ANSWER: In 2003 voters passed a statewide referendum to allow the track to install slot machines, but local voters in both Scarborough, and later Saco and Westbrook (where Scarborough Downs had proposed alternate sites) rejected the proposal, according to track officials. Then, in 2011, an effort to create a racino near Scarborough Downs failed in […]
Sun Spots
Reader claims to have Stephen King manuscript, wants his address
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Artios Books at 180 Turner Street in Auburn, has come across a manuscript that has been reported as missing by Stephen King. The manuscript is titled “cannibal’s” and looks like it was sent to a publisher to be corrected; the manuscript is all intact. If you could be so kind as to […]
Buckfield in search of marching band for its Labor Day parade
Vendors are also welcome to sign up for the field day activities after the parade. For more information, contact Community Day Committee members Gloria Hall at 207-336-2385 or Eileen Hotham at 207-336-2336. Thank you. DEAR SUN SPOTS: I hate using chemicals on my lawn because my kids and pets play on it. What alternatives can […]
Reader looking for English pugs
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have an idea for a children’s game. It can be played in the car or at home. I have no idea how to get this to a game company. You have been so helpful with so many issues over the years and I would certainly be grateful if any of your […]
Cancer nonprofit looking for rhubarb and berries for Pie Fair
DEAR SUN SPOTS: For the reader who broke her “Our Home” Thomas Kinkade plate, this site helped me get a plate: http://www.replacements.com/webquote/CO_KNOMISPHWH.htm/. You can register for email so you can know when the plate you are looking for is available. — J.B-D. via online submission form. DEAR SUN SPOTS: When is the Franco American Festival […]
Faerie Festival; carpenter needed; organic strawberries; Red Hat ladies
ANSWER: A Faerie Fair will be held from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in a field at 12 Kennedy Avenue in Auburn. Kennedy Ave. is located off Western Ave. near Sacred Heart Church. There will be fairy-themed craft projects for children and parents. Proceeds will benefit New Beginnings Outreach. The fair is weather dependent. […]
How to find out the status of legislative bills
ANSWER: If you know the L.D. number (Legislative Document which is a legislative measure in its official printed form), then you can access all sorts of information using this search engine on the State of Maine Legislature website: http://legislature.maine.gov/. If you don’t know the L.D. number, you can still do a search using text from […]
Heartbroken over broken plate
It was a series of three plates plus a wall hanging rack. Just recently I broke the first plate inscribed “In Our Home,” and I am heart broken. This is where I am hoping for a miracle — that someone among your readers has this same collection, in good condition, and is willing to sell […]
Yard sale and flea market donations, mandolin music, Barbara Bush
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I love the sound of the mandolin. Are there any upcoming concerts in central Maine that include the mandolin? Thank you. — Loves Music, No Town. ANSWER: In addition to checking the Encore section of the Sun Journal and its calendar, Sun Spots read that Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village will present “Engaging […]
Train tale tells of disappearance in Greene, Maine
ANSWER: Berkley Hobart, unofficial Greene historian, is the source of this story. He was interviewed for a Sun Journal story in 1997 at which time Jody Goodwin wrote: “One of Hobart’s favorite stories concerns a train that disappeared in Mine Meadows, south of what is now Sullivan Road. It seems that a train with several […]