Brrr

I distinctly remember last year how cold it was. This year I thought, hey, maybe Mother Nature is taking a break on the frigid. No, I just forgot that these things do usually start in January! I think the thermometer read zero this morning. Perfect. Not really! Yesterday was a blustery kind of cold, and of course, that was the first day of the Pleasant Mountain Ski After School Program. The kids did ski, but some of the trails at Shawnee Peak were closed due to high winds. I don’t think the kids will have recess today!

Fellowship Breakfast

The United Methodist Church of Good Fellowship, located at 1000 Roosevelt Trail (Route 302) in Naples, will be serving a free breakfast and fellowship beginning in January and running through April. The event will take place every Wednesday morning starting Jan. 7, from 7:30-10 a.m. The breakfast will be cancelled with schools for inclement weather.

Library News

The cold temperatures make me want to stay indoors. Luckily we have a very inviting library in town with all sorts of activities to get us through the winter months. On Jan. 13 and 27 at 4 p.m. the library presents a children’s movie complete with popcorn. On Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. the kids can create Duct Tape Crafts (have you seen what they can do with that?) Truly amazing and creative. For adults, regularly scheduled activities include Scrabble, Mah Jongg, Needlecraft, a book discussion group, and Tech Support Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. Another exciting addition to the library’s offerings is a Qigong class to take place at 8 a.m. each Saturday in February. Qigong is the practice of aligning the body, breath, and mind for health and meditation through martial arts training. John Cuadrado leads the class, and you can sign up at the adult circulation desk located on the main level. If you want to keep up to date on all the library’s activities, call 693-6841 to sign up for the email newsletter or visit www.naples.lib.me.us.

CrossWalk Outreach

By now you must have noticed that the Naples Town Hall is a very busy place every other Monday. That is due to the amazing job that CrossWalk Outreach Program does providing free food for needy Lake Region families. More than 350 families are registered with this program.

But do you know of the other great work this outreach does? I was pleasantly surprised when I visited their website to learn more about what they do. Did you know about their program, Lawn Care for Troops, for example? It provides free lawn care and snow removal services for families of deployed military under the supervision of board member Mark Clement, who offers these services through his company, Clement Bros.

Other programs include working with schools to provide additional snacks and winter clothing for students in need, a garden composting class, free health and nutrition classes, the free summer lunch program, free flu clinics and so much more.

During the holiday, CrossWalk joined forces with the American Legion in Naples, organizing a holiday party and gift-giving event for our veterans. What a lovely way to show the veterans our appreciation. We are quite fortunate to have this valuable resource at our disposal. Thank you to Joanna Moore and the entire staff and volunteers of this program for all you do. Visit www.crosswalkcommunityoutreach.com to learn more, or to volunteer or donate.

Joanna Moore, left, and several military veterans and members of the CrossWalk Community Outreach Program, celebrated veterans along with the Naples American Legion this holiday season with a party and gifts from Santa.Courtesy photoQ-Team Tree Service, of Naples, recently volunteered to remove a sickly spruce tree from in front of the old Union Church in Naples Village. The tree had needle blight and was slowly dying. Shown here are Ian Fitzcharles (in bucket) and truck driver Steve Shaw waiting to load the tree and haul it away to the Q-Team wood-recycling yard. Courtesy photo