DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Liberty Festival is Lewiston-Auburn’s annual Fourth of July celebration. This year the festival has a great lineup of stage performances, food and merchandise vendors to keep visitors busy throughout the day and night.

Festival organizers have stage time available for local performances such as cheerleading, zumba or karate.

Volunteer positions are available for everything from set-up to take-down, including the information booth and parking lot attendants.

The festival still has booth and display space available for local vendors.

Additionally, the festival would like to host a flag-burning ceremony and is looking to make contact with a local group interested in organizing such an event.

Anyone interested in participating in the festival can email info@libertyfestival.org or call 212-8227. — Christina Noonan, chairwoman, Liberty Festival marketing

ANSWER: Sun Spots is sorry she didn’t get your letter in earlier. But perhaps this timing will reap some last-minute volunteers who don’t mind things a bit damp!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Oxford Hills Rotary Club is looking for good, clean, gently used items for its upcoming auction at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.

Acceptable items include wood furniture, collectibles of all kinds, tools, outdoor items, sports equipment, tools, antiques, jewelry, gift certificates and cash donations. Please, no major appliances, soiled or torn furniture, tires, computers, monitors or printers.

If you or your employees, associates, family and/or friends have donations you’d like to make, or need items picked up, please call Curtis Cole at 461-3380 or Chris Summers at 577-8476.

All proceeds help support the Oxford Hills Rotary Club projects, including dictionaries to all third-graders, May Day Play Day, Senior Cruise, scholarships, Project Graduation, holiday food baskets, local food pantries and students of the month, to name a few.

For more information, visit www.oxfordhillsrotary.org. — Patty via email

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The United Methodist Church of Auburn, 439 Park Ave., will be holding its summer vacation Bible school from 8:30 a.m. to noon the week of July 22 to 26.

We are seeking to borrow or rent a cotton candy, snow cone or popcorn-making machines. Please call the church office at 782-3972 for further information or to sign up your children for the week. —Donna Manson, mansondonna@aol.com

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Great knowledgeable one, I hope you can help me with my problem. Is there any way to slow down the ripening process of bananas? You bring them home almost totally green, and in a couple of days they are soft, all yellow and covered with black dots! Thank you for all you do. — R.M.D., Auburn

ANSWER: The title of “great knowledgeable one” is undoubtedly a stretch, especially considering recent “fireworks” in the column. Not to mention that Sun Spots has no sure cure for your browning bananas.

This is a problem that plagues many fruits. The topic of mushy peaches has also been a topic of letters.

Sun Spots find bananas particularly troublesome in the summer and rarely buys them, or only buys one or two at a time. You can refrigerate them once they reach the ripeness you desire. Online sources say the skin of refrigerated bananas will turn brown, but that the texture of the fruit will still be good.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am looking for a good used treadmill. You have been very helpful in the past. Thank you for all the good work you do. — Ellen, 645-2601, ehiscock1@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 emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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