Wellness

Way to Go, New Gloucester!

Sometimes you gotta’ talk about what’s going RIGHT in a town! There are plenty of things in New Gloucester to get citizens riled up – but there is a lot to be really proud of. What brought this to mind was two weekends with great events.

The first weekend was the double-shot of fun provided by the wine tasting at the Village Store, followed by the Coffee House created and hosted by Michael and Julie Fralich at the Congregational Church, a short walk away.

I really want to thank Judy and Sam Coggeshall for their generosity with the superb appetizers concocted in their downstairs kitchens to go with a roster of wines. It’s just the friendliest event where you get to see folks you may not run into elsewhere (in our centerless town) and learn about wines. I don’t know if it’s a money-maker for the store, but it’s a community-maker for our town!

Then the Coffee House – different kinds of music each month, all of it Maine-made, and all of it good. This time it was “A BIG night of blues” and I don’t think there was a person in the place who wasn’t seat-dancing or table-beating along with the fantastic sounds! What a gift it is to be able to groove on such good music, in the company of neighbors and friends, on a Saturday night in NG!

And this weekend there was the New Gloucester Library’s annual Cabin Fever Book and Bake Sale. This is, first, another place to schmooze, and of course, stock up on books. It is all volunteer-run, and they have got it down to a wonderful science – great organization of books under useful (and sometimes whimsical) categories, with helpful folk at every turn helping you find what you want, or give you another bag for books, and even help carrying them all to your car. One of the nicest things about this event is the range of volunteers: highschool kids to retirees, all pitching in. They truly have “customer service” nailed. And when you check out with your two brimming bags of 16 hardcover books and they ask for $8, it’s hard not to shout “Are you kidding me!?” and fork over a ten and keep the change.

THIS is the kind of home-grown fun we imagine when we think of the small town we want to live in. Thanks to the folks who invest their time and love in these events – you make a HUGE difference!