The Mapleton Lions Club was hoping their annual chicken barbecue on Saturday, July 11, would be a sit-down dining event, but due to COVID-19 restrictions the meal will be a drive-thru affair.
There will be lots of smoke coming from the club’s grills as they grill 400 chicken breasts. The Mapleton Daze committee will add strawberry shortcake for dessert. This won’t make up for the loss of the fellowship and fun diners have had at previous barbecues, but it will make dinner taste better.
Serving will start at 4 p.m. at the Mapleton Lions Hall. Dinners are $10 each. As folks drive by, they will see the grilling and preparation action occurring in front of the hall.
Mapleton Lions, from left, Paul Grendell, Ron Leonard, Jake Graham and Eric Rodd, prepare barbecue dinners in 2019. The club will host their annual chicken barbecue Saturday, July 11, as a drive-thru event because of COVID-19 restrictions. The barbecued chicken dinner will include a strawberry shortcake for dessert this year courtesy of the Mapleton Daze Committee. Meals will be wrapped for take-out.
(Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
In addition to barbecued chicken, meals will include potato salad, coleslaw, a roll, a drink and the strawberry shortcake.
Customers will drive through the line and order the number of meals they wish to purchase, as well as select their drinks. The club asks folks to follow these simple rules: 1. Enter the serving line on the west side of the Mapleton Lions Hall; 2. No one is to exit their vehicle; 3. A choice of beverage will be allowed; 4. Meals will be handed in through the car window; 5. Vehicles will exit on the east side of the hall onto Main Street.
No walk-ups or eating on the premises will be allowed. Meals will be prepared by the Lions, sealed, bundled and passed through the window of the customers’ vehicle windows.
The Lions will also do home delivery to individuals who are either homebound or would have difficulty picking up meals at the hall. The home delivered price will be the same as drive-thru meals.
Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the traditional barbecue chicken dinner.
Registrations extended
Baptist Park will host the Northern Maine Apologetics Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15.
The conference is open to pastors, clergy, lay people and teens. Lunch will be provided.
Ryan Goding, an experienced pastor and the board chair of AIIA, will be the presenter. This session is designed to encourage believers to intelligently share the Christian faith and wisely respond to questions. AIIA is the major apologetics organization in Maine.
Goding will introduce a new initiative of AIIA, Anchor New England. This is an effort to produce apologetics–related media in order to more effectively communicate historic Christian truth to younger generations.
The cost of the conference is $25. Conference organizers request that a deposit of $5 be sent to Baptist Park, P.O. Box 498, Mapleton, Maine 04757, by July 13.
Additional registration details, housing options and further information will be available soon. Contact conference coordinator Ken Phelps at 207-540-5660.
Camp in a Box
Baptist Park is holding virtual programs for children and youth. The COVID-19 virus disrupted many 2020 planned events and activities here in Aroostook County, but Baptist Park has introduced new online programs to help kids and parents have fun at home.
This summer Baptist Park will hold its five camping weeks, but they will not be their traditional overnight camps. New camp director Josh Duncan has devised new virtual camping experiences that are being called “Camp @Home in a Box.”
Registered campers will receive a box with some cool camp swag like a T-shirt, some devotions and access to the Camp @Home portal, which will give the campers exclusive video content so they can experience camp. There will be a chance for each camper to post responses and interact with a camp counselor and each other via Facebook and Instagram. Plus, each night of camp there will be an evening service, much like the traditional camp weeks at Baptist Park.
The second camping session is in progress, which is “Flight Camp.” Flight Camp provides instruction on how airplanes fly and how pilots/mechanics provide mission aviation throughout the world.
“Jumpstart Adventures” camp week will be for campers ages 8-10 and will use the “Camp @Home” portal. There will lots of fun activities plus fun activities to do at home.
For the campers ages 10-12, the “Outdoor Adventure” week will again use the camp portal to share virtually the traditionally very active week of hiking, mountain biking, outdoor cooking and maybe a night under the stars.
Finally, the last week will again have involve outdoor activities with the special emphasis on creating videos, taking digital photos and the sharing of Baptist Park virtually. This last week is Digital Arts/Theater Week for campers ages 11-14 and will be held July 26-31.
Baptist Park leadership understands the value of making and building lifelong friendships with other campers and counselors, and said earning about the Lord and building an understanding relationship with Him will stand the test of time.
For more information and camp registration, contact Baptist Park online at: http://baptistpark.net/ ; thebaptistpark@gmail.com or by phone (207) 764-1832.
Terry Sandusky is the Star-Herald correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.
