Not cold enough for ya? Get to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' ice cream social this Saturday! From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., "celebrate the great Maine tradition of churning homemade ice cream during the cold, winter months..." and learn something of the history of our favorite dessert! From Nero (did he lick an ice cream cone while Rome burned? Tricky, if playing the violin also!) to Dolley Madison rescuing the portrait of George Washington as the White House burned.... so you, too, can pull yourselves up to a blazing fireside with a dish of extra-creamy at the CMBG Visitors' Center.
School's out next week. Camerons will be entertaining Klemmes with a few days at Chewonki's vacation day camp, the Edgecomb Congregational Church's pre-schooler playday, plus whatever other grandparently allurements we can come up with.
The Search is On! But who could ever replace in our hearts Joanne Krawic, our retiring school principal? Dirk Poole has been elected by the Edgecomb School Board to chair the Principal Search Committee. The search committee will be composed of the three Board members, two parents, two teachers, one support staff member, and the Superintendent.
In fact, it is time to consider 2007-2008 Town Officials in general. Nomination papers are available at the Town Hall for the following positions: 1 Selectman (3 years); 1 Town Clerk (1 year); 1 Tax Collector (1 year); 1 Town Treasurer (1 year); 2 Planning Board members (3 years), 1 Planning Board member (2 years); 1 Road Commissioner (1 year); 1 School Board member (3 years). Town Office hours: Mondays, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Call 882-7018 during these hours.
And, concerning the Planning Board, two alternates are urgently needed. These positions are recommended by the Planning Board and appointed by the Selectmen. It must be clearly understood by all interested candidates that attendance at all Planning Board meetings is mandatory; that although these are non-voting positions, an alternate will be asked to vote in the absence or recusal of a full member, and an alternate's active participation in the Board's discussions is expected and truly valued! It is actually training for eventual full membership.
Sherman Marsh (the former Sherman Lake) will be the subject at Skidompha Library's Porter Auditorium 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 1. The speaker will be Dr Karen Wilson of U. Southern Maine, discussing her research on the transformation of a freshwater lake into the largest salt marsh (over 200 acres!) in the state. This talk's sponsor is the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association. A $5.00 donation is suggested. For more information, call SVCA at 586-5616.
Congratulations are in order for the Edgecomb University of Maine Dean's Listers: Rita Sieracki, Matthew Miller, Becky Riser, Krista Oberuch and David Nickerson! And also, across the river, our niece Chelsea Cameron of Pemaquid! A proud hoot and holler for you all!
Do you think you'll have an excess of garden truck this summer? Do you want to try marketing your produce or food products? The Damariscotta Farmer's Market is looking for new vendors. To find out about membership, go to www.damariscottafarmersmarket.org or call Jim Amaral at 751-3600. The market is expected to open May 18 on Fridays and run through October; on Mondays June 18 through August.
Theatre out-takes: Debby Beam will be in the forthcoming version of Reny's: The Musical, at the Lincoln County Theatre Thursday, February 22 through Saturday the 24th at 7:30 p.m., and matinees on Saturday and Sunday, the 24th and 25th at 2:00 p.m. Call the box office, 563-3424 for tickets and information. Let's all go cheer the Sarah Bernhardt of McKay Road!
Meanwhile, at the Waldo Theater, Jim and Phyllis McQuaide are both on the new Board of Directors! Call 832-6060 or the Waldo's website www.waldotheater.org for their up-coming calendar of productions and membership information.
On the younger front, I went to the Edgecomb Eddy Second Graders' Revolutionary party the other night: Met all kinds of important people, such as poet Phillis Wheatley, Paul Revere who made sure we all knew "The British are coming!" Abigail Adams was there, writing letters to husband John (who was not there). Molly Pitcher, who fired her fallen husband's cannon, and Deborah Sampson, who actually fought as a soldier, and Sybil Ludington, New Hampshire lass who did the Paul Revere thing for her father's Continental Army unit. From behind a piano, we heard the strains of "Yankee Doodle" by a pianist so small she had to be lifted up for us to applaud her. Ben Franklin and the whole ensemble recited lines from "Poor Richard's Almanack." And there we saw George Washington, not upon the slapping stallion, but looking most presidential behind a desk with three white goose quill pens!
Teacher Dawn Geary and historic seamstress Becky Benton are to be commended for this imaginative event!
Spreading the word to every village and town from 234 River Road, 633-2978, bonesukl@midcoast.com. This column appears in several local papers, and at www.Edgecomb.org.