While I love all seasons, this time of year is definitely my favorite as it engages all my senses. I have been thoroughly enjoying the colorful foliage, smells of autumn, cooler air and especially the night sky filled with brilliant stars, Jupiter and the huge full moon. The Raymond area offers many special places like Rattlesnake Mountain, the Tenny River, Nubble Pond, Hackers Hill, and several hilltops that offer spectacular views. For those of you who live in these gorgeous areas, forgive me for intruding as I walk, pedal, paddle and even drive to my favorite lookouts. Sights like these are just so gorgeous and I cannot resist indulging. I hope you enjoy the beauty in this season as well.

A village Halloween

It’s that time of year again; soon the town’s most creative decorators will transform their homes into scary haunts. Halloween is upon us and kids will be making their way up and down the roads collecting their treats. The area in the village is the most popular haunting spot with houses decked out and children galore. Residents in the village receive up to 400 trick-or-treaters on Halloween which is quite the sight to see. Each year, the Raymond Village Library collects candy from patrons and then the Jordan Small Middle School Community Service group delivers it to the residents of the village to help them feed all their visitors. This reverse trick-or-treating concept is another example of the strong community we have here in Raymond. If you would like to contribute candy to the residents in the village, please drop it off at the library. Your treats will help make this night fun and memorable.

Raymond hosts ?fire training

On Columbus Day weekend, 25 students from all over the area attended the “Managing the Mayday Training” at Raymond Fire Rescue. The purpose of the two-day event, consisting of both classroom and practical time, was to practice and enhance the skills needed should a firefighter mayday situation occur. The class was hosted by Raymond Fire Rescue and instructed by retired Battalion Chief Steve Shellenburg of the DC Fire Rescue and Chief Ron Richards from Pennsylvania Task Force 1.

Camp Sunshine’s Pumpkinfest

Our neighboring Casco’s Camp Sunshine will once again host its popular Pumpkinfest, only this year it will be co-sponsored by L.L. Bean and held in Freeport. The fest will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, and I encourage you to spend the day carving pumpkins, enjoying live music, viewing pumpkin sculptures and the pumpkin tower and exploring the pumpkin house. This event is fun for the entire family and raises funds for this incredible organization.

Harvest supper

The Raymond Village UCC Church on Main Street is hosting a local farmers Harvest Supper complete with locally grown organic vegetables on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 4:30-6 p.m. The supper is being coordinated by Carl and Chris Plummer, owners of Echo Lodge Gardens. The Plummers have been instrumental in the community garden located adjacent to their garden and the library which was extremely successful this year. The menu will consist of roast chicken and gravy, organic roasted chicken, pumpkin and apple soup, dinner rolls, dessert and beverages. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children under 12. Come enjoy a delicious and healthy meal with your friends and neighbors.

PHK meeting

The next Parents Helping Kids meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Building with guest speakers Laurie Cavanaugh from the GEAR Parent Network and Nora Morse from NAMI Maine (National Association of Mental Illness). They will speak about Teen Screen which is an adolescent mental health screening developed by the NAMI program and opportunities to help our youth. ?GEAR Parent Network is a parent-to-parent network of information and support for parents of children with emotional and behavioral health needs. The Parents Helping Kids group’s purpose is to promote and empower teenagers to make smart choices through education, information and healthy activities. For more information about the group, contact Kathleen Tolman at ktolman7@maine.rr.com.

OCD stories

This week is OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Awareness Week and the adult anxiety support group that meets at Anxiety Solutions each month is hosting a viewing party of the International OCD Foundation’s presentation of “OCD Stories, An evening of reflection, humor, and education about OCD.” This viewing will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 6-10 p.m. at Anxiety Solutions on Webbs Mills Road. The program is free and is intended to give those who have a family member with OCD a chance to meet others, network, find help and learn that they are not alone. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by repetitive, anxiety-producing thoughts or doubts and repetitive attempts to make those doubts and distress go away. It is estimated that thousands of people in the Portland area are struggling with this disorder. For more information, contact Gordon Street at 655-2737.