News Notes

Dancers whoop it up at the Raise the Roof contra dance, held July 27 in the historic barn at McDougal Orchards.

Photo: McDougal Orchards

Compiled by Carolyn Cadigan

Reap the fruits of your labor and kick up your heels: To celebrate the Aug. 10 opening of its u-pick season for apples and peaches, McDougal Orchards is hosting an Orchard Party on Aug. 15 from 9 am to 6 pm at 201 Hanson Ridge Rd. in Springvale. Orchard tours, a trail walk, a wagon ride and other activities are scheduled. Following the day-long event, the second Raise the Roof contra dance will be held from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The dance will feature caller Hannah Chamberlain and music from the Better Late Than Never band. Food and beverages will be available from Stop Drop N’ Roll food truck and The Gin Tin mobile bar. In addition, anyone making canned food or financial donations benefiting the Sanford Backpack Program will be entered into a raffle for a gift basket. FMI and to see a schedule of activities, go here and click the Discussion tab.

SMAA’s Sanford hub to deliver better access to support and services: Construction is moving along at the new Springvale site of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA). Signage is in place, new floors have been installed, and furniture will be added to the space in the coming weeks as the organization anticipates a summer opening. Services at the new site will include an Adult Day Program geared toward older adults with dementia, nutrition services such as Meals on Wheels and Community Cafés, fall prevention classes, Medicare counseling, and access to resource specialists. SMAA also offers monthly Wellness Workshops for family caregivers. This month’s discussion on “Caregiving as a Family” focuses on the social aspects of wellness and ways for family members to work together better when someone in the family needs assistance. The workshop will be held via Zoom on Aug. 12 from noon to 1:30 pm. To register for this workshop and to see other upcoming program offerings, go here. FMI on SMAA, call 207-396-6500 or visit smaaa.org.

County taxes taking a hike: The City of Sanford’s $967,000 tax bill from York County government is up 9.6 percent from last year, according to the tax commitment approved by York County Commissioners last month. Commissioners say the increase is due to weaker than anticipated revenue from other sources and inflation. The state also increased valuations of most municipalities to keep up with market values. The county tax funds the county jail and sheriff’s department, district attorney’s office, registries of deeds and probate and more. The tax is assessed on towns and cities according to the overall value of property in each community. Sanford’s share is eighth among the county’s 29 municipalities. The county tax represents 2.44 percent of the property taxes paid by individual homeowners in Sanford, according to county figures. Tax payments are due Sept. 1, with interest charged after Oct 1.

This necklace, displaying a U.S. Navy ring and a heart pendant, was found at Holdsworth Park in early August. The City of Sanford wants to reunite it with its owner.

Photo: City of Sanford

Lost and found alert: A special necklace was found in early August at Holdsworth Park (known as The Rec) by the Sanford Parks and Recreation team. The necklace displays two items — a gold U.S. Navy ring, which has “Valor and Glory” engraved inside along with the first initial and last name, and a silver heart pendant inscribed with “A piece of my heart is in heaven.” If you are missing this item, contact Jordan Wilson, Communications Coordinator for the City of Sanford, at 207-608-4102.

What’s happening at the airport? The Summer 2024 edition of “As the Beacon Turns,” the airport manager’s report on current events, activities, projects, and general happenings at the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport, is available on the city’s website. Access the report here.

YCSP is seeking adult clothing items: York County Shelter Programs is in need of adult sweatpants and sweatshirts in all sizes for men and women. Items must be new. To donate these items, contact Sue Cass at suec@ycspi.org or 207-324-1137, ext. 101 to make arrangements. YCSP also welcomes financial donations on Venmo: YCSP-Donations.

You buy the bag, they get the buck: For the month of August, Goodall Library has been selected as the recipient of the Give Back Program at Shaw’s in The Center for Shopping. For every $3 reusable Give Back Bag purchased this month, the library receives a $1 donation.

Photo: Goodall Library

Library staff joined more than 100 attendees at An Evening with Monica Wood on July 31. Pictured (left to right) are Dawn Brown, assistant director, Springvale Library; Nicole Clark, assistant director, Goodall Library; Monica Wood, author; Lesley Unger-Mochrie, director, Springvale Library; Ann Thomas, director, Goodall Library; and Sam Clendaniel, circulation librarian, Springvale Library.

Hearing it straight from the source: Maine author Monica Wood was at the Nasson Community Center and Little Theatre on July 31 to discuss and read from her new novel, “How to Read a Book.” Goodall Library and Springvale Library co-hosted the event, which was made possible by a donation from the Nasson Alumni Association. More than 100 people attended the event.

Crafters, unite! York County Shelter Programs is looking for crafters to participate in the craft fair at its annual Apple Fest, to be held on its campus on Shaker Hill in Alfred. The festival will be held Sept. 21 from 10 am to 4 pm and Sept. 22 from 10 am to 3 pm. The fair is juried. If interested, contact Bonnie Leslie at bleslie@ycspi.org or 207–324-1137, ext. 109.

They got stuff, but not for much longer: Pip’s Second Hand Shop at 424 Alfred Rd. in Sanford will be closing at the end of September. Until then, merchandise is priced at 20 to 60 percent off during the shop’s Everything Must Go Sale. Shoppers are asked to bring their own reusable bags.

Can one ever have too many books? Springvale Library is still accepting donations of gently used books and jewelry for its Annual Book Sale and Fall Festival to be held Sept. 6 and 7 from 9 am to 2 pm. On Sept. 7, there will also be music, crafts and wee tattoos for kids, and jewelry. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up here.

Nasson dental renovations will help to decrease patient waitlist: The new dental suite at Nasson Health Care opened on Aug. 5 with four new dental operatories, new state-of-the-art equipment, a larger lab, and a renovated waiting room. The renovations, which took nearly a year to complete, will enable at least 80 new patients to be seen per week, dramatically increasing patient access to dental care and helping to work through the organization’s patient waitlist.