Thumbs up to all of the volunteers of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church who keep the annual Greek Festival alive through their dedication to traditional recipes and music.

Those who patronize the festival should also be applauded for their support, which ultimately keeps the event alive and helps to celebrate one of the major ethnicities of our area.

Thumbs up to the Kennebunk Board of Selectmen for choosing to reappoint John Costin to his seat on the Budget Board despite initially skipping over his name. Though it won’t be easy working with someone who has a complaint filed against the board, selectmen are right to overcome their differences and work with Costin in the best interests of the town. Selectmen have been big enough to acknowledge his experience and the value he can bring to the board and the re-appointment will demonstrate the board’s commitment to democracy. We hope the tone remains civil as the two boards work together this year.

Thumbs up to Jim Weeks of Bideford, England who brought his town crier skills to the sister city of Biddeford last week. Weeks’ visit was a unique occasion, and offered a glimpse into the past and our ties to England. The two municipalities have had a relationship for more than 100 years, but little mention of it has been made in recent years. Perhaps Weeks’ visit will spark a renewed interest.

Thumbs down to the situation in Waterboro near Massabesic Middle School, where abutters have found themselves with water quality and flooding problems since construction of the school. The school district has denied responsibility and the town has been hesitant to get involved, leaving the residents there in limbo for five years. Hopefully, the town will step up where the school district has not, by creating drainage ditches that will at least alleviate some of the flooding problems.

Thumbs down to Biddeford City Councilor David Bourque for his lack of restraint concerning the city’s telephone contract. The XATel, LLC company should never have applied for the contract in the first place, since it represents an undeniable conflict of interest because Bourque owned half of it. The charter clearly states a prohibition against this. Now he has transferred the rights to his wife, as if that somehow removes the conflict, and is filing a complaint seeking restitution because his company didn’t get the contract. This dispute is an embarrassment for the city and it is a shame that Biddeford taxpayers will have to shell out legal funds to settle a disagreement that never should have happened.

Thumbs up to Reilly’s Bakery of downtown Biddeford for remaining a family business for 100 years. With fluctuations in the economy and customers’ tastes, it is no small feat to remain in business for so long. It is especially remarkable that the bakery has stayed in the family and we wish the future generations of bakers much success in continuing this tasty downtown mainstay.

— Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.