Resist the Rabbit

It is a good thing October is my favorite month, because otherwise I would be thoroughly depressed by how quickly it has come upon us.

After a September warm enough that I swam in Highland Lake a few times, autumn has finally triumphed in the seasonal tug-of-war. I’ve dug up the potatoes, frozen a winter’s worth of tomatoes and composted all the remaining squash stragglers. My sole pitiful pumpkin is proudly perched on the front porch and I’ve started hoarding Halloween candy. On a happy note, the Fryeburg Fair beckons this weekend, where I’ll probably eat two full bowls of blueberry crisp and talk myself out of buying a bunny, just like I do every year. See you there!

Trek Tally

The 12th annual Loon Echo Trek was a huge success, raising over $37,000 for the group’s preservation efforts. More than 100 cyclists pedaled the century ride, which took them through the scenic backroads of western Maine. Another 200 did the 25 and 50-mile routes, and almost 50 hikers trekked the 6.2 mile hike up and over Pleasant Mountain.

Congratulations to Loon Echo (and Raymond columnist Carol Meader, who organized it) for staging another successful event, and for their ongoing efforts to protect our valuable lakes and mountains. And big props to the biggest fund raisers, especially Ken Smith, David Silk and John Keller, who collectively raised more than $3,000 for the cause.

Big Event

Two of Bridgton’s finest cultural organizations are teaming up for a big night on the town. Join the Rufus Porter Museum and Bridgton Historical Society for their “Big Event”, an evening of live music and fine dining sponsored by the Chalmers Agency, with all proceeds going to support future projects and exhibitions.

On Friday, Oct. 12, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. the Town Hall will be hopping with music from The Skylarks, the Bridgton Brass Ensemble and the Highland String Trio, as well as a homemade lasagna dinner, salad and dessert, and a silent auction filled with fabulous finds. Donated items include a helicopter ride, a two-night stay at the Boston Marriott, a weekend at a lakeside cottage, and two ski passes at Shawnee Peak. Tickets for the evening are $25 per person, and can be purchased at the door or through either the Historical Society (647-3699; info@bridgtonhistory.org) or the museum (647-2828; rufusportermuseum@myfairpoint.net).

Support

Sometimes a bra is much more than just physically supportive. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Bridgton Hospital is doing its part to help the cause.

To educate and offer continued community mammography outreach, the Radiology Department is holding its third annual “Bras Across Bridgton Hospital”, which is a month-long effort to raise breast cancer awareness. A pink clothesline has been strung across the main entrance, where donated bras will be hung, donation cards signed and “in memory” and “in support of” tags left to honor victims and survivors. At month’s end all bras will be distributed to non-profit agencies including Dress For Success, Safe Voices, the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota and the Hospital Guild Thrift Shop, and all donor cards will be entered into a raffle for great prizes.

Please donate a bra (new or gently used) for this great effort! Unfortunately, breast cancer is the second-most common cancer in American women after skin cancer, and will sadly affect many of our loved ones. For more information, call Allyssa Noble or Jackie Thibeau in the Radiation department at 647-6095.

Warm Hearts

As I fired up my wood stove for the first time this fall, I was reminded how fast heating season comes back around. I’m lucky to have a woodlot in Hiram and the strength to still be able to cut and stack wood, but many of our elderly friends and neighbors do not.

Fortunately for them, the Bridgton Community Center has commenced their annual Emergency Fuel Fund, which distributes funds to help them stay warm during our brutally cold winters.

Last year, 28 Bridgton homes were kept warm because you cared. Your tax-deductible donation can be made to BCC Fuel at their office at 15 Depot St., or you can call Director Carmen Lone at 647-3116. A warm home should not be a luxury, so please consider making any size donation you can. No one should be cold this winter.

The Art of the Game

My friends and are are probably too obsessed with playing games, as our monthly “game nights” extend far into the wee hours of the morning. We play Taboo, Catchphrase, Sequence and Scattergories, but their precursors have been around far longer. Colorful game boards have long intrigued folk art collectors with their small size, wonderful graphics and association with fun times in the past. Much like collectable Amish quilts, folk art game boards are more than just functional art.

The Rufus Porter Museum’s special exhibit for 2012 is “The Art of the Gameboard,” and it runs until the museum’s season ends on Oct. 13. Featuring 19th century decorated gameboards such as Checkers, Parcheesi, Backgammon and Wheels of Fortune, the exhibit underscores how gaming is an extension of the real life chase, hunt, and battle or the competitive human spirit. The museum is located at 67 North High St., and is open through mid-October from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment. Call 647-2828 or go to www.rufusportermuseum.org for more information.

Feline Fix-It

The number of feral cats in my back yard on Bennett Street is a testament to the urgent need to spay and neuter your pets. As cute as they are, when I see them stalking birds around my feeder or peering pitifully into my back door for food it makes me feel sad both for them and the critters they are outside eating.

Fortunately, the Rozzie May Animal Wagon is rolling into town on Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 10 to 11 a.m. You can bring your cat to the Paris Farmers parking lot for their low-cost spay and neuter clinic; all you need to do is register online at www.rozziemay.org before the day of surgery or call RMAA at 603-447-1373 to make an appointment.

Got Science?

Science can be fun, and foster a vital curiosity in children that could lead to a lucrative career or major medical discovery. Hey, you have to dream big, right? After all, who didn’t love mixing up volatile chemical reactions in beakers as a kid?

Registration for the fall session for the popular afterschool Mad Science program is due on Friday, Oct. 26. Mad Science is free and open to all local kids in grades K-5. It runs six weeks on Wednesdays, from Oct. 31 to Dec. 12. Registration forms can be found at the Bridgton Town Office or online at www.bridgtonmaine.org/recreation.cfm. FMI, call Tom Tash at 647-8786.

Sawyer LaBarge of Mrs. Fox’s fourth-grade class at Stevens Brook School fishes for aquatic bugs at Holt Pond, with Sarah Morris of Lakes Environmental Association leading the environmental field trip.