Thumbs up to Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm and all those who spent last Saturday celebrating International Migratory Bird Day. The site hosted children’s activities, bird walks, banding demonstrations and a talk and walk with bird experts and authors Jeffrey Wells and Allison Childs Wells. Wells Reserve offers many fun and educational programs for people of all ages, while getting them outdoors and enjoying southern Maine’s coastal landscape.
Thumbs up to the team of men who participated in the New England Tough Mudder competition at Mount Snow, Vt. in honor of a local boy who has cancer. The boy’s father, Gil Hudson, who is a York County Sheriff’s Office deputy, headed up the team. His son, Austin, 10, has endured chemotherapy, radiation and lengthy hospital stays since he had a brain tumor removed in November 2010. Hudson was joined by fellow Deputy Peter Nelson, his neighbor Peter Libby and NYPD Officer Levy Garcia to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project as well as cancer organizations.
Thumbs up to towns of Wells and Ogunquit for collaborating on new projects and services. The town managers of both municipalities announced last week that, beginning in July, 911 calls from Ogunquit will be routed through Wells Dispatch. The change means some additional revenue for Wells and a savings for Ogunquit. The towns used to be one municipality and continue to share a school district, so working together makes sense. And in this time of economic instability, collaboration is key to keeping taxes manageable while offering quality services to residents.
Thumbs up to all of the Sanford High School sophomores who signed a pledge to not text while driving. At the annual Sophomore Awareness event, students heard from motivational speakers as well as Maine State Police Trooper and crash reconstructionist Dan Hanson, who told them about the aftermath that comes when a young person gets distracted while driving and then crashes their car. Hanson told the students he doesn’t understand what call or message couldn’t wait, when he arrives on the scene of such a crash. And the fact is, those calls and messages can wait. It is not worth risking one’s own life nor the lives of others to send a text message or make a cell phone call while driving. We hope Sanford youth will take this pledge to heart and refrain from using their cell phones while driving.
Thumbs up to the business owners and citizens of Arundel who stepped up to pay for a new sign at Gilliam Field. The old sign was made of wood, and over years in the elements, was rendered unusable. Now, the sign welcoming visitors is a proper tribute to its namesake, Donald E. Gilliam III, who was 14 when he was tragically struck and killed by a car in 1979. In November of 1979, Gilliam and some of his friends were playing basketball in the back parking lot of the Mildred L. Day Memorial School when a car broke down on the Maine Turnpike adjacent to the school property. Gilliam walked out to the turnpike to offer help to the stranded motorist and was struck by another car in which the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The new sign pays tribute to the young man, and thanks to the generosity of a few, the town will not have to incur the cost.
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