My apologies to everyone for not having time to submit a column last week. Life just got in my way for a bit.
I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. So hard to believe that September is well underway. It seems like summer just started. We need to fill our oil tank before cold weather hits us; we have kept an eye on the prices all summer, but they don’t seem to have come down too much. We have been diligently working on our firewood as well as my dad’s and still have quite a bit more to put away.
On Wednesday, August 26th, I was able to attend the hydrangea wreath-making at the Andover Public Library. Thanks to Eileen Pew for putting this together and providing the vast totes of hydrangeas! We were seated outside in the shade; it was an absolutely perfect day for crafting outdoors. All the wreaths turned out beautiful. I loved how everyone put their own personal touches on them. Big thanks go out to Christine Swain for providing the yummy snacks and beverage for all of us. It was very much appreciated. All in all, it was a wonderful day. There was talk about possibly doing a Christmas wreath. I will certainly update here if that indeed does take place.
Here is a notice from the Andover Service Circle: Our September meeting is coming up! If you’re looking for a way to give back to our community, consider joining us. You don’t have to commit right away; come to a meeting see what we’re all about. This will be held at the CEB at the Andover Congregational Church tonight, Thursday the 10th, at 6:30 pm.
The Pineland Ski and Outing Club will be holding a meeting (the second of two) tonight, the 10th, also. It will be held at the Andover Town Hall at 6:00 pm. The club is seeking input on the types of activities and events they should be offering for the local community. If you have ideas for how they should be using the club’s property in South Andover, the club would love to hear about that too. Are you an Andover resident or visitor? Do you enjoy non-motorized outdoor recreation? If you answered yes to both of these questions, they would love to hear from you!
Here are some notices from the Andover Town Office:
Fall Clean-up dates. The Andover Transfer Station will be accepting bulky items during normal business hours. A few things to be sure of: Your Andover Transfer Station sticker is visible at time of drop-off. During this time, they will be accepting couches, soft furniture, mattresses, etc. Payment options for bulky items include at the Station (exact cash or check) or pre-pay for items at the Andover Town Office. Transfer Station hours are M, T, Th – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wed from Noon – 5 p.m.
Please take note that on September 15 and 16 (next Tuesday and Wednesday) the Town Office will be closed for Election Trainings.
I was so very sorry to hear of the passing of Wally Ritz, who was the correspondent for East Bethel. Condolences go out to her family and friends and also sincere condolences go out to Linda Howe and family on the passing of their son Jonathan. I was fortunate to meet Wally once in Andover when she was there with her good friend Deb Brown. And I also got to know Linda Howe when I worked for the Bethel Citizen; she was a frequent visitor and a much welcome ray of sunshine.
Dirk MacKnight sends out this message: Thank you to the following volunteers who helped me with the topcoating and lining of the pickleball courts! Without your help this would have never happened. Christina Belinski, Pam Berry, Donnie Brann, Bill Bray, Bruce Bryant, Mary Cloutier, Rachel DeTillis, Ed Dobson, Ron Dube, Tim Learned Jr., Brian Mills, Claire Sessions, KJ Swan, Per Tripp, Nancy Wahlstrom, and Carl Wahlstrom.
On Friday, September 4th, I attended the last of the Andover Summer Concert Series. The Acoustipalians entertained the end of summer series crowd. It was a superb evening full of music and laughter. It was certainly apparent how much the time has changed; as the concert wrapped up it was already dark out. The “ber” months are upon us, September, October, November and December.
On September 5th, as my belated trip around the sun present (September 2nd), my two friends Amy and Tracy and I journeyed to New Hampshire to see George Thorogood and ZZ Top. We had such a fun road trip with stops along the way for shopping and lunch. The highlight of the trip was finding out, much to our surprise, that George Thorogood was staying in our hotel! We found out when our elevator, which was heading to the lobby, stopped on the fourth floor and as the doors opened, there he was! His security guard, seeing that the elevator was full (and I may have yelled out his name in surprise) smartly stated they would catch the next one. It was a fun-filled overnight with two great friends. Memories of a lifetime.
I hope all my faithful readers are doing well. Please send any news or events my way. diananadeau@ymail.com