Talk about giant sucking sounds! The big news story, admittedly tangential to Edgecomb, is the loss of Sherman Lake just north of us.
Edgecomb Youth Enter the World: Amanda Boucher on the Mill Road has been nominated for the People to People travel program founded by Dwight Eisenhower. Amanda will travel to the British Isles next summer. This program requires a matching fund from the nominee, so Amanda will be looking for odd jobs, making crafts for sale, etc. in the very near future. Help her out! Call her or her parents, Dave and Debbie Boucher, at 882.8402.
The River Road's Joe Hoyt was the last Edgecomb kid I know of to take advantage of this valuable horizon-expander, his trip a Grand Tour of Europe to the Mediterranean last summer.
Sunday afternoon, Oct. 23 is the annual Open House at the Center for Teaching and Learning, on the Cross Point Road. From 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., come to look the school over, meet its award-winning faculty and learn about its innovative curriculum for grades K-8. Call CTL at 882-9706 with your questions and the school hopes to see you the afternoon of October 23!
Five (count ‘em) five people showed up for the Public Hearing to learn about the Planning Board's added provision to the Edgecomb Land Use Ordinance, correcting by adding a "grandfather" policy regarding subdivisions. Although a Special Town Meeting has been publicized in the newspapers, whether it actually occurs depends on a vote by the Selectmen at their Monday, Oct. 17, meeting at 4:00 p.m., too late to appear in this column, but the several reporters who cover Edgecomb will keep you informed.
In weather news, we have all been affected by the serious road washouts during the visit from Hurricane Tammy and friends (I don't know who to blame for this latest downpour). Our rain gauge exceeded its 5-inch capacity during this period. Road Commissioner Scott Griffin has done preliminary repairs to some of the more seriously hit road sections, but the Highway and Bridges budget is at low ebb, what with so many similar repairs last spring. Please be patient! If you are willing and able to do a bit of grading to ease your own accesses to paved roads, please call Scott to see how best you can do this. You can leave messages for Scott at R.J. Griffin and Sons, 882.7961 or 380.3001, his cell phone.
High schoolers and parents of high schoolers! Do you have any idea how vital it is these days to know how to compose an essay, formulate a convincing argument, and document your assertions and findings with correct citations (your footnotes and bibliographies) in proper style? I am repeating as often as I can the promo for the Union 74 Adult and Community Education Program's course in College Essay Writing. This is being offered for three weeks in November, Wednesdays 11/2 , 11/9 and 11/16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., meeting at Lincoln Academy. The instructor is Jenny Mayher. Fee, $25.00 Call 563-2811 or aded74@midcoast.com or www.schoolunion74.org/adulted.htm for more information. You can print a registration form from this website and mail it with your check. With class starting on Nov. 2, get at it!
I used to teach this class myself in community college settings, for students whose high school English classes had left them totally unprepared for the realities of collegiate and professional writing expectations. Don't let these realities take you by surprise!
Brandishing my grammar books and Modern Languages Association style manual at 234 River Road, 633-2978, bonesukl@midcoast.com. This column appears in several local papers, and at www.Edgecomb.org.