Having FunHaving fun at the Barters Island Halloween party are, from left, Karen Swisher, Keith Berry (behind Karen), Maureen Berry, Arlene Smith, Sylvester the Cat (who are you?), Carol Saunders, Laura Reed, Bucky and Tom Brancato (the shower!).

Wow! What a party! About 35 Barters Islanders attended the Halloween Party at the Community Center on October 17. The hall looked fantastic, thanks to the decorating talents of Carol Saunders and Judy Brancato, and the loan of Halloween decorations by Rene Evens and Barb Zarpentine. Thank you all very much for your help. The costumes were amazing (such creativity). We had a Barters Island deer with Brenda Blake at the head and Evelyn Shahan at the (ahem!!!) hindquarters. Laura Reed took the prize as the "most original," dressed as a pile of autumn leaves (labor intensive, I'm sure) and several saloon girls (including Jamie Mansfield and Georgette Lewis) took the other prize. They received one year of free passes for the Barters Island Bridge. As Dick Campbell pointed out (Ron Spofford and Dick were the judges), there seemed to be a "Bonanza" theme going on as we had so many cowboys, ranch hands, saloon girls, gamblers and even an Indian maiden. Tom Brancato, however, seems to have a problem with being a "person." He came last year as a table and this year as a shower (if you can imagine that). We also had a belly dancer, red hat lady, a great jack-o-lantern, in addition to many other creative costumes. I wish I could mention everybody and their great creativity but this column is too short. Suffice it to say all of the costumes were terrific and we had a wonderful time. I can't wait to see what these Barters Islanders come up with next year. The food, as usual, was fantastic with several dessert creations beautifully decorated for Halloween.

In my last column, I mentioned marking your calendars for Nov. 14 for our visitor from the Nobleboro Antique Exchange. Unfortunately, he will be unable to come on that date, so please change your calendars to Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. We will have our pot luck supper as usual and after the meal, John Bottero will appraise any antiques for a small fee of $3 per item which will benefit the Community Center. Just bring your appetizer, main dish, salad or dessert to share and come get those items appraised. If anyone does not wish to attend the supper, you can come between 7:30 and 8 for your appraisals. Also, please bring any recipes with you that evening to help us get started with our Barters Island Cookbook.

On Sunday, December 16 at 2 p.m. we will be having our annual Christmas Fun Workshop. This year we will be making arrangements. Anyone who is interested is invited to attend. There will be a small charge per person for materials; therefore, pre-registration is necessary by December 10. Please bring an unwrapped gift for a child (any age, boy or girl). We will wrap them at the Hall and we will also have a cookie swap (bring three dozen, two to swap and one to eat). Sounds like fun, doesn't it? If you have any questions, call Evelyn Shahan at 633-6977.

Definitely mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 19 at 6 p.m. for our annual Barters Island Christmas Party. Because the officers and trustees would like to thanks everyone for their continuing support of the BICA, this party will be our treat. We will be providing all the food (except appetizers and desserts). We will need an RSVP for this event, so check your calendars and call any of the Officers to let them know you will be attending. Watch this column and check the "What's Happening" column for details.

The Cookbook Committee is alive and well and working on a Barters Island Cookbook. If anyone has recipes to submit, please send them to Lorraine Hodgdon at P.O. Box 401, Trevett, ME 04571. We really need your help to make this happen. Submit as many recipes as you like. We're hoping to receive all of the recipes by the end of April. Please go through your recipe archives. We would especially like old Holiday tradition recipes and any recipes you're willing to share that have been handed down through the years. If you have any questions please call Lorraine Hodgdon at 633-2828.

Great news from the Community Hall - for those who have strained their backs, pinched their fingers and had any other afflictions due to lifting those heavy tables, you will be very happy to know we are now the proud owners of 12 brand new lightweight tables.