’Tis the Season

Luckily for us, the season of proms, Step Up days and Songo River Queen cruises, Fun Town USA (Naples Recreation offers discounted passes available at the Naples Town Office starting in June) is upon us! We are still in Maine, though, as I was reminded this week when one day hit 84 degrees and the next day I was wearing my winter jacket walking the dog as temperatures hovered in the 50s. The only good part about that day was the colder temperature keeping the darn black flies at bay. Just when you’re able to head outdoors to enjoy the warmer air, the bugs attack. So not fair.

Dea Dea’s Bus Trip

Enjoy this fine weather with a stress-free bus trip to Acadia National Park on Saturday, June 20. The bus picks up first at Larrabee Road in Westbrook at 6:15 a.m. then heads to the American Legion in Naples at 7 a.m. The bus’s first stop will be Newport for a coffee break, then on to Bar Harbor, where you will be able to explore on your own for two hours. You can stay there if you’d like or hop back on the bus and to the park loop at Acadia. That includes Cadillac Mountain and Thunder Hole, where you can enjoy the majestic views. The bus will head back at 4 p.m. to return home. The cost is $44 per person. Contact Dea Dea Robbins at 693-3408 for more information or to book your seat.

Swim Instructors Needed

Love children, working outside during the summer and providing a very important service to children? Teaching young children how to swim and be safe around the water is so important. Like seeing smiles on children? This is it. The town of Naples is accepting job applications and resumes for part-time, seasonal swim instructors for the Recreation Department’s swim lessons at the Naples Town Beach.

Naples Recreation Update

Naples Kidventure Summer Camp is holding registrations at the Naples Town Office with Harvey Price, recreation director. There are many options as to when your child can attend: the whole summer; weekly; Monday, Wednesday and Friday; or Tuesday and Thursdays. Each week the camp spends two and half days at camp and the other days taking trips, which the kids thoroughly enjoy. American Red Cross swimming lessons for kids ages 3 and up will also be offered this summer, with registrations beginning May 30. Check out the Town of Naples website, contact Harvey at 595-0602 or email him at recreation@townofnaples.org for more information. All registrations are done online and can be found on the town of Naples Facebook page or at the town’s website, www.townofnaples.org.

Spring Shenanigans!

As I was writing this, two worrisome stories developed. First was Monday’s “lock in” ordered by SAD 61 Superintendent Alan Smith, as a result of a threatening Facebook post earlier in the day. Students were allowed to move freely from class to class, but they had to stay in the building. It seems effortless to cause a frenzy over social media channels, and that should be a red flag to parents to think twice before letting your child open a Facebook account. I am not automatically blaming our youth on this one, however likely that scenario may seem, but because of the things happening on Facebook and things that people can do, I feel it’s best that children aren’t exposed to it all.

The second story involves Madison Heights, a lovely community where many friends live, located on Route 35 in Naples. Overnight, the community was ruthlessly vandalized. According to resident Molly Breton, the neighborhood was destroyed. “Street signs were completely removed, and thrown into yards, cars were broken into, fences destroyed, mailboxes removed, patio furniture destroyed, and so much more…”

If anyone hears or knows anything as to who was responsible, please tell local authorities on both matters. Obviously this is unacceptable. We are such a small community. I am hoping no one in our local area would choose to do these things to their neighbors.

Playground Safety

Robert Fogg, of Q-Team Tree Service, sent me this email and I think this is important to consider. Earlier this week, crews were on Lake House Road, trimming back trees, and cutting off the dead limbs to protect power lines. Keeping kids safe is obviously a top priority for every parent. Now that the long, cold winter is finally over, kids may be itching to get outdoors and use up some of that pent-up energy.

Parents, in their enthusiasm for this to happen, might not stop to think about possible hidden danger lurking in the play area. Danger in the way of dead or rotten trees and/or limbs. Unfortunately, when a limb falls, it usually falls heavy-end first. Even a small dead limb, plummeting toward earth from a height of 30 or 40 feet, can injure a child (or worse).

Winter is a great time to trim your trees but it can be hard to tell the dead from the live so summertime pruning is recommended in this case. Please let this be a reminder to you to take a look around any area where your kids (or grandkids) might play, be it at home, at school or at day-care. If you see anything questionable at all, insist that the property owner talks to a competent arborist about safety. When it comes to kids, you can never be too safe.

