DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Rev. Louis J. Fortier Council 106 will host a Scrapbook Crafting benefit for Coats for Kids from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul basement on Bartlett Street in Lewiston. All proceeds go to buy coats for kids in need in the community. 

The cost is $35 per person. There will be snacks, coffee and water. Please bring your own lunch. There will be two free make-and-take projects and a thank you gift for attending.

Please mail checks to KOFC No. 106, P.O. Box 1622, Lewiston, ME 04241. For more information, call Leo at 577-7424 or Corrine at 207-784-5307.

The next event will be Saturday, April 2, at a location to be determined. — Leo, no town

ANSWER: This sounds like a fun winter activity. If you have never been to a scrapbook crafting event, now is the time to try it out!

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Sun Journal published an article Sunday, Dec. 26, regarding a Windsor firefighter who needs a bone marrow transplant. I know the American Red Cross takes blood donations so I figured there must be organizations that register folks to become bone marrow donors.

I searched the internet for organizations in Maine and found sites in our state and across the country. However, I would want to know the legitimacy of these sites before I put my personal information online. Some of the companies and organizations charge a fee to register on their site, and each registry has specific health criteria and list medical conditions that might prevent a person from becoming a donor.

My purpose in writing to you is to publicize this information which would give the public an awareness of the great need for bone marrow donors and how to become one. — Mary, Auburn

ANSWER: Thank you for adding this information to consider for those who want to donate bone marrow. It’s a big decision and the more information available, the better.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am looking for a VHS player. Would anyone have one they no longer use? I am willing to pay for it. — No name, no town

ANSWER: This is a frequent Sun Spots request! VHS and combination VHS/DVD players can still be purchased from Walmart and Amazon. eBay also has preowned refurbished machines. I saw used Sony models in the $30 to $60 range on eBay, but the machines available at Walmart and Amazon are also refurbished and expensive. They probably have some kind of warranty though. Choose carefully.

You may want to consider converting your VHS tapes to DVDs. There are converter kits available for this or you can send your VHS tapes away to be converted. Photo Finish at the Auburn Mall can also help you with this task. Contact them at 783-3354. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you have VHS feature movies to convert, you may want to replace them with DVDs or see what streaming services offer them — just a thought.

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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