Tea party in Union

I would like to personally thank the Tea party for their attending and their diligent overseeing of the selectmen meetings. I also would like to thank them for attending the town meeting for their support of the town businesses. They helped to prevent the changes in articles 7 and 8, which would or could have hurt some of the businesses in the future. Many people were not aware of these changes to come and so it is my recommendation that the town give a prior meeting before the town meeting where residents may go over the articles so that they may understand before the town meeting. I just want to thank the Tea party because they are out there watching what is going on for all the townspeople.

I also would like to comment about the no Tea party signs that were put up in Union. I would like to know if they are looking into who ordered the signs and who placed them and are they going to do something about it? How many of the town employees were involved? I feel these signs in this little town was uncalled for. The Tea party like any other party should get respect and not scrutinized when all that they have done in the past was to make the people aware of what was happening in Union.

If it had not been for the Tea party one of the selectman may have lost his re-election, but because of their support he was able to keep his seat.

A well-known lady in Union said that she feels that the Tea party is the conscience of Union.

I hope the select board follows up on this matter.

Thank you Union Tea party.

Kathryn J. Holcomb
Union

No words BIG enough!

There aren't any words big enough to express the gratitude to our communities for the support you have given us, Oceanside High School class of 2012.

Even in these difficult economic times you generously supported Project Graduation in a joint effort to keep our graduation celebration a safe and substance-free activity.

Through your many contributions, you made it possible for us to go whitewater rafting as a class and to attend an all-night event, filled with food, activities, dancing, prizes and most importantly friends on graduation night. So many in the communities of Rockland, Thomaston, Owls Head, South Thomaston, St. George and Cushing made donations of goods, services and money and if we began listing businesses and individuals we are afraid we may mistakenly leave someone off our list. Project Graduation is a huge undertaking for the community and it would be easier and cheaper to throw in the towel and say this is a "cut" that we must make, but once again our community continues to show its support and commitment to our youth by making this a priority. We ask that you please accept our sincere thanks and know that you have made a difference in our lives!

With gratitude, Oceanside High School class of 2012

A 'toast' to local cafe

My wife, two friends and I kayaked around Camden Harbor June 21 and went by Wayfarer Marine. There were some really interesting boats and we wanted to walk around and get a look at them. We saw a large wooden yacht, the Nordwind, which we were told will be soon heading off to navigate the Northwest Passage. It was built in 1939 and has quite a bit of fascinating history behind it.

Across from where the boat was docked, there was a cafe operated by the marina, called TOAST. Stephanie, the cafe manager, was welcoming and made us all feel right at home. My wife and I had ice coffees and split both a savory toast and a sweet toast...they were both unique and excellently prepared. We sat out on the deck, munching away while watching boat traffic and a mast being put on a yacht, all the while enjoying such an unusual and superb brunch. Everyone we ran into at the marina was friendly and made us feel comfortable poking around the marina. I would recommend checking out the boats and the cafe (open from 7 to 11 a.m.) next time you are exploring Camden Harbor.

Michael Shershow
Belfast

CedarWorks display area

For years, as many of your readers know, CedarWorks has welcomed families from near and far to enjoy our playset display area on Route 1 in Rockport. Our display area, fields, pond and woods have always existed first and foremost to service our customers and our employees, but we have also been happy to make them available to others as a community service. Unfortunately, circumstances have changed and we will soon install signs throughout our property indicating that use is limited to customers and employees only.

An important factor driving this change is our liability insurance, which provides coverage for use of our facility and grounds for business purposes but not for use by the general public. This has become an issue in recent years as our property has seen a dramatic increase in use by the public including significant exploration beyond the playset display area. In addition to the liability exposure, the increased usage has been problematic in terms of wear and tear on our equipment and parking availability for our customers and employees.

Far more distressing, however, has been the increasingly disrespectful use of our facilities. This includes littering, soiling bathrooms, ignoring signage, blocking our loading dock, and minimally supervising play. Of course, only a small percent of visitors are responsible for these problems, but the negative impact now overwhelms our enjoyment of hearing and watching children play and interferes with the activities of operating our business.

I am personally very sad to see the end of a tradition here at CedarWorks. I am also saddened by the litigious nature of our society that directly drives our insurance expenses and indirectly limits our freedoms. And, finally, I am saddened that the selfish and disrespectful behavior of the few can deny a healthy, happy benefit to so many.

I hope that you understand the reasons for our change in policy. Please rest assured that CedarWorks will continue in other ways to make positive contributions to our community.

Barrett Brown
Owner and president, CedarWorks

Edith Wharton 150th anniversary celebration

Take the 9:30 a.m. boat out of Rockland bound for North Haven on July 10. Walk off the boat, have a coffee, come into Waterman's Center at the ferry landing. There will be a panel of four. Judith Daniels, Susan Minot, Jeannette Sanger, Deborah Weisgall. Wharton's celebration will include discussion about her novels; however, the talk will also include Edith Wharton during World War I, her extraordinary service, her energy, her reasons for remaining an ex-pat. It's a part of Wharton's life that not many people know about. A rebuttal to Jonathan Franzen's nasty New Yorker piece on Wharton … a great way to talk about her achievements. Then the necessity for women to invent their own lives as well as their art — the plight of brilliant women in the 19th century. The talk should last about an hour with questions afterward. The ferry leaves at 12:30 p.m. or there is a small restaurant, two galleries, a gift shop to browse in before the 3:45 p.m. ferry. Donations accepted.

Margaret Watson
Lincolnville