Yesterday, Gov. John Baldacci turned 50.

Because it was a Sunday, members of the State House press corps weren’t there in person to ask him how it felt to be a half-century old, but the issue came up earlier in the week.

Reporter Mike Brown asked if he planned to join AARP since he’ll qualify.

Baldacci didn’t answer the question. He instead shifted to what great work the AARP does.

While the governor avoided reporters on his big day, he did have to face his siblings. A “small” surprise birthday party at the Blaine House was planned with the appropriate black balloons and gag gifts, said spokesman Lee Umphrey.

It’s tough to have a small gathering with the Baldacci family. The governor comes from a large family, he’s the third out of eight children. Any family gathering usually means 50 people. And in this case, his siblings weren’t going to let him forget about turning 50. That’s what his older brother Bob Baldacci vowed Friday.

“We’re working on that right now,” he said.

When Bob turned 50 two and a half years ago, and when Peter Baldacci turned 50 after that, “John was first in line to let us know then how old we were,” Bob said. “So we’re looking forward to the payback of reminding him he’s crossing the line. He’s a half a century old. We’re going to get him enrolled in the AARP and make sure he gets his senior citizen discounts.”

First son Jack sporting L-A shirt

During Baldacci’s State of the State speech last week, seated in the House chamber balcony was his wife, Karen, and their son, Jack.

Sitting one row behind were Lewiston-Auburn mayor/brothers Lionel Guay and Normand Guay.

To the mayors’ delight, young Jack was wearing a white shirt with the colorful Twin Cities’ logo: “L-A: It’s Happening Here!”

No one asked Jack to wear the shirt, the governor said the next day. “He likes that shirt. He grabbed it out of my closet.” The L-A mayors were impressed with Jack and his fashion choice. “They said he had good political acumen,” Baldacci said.

Anyone who saw Jack two years ago may not have recognized him. Now 13, he’s gone from a boy to a tall teen. In the last year, he’s grown 8 inches, so he’s now 5 feet 11 inches and taller than his father.

And Jack’s boyish haircut has given way to long curly locks. The governor got some laughs when he joked that Jack gets it from him. “If I let my hair go, it would get curly,” he said.

Soldiers get the loudest applause

During the 45-minute State of the State speech, legislators applauded some 31 times, more than once every two minutes. A lot of that was when the governor asked various people to accept appreciation from legislators. Several times, the applause was partisan. Some Republicans didn’t clap when Baldacci talked about health care and Dirigo Choice.

Lewiston native Maine Army National Guard Gen. Bill Libby got the loudest bipartisan applause when the governor asked him to pass on the legislators’ thanks to the Maine men and women serving overseas. Another group of guard soldiers was scheduled to leave Augusta yesterday for Iraq.

Baldacci wore an American flag pin and a yellow ribbon representing the soldiers. The pin was given to him by Rep. Ray Pineau, D-Jay, who was a combat soldier during Vietnam.

Quote of the week: “That’s why we’re all here … to make people’s lives better. It’s not about politics. It’s not about personal gain.” – Gov. John Baldacci

– Bonnie Washuk is the Sun Journal State House reporter