The Independence Day Committee extends it’s sincere (and I truly do mean SINCERE) appreciation to everyone who pitched in.

There are innumerable people and entities who deserve our sincerest thanks.  This particular event saw the helping hands of many and I don’t even know for sure who they all were!  What I do know is this: We are truly blessed with the willingness and creative ways many people came together to help in any number of ways through an unanticipated ordeal. Forgive me please if I have inadvertently missed someone for this list. And feel free to respond in the comments with any accolades I should have included!

• To the Lyme Congregational Church, who literally opened its collective doors from daylight to dark to enable safe shelter and dining, lending tables, chairs, facility and food. May these plentiful blessings come back to you tenfold.
• To Those Guys, who seemed to be everywhere doing everything all at once. There are no words … Our Sincere appreciation.
• To Dowds’ Country Inn, who donated tables and cloths, lemonade, containers and who knows what else. THANK YOU.
• To the Hanover Food Coop and Cuttings Northside Café for the Bill Ackerly memorial ICE CREAM Giveaway and to Curtis Shepard for donation and delivery of the freezer to keep the ice cream frozen! Bill’s spirit of love and community fills the air. Thank you.
  
• To Berway Farm for gallons of fresh Berway Farm milk (including chocolate!!), donated along with the generous use of their refrigerated trailer.
• To Jeff Snelling & crew for braving the elements as they roasted the pig and doled out the BBQ!!!!! You are heroes! And wow, was that yummy
• To my girls: Katie Jenks, Holly Lewis, and Emilie and Olivia Taylor, for helping to prepare mountains of berries and cole slaw and for help all day in setting up and serving the meal. Wow.
• To the bands who got rained on, rained out, relocated and pitched into darkness several times … Thank You so much for your good nature and willingness to carry on through the worst of it.
• To those who organized and prepared for children’s activities, the parade, and patriotic singing and recitations. Your work filled the town with spirit, even though the weather did not allow us to experience your hard work.
• To ALL THE VOLUNTEERS — many of whom I do not know — who jumped into action setting up, breaking down and being helpful in any number of critical ways. Many, many thanks.
• To Anthony Casale, Lyme’s Police Officer, who agreed to spend part of his weekend away from the Police Academy, working a “peaceful parade”.  So sorry Anthony!  Please know your help, attitude and resourcefulness did not go unnoticed and your involvement was deeply appreciated.
• To Emi and Kevin Gray, the Teccas and others who provided lanterns to get us through the darkness at dinner. THANK YOU!
• To Lyme’s Emergency Services and Highway Department who monitored the weather situation and sent us home before it became too dangerous.  Thank You for watching out for us.
• To Lyme Fire & FAST Squads who had challenges over and above the usual filling of the dunk tank and traffic control. Their day started early and didn’t end…seguing into Sunday as they dealt with the storm and subsequent damages–we are so blessed to have you. Thank you is not adequate.

I know I speak for all the IDC members when I say loudly and with great love, thank you to our family and friends who made themselves available to do whatever was needed, from start to finish. That list is way too long for here!

Happy 4th of July, everyone.