There are many ways to “give” this time of year. Whether it be of a monetary nature or of ourselves, if it is done with a good heart, giving is a blessing. Such is the case of three young ladies who gave of themselves in a very special and meaningful way. Courtney Jimmo, Danni Rae Carter and MacKenzie Carter all cut their long hair recently and donated a combined 39 inches to the Locks of Love Foundation. All of the girls were thrilled to be giving their hair to others in need and they certainly look sweet with their new hairstyles.

    Locks of Love is a public, non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who are suffering with long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. For more information about the Locks of Love Foundation, please visit www.locksoflove.org.
Playground Fund Grows
   The Ashland Area Community Playground Fund grew a bit this past week thanks to a donation from Roxanne Tardie. Roxanne, who is the director of the Little Miss Ashland Pageant, chose to contribute the proceeds from this past summer’s pageant to help with the fund-raising efforts for the proposed playground. The generous gift, in the amount of $358, is very much appreciated. A projected completion date for the Ashland Area Community Playground has been set for early summer 2008. Fund-raising efforts for the playground are ongoing. If you would like to contribute in any manner, please contact Andrea White at 435-6363, Lendell Tarr at 435-4381 or Julie Graham-Berry at 435-7137.
Order of the Eastern Star
   Tillikum Chapter 99 of Ashland held its last meeting of the year Tuesday, Dec. 11. As is customary, the club had an ornament auction and a gift swap following the meeting, as well as refreshments provided by Sister Rhoda Thombs and Sister Rachel Stevens. Highlights of the evening included Sister Cheryl O’Clair receiving the Bud Morris Recruitment Jewel pin. The Worthy Grand Patron Brent Jones was on hand to present Cheryl with her pin. Mr. Jones also was the recipient of a basket filled with “goodies” from Aroostook County that chapter members had compiled for him.
   Sister Sheila Buckingham reported that the pumpkin pie sale that the chapter had for Thanksgiving was a great success. A profit of a little more than $200 was made that will be used for the maintenance of the Masonic Hall. Many thanks to all who baked, as well as those who bought the holiday pies.
   Finally, many chapter members took part in a project set forth by the Worthy Grand Matron Rebecca Bibber called “Love Bags.” This project involved constructing an 18-inch by 18-inch cloth bag with a drawstring closure and filling it with items suitable for small children, adolescents or adult women. The purpose of the project was to provide necessities to women and children currently residing in shelters throughout the state. As of Tuesday’s meeting, Tillikum Chapter members had put together upwards of 30 “Love Bags” to be donated.
   After a short winter recess, Tillikum Chapter will resume its regular meetings Tuesday, March 11, 2008.
Choir Performance Rescheduled
   The combined Ashland Union Congregational and West Chapman church choirs had to reschedule their Christmas Concert, which was supposed to take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, due to inclement weather. The performance will be put on at the Ashland Congregational Church Sunday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. All are invited to come and listen to the musical compilation entitled, “Wonderful Name.” Hope you can make it – weather permitting!
Ongoing Events
   The Ashland Area Senior Citizens group meets every Thursday at noon at the Ashland Rec. Center. Any senior citizens wishing to participate in the potluck lunches and meetings are always welcome.
   The Portage Lake Seniors’ Lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11 a.m. at the Town Hall. All seniors are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share or give a cash donation. For more information, contact Wilza Robertson at 435-6211 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
   The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet the second Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time, too! For more information, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
   If you can help plan for Portage Lake’s Centennial Celebration, please contact Barb Pitcairn at 435-2368 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
   Ladies, are you interested in crafts or have some that you’ve started and just can’t seem to finish? If so, take yourself over to the Portage Lake Municipal Building for Girlz Night every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy the company and the satisfaction of finally completing a project!
   (Julie Graham-Berry is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and surrounding townships. She can be reached at 435-7137).

Photo courtesy of Julie Graham-Berry
DANNI RAE CARTER, left, and MacKenzie Carter happily display their ponytails before shipping them to the Locks of Love Foundation. Danni’s hair was 12 inches in length and MacKenzie’s was 14 inches long. Both girls hope that their donation will make another child’s day a little brighter.