College Graduate

In May, Molly Keane Dryer completed an intense four-year training program and graduated from The Boston Conservatory magna cum laude with a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater. Next, she will be performing in “Kiss Me Kate” at Reagle Music Theater in Waltham, Mass. After that, it’s off to the Big Apple to begin her new and exciting adventure! Molly would like to thank everyone at Center Stage for supporting her and helping her to get to where she is today.

Yard Sale

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the annual Rvcc Outdoor Yard Sale/Indoor Flea Market at the church in Raymond Center, Saturday, June 27, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., rain or shine. As always, the event is tailor-made for bargain hunters, seekers of the unique and unusual, kids of all ages, lovers of charbroiled burgers, hot dogs, and homemade pie, and anyone looking for something interesting to do on a beautiful June day.

This year’s incarnation of the annual yard sale/flea market includes a parking lot full of new and used furniture, books, clothes, household goods, knick-knacks, pictures, kids’ toys, music, working appliances and electronics, power tools, old photographic equipment, dishes, etc. “Star” and “Hugs” the clowns will be wandering through the crowd to entertain the kids. More than a dozen local merchants will be offering everything from jewelry to chocolates to jams and jellies (committed vendors include Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Avon, Tupperware, Blue Star Soap, Jamberry Nails, Charms and Chocolates, Younique, and others). In addition, there will be a plant sale, a silent auction, a pie sale, and “Andy’s Grill” featuring charbroiled burgers and dogs.

The church is offering table space for a nominal fee to anyone interested in selling merchandise. “This event grows larger every year, and our vendors report doing very well. We will have more vendors than ever this year, but are always looking to expand”, say Rolf and Brenda Olsen, event coordinators.

The Church is asking for donations of any kind of saleable merchandise for the yard sale. Pick-ups can be arranged anywhere in the Lakes Region.

For information about reserving table space, contact Lois at 860-550-1207. For other information or to arrange a merchandise pickup, contact Rolf or Brenda Olsen at 655-4670.

In addition, the church is encouraging Raymond Center neighbors on Main Street, Mill Street, Gay Avenue, Meadow Road and Chapel Street to hold their own yard sales that day or to let friends host yard sales on their property. “The more people who hold yard sales, the more traffic we can all attract, which helps everybody,” the Olsens said.

Community Forest Project

Loon Echo Land Trust has committed to purchasing 350 acres in North Raymond from seller Hancock Land Co. by the end of 2015. Nine Raymond residents enthusiastically joined a campaign to help spread the word and have raised over $55,000. Donors have expressed support for this project as it will protect Crescent Lake’s water quality as well as Panther Pond and Sebago Lake.

Fundraising efforts continue as well as the recreational planning, including a trail up to Pismire Mountain. To make a gift to this project, please visit www.lelt.org and click on the Raymond Forest link.

Volunteers Still Needed

Planning for the first annual Everybody Loves Raymond, ME and 4th of July Celebration is under way. The day will include a medal of honor ceremony, a parade and community festivities at various locations in Raymond. Volunteers are still needed to make this a successful event. Contact Carrie Colby at 232-5497 or Danielle Loring at 655-4742, ext. 133. You can also visit http://www.raymondmaine.org/ for more information or for volunteer or donor forms.

Raymond Garden Tour

The day is Saturday, June 27; the time is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the place is the Raymond Village Library; and the occasion is the second Raymond Garden Tour. This is a self-guided tour that can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace and includes nine lovely gardens and a Raymond historic landmark. Tickets are available at the Raymond Village Library and the Raymond Village Florist on Route 302 and also online at raymondvillagelibrary.org. Price for advance purchase is $15 and $20 the day of the tour. All proceeds benefit the Raymond Village Library. There will be an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets on a stunning original painting generously donated by well-known local artist Donna Kantor, which is on display at the Raymond Village Library.

Following the tour at 3:30 p.m., you are invited to visit the historic Hawthorne House for the Annual Strawberry Festival, featuring delicious homemade strawberry shortcake and a gardening talk by Executive Director Donna Anderson and Kristin Perry, director of horticulture at McLaughlin Garden in South Paris. Donation of $10 per adults and $5 per child (8 and under). Please make your reservations before June 20, by email to jmanoush@fairpoint.net. Advance reservations are appreciated, but all walk-ins are welcome.

All proceeds of the Strawberry Festival go to preserve and maintain this historic home, so intimately connected with Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Summer Reading Program at RVL

“Every Hero has a Story” is the theme of this year’s summer reading program. To kick off the Raymond Village Library Summer Reading Program, Jungle Jim of Boston will be presenting his “Super Hero Training” library program!

Jungle Jim invites the audience to see if they have what it takes to be a hero. This program captures their attention by turning children into superheroes themselves. The show progresses to talk about the heroes in our daily lives. What is it about them that makes them heroes? Who are the heroes in the children’s lives? He uses balloons, magic and humor to captivate the audience. This will all take place at the Raymond Village Library on Sunday, June 28, beginning at 1 p.m. All are invited to come and enjoy this fun and interesting presentation. For more information call the library at 655-4283.

Focus Groups Held

Raymond has held its first-ever focus group meetings to gather information and hopefully move towards developing an economic development strategy. Planning Decisions assisted the town of Raymond in hosting two business focus group meetings earlier this week.

These focus groups are meant to build on a recent study conducted by the Economic Development Task Force, which found that more than half of the businesses surveyed are expecting to grow in the coming years, and more than 90 percent of those businesses intend to stay in Raymond. At the same time, there is a need to attract more businesses to Raymond, foster economic development, and diversify the local tax base, the study found.

