Dear Editor:

I would like to share with you and your readers what it’s like to be from a small town with a big heart. Growing up in the Boothbay region, I was unaware of how vast the world really is. I quickly realized how harsh and cold the world and people can be. I felt safe on the peninsula; I believe we all did and still do.

The sense of community sharing and caring in Boothbay is something people take for granted. Everyone comes together in support of all the town members from children to the elderly, all of which is unique.

Windjammer Days and the Fishermen’s Festival were always so special for me. For as far back as my mind will wander, I remember watching adults running around with cold, dead fish. It was the highlight of a young girl’s year.

I also remember my friends I grew up with. Not many people have the privilege of graduating high school with the same 3-year-olds from Head Start. To be able to participate in the Grand March (please save it!) at 17 years old, then later to see their children march in the same gym is a special relationship.

Years pass – people stay, people leave and start new lives in a new place, yet they still have a connection to this community. I believe the connection is always there. For those of us from that little town who feel that connections are lost, or feel like all their family has passed and maybe feel lost in a big world, we need to reach out and let them know they are loved. Although you may leave Boothbay, it never leaves you.

There is a special person in the Boothbay region that understands this more than many may realize. The second reason for this letter is to thank Chief Robert Hasch. He not only works to serve and protect the people of the Boothbay region, but also the sons and daughters who have left. I am truly thankful for his kindness, dedication and pursuit of protecting and serving. He understands the community and does not stop at the town line.

Amanda Stover

Key West, Florida