The best laid plans of mouse and men: In spite of all my reminders that the Edgecomb Town Meeting will take place at the Edgecomb Town Hall, I failed to change the location in the Town Warrant. But this is it! Last column before Town Meeting Saturday, 10:00 a.m.! Y'all hurry on down to the old Town Hall, hear? And don't forget to vote for local officers on Friday, May 18, from1:00 to 7:00 p.m., same place.
Let us salute the passing of Doug Kennedy on the Mill Road. Our deepest condolences to his wife Betty and their family. We are requested to send any memorial contributions to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 1332 North Halsted Street, Suite 201, Chicago IL 60622. And also, farewell to Marie Perrello, and all our sympathies to her brother Ed on Atlantic Highway and her other brothers in nearby towns. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Church of Jesus Christ, Maine Branch, Building Fund, 169 Coombs Road, Brunswick ME 049011.
Edgecomb's postmistress Kelly Mank reports they collected 400 pounds of food this weekend during the big collaboration between the USPS and local food pantries! Edgecomb's bounty went to the Boothbay Food Pantry, kindness of Madeline Olney. A major thank you to everyone who supported this effort, and to the folks at the Edgecomb Post Office for their hard work!
Important date for the pre-schoolers among us: If you are on the cusp of Kindergarten, please come with a parent next Monday, May 21, for Kindergarten Screening. For more information, call the school at 882-5515.
At the other end of the academic spectrum, proud pa Mike Smith called me to brag on his daughter Mckenzie, current Student of the Month at Wiscasset High School, who has been accepted at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst! Mckenzie is Treasurer of the WHS chapter of the National Honor Society, and co-chair of the school's Student Council. She is captain of the first teams of the Mountain Valley Conference in both soccer and academics, and is on the track team this spring. Gaudeamus igitur, juvenes dum summus!
Maine's Center for Disease Control encourages people to call 1-888-697-5846 to report dead birds this summer and fall. This is to assist in tracking the spread of diseases such as West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Avian Influenza. Full instructions are available from the Dead Bird Reporting Line or from www.mainepublichealth.gov or www.maineflu.gov. The most important instructions: do not handle the carcass with bare hands nor store it near uncovered foodstuffs!
Did anyone go to Jamestown, Virginia over the weekend, to revel in that city's Quadricentennial? Queen Elizabeth II (and also I) aside, the replica ship Discovery, so painstakingly refurbished by Boothbay Harbor Boatbuilders all this past year, was, I am certain, central to their grand festivities!
Rhubarb's up! Mint is coming! Peonies need their little cages! Spring and Summer come prancing in together, arm in arm! Getting set to rototill at 234 River Road, 633-2978, jocam@midcoast.com. This column appears in several local papers, and at www.Edgecomb.org.