Thumbs up to all of the community organizations making Halloween a fun and memorable event for local children and their families. From the Northern York County Family YMCA’s annual Fright Night and downtown trick-or-treating in Biddeford to local churches hosting Halloween parties, the holiday has been marked with many festive activities for all to enjoy.
Happy Halloween!
Thumbs up to all the organizers and participants of Canstruction ”“ an international sculpture competition ”“ that was held in Biddeford last weekend. The event involves teams of architects, engineers and designers building sculptures all from canned goods. Following the event, the canned goods will be donated the Friends of Community Action Food Pantry in Biddeford. The purpose of the event is to both raise awareness of Biddeford residents in need as well as to bring a unique arts event to the city, according to Tammy Ackerman, executive director of Engine, a nonprofit arts organization. The event also gives people involved the chance to create something fun while supporting a local food pantry very much in need.
Thumbs down to the Saco City Council for soliciting bids for the demolition of the old Central Fire Station. The action caused uproar among those who believe the building should be retained, and we’re not surprised. The old fire station consists of an office building and the fire garage, which was built in the 1930s. The former fire garage is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The fire station was vacated earlier this year when the fire department moved to a new building on North Street. While we understand the city’s need to consider options for this property, we think people feel they were not given the chance to weigh in before bids were sought, and now the process may move forward if the city gets the right price for the work. As the process continues, we hope the council will carefully consider its options and the public’s opinions before making any decisions.
Thumbs up to the Sanford High School students who prepared a local event for the national Food Day. Students in two freshmen seminar classes at Sanford High School, sliced apples, peeled and cooked squash, baked pumpkin bread and assembled pork sliders for the event last Monday on at McDougal Orchards. Students prepared wraps with spinach, local goat cheese, carrots and mozzarella to showcase healthy meals with locally grown and produced foods. Food Day is a nationwide, grassroots effort that encourages Americans to eat healthy, locally grown food, and we’re glad Sanford High School students are leading the way by setting the example of how to eat and purchase local products.
Thumbs down to Mayor Joanne Twomey for declining to attend a town hall event hosted by the Biddeford High School Student Council. In an email last week from Matthew Dubois, Biddeford High School student body president, he said the planned event would have to be canceled due to Mayor Twomey’s decision not to attend. While scheduling debates once a week would certainly be overkill, the mayoral candidates ”“ Twomey and State Rep. Alan Casavant ”“ have only met publicly once to discuss the issues, and the town hall event would have been an opportunity for the community’s young people and others to ask questions of the candidates and learn about their positions on leading the City of Biddeford. It’s unfortunate that this event will not take place, as voters will not have the chance to see these two candidates face off and Biddeford youth will be deprived of an opportunity to learn first-hand about local politics.
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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.
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