Happy Vacation Week everybody! What a festive time to be in Bridgton, with the snowflake lights twinkling along Main Street, the shops and galleries decorated for the holidays, and friends from near and far here to celebrate the season. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and wish for all of us a healthy and prosperous 2014.
Warm hearts
I wrote in my last column about the desperate need for funds for the Bridgton Heating Collaborative, the local charity that supplies emergency heating fuel to low-income residents. This fund is a vital resource for many locals, a large number of who are older, on fixed incomes and unable to heat their homes. The fund dried up earlier than ever this year, and many of the recipients were facing a cold Christmas.
I am thrilled to report that several generous Secret Santas stepped up to lend a helping hand. One anonymous donor bought 10 space heaters from Hayes, and another made a sizeable cash donation and has promised a matching grant to any future donations.
This is yet another example of the kindness of our local angels. Bridgton is such a special town, and it is because people really care for one another and often don’t even need recognition. Please support the Heating Collaborative. Any donation you make in January will automatically be doubled, helping many desperate people during the coldest months. Between these two kind benefactors and the $1,200 donation from last month’s Bridgton Bar Crawl, the fund will hopefully be back in black soon.
Donations can be dropped off at the Community Center. For more information, call Carmen Lone at 647-3116 for more information. Thank you.
Hitting the slopes
Mother Nature gave us an early Christmas present this year, with almost 2 feet of snow these past few weeks. The fresh powder is piling up at Shawnee Peak, and most of the trails are open for vacation week.
The annual Winter Festival is Sunday, Dec. 29, and the mountain will be bedecked in its winter best. It is truly stunning to see the Torch Parade at sunset, as skiers descend the slopes bearing flaming lights, ushering in the season and celebrating the post-solstice return of the sun. There will be entertainment for the whole family, specials at the pub, and a spectacular fireworks show so bright that it can be viewed from mountaintops across the entire town. Check out www.shawneepeak.com for a list of all the special events on tap this winter, and I’ll see you on the slopes!
Feeding souls
Another example of the loving kindness of our neighbors is the Food Ministry led by the Lake Region Vineyard Church, a Bridgton house of worship that does some amazing community outreach.
The parishioners are holding a food distribution party on Sunday, Jan. 5, from 1-3 p.m. at the church, which is located by the ballfields on Lower Main. Prepared food will be available to eat there or take home, along with meals that have been frozen for later. The Food Ministry is free and open to everyone in need of homemade, high-quality food. For more information, call Dana Masters at 831-0737.
Garden dreams
Although the ground is covered with snow, the gardeners among us know that the promise of spring is never far. We sustain ourselves during the dark days of winter with seed catalogs and daydream about getting our hands in the soil, waiting for the thaw. Our patience will be greatly rewarded this year, as next summer is going to be a very special one for Bridgton growers.
The Gilroy Foundation, a local nonprofit that sponsors the raised organic beds at the Community Center, has announced an ambitious, game-changing gardening program in town. They have leased the derelict lot behind the Post Office on Park Street and are going to transform it into a thriving, healthy, organic garden.
Not only will they be providing fresh, healthy produce to local residents and food pantries, they are going to hire local high schoolers to do the work, teaching them valuable skills of biodynamic farming and fostering solid work ethics.
This Trust, led by Glen and Leslie Niemy, has done fabulous work with the BCC over the years, doubling the raised beds to 52 and making the Community Gardens an awesome gathering place in the summer. This new project is going to transform a longtime eyesore in a prime downtown location into a little Garden of Eden. I am so excited to be a part of this project, and invite you to get involved. You will love it, and we’ll start meeting soon to lay out the groundwork. Until then, I wish you all sunny garden dreams and a happy, happy New Year!
Santa’s helpers Lorraine Goldrup and Carmen Lone at the Bridgton Community Center, ready to welcome donations to the Heating Collaborative and offering thanks to people who made donations.Send questions/comments to the editors.
