Southporters are amazing people in many ways, one of which is they can endure tough weather. For example, in spite of temperatures in the low 40s and icy rain, cars continued to drive into the school parking lot after 11:30 a.m. last Sunday morning to participate in Southport Cleanup. Gerry Gamage was cooking hot dogs under a square canopy, where baked goods were for sale, and water bottles and salty snacks to accompany the dogs were for free. You could enjoy your lunch in or out of the rain, sign up for the area you were willing to canvas for trash, and set out to fill your large plastic bags with roadside trash. Fortunately
everyone was rewarded by the rain stopping about noon. Still chilly though.

The Southport Bridge osprey are amazing as well. In spite of the streamers and an orange cone erected to scare them away, they persisted. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Yale, the biologists from the DOT, and the cooperation of the bridge workers of Cianbro, the streamers and cone are gone, and the osprey are settled into the nest, looking ready to become parents once again.

Donna Climo will be out of the town office on Thursday, May 9 and Monday, May 13. No registrations or licenses will be available those two days, so Donna asks you to please plan accordingly.

The gardens on either side of the steps leading up to the main room in the Southport Town Hall have been revitalized by weeding, pruning, mulching and planting some daffodils donated by Linda Brewer. Thanks to all the volunteers, led by Claire Tomlin, who put in the labor to accomplish this task. Thursday, May 2, at 10 a.m., some of the members of the Southport Climate Action Team (SCAT) will attend the Gardeners’ meeting at the Southport Memorial Library and bring the group up to date on SCAT’s activities on Southport. All are welcome at these meetings.

Last Saturday at Gorham House the Helming family and friends gathered to honor Toni (Agnes) Helming whose family have been long time residents of Marrs Point. Toni died March 29 at the age of 99. Even last summer she paddled her kayak around in Cozy Harbor. We will have another chance to honor Toni at the Southport Yacht Club on July 13 from 1 until 3 p.m.

The bulletin for her service at Gorham house began with a poem by Henry Van Dyke, which employs watching a ship sail away as a metaphor for death. It ends with words, “There, she is gone,” while other eyes watching the ship shout, “Here she comes,” a tribute to Toni’s faith as well as to her many hours on the water. In his eulogy, her son, Tom, speaks of several sayings he remembers even now that his mother directed to her six children as they were growing up. One was “ If you stopped talking about it and actually started doing something, it would be done by now.” Toni must have employed this advise for herself when a week before she died she presented a grandchild with the signature nautical sweater she had completed for a great grandchlld due to arrive this August. Tom ends his remarks by saying, “She had a good run of it”. For me, she is an excellent example of how to live life, especially the last years.

Gerry Gamage continues to hang the banners around the island honoring our Southport veterans. So good to see the pictures and names of so many of our friends and neighbors who have served our country.

A reminder that May 3 is our next election day. Not as vigorous a day as will be coming in November, but still we have the opportunity from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. that day to cast our vote for Nell Tharpe, who is running again for the At Large seat as a Water District Trustee. Her election is not really in doubt, but to cast a vote for her is saying we appreciate the time she devotes to this job.

Mark your calendars for June 5, at the town hall, when the school children will entertain us with a spring concert beginning at 6 p.m.