With the Fourth of July approaching, and summer officially here, in spite of the weather, many Southport events are the calendar. Note that due to the Fourth of July, the paper requires all columns be submitted to the Register office by this Friday at 4 p.m. So please get any news to me well before then, kitleigh@roadrunner.com.

Following a busy commissioning week at the Southport Yacht Club, on Monday, June 26, the sailing program begins under the leadership of Shannon Killian. The Commodore’s Reception will end the week on Saturday, July 1 at 6:00 p.m. Various races and a Reggie Cruise will follow the next Saturday, July 8. Details of these events are available on the club website: southportyachtclub.org.

Up the hill from the yacht club, at the end of Marr’s point, life will liven up both with the Chase Brinegar family in residence, but also with the arrival for the month of Toni Helming. Toni is the matriarch of the Helming family, who has been a mainstay of the yacht club for many years. She will arrive Monday, July 3 and stay through the first week of August. During this time her niece and extended family from Buffalo will be visiting her, so the whole family will gather - all four children, several grandchildren and many great-grandchildren joining in the festivities. Two of her great-grandchildren will be participating in the sailing program while living very close by. We’re hoping the grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be able to join Toni in a kayaking paddle or two. Toni and friends will continue their summer lunch gatherings on Wednesdays either on the yacht club porch or the deck of the town dock at Cozy Harbor.

At the Southport Memorial Library on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. during July and August you can bring your children and grandchildren to story hour. The readers this summer are Joan Chatterton, Sigrid Kopf and Jen Phippen, all current or former elementary school teachers. Not only will the children hear stories, but also they can enjoy crafts and snacks, and fun with other kids. Call the library with questions at 207-633-2741.

The Southport Museum will open July 1, hosting an open house from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The Reverend Martin Smith returns to the summer chapel of All Saints by-the-Sea for the Sundays of July 2 and July 9 with bible study on the porch each Tuesday at 9 a.m. Sunday services are at 8 and 10 a.m. All are welcome. Look for more information about Reverend Smith elsewhere in this paper.

The Southport General Store will be holding an open mic on Thursday, July 6 at 7 p.m., and the Newagen Crew, Tim Handley, Skip Simmons, and … will be performing. If you like the music of the Kingston Trio, you will enjoy them.

Southport celebrates the Fourth of July by forming up at the library for the parade, organized by the Southport Island Association (SIA), who asks us to gather at 8:30 a.m. and be ready to set off at 9 a.m. for a short march through the Cape Newagen neighborhood. Feel free to decorate your car, truck, bicycle and/or pet to join the parade. The SIA will be handing out beads and flags. Light refreshments and coffee will be served at the SIA table This event is free and open to the public. The parade take place in misty rain or shine!

From Diane Smith and the Southport Yacht Club (SYC) comes this plea. “Help us get 100 boats on the Sheepscot.” Join the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Southport Yacht Club. On July 7 (rain date July 21), SYC is hoping to get 100 boats on the Sheepscot River from 3 to 4 p.m. And we really want you to participate. All boats (sail, motor, paddleboard, dinghy, kayak, or rowboat) are welcome. SYC is asking folks to congregate near Cedarbush nun “6” – outside of Cosy Harbor, keeping power boats separate from non-power boats. We are inviting the community to join us for this event. If you would like to participate in the festivities or have questions please contact Diane Smith 508-596-7147 or dets@roadrunner.com. We have lined up a ‘drone photographer’ so plan to ‘be part of that picture!’ Post event there will be cake at the SYC Clubhouse, but be advised that there is limited parking at SYC as well as limited docking space at the SYC docks and floats. We hope to be able to have aerial/drone photographs of the fleet. Look for further details as the date approaches. Boat decorations are encouraged!”

A reminder of island art opportunities at the The Barn across picnic space from the Island Store. First up is Triangle Shawl Knitting on July 7, which is fully subscribed. Next is Cyanotype Printing on July 22, and third is Pastel Knife Painting on Aug. 25. You can sign up for these classes on the store website; SouthportGeneralStore.com.

