Capt. Ted Schmidt felt tears trickling down his cheeks as he waved at parade fans from the Save St. Andrews float and heard their heartfelt shouts of “Thank you!” as he waved his “Save St. Andrews” heart.

Schmidt is on the Board of the Boothbay Health and Wellness Foundation because he cares deeply about keeping the ER and hospital open that saved his life – twice.

We were all very touched to be greeted by so many heartfelt thank-you’s as Jane Good’s convertible and Pat Farrin’s truck and flatbed led this year’s parade, all decked out in red hearts.  Thanks to Skip Humphrey and to Pam Reed, who spearheaded our team of volunteers (many of us in our 70s, 80s and 90s!) and coordinated our efforts to decorate and populate the Save St. Andrews float.

Our theme was nostalgia and gratitude. You may have noticed our large portraits of Dr. George Gregory (who donated the hospital and grounds to the nonprofit’s board of Trustees), of his son, Dr. Phil Gregory, as well as Dr. Carl Griffin, another of our long-time beloved doctors.

I hope you saw that another “old-timer,” the much beloved Dr. John Andrews was on the float, sitting gamely in the rain, accompanied by his son, Jay. He told Jay that he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to show his support for St. Andrews because of a little rain.

Marie Snow, the longtime “Voice of St. Andrews,” the person who greeted everyone who came through the doors or called on the phone for so many years waved in a regal yet soggy fashion to the crowds lining the streets from the front seat of Jane’s convertible.

While we weren’t the prettiest float in the parade, nor the most ambitious, there was a lot of heartfelt emotion involved, gratitude from the people whose lives or whose loved ones’ lives were saved by St. Andrews ER, including Ted Schmidt, Patty Calhoun (whose dog Charlie was a big hit with the kids), and Frank Brower; pride in being included to honor St. Andrews Hospital on the part of Nancy Oliphant, and the recipient of many “Thank you, Dr. O’s,” as many of her patients called out to her.

There were also feelings of gratitude from the current St. Andrews employees who are valiantly trying to keep their spirits up as the hospital closes down around them. And deep sadness combined with outrage from our repeat seasonal visitors, like Dr. Judy Stone, whose husband had just spent half the night at St. Andrews’ ER.

Outrage as well emanated from families with deep roots here, like the three generations of Machons who joined in the parade, and St. Andrews Village resident and Foundation VP, Dan Jameson, whose kids and grandkids flock to Linekin Bay every summer. Fredi Luke spent her California winter stitching hearts into a handmade quilt to raffle off to support the Save St. Andrews’ efforts. Other long-time supporters joined our ranks, including Becky Tracquair and Ginny Roberts, Mary and Tammy Beck.

Sadness and outrage are still fueling the passion of all of these long-time residents, as well as the resolve those of us from away who have chosen the Boothbay peninsula as our home, like Sandra Rumery, Patty Seybold, and Tom Hagan, as we continue the fight to Save St. Andrews Hospital before October 1.

There were two themes for this year’s Windjammer Days’ Parade: Nostalgia and Nautical. The team from the Boothbay Health & Wellness Foundation chose nostalgia – although in retrospect we could have gone with “Don’t Give up the Ship!”