DEAR SUN SPOTS: You have helped me many times in the past, and I’m hoping you can again. Care Credit is a financial concern that helps people pay bills on a payment program. I have used it for both dental work and hearing aids.

I need new eyeglasses, but don’t know of any optometrists in the Oxford Hills area or L-A who might offer that plan. Can you help me? Or perhaps an optometrist will read this and put his/her name in your column.

I tried calling the company but could never get a “live” person. Thank you! — No Name via email

ANSWER: For readers who might not know, Care Credit is a credit card with terms designed to help people pay medical bills. The cards help doctors’ offices get repaid quickly for services while offering patients a way to finance procedures they might not be able to afford otherwise.

You can read more about these cards at foxbusiness.com (http://tinyurl.com/d2vhc8c).

Readers may have seen brochures for similar cards in their doctors’ offices. Not all the cards say Care Credit on them or are managed by Care Credit. Other financial organizations, such as Citibank, oversee similar cards.

Because of the name Care Credit, the cards sound like a nonprofit endeavor with altruistic motives, but Care Credit is a for-profit, revenue-generating organization.

Users of this credit should make sure they understand all the repayment terms before they sign up. Those who fail to follow the rules could find themselves paying an exorbitant interest rate.

As for finding doctors who accept Care Credit, go to carecredit.com. At the top-right of the page is a locator. Sun Spots entered Lewiston’s ZIP code and selected “vision” and got three responses:

* Family Eye Health & Contact Lens Center, 220 Sabattus St., Lewiston, 782-9501

* Derosa and Chamberland Eyecare, 633 Main St., Lewiston, 783-8243

* Optometric Associates, 168 East Ave., Lewiston, 784-3564

For Paris’ ZIP, she got:

* Riverside Eye Center, 193 Main St., Suite 8, Norway, 743-0027

Other doctors may write in as well.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Saturday, July 27, marks the celebration of the 33rd annual Rangeley Logging Festival & Parade. Festival organizers are now accepting applications for vendors for this highly anticipated and well-attended summer event in Rangeley.

Items for sale must be original work — no re-sale items, please. Makers of arts, crafts, homemade foods/preserves and woodworkers are encouraged to apply. This is a great opportunity for vendors since you virtually have a guaranteed audience as festival-goers come to the Logging Museum for the traditional bean-hole dinner, woodsmen’s competition and other entertainment throughout the day.

Spaces are 10 by 10 feet plus elbowroom for $25 per space. There are limited spaces available with electricity for $35, so please reserve early. Set up starts at 7:30 a.m. and hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no rain date for this event.

Deadline for entries is July 17. For more details and a vendor’s application,  contact us. Or a vendor’s application can be downloaded from the website at www.rlrlm.org.

It’s going to be a great day to be in Rangeley. Not only is the parade the biggest and best in Franklin County, but the festival will feature new and exciting entertainment. The day doesn’t end with the festival but keeps on rocking at the Rangeley Health and Wellness Pavilion with a concert featuring Greg Allman of the famed Allman Brothers Band.

So Rangeley will be a busy town on July 27, and it should be a great day for vendors. Hope to see you there! — Tom and Carol Sullivan, Fox Run Studios, 207-864-3640, foxrunstudios@gmail.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 emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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