How delightful to watch and participate in politics smoothly, without rancor, and accomplishing the objective of funding and guiding our town through another year. Thanks to all who are willing to run for office, to work for our town, and to volunteer to fill the many functions necessary. Thanks to those who ask questions to clarify a vote. Perhaps we should invite a few members of our national legislative body to the next meeting to observe and learn how it can be done. Look for an article elsewhere in this paper for more details.

In time for town meeting, one of our resident artists, Mike Lewis, has decorated the snow piles on either side of his driveway on Cross Road. The faces remind me of the pumpkins carved for the Pumpkinfest in Damariscotta. The being on the left of Mike’s drive as you face the house could be a dragon or perhaps a very large lobster. The being on the right appears to be giving us a large wink, saying “This snow is not all bad.” Thanks Mike, for enlivening our winter days.

Two more events this month will enliven the Southport Town Hall. First is the Winter Ice Breaker on March 15 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. organized by the Southport Island Association (SIA). Bring something to munch if you wish, and since we are close to St. Patrick’s Day, you may want to wear green. There will be an open bar and a chance to visit with friends and neighbors. You should have received a brochure in the mail listing all SIA activities for the year and explaining all the good work this organization has done for Southport, but if not, or if you want to give one to a friend, there are many more brochures at the Island Store in an envelope to the right as you enter the second door.

The second gathering is Winter Carnival on March 22 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. This event is a fun and fundraiser run by the sixth graders and their parents at the Southport Central School. All money earned pays for the sixth grade trip to New York City near the end of the school year. At 5 p.m. you can enjoy a soup and chowder supper and at 6:30 p.m. the raffle and auction begin. Items from businesses all around the area will be offered such as a work of art by Mike Lewis, Casco Bay Glassworks, Bob Mitchell photos, Tidal Transit Kayak, and many more. Enjoy the kids, enjoy the food and have your checkbook handy to support this good effort.

The entrepreneurial sixth graders are also collecting bottles for redemption. Either call Ryan Hughes at 207-633-0347 for pick up, leave them at his house at 659 Hendricks Hill Road, or take them to the G&J Bottle Redemption Center and ask them to credit the Southport Sixth Grade account. Ryan is also available for hire to shovel snow and, when it next appears, to cut grass, giving all of his earnings to the school trip. (Ryan, can you still get your homework done?)

The dredging continues in Cozy Harbor with the barge’s pilots learning a bit more about currents and tides in the area. Denis McWhan, Kit and I watched its efforts to enter the harbor at low tide and were amazed at the dexterity shown by the push boat, but eventually, with the advice of a fisherman who went out in his skiff to look over the situation and then to talk with them, the barge operators decided to put down their anchor in the mouth of the harbor for several hours until the tide had risen. Eventually they will take out about 19,000 cubic yards of soil, probably necessitating eight loads with 250 yards per load. This will enable boats to draw five feet at the dock at Oliver’s at low water instead of grounding out at the one foot there currently. The additional float that will be added will extend the docking available to 20 feet, the end and south side available for offloading passengers and gear.

In the loads that have already been taken to Bath for offloading and trucking to a landfill, workers have found the spoils much cleaner than expected. Our Harbor Master Jim Gagnon will be going to a harbormasters’ conference later in the month, hoping to get some help to create a better mooring field in Cozy Harbor, which as we all know, is quite crowded already.

In personal news, we all enjoyed seeing Pam Baldwin last weekend with both her daughters, Maddie and Phoebe along with Phoebe’s little daughter, Addie Lambert, to be two years old in the fall. Phoebe, Addie and her dad, C.J., live on Cape Cod.