UPDATED: Reminder of the public hearing on May 17 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Southport Town Hall to allow citizens to listen to the reasons the Boothbay Region Water District needs to raise its debt ceiling. A vote on this issue will take place May 30 at the town hall from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Even though everyone on the island cannot hook up to town water, some people can, and I guess that gives us all a vote.

With warm weather and sunny skies, many people turned out to eat hotdogs, gather a trash bag or two, and sign up for a particular piece of our island to clean up along the roadside. Dueto the heavy rain on April 30, the Southport Island Association (SIA) had rescheduled the Island Clean-Up, postponing it a week. Fun to see Nick and Joan Hurd among the volunteers as well as Scott Larson. Thanks, SIA, and Gary Gamage who cooked the hot dogs. As the summer season approaches, watch for other events being planned. Scott mentioned that the firemen were planning to reinstate the Firemen’s Dinner, probably May 31. SIA is planning several movie and music nights on the lawn, weather permitting, at Newagen Inn.

More workshops are scheduled at The Barn, across from the Southport General Store. You can find all the details on the website, follow this link: https://bit.ly/42hUAnX.

Here are some short descriptions. First is Terrarium Building, House Plant Pop-up Shop, and Herbal Tea on Saturday, May 20 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. These workshops are an opportunity to connect with local plant lovers, ask questions, and create something that will live on long after the day is over! Marrick, who will teach the terrarium building, is a silversmith and herbalist based in Biddeford, Maine. He will lead the group in creating one of a kind terrarium in our very own Southport, Maine etched glass jars.  During the House Plant Pop-Up Shop you can hear from Gina, owner of Drift & Wander, about how to care for houseplants and troubleshoot common problems. She will be bringing an assortment of plants for us to consider adopting! Drift & Wander is a plant & fashion store located in Biddeford, Maine. Lissa Luckey, owner of Tatnic Witch Herbals, will teach about blending herbal teas while she serves us two of her own blends! Lissa is a professionally trained herbalist with years of experience in natural healing through plant medicine. You will have the opportunity to ask Lissa questions about herbs as well as shop her beautifully crafted apothecary products!

Next, on Sunday, May 21, from 4-6 p.m., master craftswoman, Linda Perry, will teach you about shibori, the art of decorating fabric with resists & natural dye while making your own 11” x 60" scarf to take home. You are invited to bring a couple of your own items like a pair of socks, white fabric, etc. to play with in the leftover dye vat! Linda’s background as a fiber artist goes back decades. Her diverse designs have been featured in national shows and magazines, including Vogue and Victoria & Interweave. On Saturday, June 12 you can sign up for a Watercolor Batik workshop with Southport artist, Jeanne Lally! Watercolor Batik is a painting technique that uses melted wax & watercolors on rice paper to create work with stunning texture & depth. Jeanne will walk you through using fine point pens, wax resist, applying watercolor paint, and removing the wax at the end! This is a rare painting technique we are thrilled to host Jeanne to teach us! Students will learn and create a piece to take home the same day!

Another opportunity to expand your creative talents is led by Southporter, Morgan Mitchell, but takes place a little further away in an old, refurbished barn in Nobleboro, Maine. On May 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. Morgan will organize a Flow Circle with live music by Fafari, a “pianist, electronic musician, rhythm bondsman, and community artist based in Portland, Maine.” Go onto Morgan’s website, morganmitchell.co, to register for this event.

Glad to see the third and fourth grades students had a tasty lesson in budgeting and shopping skills at the Southport General Store, rewarded for their thinking and planning with pizza and whoopie pies, among other treats.

Another summer resident of Southport who has died is Henry Keller. His obituary was in the Boothbay Register Jan. 23. He died on Jan. 11 at the age of 89. We saw his son, Will, at Southport Yacht Club activities last summer. Perhaps both he and his mother, Susan, will be with us again this summer. Remember that the funeral service for Phillips Smith is May 20 at 2 p.m. at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Boothbay Harbor.

Remember to register your moorings online. If you have a Southport mooring you should have received a letter and an email explaining how to do so. If you do need help you can call Ashlea at the town office, 633-3318.