The Southport Yacht Club (SYC) is bustling this week with the instructors working to rig and launch boats to be ready for the first week of the sailing program to begin next Monday, July 1.

With school out for the summer, many summer visitors on our roads, and young sailors walking and riding their bikes to SYC, please drive slowly. Parents on Pratts Island Road have used humor to slow traffic, placing a four-foot Santa on one side of the road and the buoy saying “no wake” on the other.

Bridge begins at the SYC on Tuesday evening, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. This is a friendly game of party bridge, lots of fun – no prizes. The club will hold their general membership meeting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 29 with the Commodores’ Opening Reception that evening at 5:30 p.m. I am sure more SYC details appear elsewhere in the paper.

A picturesque sky over Cozy Harbor served as the backdrop for Kevin Kershaw's proposal to Megan Rothemich. A former SYC sailor and instructor, Kevin forged lifelong memories in and around Cozy Harbor, making it a perfect setting for Meg and him to start the first day of the rest of their lives. Kevin and Meg are planning a May 2014 wedding.

If you were following the discussion among the Southport Planning Board and then the Appeals Board, you may remember that Oliver’s request to site a walk-in cooler on the north side of the building in Cozy Harbor was denied because such a cooler was deemed a structure. As the saying goes, “There are many ways to skin a cat,” or, in this case, to parse the meaning of “structure.” To keep food products cold the cooler now visible on the north side of the building is on wheels, and thus, I presume, not permanent, and looking at its depth, I assume is not a “walk-in.”

Whatever, it will allow refrigeration necessary to the operating of the business.

De Amplo has a new granddaughter, Sydney Lyn Spear, born June 21 at 8:30 p.m., weighing 8 pounds, 7.8 ounces. De’s daughter, Jenna and her husband, Jon, and now young Sydney are part of the Spear Farm family. They live in Wiscasset; Jenna makes Zelda's dog biscuits, which she sells at a booth at the Farmer's Market.

This weekend brings much activity in addition to the SYC opening. Southport evening at the Boothbay Playhouse’s production of “Spamalot” is Friday, June 28. If you see the show that evening and sign the register when you enter the Playhouse, a portion of the ticket price will come to the Southport Island Association (SIA). The show starts at 8 p.m.

June 30 is a busy evening with SIA’s Bolster Day from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Southport Town Hall. All Southporters and guests are invited. Bring an appetizer to share if you can. SIA provides refreshments with donations welcome.

Also playing that evening from 7 until 9 p.m. at the Newagen Pub is Arthur Webster, followed on July 4 by Dave Gagne.

All are invited on July 3 from 7 until 9 p.m. to gather around the bonfire on the Newagen Inn grounds, where the Inn will host storyteller, Jo Radner. She describes her repertoire as “personal and family tales as well as stories about the people and history of Maine,” and her storytelling philosophy as “I believe that humor and sadness are good bedfellows, and I particularly favor characters who have shaped admirable lives around unavoidable misfortunes.” She has performed in theaters, festivals, conferences, schools, colleges, and at community events. She also conducts workshops for adults on creative storytelling. A past president of the Washington, D.C. Storytellers Theatre, she now serves on the Board of Directors of the National Storytelling Network.

The next day, July 4, be sure to make part of your activities a stop at the Southport Island's Troop and Pack 238 yard sale. The sale will be at Evelyn “Mema” Sherman's house to benefit the troop and pack. Her house is located on the right on Route 27, one 1/4 mile from the Civil War monument and the Southport General Store, two driveways before the turn off to Cozy Harbor. The sale opens at 8 a.m. and will feature various household items, toys, games, sporting equipment, and other good stuff.

Proceeds from the sale will help the troop earn their way on the train to Boston in the fall. They plan to walk the Freedom Trail to earn the Boston Minuteman Council's Freedom Trail Medal and to complete their Citizen in the Nation merit badge, which is required to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. Currently four boys out of eight in the troop are in contention to earn Boy Scout's highest rank.