Everyone hearts Raymond and July 4th celebration happening this Saturday - By Michelle L

This weekend Raymond hopes to put itself on the map with a celebration like other area towns hold, but this one will feature everything Raymond. 

“People are looking to do something around the fourth,” co-organizer Carrie Colby said. This event gives them the opportunity to see what Raymond has to offer. 

“It will be very modest,” said Danielle Loring, the other co-organizer and an employee of the Town of Raymond. “We want to do it right.” 

At 9 a.m. the day begins with the recognition and presentation to a Civil War Medal of Honor awardee 154 years after the start of the Civil War. There will be a ceremony at Riverside Cemetery, 168 Plains Road. 

At 10:30 a.m., there will be a Fourth of July parade from Main Street to Mill Street featuring Raymond softball, antique cars, Boy and Girl Scouts and other local entries. At the Sherri Gagnon Park, 63 Mill Street, there will be vendors selling a variety of items. Food like hot dogs and hamburgers, popcorn, bake sale items and more. 

“Lots of people volunteered,” said Colby. “We’ve had great support from the fire department and the sheriff’s office.”

Raymond Village Library is sponsoring a bounce house for kids and Boy Scout Troop 800 is making a monkey bridge for anyone to cross. There will be a dunk tank with opportunities to soak teachers, coaches and kids. There will be other fun events at the park. 

“We are keeping it scaled back so we can start small and build,” said Colby. 

At 12:30 p.m. the pie eating contests begin with three age divisions, sponsored by the Good Life market, RRC and Village Donut Shop. The winner of each category wins a prize. 

“The businesses and residents we’ve talked to are excited,” said Loring. The support from businesses in Raymond has been tremendous, they said. They have received $3,500 in pledges from 15 businesses and more than 20 are helping out with resources, Loring said. The event received no money from the Town of Raymond, but will receive services from public works and other town services. 

The event is free to attend. 

With the weather looking good for Saturday, Colby and Loring are optimistic about a strong turnout. After all, everyone “hearts” Raymond, ME.

Veterans Park dock is in - By Michelle Libby

A dock has been put in at Veterans Park in Raymond to allow people on the lake and from Frye Island to have a place to leave their boats while walking to Raymond’s business district. The dock is big enough for two boats to tie up at a time. It was added to decrease the amount of erosion when boats were pulled up on the shore. 
 

The dock was donated by Panther Run Marine, Bill Coppersmith of Fisherman’s Catch and other local businesses, according to Raymond’s director of development Danielle Loring. 

In addition to easier access for boaters, it also is an option for fire/rescue personnel when transporting emergency patients from the lake or Frye Island. 

The dock will be in from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

Photo: Rev. Joyce Long and three boys from the Casco Village Church Vacation Bible Camp took some time to use the new dock at Raymond’s Veterans Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Summer reading fun at the Windham Public Library - By Elizabeth Richards

Summer reading isn’t just for kids at the Windham Public Library. This year there are programs for all ages centered around the theme “Every Hero has a Story.” The program runs from June 15^th to August 28^th, and includes Bingo games, special events, and a chance for children to earn a special summer reading certificate.

One of the changes in the summer reading program this year is the addition of a new age group for children in grades 4 through 8, rather than having one children’s category from birth through age 10, said Windham Library director Jen Alvino. This means that there are four age groups – young children, juniors, teens and the adult program. 

“We wanted to make sure we weren’t missing that group,” said Alvino. “They’re doing a bingo sheet like the teens, but it’s geared towards that 7 to 10 age group. We’re pretty excited about that,” she said.

The summer reading program is a collaborative effort between the children’s room and the adult section of the library, Alvino said, and planning for it began in January. The library will be participating in the Summerfest parade, riding on an antique truck restored by the husband of a library staff member. 

For the juniors, teens and adults, there will be a bingo card with a variety of tasks to complete. “It’s fun for people to try something different. The bingo sheet really helps people stretch,” said Alvino. 

When a row on the bingo card is finished, participants will win a book. Towards the end of the summer, there will be other prizes and drawings for completing the whole sheet. Prizes have been donated by community partners, said Alvino. 

“It’s nice to collaborate with the community businesses and also the schools,” she said. The high school has loaned the library copies of books on their summer reading list to be sure more kids have easy access to these books. 

There are a variety of activities planned at the library in the summer months. The children’s room will offer craft days, story times, take home activity sheets, a creative writing club and a letterboxing trail. For teens, there will be puzzle challenges, movies, and an opportunity to explore life after high school with a college transitions coordinator. Adult activities include book group meetings and a weekly showing of Downton Abbey. 

