DEAR SUN SPOTS: There will be a vaccination clinic for cats and dogs at the Excelsior Grange at 446 Harris Hill Road in Poland on Saturday, Jan. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon. The veterinarian will be Don McLean from Kind Animal Care in Norway. He will check your pets’ general health and offer many reasonably priced vaccines such as rabies, distemper, kennel cough, Lyme disease and leukemia. No appointment is necessary. For more information, call 998-2301. — Steven, no town

ANSWER: This makes me happy and I’m pleased that this tradition is still going on. It helps so many people and their pets and is such an act of kindness. 

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Are there any Reborn Doll Clubs in the Lewiston-Auburn area? I’ve checked Facebook but can’t find anything. — Susan, no town

ANSWER: I found Everything Reborn Baby, a group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/407805236689769). It’s a private online group that you can join, then you can inquire about groups with this interest near where you live. 

There is a Maine-based reborn artist (Sharmaine Hudson) who sells her creations online through Reborns.com (www.reborns.com). Her business is called Maine’s Touch of Love (www.reborns.com/MainesTouchOfLove?srsltid=AfmBOooeBz3VeUcEbFdaqFERJz24HaB0-ewDKyBzKNqOtA-4SKeBAM_H). 

 There is also The Doll Study Club of Boston (www.dollstudyclubofboston.org). While Boston-based, this club serves the New England area and members might connect from Maine.

UFDC Region 15, The United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) has a regional group that includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. They coordinate doll events in the region. You can find information about joining the national organization at ufdc.org .

Surely, one of these connections will be helpful to you. And of course, some Sun Spotters may know of someone involved in these collectables. Or perhaps if the need is there, you can start your own group. 

For those who don’t know (like me!), a reborn doll is a handmade art doll that resembles a human infant as realistically as possible. The process of creating a reborn doll is referred to as “reborning.” The doll artists are referred to as “reborners.” Reborn dolls are created from a blank kit or from a manufactured doll and are also called “lifelike dolls.” 

This hobby of creating reborn baby dolls began in the early 1990s when doll enthusiasts wanted more realistic dolls. Since then, an industry and community surrounding reborn dolls has emerged. The dolls are primarily purchased online but can be available at fairs. 

Reborning involves numerous steps with the most basic process involving adding multiple hand-painted layers of paint, and adding other physical features to a vinyl  doll. 

Consumers can also buy kits that include the doll parts and supplies for creating their own reborn. Making a doll from a kit allows artists to omit some steps in the fabrication process. Many supplies are needed for both external and internal modifications of reborns to make the doll seem more realistic. 

Some consumers of reborn dolls use them to cope with their grief over a lost child (a memory reborn), or as a portrait doll of a grown child. Others collect reborns as they would other dolls.

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 [email protected].