DEAR SUN SPOTS: Of any of these autos, which are No. 1? Buick, Chevy, Dodge, Ford? — No Name, Bethel

ANSWER: As with yesterday’s question about the top five service organizations, this question has no easy answer. Car sales vary. One month a company can be tops only to drop the following.

That happened in the last month or so as Volkswagen revved up to take the No. 1 spot from Toyota. Sun Spots couldn’t find a list for the world’s top automotive manufacturers with that revision, but at the end of 2010 Wikipedia had the following ranking (note: Buick and Chevrolet are made by General Motors, while Dodges are made by Chrysler):

Toyota, General Motors, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, Honda, Peugeot Citroen, Suzuki, Renault, Fiat, Daimler (Mercedes), Chrysler, BMW and Mazda.

Keep in mind that this ranking is worldwide, and that developing countries are buying many more autos than they used to.

In the United States, truck sales are tops. According to wardsauto.com, for the 10 months ending in October 2011, here are the top-selling models for both cars and light trucks in the United States and how many they sold:

Ford F-Series Pickup, 468,899

Chevy Silverado, 333,092

Toyota Camry, 251,564

Nissan Altima, 222,392

Ford Escape, 206,896

Ford Fusion, 206,533

Honda Accord, 203,603

Toyota Corolla/Matrix, 203,135

Chevy Cruze, 201,819

Ram Pickup, 199,011

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am wondering if there are any agencies (Legion, churches, food bank, etc.) looking for volunteers on Thanksgiving Day. Please respond via email. Thank you. — Brenda via email

ANSWER: Sun Spots is sorry, but she cannot respond to queries privately. At any rate, in this case she couldn’t if she wanted to. She imagines that many of the groups you cite need volunteers, but they have not written to ask. At least not yet. Sun Spots is ready for the onslaught!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In response to the Nov. 7 query, here’s a source of inexpensive jester hats, some at $5: http://tinyurl.com/77nzxnz

Thanks for all the help you give people and the interesting columns. — Lew Alessio, lewalessio@hotmail.com

ANSWER: Sun Spots found those jester hats online as well, but they all appear to be for adults, and the reader was looking for a child’s. They might still work for an older child, though. Read on for another option.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In response to No Name (Nov. 7), I crochet jester hats. They sell for $20 each; if I put mittens with the hat, I charge $25 for the set. I do subscribe to the paper and enjoy it very much. — Terry, Lewiston, tgcloutier@cs.com , 689-4193

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Lewiston Elks Lodge is holding its second annual craft fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 3. We are looking for vendors who are interested in participating and would like to rent a table for $10 a table. If you are interested, please contact Amy Bowden at Aimisback@aol.com or contact the Lewiston Elks Lodge at 784-4801. — Karen Staples, stapleskm1@gmail.com

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Lisbon High School Athletic Booster Holiday Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the Lisbon High School Cafeteria. We still have table space available for additional crafter/vendors to join the fun. There will be a great raffle opportunity. Come support our local athletes by shopping for the holidays! — Kelly Austin, cmrnklly@yahoo.com

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). Please include your phone number. 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 e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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