Well, summer seems to now be upon us. Telstar High School held their graduation ceremonies last Friday evening, the 5th. Congratulations to the Class of 2026...job well done!
The fifth grade class at Andover Elementary School had their graduation ceremony on June 8th. Best of luck to them all toward their middle school journey.
The Andover Elementary School also had its last student day today (6/9). A perfectly hot day for school to have an early dismissal. Please stay extra vigilant these next few months as the kids will be out and about enjoying their summer break. SAD #44 will be released early this Friday the 12th for their summer vacation. I hope that all my school staff friends savor these beautiful summer months and take time to recuperate!
There are 3 dates in July that AES will be offering some playdates with some fun activities: School may be over for the year but AES is still a family. Come join us for Play Dates this summer! We will be making crafts, gardening, playing in the sprinkler, and baking. All products will be for sale at the AES table at Olde Home Days. All funds raised will support the Homestead Project and the AES After School Program. We welcome all children ages 4 - 12 whether they come to our school or not. Come and be part of the fun! Please register at this link: [https://forms.gle/GMaVTV8BzVGeUrf48](https://forms.gle/GMaVTV8BzVGeUrf48) What a great way to spend a day or two, or three this summer, even for young visitors to our area.
The Lone Mountain Campground is ready for a busy summer season. A-frame cabins #3 and #4 are under construction. They will be ready for rental by Memorial Day of 2027. The campground is holding a T-shirt design contest for America’s 250th Birthday. Deadline is tomorrow June 12th...sorry for the late info! Please see the attached picture for all the details.
The second annual craft fair will be taking place on June 20th with over 20 vendors scheduled along with a food and beverage truck in attendance. Their gorgeous pool is now open and they once again will be offering public swims Monday-Thursday for $10 per person. Please contact the campground for any questions about these upcoming events: (207) 392-0019.
It seems that August is far away, however, the Andover Olde Home Days buttons are now available! You can pick yours up at Mills Market, Pete’s Hardware, and Aroma Joe’s in Bethel, with more locations coming soon. Buttons are just $1 each.
The AOHD committee is thrilled to announce this year’s grand prize, proudly donated by Clean Cut Painting. This is a truly exceptional gift: two professional painters for ten hours of labor each, plus up to $500 in materials covered. Whether you’ve been putting off a room refresh, or you have some trim that needs attention, or a bigger project in mind, this prize puts real skilled hands to work for you. All told, it’s a $2,500 value, and the committee is so very grateful for Clean Cut Painting’s generosity and support of our community. More prizes will be announced soon.
Raffles will be held at 1 PM and 2:30 PM on August 1st at the gazebo. If your number is called, you’ll need to present your winning button in person to claim your prize. These buttons usually get snapped up quite quickly so get yours soon.
I truly love attending the annual AOHD each year. Such a day of community, events, food and fun to take in. You always run into people that you don’t always get a chance to see. The committee works very hard for months to make this day amazing for everyone. Andover is a very special place and I just love that this is my hometown and that I get to reside here, the place where my heart has always called home.
The AOHD Amateur Photography Contest will be taking place again in 2026 thanks to Chad Bishop and crew. It will be held August 1st from 9 AM-1 PM downstairs at the Andover Town Hall. The six categories will be: portrait, landscape, black & white, flowers, birds/animals and the theme of this year’s AOHD, “A River Valley Playground.” There will be two age groups, adult and children, for each category. Limit of three entries per person per category. You cannot use the same photo for multiple categories. You must include your name, age group and category on each entry. Drop-off times are Wednesday, July 29th, 12-3 PM, Thursday, July 30th, 3-6 PM and Friday, July 31st, 10 AM-2 PM...this day is the deadline as judging will take place. No professionals please!
I guess I need to go through some of my Ireland pictures to see if any are worthy of entering. I always try to submit some of my photos each year. I love looking at all the pictures that are submitted; there are really some talented amateur photographers out there. Please take a look through your photographs as well and c’mon up and enter them! Thanks again to Chad for keeping this going. If you have any questions please reach out to him at chadjosephbishop@gmail.com
Keep an eye out for Andover’s own Kate’s Kones to open for the season very soon. Nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer day than a freshly scooped ice cream. Please check the Facebook page Kate’s Kones for updates. Ice cream for supper? Why not!
This Friday, June 12th, the Andover Summer Concert Series continues with the band “Drunk in Public.” It runs from 6-8 PM on the town common, rain or shine. All concerts are free with donations gladly accepted. I regretfully have other plans this weekend or I would be there in my lawn chair listening to the music. Big thanks to Pete Coolidge and his cohorts for bringing us another season of wonderful concerts.
The Andover Public Library, 46 Church Street, will be holding a few events this Saturday, June 13th. From 10 AM-1 PM will be the annual plant sale. There will be seedlings, flowers, perennials and house plants available. There will also be a tag sale taking place during those same hours. The final event of the day will be held from 2-4 PM, an Author Talk with local author Karen Swasey.
I decided to plant a “patio garden” this year. Just one Roma tomato plant and one pickling cucumber plant. They both are in plant pots on the back deck with tomato cages in place; hopefully this will deter my pets from letting their curiosity get the best of them.
My son Brandon gifted me two blueberry bushes for Mother’s Day this year. I’m hoping they will continue to grow and provide some delicious blueberries. I received a rhubarb plant from a neighbor last year and that is doing very well this year. Growing up we had two very large rhubarb patches at home. I remember my sister and I putting some sugar in a Dixie cup and each of us getting a piece of rhubarb to snack on. A dip in the sugar then a bite, a dip in the sugar and a bite and so on. Ahhh, the simple times of childhood. I hope you all have a very good week and as always, please send me any new or events.
