Raymond Garden Tour: Nestled in the verdant forests off Raymond Hill Road lies a true oasis

By Briana Bizier

           

April Fey’s garden, which has been a labor of love for the past thirty years, is an enchanting space filled with flowers, birds, unique artwork, and the sound of running water. On Saturday, June 22, for the first time ever, Fey will join the biennial Raymond Garden Tour and open her garden to the public to benefit the Raymond Village Library.

Her decision to join the Garden Tour all started with a simple Facebook post. “When we finished the

dry stream bed in my garden, I posted a picture of it on Facebook,” Fey explains. “Sharon Dodson saw it and asked if I’d like to join the Raymond Garden Tour!”

Her garden, Fey told me, is inspired by her family’s globe-spanning travels. Her husband Robert is a pilot, and their family loves to travel. Many features from the sites that they have enjoyed during their many excursions have found their way home to join her beautiful garden.

Fey built her stone stream bed, which leads from a dry well near her porch and is home to three cheerful salmon sculptures, after admiring similar features in gardens during a trip to Japan. The colorful glass balls grouped near her rose bushes were inspired by a Chihuly exhibition, and the tiki statue she decorated herself is an homage to her family’s love of the Hawaiian Islands.

Several other sculptures adorn Fey’s garden, including a cheerful metal silhouette of three children. “That sculpture was a Mother’s Day present,” Fey explains. “Our three children are grown now, but the sculpture is right next to the path they used to walk to school.”

Although Fey’s children are now adults, her yard is still home to a young gardener. Fey’s two-year-
old grandson visits frequently to play with the miniature barn and farm animals in her flower bed or to move Fey’s collection of ceramic mushrooms. During my visit, the mushrooms were clustered artistically behind an enormous fern in what must have been the perfect place for a two-year-old to practice his own garden design.

Fey’s magnificent garden, which now wraps around her house and contains hundreds of flowers, all began with a muddy bank. “The slope in front of our house was a mess,” Fey explains. “My husband and I took apart an old rock wall to build a terrace, and that was our first garden bed.”

That first terrace is now home to poppies, daylilies, columbines, and a hops vine inspired by an urban garden in Portland that Fey visited for her daughter’s wedding. It’s also home to a few surprise volunteers.

“I didn’t even plant these,” Fey tells me, gesturing to a thriving clump of purple columbine flowers. “That’s another gift from Mother Nature.”

Fey’s original terrace garden has now been joined by many more flowerbeds. In addition to her roses and a garden by the shed filled entirely with divides from her many perennials, Fey has a bed devoted
entirely to lavender, another bed for cutting flowers, and several high bush blueberries.

“We come out in the morning with a bowl of cereal and pick blueberries for it,” Fey told me.

Even the old swing set in Fey’s backyard is host to an unusual variety of forsythia with red flowers that came from the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay as well as a container overflowing with purple blossoms. “This spot just needed a bit of color,” Fey explained.

Fey’s garden also includes a whimsical bottle tree, which Fey calls, “the easiest plant I grow.” From what this journalist can tell, Fey’s entire garden looks like it grows beautifully, although she laughed at the compliment.

“I’m a big believer in mulch,” Fey tells me, with a smile. “I just plant what I like, and I don’t worry too much about it.”

If you’d like to see Fey’s garden as well as the other featured gardens, the Raymond Garden Tour will take place this Saturday, June 22, with a rain date of Sunday, June 23. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the tour, and they can be purchased at Raymond Village Library. All proceeds will benefit the library.

There’s a new robot in town at the Raymond Village Library by Briana Bizier

Sage Bizier has fun testing out her programming skills with Dash

As part of their new STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) Programming, the Raymond Village Library recently purchased Dash the Robot. This little robot looks like a pyramid of blue plastic balls with a cheerful bank of lights for a “face” and a vocabulary of electric chirps and trills. It even peeps a wide array of friendly phrases like, “Toodles!”

With the help of a tablet and the computer application called Wonder, children can create computer programs that make Dash the Robot move, wink, blink its lights, and even speak. Wonder is designed to be visual and intuitive, so children can learn the basics of computer programming through hands-on play.

Using the Wonder program on the tablet, visitors to the library can program Dash the Robot to race around the floor, dance and spin, light up and even record messages. The application comes with a tutorial as well as built-in programs; but it is also flexible enough to allow children to create their own routines for Dash. 

Along the way, kids learn problem solving skills, gain familiarity with the basics of computer coding, and explore their creativity. 

And the kids think they’re only playing!