’Tis the Season

Luckily for us, the season of proms, Step Up days and Songo River Queen cruises, Fun Town USA (Naples Recreation offers discounted passes available at the Naples Town Office starting in June) is upon us! We are still in Maine, though, as I was reminded this week when one day hit 84 degrees and the next day I was wearing my winter jacket walking the dog as temperatures hovered in the 50s. The only good part about that day was the colder temperature keeping the darn black flies at bay. Just when you’re able to head outdoors to enjoy the warmer air, the bugs attack. So not fair.

Dea Dea’s Bus Trip

Enjoy this fine weather with a stress-free bus trip to Acadia National Park on Saturday, June 20. The bus picks up first at Larrabee Road in Westbrook at 6:15 a.m. then heads to the American Legion in Naples at 7 a.m. The bus’s first stop will be Newport for a coffee break, then on to Bar Harbor, where you will be able to explore on your own for two hours. You can stay there if you’d like or hop back on the bus and to the park loop at Acadia. That includes Cadillac Mountain and Thunder Hole, where you can enjoy the majestic views. The bus will head back at 4 p.m. to return home. The cost is $44 per person. Contact Dea Dea Robbins at 693-3408 for more information or to book your seat.

Swim Instructors Needed

Love children, working outside during the summer and providing a very important service to children? Teaching young children how to swim and be safe around the water is so important. Like seeing smiles on children? This is it. The town of Naples is accepting job applications and resumes for part-time, seasonal swim instructors for the Recreation Department’s swim lessons at the Naples Town Beach.

Naples Recreation Update

Naples Kidventure Summer Camp is holding registrations at the Naples Town Office with Harvey Price, recreation director. There are many options as to when your child can attend: the whole summer; weekly; Monday, Wednesday and Friday; or Tuesday and Thursdays. Each week the camp spends two and half days at camp and the other days taking trips, which the kids thoroughly enjoy. American Red Cross swimming lessons for kids ages 3 and up will also be offered this summer, with registrations beginning May 30. Check out the Town of Naples website, contact Harvey at 595-0602 or email him at recreation@townofnaples.org for more information. All registrations are done online and can be found on the town of Naples Facebook page or at the town’s website, www.townofnaples.org.

Spring Shenanigans!

As I was writing this, two worrisome stories developed. First was Monday’s “lock in” ordered by SAD 61 Superintendent Alan Smith, as a result of a threatening Facebook post earlier in the day. Students were allowed to move freely from class to class, but they had to stay in the building. It seems effortless to cause a frenzy over social media channels, and that should be a red flag to parents to think twice before letting your child open a Facebook account. I am not automatically blaming our youth on this one, however likely that scenario may seem, but because of the things happening on Facebook and things that people can do, I feel it’s best that children aren’t exposed to it all.

The second story involves Madison Heights, a lovely community where many friends live, located on Route 35 in Naples. Overnight, the community was ruthlessly vandalized. According to resident Molly Breton, the neighborhood was destroyed. “Street signs were completely removed, and thrown into yards, cars were broken into, fences destroyed, mailboxes removed, patio furniture destroyed, and so much more…”

If anyone hears or knows anything as to who was responsible, please tell local authorities on both matters. Obviously this is unacceptable. We are such a small community. I am hoping no one in our local area would choose to do these things to their neighbors.

Playground Safety

Robert Fogg, of Q-Team Tree Service, sent me this email and I think this is important to consider. Earlier this week, crews were on Lake House Road, trimming back trees, and cutting off the dead limbs to protect power lines. Keeping kids safe is obviously a top priority for every parent. Now that the long, cold winter is finally over, kids may be itching to get outdoors and use up some of that pent-up energy.

Parents, in their enthusiasm for this to happen, might not stop to think about possible hidden danger lurking in the play area. Danger in the way of dead or rotten trees and/or limbs. Unfortunately, when a limb falls, it usually falls heavy-end first. Even a small dead limb, plummeting toward earth from a height of 30 or 40 feet, can injure a child (or worse).

Winter is a great time to trim your trees but it can be hard to tell the dead from the live so summertime pruning is recommended in this case. Please let this be a reminder to you to take a look around any area where your kids (or grandkids) might play, be it at home, at school or at day-care. If you see anything questionable at all, insist that the property owner talks to a competent arborist about safety. When it comes to kids, you can never be too safe.

A stop sign lays flat on the ground as a result of midnight vandalism in the Madison Heights development on Route 35 in Naples.Photo courtesy of Molly BretonLily Charpentier, and Andrew Legere, both juniors at Lake Region High School, pose before they head to the Lake Region High School Prom, help at Camp Takajo May 2.Photo courtesy of Andrea Dacko