DEAR SUN SPOTS: Where can someone buy woodcarving chisels and tools? I will be teaching a beginner woodcarving class in January and I am looking for woodcarving tools for my students. I am willing to pay or will accept donations. Please email paulkmarie@gmail.com. Thank you. — Karen Paul, Bethel.

ANSWER: Woodcarving tools like chisels and knives are available at various craft stores and home supply stores. Home Depot has a Crown Bolt brand woodcarving set available online with delivery in-store. MDI Woodcarving Supply is based in Pittsfield, Maine. They are online but you can also request a catalog at mdiwoodcarvers.com. Another brand of carving tool is Flexcut. You can request a catalog from their website at www.flexcut.com. If anyone has woodcarving tools that they are able to sell or donate, please contact Karen.

DEAR READERS: Sun Spots has received several inquiries about birth announcements — how to submit them and when they appear — in the Sun Journal. So here is how it works:

Birth announcements are included in “Matters of record” (i.e. with court logs, divorces, etc). Matters of record pages generally appear in the newspaper if space permits. How often birth announcements appear depends on if or when enough are received from the local hospitals. The local hospitals have different timing and often a batch of birth announcements are submitted together.

A majority of the birth announcements are submitted directly from the hospital (as a matter of record, they can confirm the birth for publication). Usually, the new parents are asked while at the hospital if they would like an announcement to appear in the paper. That is where they fill out a form.

If the new parents did not fill out the form at the hospital and want to submit an announcement after the fact, they can mail in the announcement to the Sun Journal, attn: Births or email births@sunjournal.com. They should include contact information for any questions. The birth announcement should include the child’s name, a boy/girl to parent(s) and name of town, date of birth. Then, if you would like, include siblings, surviving grandparents (their town of residence) and surviving great-grandparents (their town of residence).

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Waterford Community Suppers are on the third Thursday of each month through May at the Wilkins Community House at 6 p.m. The Community House is located in Waterford Flat on Plummer Hill Road behind the village green next door to the church. We welcome folks from the community and surrounding towns who would like to share a supper and socialize. Please bring your favorite dish to share. Rolls, bread and beverages will be provided. If you have any questions, call 207-583-6677.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Women of St. Michael’s Church have successfully started their Mitten Project for this season. Joyce Baker, chairperson of St. Michael’s Church Outreach program, will collect mittens from the parishioners from now until the end of January. The mittens are then given to the High Street Congregational Church to be handed out at their food pantry. — The ECW of St. Michael’s Church, Auburn.

Use the QR code to go to Sun Spots online for additional information and links. 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 be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com, tweeted @SJ_SunSpots or posted on the Sun Spots Facebook page at facebook.com/SunJournalSunSpots. This column can also be read online at sunjournal.com/sunspots. We’ve joined Pinterest at pinterest.com/sj_sunspots.


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