Great-grandmother on litter patrol

Polly Smith of Day Road is pushing for clean roads in Gorham while pushing a baby buggy.

She has combined cleaning up litter daily along four Gorham roads this summer with giving her great-grandson, Joey Lamoin, a ride. Smith is a familiar figure to motorists and residents along Brackett, Day and Longfellow roads and Libby Avenue.

She’s been a one-woman volunteer litter patrol for five years. “I get two bags of garbage every trip,” she said.

When she begins patrolling in the spring, she fills two bags in 100 feet. She said Day Road has the least litter and Longfellow Road the most.

Her great-grandson was catching a nap on Thursday afternoon as she pushed him along Longfellow Road. She said Joey looks forward to his daily ride. “He’s six months old. Six months of dynamite,” Smith said with a smile.

Yard sale to benefit Project Blessing

Angela Stokes said the Portland Faith Center on Elkins Road is sponsoring a yard sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24.

One hundred percent of the sale benefits Project Blessing, which is a non-profit organization that aids homeless people. The project helps the homeless acquire household essentials they need to move into houses.

North Gorham Day

The community in North Gorham is hosting North Gorham Day on Saturday, Sept. 17, intersection of North Gorham and Standish Neck roads.

There’ll be plenty of fun and food. Highlights include a parade, which steps off at 10 a.m., and a bean-hole-bean supper from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the United Church of Christ at North Gorham. Jan Labrecque, church secretary, said the supper menu includes three varieties of beans, hot dogs, homemade brown bread, salads, pies and beverages; $6, $3.

Family entertainment runs throughout the day and there’s a free dance at 6 p.m. with music by Cattle Call.

Everyone is invited.

New library hours at Baxter

Baxter Memorial Library, 71 South St., has announced its new fall hours as of Monday, Sept. 12. The library will be open from 12:30 to 8 p.m. on Mondays; from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Gorham ‘adopt a community’ bazaar

Dana Redmond, executive director of the Gorham Business & Civic Exchange, has announced a daylong community-wide benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Portland Faith Center, 8 Elkins Drive.

“Specifically, we will be raising money to help the people living in the gulf community of Bayou La Batre, Ala. Bayou La Batre is a small fishing town, southwest of Mobile. Many such communities in southwest Alabama were devastated, but far away from New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast that they haven’t been in the news. The event will center around a huge yard sale starting at 8 a.m, rain or shine,” Redmond said.

Volunteers are needed. For more information, please call Dana at 892-5515 or Janet at 839-4671.

Taxpayer debt

The Bureau of Public Debt reported on Thursday, Sept. 8, that the U.S. public debt was $7,949,891,439,330.32.

At the end of December, the debt was $7,596.165,837,424.14

Polly Smith and her great-grandson, Joey, take a break on Thursday. Smith picks up litter every day on Gorham roads while giving Joey a ride.

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