Dear Sun Spots: Seeing Korn Haus Keller being closed and now up for lease. Could you please help me find a way to redeem my gift certificate. They do not answer their telephone. – No Name, No Town.

Dear Sun Spots: When did Korn Haus Keller close? I never saw anything in the paper about them closing. We have a gift certificate we had planned to use in October but found it closed when we got there. Love your column. Thank you for a great service. – R.L, No Town.

Answer: Readers may have noted the Nov. 11 article by writer Dave Sargent on the restaurant’s recent closing after 30 years in business. Sun Spots is including some of the information contained in the article, especially since there have been several inquiries from readers attempting to have their gift certificates honored.

Owner Fern Comeau blamed the closure on competition from national chain restaurants and other newly opened establishments in the Twin Cities. He said eight new restaurants opened within about six months, and four more are coming. The impact was significant when his customers tried other eateries.

About 20 employees, full-time and part-time, were affected by the closing. Comeau believed all had found other employment, if that was their choice.

Comeau said he was looking into options for redemption of gift certificates. Information about the certificates will be forthcoming, and column readers might want to keep an eye out.

The Korn Haus Keller has been operated by members of the Comeau family since April of 1976, but the family’s association with the distinctive building at the corner of Lisbon and Westminster Streets goes back even further. Comeau’s parents, Ray and Murielle Comeau, purchased the property when it was Malenfant’s Dairy in the early 1950s. In 1963, they introduced an ice cream “smorgasbord” at the former dairy site. In its earliest stages, Kornhauskeller – all one word – was opened as a pub with pizza and live music. The name came from a pub in Switzerland, and it was chosen because the building had a Swiss chalet design. When people had trouble pronouncing it, it was decided to break the name into three syllables on the sign, he said.

Dear Sun Spots: I used to get a paper from a writers group in Portland. We lost the address and telephone number. Can you please find it for me? I think it was the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, but I’m not sure. Any help would be appreciated. – No Name, No Town.

Answer: You are correct. They can be reached at Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, 318 Glickman Family Library, University of Southern Maine, P.O. Box 9301, 314 Forest Ave., Portland, ME 04104 or via phone at 228-8263 or e-mail at info@mainewriters.org.

Dear Sun Spots: I have a box of remnants of new sewing materials and some trimmings to give away. I may be reached at 783-8609. – No Name, No Town.

Dear Sun Spots: Bakerstown Alternative Education would like to thank each and every person who so generously donated material to our program. We have enough now to begin our sewing classes. Thank you! – Bakerstown Alternative Education, Mechanic Falls.

Dear Sun Spots: Could you please find the Do Not Call telephone number? Thanks. – P.T., No Town.

Answer: There are two Do Not Call Lists you should place your name on. One is maintained by the Direct Marketing Association, the other by the U.S. government’s Federal Trade Commission. It may take up to six months to stop all the calls.

Write to Direct Marketing Association, Telephone Preference Center, at P.O. Box 1559, Carmel, NY 10512.

To register for the Federal Trade Commission Do Not Call List, register online at www.donotcall.gov or by phone toll free at 1-888-382-1222 from each of the telephone numbers you wish to register. Registration is free.

To remove yourself from mailing lists, send your name, address, telephone number, and your signature to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association (DMA), P.O. Box 0914, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Advice section under Opinion on the left-hand corner of your computer screen. In addition, you can e-mail your inquiries to sunspots@sunjournal.com.