Molly Keane Dryer

College Graduate

In May, Molly Keane Dryer completed an intense four-year training program and graduated from The Boston Conservatory magna cum laude with a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater. Next, she will be performing in “Kiss Me Kate” at Reagle Music Theater in Waltham, Mass. After that, it’s off to the Big Apple to begin her new and exciting adventure! Molly would like to thank everyone at Center Stage for supporting her and helping her to get to where she is today.

Yard Sale

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the annual Rvcc Outdoor Yard Sale/Indoor Flea Market at the church in Raymond Center, Saturday, June 27, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., rain or shine. As always, the event is tailor-made for bargain hunters, seekers of the unique and unusual, kids of all ages, lovers of charbroiled burgers, hot dogs, and homemade pie, and anyone looking for something interesting to do on a beautiful June day.

This year’s incarnation of the annual yard sale/flea market includes a parking lot full of new and used furniture, books, clothes, household goods, knick-knacks, pictures, kids’ toys, music, working appliances and electronics, power tools, old photographic equipment, dishes, etc. “Star” and “Hugs” the clowns will be wandering through the crowd to entertain the kids. More than a dozen local merchants will be offering everything from jewelry to chocolates to jams and jellies (committed vendors include Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Avon, Tupperware, Blue Star Soap, Jamberry Nails, Charms and Chocolates, Younique, and others). In addition, there will be a plant sale, a silent auction, a pie sale, and “Andy’s Grill” featuring charbroiled burgers and dogs.

The church is offering table space for a nominal fee to anyone interested in selling merchandise. “This event grows larger every year, and our vendors report doing very well. We will have more vendors than ever this year, but are always looking to expand”, say Rolf and Brenda Olsen, event coordinators.

The Church is asking for donations of any kind of saleable merchandise for the yard sale. Pick-ups can be arranged anywhere in the Lakes Region.

For information about reserving table space, contact Lois at 860-550-1207. For other information or to arrange a merchandise pickup, contact Rolf or Brenda Olsen at 655-4670.

In addition, the church is encouraging Raymond Center neighbors on Main Street, Mill Street, Gay Avenue, Meadow Road and Chapel Street to hold their own yard sales that day or to let friends host yard sales on their property. “The more people who hold yard sales, the more traffic we can all attract, which helps everybody,” the Olsens said.

Community Forest Project

Loon Echo Land Trust has committed to purchasing 350 acres in North Raymond from seller Hancock Land Co. by the end of 2015. Nine Raymond residents enthusiastically joined a campaign to help spread the word and have raised over $55,000. Donors have expressed support for this project as it will protect Crescent Lake’s water quality as well as Panther Pond and Sebago Lake.

Fundraising efforts continue as well as the recreational planning, including a trail up to Pismire Mountain. To make a gift to this project, please visit www.lelt.org and click on the Raymond Forest link.

Volunteers Still Needed

Planning for the first annual Everybody Loves Raymond, ME and 4th of July Celebration is under way. The day will include a medal of honor ceremony, a parade and community festivities at various locations in Raymond. Volunteers are still needed to make this a successful event. Contact Carrie Colby at 232-5497 or Danielle Loring at 655-4742, ext. 133. You can also visit http://www.raymondmaine.org/ for more information or for volunteer or donor forms.

Raymond Garden Tour

The day is Saturday, June 27; the time is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the place is the Raymond Village Library; and the occasion is the second Raymond Garden Tour. This is a self-guided tour that can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace and includes nine lovely gardens and a Raymond historic landmark. Tickets are available at the Raymond Village Library and the Raymond Village Florist on Route 302 and also online at raymondvillagelibrary.org. Price for advance purchase is $15 and $20 the day of the tour. All proceeds benefit the Raymond Village Library. There will be an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets on a stunning original painting generously donated by well-known local artist Donna Kantor, which is on display at the Raymond Village Library.

Following the tour at 3:30 p.m., you are invited to visit the historic Hawthorne House for the Annual Strawberry Festival, featuring delicious homemade strawberry shortcake and a gardening talk by Executive Director Donna Anderson and Kristin Perry, director of horticulture at McLaughlin Garden in South Paris. Donation of $10 per adults and $5 per child (8 and under). Please make your reservations before June 20, by email to jmanoush@fairpoint.net. Advance reservations are appreciated, but all walk-ins are welcome.

All proceeds of the Strawberry Festival go to preserve and maintain this historic home, so intimately connected with Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Summer Reading Program at RVL

“Every Hero has a Story” is the theme of this year’s summer reading program. To kick off the Raymond Village Library Summer Reading Program, Jungle Jim of Boston will be presenting his “Super Hero Training” library program!

Jungle Jim invites the audience to see if they have what it takes to be a hero. This program captures their attention by turning children into superheroes themselves. The show progresses to talk about the heroes in our daily lives. What is it about them that makes them heroes? Who are the heroes in the children’s lives? He uses balloons, magic and humor to captivate the audience. This will all take place at the Raymond Village Library on Sunday, June 28, beginning at 1 p.m. All are invited to come and enjoy this fun and interesting presentation. For more information call the library at 655-4283.

Focus Groups Held

Raymond has held its first-ever focus group meetings to gather information and hopefully move towards developing an economic development strategy. Planning Decisions assisted the town of Raymond in hosting two business focus group meetings earlier this week.

These focus groups are meant to build on a recent study conducted by the Economic Development Task Force, which found that more than half of the businesses surveyed are expecting to grow in the coming years, and more than 90 percent of those businesses intend to stay in Raymond. At the same time, there is a need to attract more businesses to Raymond, foster economic development, and diversify the local tax base, the study found.

Molly Keane Dryer