Back on March 15, Maine celebrated its 200th birthday, albeit more quietly than originally anticipated. The state’s celebratory events in Augusta were postponed as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Since then, we’ve all been hunkered down in our homes, connecting via Zoom and writing letters to one another to stay in touch. Not exactly how we hoped to be commemorating our state’s bicentennial.

B.J. and Roy Hudson were busy last week making sure that the flags were flying on the phone poles in time for Memorial Day. Thanks to Roy’s donation of several more flags, we are hopeful, at some point, to have them flying the whole length of town.

Palermo Preserve consists of more than 75 acres with 5,400 feet of frontage on the Sheepscot River. There are two separate trail systems on the property, which is owned by Midcoast Conservancy.

Our Sargent crabapple, just outside our kitchen window, has finally burst into a glorious cloud of pink and white. The bees are ecstatic and so am I. Spring has finally arrived! It may be a couple of weeks late this year and suddenly feels like it is trending into summer, but the warmth is most welcome.

Coastal Resources of Maine, the state’s newest solid waste recovery facility in Hampden, opened its doors in April 2019. The facility receives most of its trash and recyclables comingled in the same loads. According to Coastal Resources Director of Community Services, Shelby Wright, the facility has dubbed this process “one bin, all in.” It means that for most of the facility’s 115 municipal customers, the familiar way of recycling has changed.

Don’t forget the household hazardous waste day on Thursday, May 28 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. We will only have one household hazardous waste day this year, so make sure you remember the date. You will be required to pay $6 per gallon for disposal. Smaller volumes will be prorated.

Folks, I’m facing a serious challenge here. Our man J.W. here at LCN has come up with some new rules, only 500 words per scribblin’. Now, as some of you may know, I have never had a lack of something to say, so this is serious stuff to say the least!

My prayers join everyone else’s for the suffering and grief of the multiple thousands affected by this dreadful pandemic. Our thoughts and sympathy are now part of our lives, but sometimes we need a bit of the lighter side. I hope some of my observations on RV travel may help with that.

New construction and improvements are well underway in our beautiful town of Damariscotta. A new drainage system is underway on Bristol Road and granite curbing is being installed for our new sidewalks, which will greatly improve the safety of people who walk along Bristol Road. There has been a real need for the last 15 years for a good sidewalk on Bristol Road.

This column marks the beginning of a new contribution to The Lincoln County News – keeping the community informed about the work of a grassroots collaborative known as the Public Safety and Accessibility Collaborative. As co-chairs of the collaborative, we will write a monthly column during the weeks and months to come. There is much to share!

My name is Haley Jalbert. I grew up in Walpole, Maine, spending many days going to South Bristol to swim and fish with my parents and grandparents on the island. Throughout my teenage years, I traveled a lot. In my senior year of high school, I moved to Abu Dhabi because my father was working for a Germany company that built luxury yachts out of old, decommissioned battleships. Living in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East was a significant change for me. During the eight months I was there, I made many friends from all over the world.

Greetings all! I hope everyone is doing well and taking care of yourselves and your neighbors. I hope your Easter celebrations brought you joy. It is hard being apart from our loved ones, but hopefully we will all be together again soon. Being healthy is the most important thing.