Wow, what a great opening party to start the Sprucewold season! Gail and I knew it would be something different as we walked to the pergola in the middle of the Linekin Heights Green. Many folks were rushing around accepting appetizers, goodies and the one Maine blueberry pie from guests. I think the blueberry pie disappeared before it even hit the table. It was very easy to tell who made the gathering happen as they all had on white aprons with a bright green Sprucewold logo. Annaliese Neff should get a gold star for coming up with the idea! Those who wore them were disappointed that they had to return them at the end of the event hopefully to be used again next year.

The turnout was exceptionally large and it felt like we were introducing ourselves to newcomers all throughout the evening-and that’s a good thing! Our president, Annaliese Neff, spoke during the picnic welcoming everyone to the gathering and to Sprucewold. She thanked the social committee for all their hard work. She announced that the directories would be available next weekend and they will be delivered to your door. Annaliese went on to note that Nicole Drucker has taken over responsibility for Nahanada Park development and maintenance. If you would like to help out, please contact Nicole. Since the aprons were so well received, Annaliese will have additional ones printed so the barbecue specialists in the area can feel right at home.

Elaine Rittershaus was next on the agenda and spoke about some of the happenings in Sprucewold during the year including the stolen copper piping. That has been well publicized and if there is any follow up, Elaine will let us know. She noted that Barbara Tobias on Birch Road has taken over the sign maintenance from Pat Moore and Tina Miller who probably thought they had lifetime jobs from which there was no escape. Those requested new signs or changed signs should be going up shortly. If you have any changes to your sign please contact Barbara.

Our Firewise co-chairs, Randy Lehman and Curt Audin, next spoke about Firewise activities including our annual chipping day which is coming up on Aug. 8. If you have not submitted your application yet please do so quickly as there is a limit of 20 participants. Randy went on to talk briefly about defensible space and how that fits into the overall fire prevention activities. Defensible space is designed to help your cabin survive a wildfire. Participation in our Firewise activities is purely voluntary and the Firewise police won’t come swooping down on you for not participating.

Some of our newcomers may have noticed the blue house number reflective signs around Sprucewold. These are supplied by the Community Center and help our local police and ambulance crews better respond to a 911 call. If you have any interest in acquiring a sign, stop in at the Community Center located in the mall across from Hannaford. Go in the center door and they are on the left as you start down the hall. The last I knew, the signs are $20 but have probably gone up like everything else.

When you are out and about in Sprucewold note the flower gardens springing up around the area. They make our walks much more pleasant!