Many small shops make towns unique
To the editor,
A big thank you to Tom Murphy for his columns in the Kennebunk Post as well as many community leaders who have stepped up during these very trying times. His writings brought back childhood memories, made me think of life way back then.
There were many kids in the neighborhood, games of Frisbee, kickball, softball. There was a strong sense of community. There was a variety of shops and talkative owners on Main Street. There still are.
As we approach the holidays, I think of those many small shops and businesses that make the Kennebunks so unique. I have traveled in northern New England extensively, and I think of how some towns have kept their character; others have been overdeveloped and become another copy of Anytown, USA.
We are still unique here, but many have taken a hit. As we approach the holidays I think of the shopping options – online, the big box/warehouse, or small shops like we have here in our towns.
I understand your deep concerns about health and preference for online shopping. If however, you are comfortable being in public, please consider gifts or gift certificates.
I have often found very unusual gifts, artwork and products made by Maine craftspeople in these shops. When I walk in, I am often greeted by name; no feeling lost in a warehouse or put in a phone tree.
Many of our local businesspeople also serve on local boards, committees and volunteer to make the Kennebunks a better place.
Please support them this holiday season.
Ward Hansen
Kennebunk
Flag flying position questioned
To the editor,
As a veteran, I know that when two flags are displayed at the same level, the American flag should be flown to the flag’s own right of other flags, which is the position of prominence. For weeks now, the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Kennebunk has been flying the American flag outside its church with a Black Lives Matter flag. The American flag, however, is being flown to its own left of the Black Lives Matter flag.
The church has not corrected its error for weeks. Last week, with Veterans Day on my mind, I sent an email to the church pointing out the apparent mistake. Today, Nov. 16, the flags are still being flown in the same manner. By not correcting its error, the church has elevated the situation from a mistake to a sign of disrespect. If the flags continue to be flown in this same way, one can only conclude that the church’s disrespect is deliberative.
Robert Powers
Kennebunk
In the end, we are one and the same
To the editor,
Orrin Frink’s recent contribution in the Kennebunk Post, “Elections have become about colors and uniforms,” really hit a chord with me.
Disconcerting to me this election season was to witness so many people blindly choosing candidates based on which side of the political aisle they’re on … which color they subscribe to. While some Democrats sneer at the “Conservative Repugnicans” and Rebublicans spew venomous attacks at “Left Wing Liberals,” ask either what issues they are voting on. So often they will answer, “voting Blue/Red, Democrat/Republican, all the way,” with no further elaboration regarding beliefs or values.
Particularly in light of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges posed by climate change/crisis which effect us all, it’s imperative that we try to pull together – and consider what truly makes for a happier, healthier community, both locally here as well as globally, and we each need to do our part to safeguard our own and our neighbor’s best interest, because truthfully, they are in the end, one and the same.
Thanks again, Orrin, for sharing your perspective; it leaves me feeling a bit more hopeful.
Andrea Roth Kimmich,
Kennebunk
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