There are also a number of special events including a tea, Magic of the Steelgraves, an ice cream party, hero parade, pet show, yoga for children, a scavenger hunt, and a Bedtime Math end of summer star party. The summer reading program concludes with an Every Hero Has a Story Carnival featuring games and activities on the back lawn on August 27^th. 

For a full calendar of summer activities, including dates and times, visit the library website at http://www.windham.lib.me.us/ or call 892-1908 for information.

Library director one of 40 to attend leadership Institute - By Elizabeth Richards

Windham Public Library Director, Jen Alvino, will head to Itasca, Illinois in August to participate in Leading to the Future, a four-day leadership institute offered by the American Library Association. Alvino was selected from a highly competitive national pool to be one of 40 participants from around the country.

The institute will be led by leadership experts Maureen Sullivan and Kathryn Deiss. Alvino said the association tries to bring together librarians from different parts of the country, with different professional responsibilities and from different types of libraries to form a diverse cohort.

Alvino attended leadership training led by Sullivan in 2005 through the New England Library Association (NELA). At that time, she said, she was at a very different place in her career. She had not yet attended graduate school and knew she wanted her career to take a different direction. 

“At that time that leadership training was a real trajectory for me to go to graduate school, advance my career and take on a bigger leadership role,” she said. 

Since then, she has attended graduate school, and had jobs with increasing responsibility leading her to her position as library director in Windham. She was also the president of NELA, and is on the American Library Association council. Her goals in attending this institute are different this time. She said she’s hoping to gain knowledge around how to get out into the community and be a voice at the table. She wants to learn how to hear what the community needs from the library, and how to address those needs. 

Windham is in the midst of strategic planning and creating a comprehensive plan. There are many conversations about how the town is growing, and where the town is going, she said. “I really feel strongly that this institute will help me not only address the library needs, but also participate more in those conversations about where the town is going, how we’re growing, and what the community members need not just here in the library but elsewhere in town too. It’s really exciting for me,” she said.

The competitive application process began in April, with a letter of approval from Town Manager Tony Plante. Alvino submitted her resume along with answers to several essay questions about what she was hoping to get from the institute as well as what she could offer to others. 

“They create opportunities for you to connect and to keep those connections throughout your career which is really nice,” said Alvino. The connections outside the community bring a different perspective to the work, she said. 

Alvino is the only librarian from this region to be selected for this year’s institute. The closest participant on the list, she said, is from Connecticut. “I’m excited to broaden myself that way too, to meet some people that I haven’t met,” she said.

Mark those calendars - Summerfest is rapidly approaching - By Michelle Libby

With a week left until Windham Summerfest, organizations, businesses and the Summerfest committee are scurrying around to gather volunteers, purchase supplies and organize last minute details to make this year’s event the best one yet. 

Summerfest is an annual fair and community event that brings together all of Windham for a fun, entertaining time, where food is plentiful and people are there to have a great time. It is all located on the Windham High School complex. 

This year there will be new additions to the line up on the main stage. Motion Man entertains the children and families at 12:30 p.m. with everything from balloon twisting to magic and illusions. New bands include Air Away, made up of local high school students and Country Roads, a country band. There will also be a So You Think You Can Zumba contest featuring local Zumba instructors and students. 

The first event of the day will be the car show, with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast sandwiches will be available for purchase in front of the high school and along the parade route.

The awards for the car show will be at 2 p.m. in front of the high school. 

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the rotary of Route 302 and Route 202 and continue to Windham High School. The time of the parade is big difference for this year. Fundraisers have been happening for the last few months from recycling cans and bottles to a Bob Marley show last Thursday night, the community has been showing its support for the annual community event. 

 

Windham Police officers Sgt. Bill Andrew and Steve Stubbs will do a K-9 demonstration at 4:14 p.m. with their dogs Grinko and Vader. For a photo listing all the events, visit Windham Summerfest on Facebook. 

This year Landing Real Estate and Robie Builders will be the event sponsors as well as a host of other businesses stepping up to help support Summerfest. 

“Don’t miss this year’s event. It brings the town together,” said Summerfest chair Kelly Mank. “Summerfest allows Windham businesses, non-profit organizations and community members to get together and share what it means to live, work and play in Windham.”

For last minute sign ups or questions, contact anyone on the Summerfest committee, including Kelly, Niels Mank (logistics), Robin Mullins (fundraising), Ben Schultz (parade), Deb Matthews (vendor booths), and Rick Sanborn (business expo). 

The carnival opens at 10 a.m. and the event will close with fireworks at 9:20 p.m. provided by Central Maine Pyrotechnics.