Your regular correspondent, Marcia Blanchard, is a still a patient at Mercy Hospital, where she continues to receive medical treatment for a respiratory condition. While she is unavailable, Kay Soldier (with a lot of help from friends) will provide the Inside Windham column. Please e-mail Kay at [email protected] or call 892-5381 if you have news.

Pat Riley update

Pat Riley, artist and teacher, is doing well at Maine Medical Center where she is being treated for leukemia; she continues under medical supervision but is in good spirits and would enjoy receiving cards, we are sure. Her granddaughter, Ashley, is doing a wonderful job maintaining a Web site with daily journal entries regarding Pat’s progress.

Happy birthday

Operation Homefront of Maine held its first annual celebration at the Windham Veterans Center June 25. Among those attending were area veterans, and Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Cumberland, and Rep. Gary Plummer, R-Windham, both members of the Operation Homefront Advisory Board.

Windham Town Councilor Kaile Warren attended, as did Donna Leith, Linda Wyman, Pam Payear a volunteer and mother of a veteran soon to be heading the Wounded Warrior Program of Operation Homefront-Maine.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, also sent congratulations in a letter which board member Tony Oberley read. It was a very successful evening and Operation Homefront of Maine mambers look forward to 2008.

Musical market

Tom Bergier, a local guitarist and singer, will be performing on Saturday, July 5, for visitors to the Lakes Region Farmers Market, in back of Manchester School on Route 302, open until noon.

Summer visitors

Over the Fourth of July, Jane and Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Cumberland, will enjoy a visit from their daughter, Kristin and husband, Jean-Pierre (J.P.) Dumont and their two children. The Dumonts live near Nashville, Tenn. where J.P. plays for the N.H. Nashville Predators. They will be enjoying Maine weather, lobsters and time with the rest of the family. Kris was a graduate of Windham High School in 1993.

Meet the council

The Windham Health Council, established more than 50 years ago, will meet Wednesday, July 9, from 1-3 p.m. at the Loan Closet (building just to the left of the library on Windham Center Road).

The four remaining members of the council invite anyone to attend who would like to see what is available for citizens in need of medical equipment. This would be an excellent time to get your questions answered as to what is available. The Windham Health Council loans medical equipment, free of charge, to Windham residents of all ages. This includes everything from canes to beds and wheelchairs, and much more. For more information, call May Lunt, 892-6308.

Italian Sandwiches for seniors

Virginia Billings, who manages the senior meal site at Unity Gardens, reminds Windham residents age 60 and older, and their guests, that in addition to hot meals five days a week at Unity Gardens, special Italian sandwich luncheons are held on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

Call Virginia at 892-3891 to reserve your meal by July 8 for the July 10 Italian sandwich day. Reservations must be made 48 hours in advance.

Worship outdoors

Faith Lutheran Church, 988 Roosevelt Trail, will be holding services in their outdoor chapel at 5 p.m. on the last Saturday of the month for the rest of the summer. For more information, call 892-9158.

Mark the calendar

I had a nice talk with Elsie Haskell, who is the Great Pocahontas for the state of Maine. She is looking forward to July 11, when the Hiawatha Council 58, Degree of Pocahontas will hold a picnic lunch at the Redmen’s Hall in East Sebago.

Town reports available

Windham Town Reports are in and available for anyone who is interested. There’s a big carton of them at town hall, by the “back” door near the gym and more in the lobby by the main entrance. There is a lot of information in these reports and they provide a good primer for anyone interested in municipal government.

Masons have moved

Wes Mason, formerly of Windham, is now a resident at the Maine Veterans Home in South Paris. His wife, Beulah Mason, has moved from Windham to the Fryeburg House Care Center, 70 Fairview Drive, Fryeburg. She misses receiving the Senior Voice, she told her sister. We’ll see that she gets a copy when they are printed.

Veterans wanted to join up

If you are a veteran and want to get involved with local veterans groups, the American Legion meets the first Wednesday (except December, January, February and July) at the Windham Veterans Center. The Veterans of Foreign Wars meets at the center on the second Wednesday each month.

Windham Veterans Association, an executive committee of these two groups that runs the Center holds business meetings on a fairly regular basis on the fourth Wednesday. Annual meeting is held in the spring.

A trusted site

Check out Windham Land Trust new Web site at www.thewindhamlandtrust.org. It has a kid section with drawings and poems from students. Manchester School students have been raising money for signs that they put in the Black Brook Preserve so walkers can identify different plants and trees as they walk. Many folks visited the Land Trust booth at Summerfest and signed up for membership. Fourth graders, teachers and parents marched in the parade with the Land Trust’s new banner.

Cancer Support Group

Windham Cancer Support Group meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the last Monday of the month at the Public Library meeting room. On July 28, guest speaker will be Dawn Stratton from Awakening Counciling. Anyone who has been affected by cancer is welcome.

From left, Operation Homefront of Maine board members Tony Oberley, chairman Rick Campbell, chapter president Donna Chapman, Wayne Syphers and Greg Files celebrate the organization