This is an appeal for help. Around Lewiston-Auburn, intermingled with the everyday roadside political signs, are sign-sized rectangles of tartan hanging between two wooden posts. They’re made to imitate the political signs.

But we haven’t the slightest idea what they’re made to say.

We’ve researched the geneological history of the presidential candidates, to evalute any potential link between distant Scottish forebears and the tartan patterns around L-A. We abandoned this hope after realizing the tartans are subtly different, from sign to sign. So it’s not that.

They’re not the official state of Maine tartan (of which, we were surprised to discover, there are two). And the usual political suspects around these parts are just as stumped. So we need some help with this one.

Somebody is painting the Twin Cities plaid for some reason. Does anyone know why?

E-mail [email protected] or call 689-2885 if you know.