Wednesday, Nov. 11 the Center will be closed for Veterans Day. Thank you to all of our veterans.

Please note: The Community Center will hold its annual meeting on Monday, Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. in our office at 185 Townsend Ave. in Boothbay Harbor. The public is invited to attend.

On Election Day you may have noticed some members of our board of directors chatting with folks arriving at the town offices. They were volunteering their time to recruit drivers who would bring non-driving friends and neighbors to medical appointments and to run errands. Bravo to these board members for their service

Black flies? Now? Skip, it’s November, don’t you know? Yeah, I know, but consider this piece in preparation for next spring.

Let me be clear at the start. I think black flies get a bad rap in Maine.

Now before you go all judgy on me for that, take a moment for reflection. Black flies are merely the first of a cavalcade of pain, itchin’, and general aggravation that accompanies the onset of spring. 

It’s as though Mother Nature is saying to us, “Are you sure you really want spring to go though this black fly thing?” And, upon a moment or two’s reflection, the answer just isn’t all that obvious

In our post-Halloween and post-time-change Sunday afternoon lag, we went .looking for birds on the lakeshore where shorebirds and some ducks had been hanging out a few weeks ago when the water level was low and muddy lakebed was exposed. This crisp fall brilliant blue-sky day, the lake was full again, which meant no shorebirds or ducks in sight.

Then from the thick alder bushes near the roadside, a high tinkling call and some movement! Scanning with the binoculars, the head and breast of a perky sparrow came into view. Even without seeing its rufous crown, the black spot on its unmarked

It was a pleasure to highlight the Boothbay Region Elementary School eighth graders’ fundraiser for the Maine Cancer Foundation this week. They could have just set up a photo-op and passed a check, but instead, organized a walk from the school to Whale Park (and back), donned pink T-shirts, and passed the $1,500 they raised to the organization’s Executive Director Ray Ruby, who traveled to the region from Portland for the presentation. Good job students and teachers Cordelia Chase, Elizabeth Tilton and Soren Barker.

*****

Will 2027 be the year Eastside Waterfront Park discussions will end and

Today, tomorrow, and in days to come, America is focused on the national midterm election, for the results will determine where and how we progress as a nation. But I have written enough about this election, and it, dear reader, has occupied way too much of your and my personal bandwidth.

So, let’s go to something different, and turn to a topic dear to a special place in my heart. The other day I got a note from Southport’s Jim Singer inviting me to celebrate the 251st Birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. You may know Jim. He is a retired air transport executive who spent much of his early

This Halloween wasn’t very productive. I didn’t get out to solicit treats and my bag of tricks had a hole in it. Oh well, I hope that others had a more successful experience. It did get a little windy for the broom-toting witches. I saw a couple struggling to make the rounds during the early evening. It looked like they may have entertained second thoughts in excessive turbulence! All in good fun though as people filled the streets. Now, the sugar consumption should be wearing off a bit with some jittery after effects!

This is the time of year when we in Mitchell-ville begin to get a feel for

As we approach Veterans Day, I am sure every veteran has different thoughts on what that means to them. The veteran banners we see on the poles around the region mean just a little more. But, I thought I would share want comes to my mind.

There are two principles that I believe define the military spirit: “Never Stop Serving” and “Leave No One Behind.” They are more than slogans. They represent a commitment to our country, our communities, and perhaps most importantly, to each other. And that commitment doesn’t end when we take off the uniform.

From the first day of military training, we learn

The first day of November, another beautiful one, clear blue skies, warm sun filtering through the lingering fall foliage and a shimmer across the calm cerulean waters. You can, however, see, hear and smell the preparations for winter, a harbor left to the working boats, traps stacked, chain saws, log splitters aiding the harvest and preparation of wood that will bring warmth, and in some cases already has, as the evening air carries the pleasant scent of home hearths and stoves, a transitional time, but not one without events.

The Southport Memorial Library located at 1032 Hendricks Hill Road

Dear Editor:

Now that the election is over, let’s change our focus. Michele Valliere wrote the most important of all the Letters to the Editor in last week’s edition. Not about politics! Litter! It’s outrageous. The sides of our roads in beautiful, scenic Maine are turning into dumps. Beer bottles, paper, fast food containers, liquor bottles, tires, unidentifiable trash and even full garbage bags. Why do so many people not realize how wrong it is to throw whatever they want out their car windows? Do these people realize we are DOT workers to pick up all this mess? Back in the 1960s we attacked

Dear Editor:

There is an ongoing discussion about "place-based" industrial training to take place in our public school with emphasis on STEAM skills and making spaces.