The Southport Memorial Library will host a community open house on Wednesday, July 12 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the library in its current location. The library will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. All are welcome to stop by, browse the collection, and learn about the history of the library. Coffee and donuts will be available in the morning, a picnic lunch with hamburgers and hot dogs will be served from noon until 1 p.m., and punch and cookies will be available in the afternoon. The library will offer a storytime at 10 a.m., and a library history talk at 2 p,m. The book sale room will be open all day. If you live in the area and don’t yet have a library card, this is a great day to stop by and sign up! The Library is located at 1032 Hendricks Hill Road at the southern tip of Southport Island. Call the library with questions at 207-633-2741.

On Thursday, July 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the library, award-winning author Matt Cost brings us back to Brooklyn in the Roaring ’20s and introduces us to Hungarian private eye, 8 Ballo, who is hired to find the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The search will lead him to cross paths with Dorothy Parker, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Bugsy Siegel, Babe Ruth, and many more as he tries to uncover why Velma went awry. Matt Cost is the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of the Mainely Mystery series. The first book, “Mainely Power,” was selected as the Maine Humanities Council Read ME Fiction Book of 2020. For the latest news, follow Matt Cost on Facebook, and on Instagram @mlangdoncost.

The Southport Methodist Women are presenting their 50th “Takeout Lobster Lunch and Craft Fair on July 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Southport Town Hall. You need to preorder your lobster lunch between July 1 and July 15 by calling Elaine at 1-360-301-6715 or Deb at 633-5144. Cost is $25. The Craft Fair will be also be at the town hall but be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also the Cookie Walk will offer you as many cookies as you can get into a coffee can for $5 or double for $10. If desired, you can preorder your cookies. Look for more information on this event elsewhere in the paper.

The weather cooperated last Wednesday, June 21 for the first of three outdoor family concerts organized by the Southport Island Association, and taking place on the lawn of the Newagen Inn, beginning at 6 p.m. Refreshments for children and adults were available from service areas on the lawn and from the inn, or you could bring your own picnic. Although 70’s rock music is not my favorite, being outdoors defused the sound enough that I could lie back in my lawn chair and enjoy the scene, especially the young children romping about on the grass, turning somersaults and cartwheels, and the older teenage children and some adults dancing.
The next concert will be “Piano Men” on Wednesday, July 19. Tickets and prices are available now at southportmusicfest.com. Bring your lawn chairs and/or blankets. Seating is limited so best book now! All ticket sale proceeds raised will go to support the Southport Island Association’s “A Helping Hands Fund.”

Last Saturday was a busy day for many on Southport. About 25 people watched and listened to author Julie O’Brien-Merrill speak and illustrate with slides her process in writing a children’s book about her father’s campaign for mayor of Boston using the song “Charlie on the MTA,” made popular by the Kingston Trio. Though the tune and the theme had existed before, this new version played on the idea that people now had to pay more for each trip on the subway. If you remember the song, you know Charlie gets on the MTA to visit family but he cannot get off because he only has ten cents in his pocket, and now he needs another nickel. Without
paying the extra amount Charlie had to “ride forever ‘neath the streets of Boston” with his wife going “down to the Scollay Square station every day at a quarter past two” to hand him a sandwich through the window. The words urge us to “Fight the fare increase, vote for Walter A. O’Brien! Get poor Charlie off the MTA!” Although O’Brien did not win the election, his name lives on as I still have a ‘Charlie Card,” which will get me on the Boston subway system. At the end of the talk we heard the song on a recording from the time of the campaign. Then as mentioned above, the Newagen Crew sang the song, joined by some in the audience, to end the presentation. The children’s book are available for purchase at the library. A good story and a fun time to be at the library.

On a more somber note a number of family, friends, and neighbors gathered on Saturday at 1 p.m. in All Saints by-the-Sea summer chapel to celebrate the life of Polly Gibson, who died Sept. 10 at age 96. Those who knew Polly remember her energy and her big smile. Two grandchildren and two children told stories of Polly’s weaving baskets, cooking delicious meals, and welcoming them into her home. I remember her playing tennis and bridge. The Reverend Virginia Sheay conducted the service.