crowded stores.

Many of my friends have journeyed around the state to see the fall foliage, reporting many lovely areas, but I find the foliage here on Southport so beautiful that looking out my window is fine for me.