Friday, Feb. 7, the Edgecomb Eddy School is kicking off a month of heart healthy education by participating in the National Wear Red Day, sponsored by the American Heart Association.

Anyone wishing to participate may wear red on this day and, if able, may donate to support the American Heart Association. Any amount is welcome but, as always, is not necessary! During this month, school nurse Mrs. Crocker will be providing cardiovascular education to students and staff. Any students and community members who wish to start the day off right by jumping rope are invited to join the fun in the gym from 7:35 to 8 a.m. each school morning between February 7 and March 7.

Remember, gym shoes are required, but jumping skills are not; they can always use adult rope swingers! Come once or come every day. Spread the word to family members and neighbors. This should be a great community event. The culminating activity will be a jumpathon (optional) on Friday, March 7. Call the school at 207-882-5515.

Pathway of Plaudits: Ronna Lugosch has been recognized by the Maine Tennis Association as the group’s 2013 Corporate Sponsor of the Year, for Peapod Jewelry's donations to support tennis programs and scholarships for young members of the Central Lincoln County YMCA. Draco Peaslee and Parker Elkins are among the members of Boy Scout Troop 238 who finished their Citizen in the Community merit badge, learning how the town of Southport operates.

Lydia Harris has received high honors from Lincoln Academy for the fall semester. Clint Chandler is on the fall semester dean's List of Saint Joseph's College of Maine in Standish, and Amanda Boucher is on the dean's list of Randolph College in Lynchberg, Va. Meanwhile, her mother, Deb, our tax collector, is recommending that the town acquire the State's Rapid Renewal online automobile registration service. Slowly, the 21st century seeps through the old meetinghouse timbers!

And while we dwell on town governmental doings, a big thank you to Marian Anderson for her years of CEO service to Edgecomb. The proposed Boothbay/Edgecomb joint position sounds like a workable plan. I don't know if I should include this item, because my spouse will most certainly snort contemptuously. Oh well, be brave, Joanna!

Jim Brown will be teaching a class on Monday, Feb. 10, at Spectrum Generations Coastal Community Center, Damariscotta, "How to Make the Other Clam Chowder: Manhattan."

Obviously, this item is for those of my readers who are tolerant of outlandish variations on a traditional comfort food, or who perhaps may come from Manhattan, or Rhode Island, where they put (ssh) tomatoes in their clam chowders! Put down your papers and call to register right away, 207-563-1363. There is a $15 participation fee which includes supplies and a bowl of the soup for your lunch.

Do you know where Namibia is? Or which country has the most tungsten? I'll bet Duncan Steele-Maley and Natalie Potter can tell you. They are Edgecomb Eddy School's sixth grader contenders at the Lincoln County Geography Bee Tuesday evening, February 11, at Great Salt Bay School, Damariscotta, starting at 4 p.m. Public welcome, so come cheer them on!

Call Tracey Hall, Boothbay Region Land Trust's environmental educator, about Trail Tuesday hikes at the different BRLT preserves. She's available at thall@bbrl.org or 207-633-4818. Valentine's Day is the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count, through February 17. Tally the number of individual bird species and the number of birds of those species and enter on the GBBC website: www.birdsource.org/gbbc. For more details, call naturalist Joe Gray at 207-563-3578. Last year they counted 192 snowy owls. Wonder how many we have around now?

By now Punxatawny Phil will have seen or not seen his shadow. Never mind. The first day of spring is always six weeks away, no matter what he sees. My "olde lore" last column, about the badger, St. Brigid and all, I could not remember where I'd read it, but now find that it was in an article about the musicians Castlebay. Forgive me, Fred and Julia! But here is another crumb of folklore, gleaned from an NPR program: "Half your wood and half your hay should remain on Candlemas Day."

Hoping you've all set aside enough of both to get you through this frostiest of winters, from 234 River Road, 207-633-2978 and jocam@tidewater.net.