LATEST NEWS

Compiled By Jim Foster

MYSTERY PLAY

After returning from their luxury cruise on the Flower of the Sea, our friends from Tranquillity Falls were successful in naming the villain responsible for Hal-the-Hoodlum’s body being found wrapped around a buoy off Eastport Harbor. Who would have thought Uncle Teddy would have resorted to such violent behavior! On October 19 at the Methodist Church, a large audience enjoyed the antics of the ten familiar characters in “Tranquillity Falls at Sea” , followed by dessert of homemade pie with coffee or punch. Sponsored by the Friends, the event provided an evening of fun and earned $1021.50 for the Library Renovation Fund.

The generous donation of time and talent by many people made the evening possible. First of all, our enthusiastic actors: Lynda Quinn, Mary Stuart, Carla Burnham, Jan Powers, Veronica Wright, Norman Dickey, Iver Lofving, Rick Bonneau, Jim Wright, and Mickey Powers. Hats off to an outstanding cast!

We also thank the Centenary United Methodist Church for the use of their facilities, the Town Office for printing our programs and scripts, and the Dove Society for helping to sell tickets.

There were many others who deserve a great deal of appreciation. Linda Powell and Dottie Lacasse were in charge of soliciting and serving the wonderful homemade pies. Their kitchen crew included Thelma Butler, Sharon Meade, Neola Davis, Alice Leavitt, Bob and Carol Withee, and Walter Powell.

Dressed as sailors, Katrina Lyons and Toni Gammon handed out programs, changed the scenery, and collected “who done it” ballots during intermission. Maxine Russakoff was the hostess for the evening, Butch Asselin was the surprise Uncle Teddy, Kay and Alan Laney were in charge of the tickets at the door, Walter Powell controlled the lights, and lots of other willing helpers set up and took down chairs. Finally, we mustn’t forget the excellent cooks who contributed the pies. To all, our thanks for a job well done.

GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY LUNCHEON

Marcia Granville, Kathy Hughes, and Corrilla and Jim Hastings served a sandwich lunch at a recent meeting of the Maine Genealogical Society. A profit of $501.44, which has gone into the Library Renovation Fund, was earned at this event.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

On October 26 from 4 until 5 PM Friends entertained kids of all ages at a Halloween party in the Children’s room. Games, refreshments and crafts were provided by Kathy Hughes, Christine Smith and Corrilla Hastings. Over sixty children attended this event, and fun was had by all.

SEARCH COMMITTEE

A search is now underway for a Library Director. Chaired by Carol Jarvais, the search committee consists of Toni Jo Blaisdell, Kathy Hughes, Carol Cooley, Bill Laney and Rick Anzelc.

OPEN MEETINGS

Remember, all Library Trustee and Friends Executive Board meetings are open to the public. The Trustees meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 4 PM, and the Friends Executive Board is scheduled to meet on January 2, February 27 and April 24 at 7 PM. We welcome your presence at these meetings.

DECEMBER PLANS

Friends have recently planned events for the first two Saturdays in December. On December 1, in conjunction with the Holiday Stroll, children are invited to visit the Library for stories and crafts from 10 until 2. On the following Saturday, December 8, Friends will host a Holiday Open House from noon until 2 PM.

FASTER INTERNET ACCESS COMING!!!

The biggest complaint about our new computers has been that, with 4-6 machines on the Internet at all times, the connection has really slowed down. Good news is that the library has been approved for a 1.5 Mbps T-1 line, in place of the current 56 kbps connection -- almost thirty times faster. The new connection should be available in December or January.

FRIENDS’ WEB SITE ATTRACTING MORE VISITORS

Since moving in mid-August to a new address, www.bairnet.org/organizations/fosfpl, the Friends of Skowhegan Free Public Library web site has had an increased number of visitors. The number of “hits” recorded on our home page for August, September and October were 69, 64 and 72. The corresponding figures for last year were 32, 61 and 57. Our total “hits” since adding the hit counter in March of 2000 has been exactly1100, or an average of 55 per month.