Dear Sun Spots: The Stanton Bird Club is again sponsoring a Spring Birding Festival in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day on May 19 at the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary. Birding walks will begin as early as 7 a.m. and tent activities will begin by 8:30 a.m.

We hope that your readers can be of help to us in furnishing some of the following items needed to help make this event possible. We are seeking:

• Donations of precut/predrilled simple birdhouses for children to assemble at the event. There will be lots of opportunities for hands-on activities for children.

• Volunteers to guide the children during the building process. Last year this was the longest line for an activity! We also need volunteers to help relieve workers at the activity tables. Even volunteering for an hour would assist here. Volunteers will also be needed to help with setting up and taking down tables, tents and chairs.

• Children’s game prizes (simple/inexpensive items). We will also need children’s books with a nature theme and will be holding an hourly drawing from the names on the sign-in list. These prizes could be more significant, based on the birding festival theme such as decorated bird houses/feeders, field guide books, bags of bird seed, and outdoor party games.

• Donations of reams of paper for photocopying the fliers that will be distributed throughout the area. Monetary contributions from any businesses willing to sponsor this event, or portions of it, would be most welcome!

• Crafting supplies, such as glue sticks, construction paper, markers, tape, staples and the like for our craft activity table.

• About 50 bottles of donated water for our volunteers.

• Packages of marshmallows for roasting at the Anthony fireplace.

And lastly, anyone with access to a port-a-potty rental, we would love a donation for use during the event!

This event will also include various speakers who will talk on the history of Thorncrag and the effects of climate change on birds, and several guided birding walks. A free hot dog or omelet lunch will be held at the Anthony Fireplace.

This event is free to the public!

We hope you will help us to get children and parents outside with a free and fun, social, and educational event. Please phone 946-3581 if you can be of help with anything. – Mary Anne Courbron, Stanton Bird Club, Lewiston.

Dear Sun Spots: I read your column every day and enjoy it very much. One of the highlights of the day in a recent column was a woman in Buckfield who could not get her camera open. I had the same problem some time ago and was advised I needed a new battery in my camera. That did the trick. I’m hoping this tip will also assist this reader. She may let me know at 225-2892. Also a woman at the Central Maine Medical Center blood lab had a daughter with a cable stitch hat on April 2. I’d love the pattern. – Edwina, No Town.

Dear Sun Spots: You have helped me in the past, and I hope you can help me again.

I have a large collection of collectors’ plates that I would like to sell. They include Norman Rockwell’s Gone with the Wind and Nursery Rhymes as well as animals, birds and others. Is there anyone around the local area that would purchase them? Or, is there a Web site for a secondary market? I have the boxes and paperwork for each plate. I would also prefer to sell them as a series, as opposed to selling them individually. – No Name, No Town.

Answer: Might you have considered checking out eBay as a possible selling spot for your items? Many people seem to have success with this site and it’s always worth a try. Another option might be to contact the companies who manufactured your plates to see if they’re interested in purchasing them. In addition, you might also consider posting this on www.craigslist.org or alternatively, submitting an advertisement to any of your local papers.

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