Bayville Beat, Boothbay Register, August 9, 2007
By Peter Jordan
Columnist

Moored in Linekin Bay during its annual cruise, The New York Yacht Club tried to crash the annual Bayville lobster bake Saturday evening, but Betty LaPointe wasn't having any of it.

"You may get into your 44th Street clubhouse or Harbour Court without a reservation, but not a Bayville social," she snarled at one surprised sailor. "Take all 100 feet of your yacht and sail it Down East!"

Other than the brief NYYC spat and a thunderstorm that never quitehappened, the evening was a tranquil close to a very full day. Some 73 lobster dinners had vanished by sunset, and if you wanted any of Pat-A-Mac's strawberry shortcake, you needed sharp elbows, big feet, and steel-toed boots.

Saturday began with Bayville's annual town meeting, the 96th annual meeting of the Bayville Village Corporation, if I'm counting right from our founding in 1911. (Two years ago, the Beat reported that we held our 95th annual meeting - we're using fuzzy math here).

Under the firm hand of moderator Al Roberts, the 96th (or 97th?) meeting sailed smoothly along, except for the ritual ejection of Alfred's brother Phil. If it weren't for a 20-minute discussion of bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels in the sewer plant, the meeting would have finished in record time. (Phil says the BOD levels were fine until Al moved to town.)

In response to a motion that Bayville vote public thanks to David Merrill, Joe Rosenbloom, and Don Rose for their hard work on the sewer committee keeping every-thing flowing downhill, Chairman Merrill said, "the Sewer Committee appreciates all your movements." On the other hand, dog poop does not flow downhill, and Jim Coleman, chairman of the board of overseers, urged dog owners to clean up after their pets. (Apparently Bayville's cats, ferrets, and iguanas are a new, improved, poopless species).

Jim also urged property owners to be conscious of trees that might be blocking the views of their uphill neighbors. "Look around you," Jim said. "Believe it or not, trees grow. You might be able to improve someone's view."

On a somber note, Jim Coleman began the meeting with a moment of silence for Betsy Schneider, doyenne of Pat-A-Mac, who died last winter.

Bayvillians unanimously thanked Barry Gilchrist for some 25 years of service on the Board of Overseers.

And Jim Coleman got an enthusiastic standing "O" for his leadership over the past year of difficult negotiations, after Bill Allison, a past chairman of the Board of Overseers, reminded us all of Jim's selfless work on behalf of our village and its independence. "Bayville doesn't have any plaques," Bill pointed out. "But if we did, Jim Coleman would be our patron saint. What a country we would be if everyone had the same sense of community as Bayville," Bill added.

Because of our sense of community, plenty of other folks earned well-deserved thanks, including Diane Davis, president of the Bayville Improvement Association; Alfred Roberts for serving as treasurer (despite Jim's comments, Alfred did not learn bookkeeping at Enron); Phil Roberts for everything he does every day all year for Bayville; Bob Blakesley for maintaining our Web site; overseers Barbara Allison and Chuck Wolfram for the long hours they spent on Bayville's independence; Kevin Keegan for loaning his truck to haul gravel to mend the Patriot's Day storm damage; Betty LaPointe for putting up with the Bayville Beat's ribbing. . . Everyone in the community center Saturday in great ways and small has worked to keep our village what it is.

And speaking of gratitude, "we appreciate the Bayville community," says Ann Sweet Binder, reporting that the "Fort Sweet North" sign has been posted at the Purcell Cottage. Gathering for their 14th summer in Bayville from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and California, the Sweet family has enjoyed fabulous swimming, tennis, sailing, and kayaking, reports Ann.

The big Bayville news, however, happened a long way from Linekin Bay at the Monmouth, New Jersey (? -- Barbara didn't report the state) Fair. While Barbara and Bill Allison were tending to serious business at the Bayville town meeting, their grandson Brian McNamara won first prize in his age group (five to seven) in the Monmouth Fair Pig Scramble.

If you're unfamiliar with serious competitive sports, you need to know that a pig scramble involves chasing a pig, catching it, and stuffing it into a burlap bag. This is a professional sport --: the winner gets to keep the pig.

After spending the first night in bed with Brian and his brother Liam, "Piggy" is now in a newly constructed pen with a newly purchased companion pig, "Porky." No word on when Piggy and Porky will visit Bayville, where poodles are strictly regulated, but porcine pets have perks. - and wee wee wee all the way home.

Keep me in the loop:peterjordan@mindspring.com.