Although Dash the Robot, and the application Wonder, are designed for children ages six and up, personal testing by my three-year-old assistant found that even a toddler can make Dash spin in circles or move backward and forward while saying, “Hello!”

Dash the Robot also received the highest form of praise from my three-year-old tester: A crying meltdown when it was time to leave the library and say goodbye to the robot. I suppose there are still some problems technology can’t solve!

I would imagine even an adult would enjoy playing with Dash . . . if you can manage to pull your
children away from the fun!

Stop by Raymond Village Library during regular business hours on Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday to check out Dash the Robot.

Libraries highlight work from local artists by Elizabeth Richards

Community members can find more than a good book at the libraries in Windham and Raymond. Visitors can also enjoy exhibits of artwork by local artists in each locale. Through the month of October, the Windham library has paintings by Windham resident Josh Emerson on display, while the Raymond Village Library is displaying the work of Gray photographer Jesse MacDonald.
 

Artists are selected in a variety of ways, including recommendation, past experience with an artist, or the artist reaching out to the libraries. Sally Bannen, Technical Services Librarian at the Windham Public Library says, “While I prefer to have fresh faces in order to give a wider opportunity to as many artists as possible, I have allowed past artists to display again if they ask and the schedule permits. Our current artist, Josh Emerson, was recommended to the library and we have been pleased to give him the chance to display his artwork with the community.”

Emerson’s work has been on display since August, and all displays are scheduled in three-month time slots. Displaying and highlighting the work of local artists is important, because the library is a place for all community members, said Library Director Jennifer Alvino. “The library belongs to the community and by opening our space to this kind of display it shows that we are much more than a place for just books. We are a community space and offer all kinds of services and opportunities for the community to come together to educate themselves and find entertainment,” Alvino said.

Emerson said he began painting 20 years ago when he was in college at ASU (Appalachian State University) in North Carolina, where he received a BFA in fine arts. He paints every winter, he said, but while he exhibited on a regular basis until 2008, now he mostly paints for himself. He said he enjoys getting art out into the community, and is excited to see Windham increasing this effort through the library and other venues. 

MacDonald is a digital photographer, with the majority of his work focused on landscapes and scenery, which he has been shooting for approximately seven years. Recently, he has also begun to work on portrait and studio photography.  

When he was younger, MacDonald said, he enjoyed taking pictures while travelling with his family. On vacations, he’d use a phone or pocket sized digital camera, and although the photos weren’t top quality, he enjoyed bringing home photographic memories instead of knick-knacks from a souvenir shop, he said.  As he got older, he purchased a higher quality camera and taught himself, through reading articles and blogs and video tutorials online. His only formal photography training is an Introduction to Digital Photography class he took as an elective in college.

“It's exciting to see my artwork on display. Sometimes it feels a little unreal, I never thought of myself as an artist growing up,” MacDonald said. “I've always enjoyed sharing my experiences and images with my friends and family, but it's just as exciting to share them with the rest of the community.”  

Emerson’s work has been shown in Raymond once before, and at a few local small businesses as well. “I've always been fortunate enough to get great feedback from my showings. It's nice to make a sale or two during a showing, but the words of encouragement and positive feedback from those who see my work really keep me going and encourage me to continue doing what I do,” he said.

MacDonald has an online gallery at www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/jesse-macdonald.html and his work can also be found on Facebook at Jesse MacDonald Photography.

The work of both Emerson and MacDonald will be on display until the end of October.

Raymond Village Library offers third Biennial Garden Tour in late June by Elizabeth Richards

On Saturday, June 24, eight private gardens in Raymond will be open to visitors on a self-guided tour as part of the Raymond Garden Tour, a fundraiser held every other year for the Raymond Village Library. Garden designers will be on hand to talk with gardening enthusiasts about their creative process in cultivating the inviting spaces. The drive between farms showcases the rural countryside and scenic waterfronts of Raymond. 
 

Elissa Gifford, who helps organize the tour and will open her own garden to the public this year, said that different gardens are featured on each tour to allow guests to experience a new array each time. 

Though gardeners generally agree that no garden is ever finished, Gifford said, participating in the tour provides a goal with a deadline by which to complete and implement their gardening ideas. “My garden has evolved to the point where we can confidently invite visitors believing they will enjoy the experience. Yes, there are unfinished areas, weeds here and there, and things needing pruning or deadheading but that’s the everyday reality of an ornamental garden,” Gifford said.

Mulberry Farms, a certified organic vegetable garden owned by Frank and Deb Pecararo, will also be featured on the tour. The Pecararos purchased the property in 2014 and have been renovating ever since, including rebuilding the farmhouse and putting landscaping in place.   

