Whew!! That is the word of the week as last weekend Southport escaped hurricane force winds and all that comes with it. It was windy, many boats were hauled, outside items were put away, and there were on and off power outages, but it was nothing that couldn’t be handled by our hardy islanders. Let’s hope this fall the weather continues to be hurricane-free!

Southport School News: On Oct. 4 there will be an Open House at the school from 5:30-6:30 p.m. At 6 a fun scavenger hunt begins, with parents invited to partner with their children. Then dessert is served downstairs.

Dates to note are Oct. 4, no school due to Teacher Inservice; Oct. 9, no school as we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day and Oct. 19, (Grandmothers’ favorite day), LifeTouch Picture Day!

The K/1 students worked on their iPads and explored nature in the forest. The grade 3 and 4 kids worked with Mrs Higgins on keyboarding on their laptops. The 5/6 grade sudents practiced their photo journalism skills.

Southport Bridge Updates: The Southport bridge traffic was one-way this week because temporary poles are being set for the bridge replacement period. After Oct. 2, there will be no bridge tenders as the bridge will be closed until May, and at some point the bridge traffic will become one-way.

Southport Memorial Library: This Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., the library is hosting an Author’s Talk. Maine resident Anne Britting Oleson will be talking about her latest novel, “Aventurine of the Bailgate.” An English woman encounters several adventures as she attempts to overcome writer’s block while doing research for a book about Katherine Swynford.

Cindy and Jon Smith and Leslie and Henry Berne traveled to Swathmore, Pennsylvania last weekend to attend Betsey Van Gundy’s memorial service. Betsey, the wife of Greg Van Gundy, died on Aug. 4 after a long courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was a well loved Southport summer resident and long time Southport Yacht Club member and is sadly missed.

Southport Short-Term Rentals: On Oct. 16, 23 and 30, a series of public meetings will be held at the Southport Town Hall at 6 p.m. A citizen committee was formed this fall to bring the community together to discuss the issue of short-term rentals on the island (both owner present and owner absent). Over three consecutive Monday evenings in October, they would like to hear your thoughts on a variety of agenda items. The committee will act as scribes and report the residents’ thoughts back to the Town Selectmen in the form of a report. The Selectmen will then work with the Planning Board to see if the island’s land use ordinances need to be updated pertaining to this topic. For those who cannot attend in person, an online survey has been created to gather your thoughts on the issue. https://form.jotform.com/232644334029049

FYI: Property tax payments are due Sept. 30.