Ceramic making involves applied STEAM skills and making spaces.

I hold the productivity and marketing assets of a ceramic industry. I envision them being put to use through a network of independently owned studios and a training and development center but I can't do it alone so I contacted Mr. Harris and cc'd Superintendent Kahler but received no response.

A while ago, I was fiscally sponsored to pursue a Museum of Makers and I

Dear Editor:

On behalf of everyone at Knickerbocker Group, we extend our sincere thanks to the Boothbay Fire Department, Boothbay Harbor Fire Department, Southport Fire Department, and Edgecomb Fire Department for their swift response to a fire at our offices. We are grateful for their professionalism, calm approach, and consideration for our team, as well as the cooperation among local departments.

We are equally thankful to Cunningham Security for their prompt assistance. Their systems worked exactly as they should, helping limit the damage.

We are fortunate to live and work in the

Dear Editor:

We would like to give a huge thank you to all the businesses and individuals that donated items for the Bobby Blackman Scholarship Fundraiser on Sept. 12. A special thanks goes to Kim Peaslee, Lori Eimen, Ryan Morin and Sue Shifflett that went above and beyond to organize this fundraiser. Thank you to Brian and Cindy at Cook's Landing for the venue where the pig roast was held. Thank you to all the musicians that played music.

We know that our father was looking down on us that day with a big smile on his face. Our father loved helping children, loved a good pig roast party and

Dear Editor:

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to "Miss Sara" and "Miss Mindy" from Lincoln Hospital school based health centers for providing our school with our annual flu clinic on Oct. 27.

Navigating flu clinic day can be intimidating for students and adults alike, but Sara and Mindy made the entire experience seamless and positive. Our students and staff were so grateful for their gentle care, patience, and kindness—and the special stickers they brought were a huge hit!

I also want to express our sincere gratitude to “Mr. Glenn” and “Mr. Scott” from the local Lions Club.

On

Dear Editor:

To all my veteran friends – Stott, Barry, Roger, George, Fran, Phil, Linc, Arthur, Miles, just to name a few – thank you for your service. May God bless you all. Stay safe, stay strong, stay in touch.

In this issue is one of the countless stories of the veterans who fought for our country. Never, ever take freedom for granted. It is the home of the free … because of the brave.

Munro Dodge

Boothbay

Dear Editor:

I wish to thank Sara Fahnley for her very informative Cemetery Chronicles articles in the newspaper. I especially enjoyed "Boothbay in the American Revolution."

Gerry Botti

Boothbay Harbor

Robocalls can be more than just annoying. While some automated calls are legitimate, others are used by criminals to steal money or personal information. These calls may promise prizes, demand payment for debts you don't owe or claim to come from a trusted organization.

Scammers can manipulate caller ID to make a call appear to come from a local number or a legitimate business. They may also use stolen personal information and artificial intelligence to make their calls more convincing. Even if a number looks familiar, that doesn't mean the caller can be trusted.

To protect yourself, avoid

By November, the last bit of autumn warmth is mostly behind us. Sure, there are still a few brisk fall days for outdoor fun or the last bit of yard work, but the stacks of wood pellets in front of hardware stores and fuel trucks delivering home heating oil are a solid reminder that winter will soon be here; along with the heating bills.

Home heating oil use in Maine has declined over the last 15 years. Currently, about 50% of Maine households depend upon fuel oil as the primary source of heat and the increasing cost of home heating oil is a major concern for many families. The Maine Department

An older gentleman we knew in years past who has since passed away had a, let’s just say “unique” way to remember the name of the ibis. He was a former French teacher; we can still hear his strong French-Canadian accent, passed down from his parents who had immigrated to Maine to work in the mills. He loved to joke, and he knew how to put his permanently decurved index finger (from an old injury) to effective use. With us being birders, he used it to describe the difference between the godwit, whose bill curves up and the ibis, whose bill curves down. “Godwit,” he would say emphatically while

Each October, Lisa Kristoff, our arts & entertainment editor and purveyor of everything to do with informing the public about domestic violence (DV) asks me to write an editorial about the scourge of such crimes. I wish to commend her on her diligence on keeping domestic violence/abuse in the limelight through her articles and online, and she knows the subject thoroughly. Years ago, I served on the local Domestic Abuse Prevention Council, learning a lot about domestic violence and how we, as a council, could help combat the problem. We ran a series of articles and helped bring it to the