In 2015, said Deb, the farm operation began on a cash only basis with a couple of tables under a canopy and limited hours during fair weather. They began with some perennial produce: strawberries; blueberries; raspberries; fruit trees; and asparagus, as well as some annual crops. 

Since then, they have built a permanent farm stand, and the perennial and annual plantings have expanded each year.

View of Mulberry Farms

History is important at Mulberry Farms. The house has been rebuilt to look like the original house from the 1700s. A stone wall built from the granite that was the foundation of the old house is incorporated into the landscaping, and plant varieties that have been used around farm houses for generations were chosen. “We are participating [in the garden tour] in part to honor the history of the property, previously a dairy farm, and the Edwards family who owned it since the early 1900s.

Carleton, Dorothy and Berenice were all very active in the community,” said Deb. “Additionally, we want to let folks know that Raymond has a MOFGA Certified Organic farm and educate them about how we grow in the hoop houses as well as the fields,” she added.

Gifford said the eight gardens on this year’s tour are an eclectic mix of ornamental and working vegetable and fruit gardens, with locations ranging from waterside to inland steep slopes to the Raymond Community Garden, another program of the Raymond Village Library. “We are excited to offer such variety, and feel certain there is something for everyone on this Tour,” she said.

The Raymond Garden Tour is an important fund raiser for the Raymond Village Library, Gifford said.

“Sponsors, library trustees and staff, and community volunteers team up to organize and run this event, all proceeds from which directly benefit the library and its programs,” she said. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased at the Raymond Village Library, or online at www.raymondvillagelibrary.org. Raffle tickets for an original painting by local artist Donna Kantor, which is on display at the library, will be on sale as well. The rain date for the garden tour is Sunday, June 25.

The tour begins at the library at 9 a.m. Visitors can tour at their own pace, using a brochure and map available at the library. The tour is designed to take a full day. Participants are encouraged to visit several gardens in the morning, break for lunch at one of the surrounding businesses also featured on the map, and continue their tour in the afternoon, finishing by 3 p.m. 

But the fun doesn’t end at the last garden. After the tour, the Historic Hawthorne House will hold their annual Strawberry Festival, featuring homemade shortcake and fresh strawberries. This event, which begins at 3:30 p.m., features a talk by Jeanne Christie, Executive Director of the Association of State Wet Land Managers. Christie will speak on “Gardening for Bumble Bees and Other Native Pollinators.” 

This topic complements the goals of the garden tour. “Each of Raymond’s tours is created around the belief that exposure to a variety of gardens and gardening techniques fosters an interest in sustainability. Living as we do in Raymond, near and on bodies of water, reminds us of the responsibility we have to make the best gardening choices possible to keep the water clean and keep pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, alive,” said Gifford.

Admission to the Strawberry Festival is $10 for adults, $5 for children 8 and under. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are appreciated. Reservations can be made by at: jmanoush@twc.com.

The Raymond Garden Tour will be preceded by a gardening talk at the library. Authors and horticulturists Reeser Manley and Marjorie Peronto will talk about their book, “The Life in Your Garden: Gardening for Biodiversity”, on Wednesday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit: www.raymondvillagelibrary.org.

Author Debra Spark makes appearance at Raymond Village Library by Elizabeth Richards

Debra Spark captured the audience’s attention the moment she began reading from her book, “Unknown Caller.”  Spark’s author talk at the Raymond Village Library on Wednesday, January 25^th, was relaxed and engaging, a lot like having a conversation with a friend. 

Debra Spark converses with the audience

Throughout the course of the talk, Spark took the audience through her writing process, where the idea for the book originated, and outlined the story – without giving any key parts away.

“Unknown Caller” begins with a call from Joel’s ex-wife, Liesel. Liesel often calls late at night, disrupting Joel’s life with screaming and anger about Joel’s refusal to send more than a minimal amount of child support because he has not been allowed to meet his daughter. But this call is different. This time, Liesel says she’s sending the girl to him for the summer. The twist, however, is that she never shows up. Not only that, but Liesel stops calling, and the two seem to simply disappear.

Although for some writers, ideas are easy to come by, Spark said this is not the case for her. This idea came from the life of some long-time friends, whose situation mirrored the beginning of the book. Spark said she began to think “What if the daughter never showed up?” And the idea for her novel was born.

The audience was small, but enthusiastic. After reading a longer section that described Joel waiting in vain at the airport, Spark took questions about the book. Discussion followed, covering topics such as the travel required for research, since the novel took place over several continents; where the title came from; and character development.

