Hello from Cundy’s Harbor! The summer season is fully underway as locals and visitors return to our little piece of heaven on Earth. Here at the library, we are checking books in and out, shelving and reshelving, and providing activities to accompany our story walks at Anna M. Tondreau Preserve, Cliff Trail, and Little Ponds Preserve.
The book at the Tondreau Preserve is “Giants in the Land,” written by Diana Appelbaum and illustrated by Michael McCurdy. In the activity, patrons will use scratchboard to make illustrations in the style of McCurdy. They also can answer questions about the book to receive an award.
Chris Van Dusen’s book “The Circus Ship” lines the accessible portion of the town’s Cliff Trail, with an activity to be announced. I hope people have a chance to see the installation of Van Dusen’s work at the Maine Maritime Museum as well. The book for Little Ponds has not yet been chosen.
As you save your Maine memories, be sure to register for our annual photo contest, which will culminate with a show on Aug. 2, during Cundy’s Harbor Days. Registration begins July 1. We have four categories: nature/landscapes, people, animals and harbor life. Entry sizes are 5 inches by 7 inches or 9-by-12. Photos must be mounted. For more information, call us at 207-725-1461 or visit our website at cundysharbor.me.
Other activities for July include our regularly scheduled third Thursday book group. At 6 p.m. on July 17, we will discuss “Pete and Alice in Maine,” by Maine author Caitlin Shetterly, over pizza and a beverage. This group is always lively. We welcome any and all to join. The discussion is certain to cover family and community dynamics and how Maine fared during and after the COVID-19 lockdown.
On Saturday, July 21, the library board will have its monthly meeting at 10:30 a.m., and at 1 p.m., the history group will meet to discuss local maps. David Perrier, our librarian, hosts the history group. As a child, I looked at National Geographic maps and road maps I could never refold. Do you remember those maps with the little figures on Machu Picchu or the agricultural legends of European countries? Here at the library, David has amassed a huge collection of these same maps. He even has the Machu Picchu one I remember so well. They are available for you to enjoy in our back reading area anytime we’re open.
Other services that are available in-house include our one-on-one help with troubleshooting technological devices and with genealogical research. Have you tried ancestry.com? We have the library edition, which includes databases from around the world. We will gladly help you research your questions. To date we have found when the Holbrook family came from Woolwich, solved a mystery about soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, and verified a connection with the Sinnetts and Orrs. Using our local maps, along with information from family searches, we have pinpointed locations for our patrons.
As we head out of July, we’ll land at Cundy’s Harbor Days. The first weekend of August will find the harbor blessing its fleet and enjoying races at Holbrook’s Wharf, where blindfolded rowers are directed in a dinghy race and brave souls run atop 30 lobster crates newly refurbished by Ann Flannery and the Harpswell Boatbuilders. After the races, head up to the library. Board members will be serving ice cream sundaes for their annual celebration of our harbor, and we’ll announce our photography awards.
“Library Connections” is a monthly column that rotates among the three libraries that serve Harpswell: Cundy’s Harbor, Orr’s Island, and Curtis Memorial.
