Saturday, August 8, will be a full day of activities in Bethel starting at 7 a.m. with a grand finale of Fireworks at 9 p.m.
The Mason Lodge on Chapman Street is serving a pancake breakfast that starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 10 a.m.
On Main Street the Methodist Church will be having their monthly Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Indoor yard sale and the grills will be out on the front lawn. Lunch will be $6.00 Hot dog, chips and drink. Hamburger, chips and drink for $7.00. Chili dogs, sausage sandwiches, and ice cream are also on the menu. Revenue from the Church sale will go into our building project funds.
Saturday, August 8, is also Molly Ockett Day! There will be a parade coming to Main Street at 10:30 a.m. Up on the Bethel Common starting at 10:30 a.m. you will find vendors and food trucks as well. Going back to tradition from past Molly Ockett Days will be kids’ activities from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dunk tank, face painting, bounce house, hula hoops, frog jumping contest, and 3-legged races are some of the activities taking place on the Common. The evening will hold live music on the Bethel Common with fireworks scheduled to be set off at 9 p.m.
The Bethel Library located on Broad Street will also be holding their annual book sale starting on Friday, August 7, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and also on Saturday, August 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 9th is a self-service day at the book sale: pay what you can for any of the books at the sale.
The Bethel Rotary Club will also be holding their yard sale under the tent near the Gem Theater. This sale takes place August 6, 7, 8, and 9 for folks to stop by and check out the items up for sale.
The upcoming weekend will be a busy one in our small town. I hope all the local businesses are ready for the abundance of people who will be in town.
Two events taking place the following week include Neighbors Feeding Neighbors on Tuesday, August 11, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Methodist Church. Free meal which is open to the public.
The second event is the monthly meeting of the Bethel Seniors Club on Wednesday, August 12, starting at 11 a.m. which will be held at the Square Restaurant in South Paris, ME.
Last weekend Bob and I attended Camp Mechuwana’s Middle/High School Music-theater Camp. The camp is located in Winthrop, Maine, and our great-niece Emilie Kelley was on stage. She has a terrific singing voice and had her first solo in Act 2. The production they put on was Godspell. The show is about a small group of people who help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. An eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, is employed as the story of Jesus’ life dances across the stage. Dissolving hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, Jesus’ messages of kindness, tolerance, and love came vibrantly to life! Music theater at Mechuwana has been a tradition for more than 55 years and the number of campers is growing. The show was very professionally done and amazing! These young students learned so much in only six days!
After the morning show we ventured over to Honey Run Campground located in Peru, Maine near Worthley Pond to attend the 85th Fontaine/Prevost Family Reunion. We are up to five generations and it was great seeing young children in attendance. My first cousins still consist of a good number today and it is always great to catch up on an annual basis. My father was so right when he would always tell me, “If you do not go to family reunions, you will never know your first cousins.” There were 40 first cousins so there were lots to meet over the years.
Mother Nature continues to provide in our vegetable gardens. This week I made zucchini relish. On Monday evening I prepared the cut vegetables and placed them in a big bowl.
It sets overnight and the next morning you cook it all up and store in jars. Homemade relish is the best and I enjoy the whole process of making it work. Those huge zucchinis serve a purpose and relishing it is just one way to find use for them.
Folks with news and events are always welcomed to send them to lhowe7273@gmail.com