For audience members who had not yet read the book, there were some lingering questions. Why, for instance, wouldn’t his daughter have had a cell phone, and why wouldn’t he have been able to find his ex and his daughter online, where almost anyone can be found? The digital age, Spark said, has certainly made plotting more difficult, but explanations can be found in the story.

Spark’s dynamic personality soon allowed the conversation to shift to other topics, from politics to what other members of the audience were reading. This left the event feeling more like a gathering of friends than a formal author talk. 

Veronica Haskell said she has attended other author talks at the library and was surprised at the small group. Library Director Allison Griffin said the crowd for author events can vary widely, from nobody at all showing up to a crowd that barely fits inside the library.

Griffin said they are trying to have at least one author and one non-author event each month. “They don’t have a community center here, so we’re trying to fill that need,” she said, adding that author events and wildlife/nature presentation are the most popular and most requested.

Haskell said one reason she attended the event was that it was a local author. “I like to listen to some of the local writers,” she said.

Cheri Dwinnell said she was at the library and had selected Spark’s book because it looked interesting and was a Maine author. Her husband pointed out the upcoming talk, so she decided to attend. Dwinnell read the book prior to attending the talk, and loved it, she said.

Spark said she enjoys doing events at libraries. “I feel like it’s my chance to meet people in other communities and introduce my work to people who would otherwise not find it,” she said. In larger venues, she added, many of the attendees are her friends. “When I do it in a library, its people I don’t know. Often, it’s a smaller audience, but it’s an audience that actually wants to be there,” she said with a laugh.

Spark is the author of eight books. Five are works of fiction, and four are novels. Spark has also written many shorter pieces that have appeared in major newspapers and magazines. She has received numerous awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Spark is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA program for writers at Warren Wilson College. She, her husband and son live in North Yarmouth.

New director of Raymond Village Library looking to enrich programming - By Lorraine Glowczak

This past Monday, October 10^th, The Raymond Village Library (RVL) hosted an open house to introduce the public to and welcome their new director, Allison Griffin. Formerly the director of the Bridgton Public Library, Griffin brings to her new post many years of experience that began at an early age.

“I volunteered at the Casco Public Library when I was a teenager and discovered how much I enjoyed the information and technology field,” Griffin explained. Upon learning how much she appreciated the job, combined with the fact that she loved both reading and technology, it became clear to Griffin that work in library science would be her vocation. 

Griffin began her career at the Jordan-Small Middle School as the Library Media Specialist and District Library Director. While working there, she completed her degree. Upon receiving her Masters in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin, Griffin decided to transition into the public library sector. She applied, was offered and accepted the technology resource librarian position and later the director’s position at the Bridgton Public Library, a position she held for the past year before returning to the Raymond community to make RVL her new home.

Griffin has a few plans in mind to add to the already amazing programs and services that are offered at RVL. “I am working on adding additional adult enrichment programs such as resume and career seminars, as well as poetry and writing workshops.” She also plans to add more tech support services and technology classes as well. 

The new director is also working closely with the youth services coordinator, Karen Perry, to increase opportunities to an already remarkable children and teen program. Presently offered are such programs as toddler and preschool story times, Lego Club and Make and Take Craft days. Discussion between Perry and Griffin include adding and providing a Maker Space and incorporating more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) enrichment programs.

“Raymond Village Library offers many adult and youth enrichment series, which we will be more actively promoting within the community,” Griffin stated with reflection on recent conversations she’s had with library patrons she has encountered thus far. “Many people I have met are unaware of all the programs and services that are available on a weekly basis.” These programs include book clubs, author visits and a variety of enrichment workshops.

“We currently provide adult enrichment programming on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m,” Griffin said. 

This past Wednesday, October 12^th, RVL welcomed local specialist Ingrid LeVasseur to speak about thermal imaging (thermography) and its use in breast cancer screening. On Wednesday, October 19^th, RVL will host Maine author Brenda Buchanan. Buchanan is the author of the Joe Gale Mystery Series, set in the greater Portland area. She will discuss her third book in the series, Truth Beat. 

Griffin has enjoyed meeting community members and library patrons alike. “It’s been such a lovely transition,” she stated with pleasure. “The staff and board of trustees have been very welcoming and supportive.”

Feel free to stop by the Raymond Village Library to welcome the new director and share thoughts for the library’s future success. To read more about the various programs offered, the library itself or to sign up for a weekly newsletter, please visit the RVL website at www.raymondvillagelibrary.org/ or call 207-655-4283.