So, you say you're the kind of person who likes to sing Christmas carols year-round?

You say you are the kind of person who begins Christmas shopping in summer?

Then has the Boothbay Region Community Resources (BRCR) group got a fund-raiser for you.

Since its inception in 2003, BRCR has been assisting residents with a wide range of needs - from transportation to medical appointments to heating assistance.

Ever with an eye to the future, the group is holding a fund-raiser, "Christmas in July," on Friday, July 25 at the Waterfront Park from 3 to 6 p.m.

The stage area will be decked out, complete with a Christmas tree and other holiday décor. Refreshments will naturally be in the shapes of favorite holiday cookies served with a colorful cranberry punch.

Musical performances begin at 3:30 with the Y-Arts Chorus singing holiday carols - and all are encouraged to join in - and Joe Orchulli II, a.k.a. Joey O, on the Waterfront Park stage.

The centerpiece of all this festivity will be the very large Christmas present to hold donations and/or gifts to the emergency fuel fund.

A "Christmas in July" card will be available for contributions of any denomination that are made as a gift.

The cards will read, "In your honor, a gift of heating assistance will be given to a person or family in need this winter."

The Reverend Sarah Foulger, who spearheaded the group with The Reverend Greta Russell, formerly of St. Columba's Episcopal Church, expects this coming season's need to double from last year.

Kit Sherrill of Southport concurred, "We work to continue raising awareness of the need in our community. Events like this one keep the issue before us all."

The State's Web site, www.maine.gov contains a highlights section on the left side of the homepage. There, consumers and businesses can find resources to aid in the reduction of energy costs by clicking on the icon, "energy assistance."

At a recent meeting of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Senator Olympia Snowe stated that there were parts of Maine that could become "uninhabitable" this winter.

The Northeast and North Atlantic states will be hard hit. Senator Snowe and Senator John Kerry have co-sponsored a bill to mandate that home heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve should be released if home heating reaches $4 per gallon. According to the Energy Information Administration Web site, as of May 2008, there were 2,000 barrels in the reserve.

Still, despite the dialogue and bills, resources on the World Wide Web, and predictions heard almost daily on radio and TV, most people in need can only gain immediate relief through the efforts of grassroots groups like BRCR - you and I.

Between November 2007 and the end of February 2008 alone, the amount of funds expended for heating assistance for 77 households was $17,825. An additional $25,915 was used toward rent, food, electricity, prescriptions and clothing for 42 households.

Sherrill reports that overall, due to the generosity of individual donors, an approximate total of $14,000 was received.

And, although you will probably not be hearing this rendition during the sing-a-long, use the following to get in the holiday mood - you're sure to know the tune:

For more information, referrals or information, contact Marian Cadrette-Anderson at 633-2192 or Kit Sherrill at 633-0672 and/or visit www.BoothbayRegionCommunityResources.org.