Sunday at Brewster in Bloom

Two events tomorrow:

First, the Brewster in Bloom Parade at 1 PM. Anyone who would like to join us should meet on Underpass Rd around 12:15-12:30 - you need to enter Underpass Rd from Rt. 137. There will be parking on Underpass, and a shuttle bus back form the end at Swamp Rd. We will have t-shirts and hats to wear and signs to carry and cards and stickers to hand out. We are #8 in the parade.

Second Event - An acoustic set by the candidate at Drummer Boy Park from 3-3:30 PM. Join us at the band shell and be ready to sing along with the Preamble - "We, the people . . . "

Bloom Run

Four of us sported campaign shirts in the Brewster in Bloom 5k this morning. It was a perfect morning for a run - perhaps 300 entrants. The candidate finished in a respectable 24:56.

Brewster in Bloom 5K

Brewster in Bloom weekend is here! Tomorrow morning I will be running the 5k road race with a group of supporters - we will be sporting our new campaign t-shirts. If anyone wants to join us meet us after registration at 9:30 in front of the Woodshed.

Meet and Greet

We had a wonderful "meet the candidate" event at the Scheiers' house last night. Around a dozen of us had a great discussion about the challenges facing the town. Among other issues, we talked about the importance of the override this year. This was our third such event with two more scheduled. They are a great way to connect with concerned citizens in town. Thank you Bill and Cathy!

Full Moon Open Mic

Thanks to organizer, host, and performer extraordinaire David Roth and 20 other musicians, poets, and storytellers, we enjoyed a fabulous evening at the Brewster Ladies Library for the Full Moon Open Mic. David started the night with a song about voting he wrote in support of Dan Wolf last year, so I felt OK about getting up an discussing my candidacy later before leading a sing-a-long of the Schoolhouse Rock version of the Preamble. The Cape has an amazing reservoir of artistic talent, much of which was on display last night. David runs the open mic periodically around the time of the full moon (off by about a week this month) when his touring schedule allows. It occurred to me that this would be great for a Channel 18 broadcast.

In addition to other Brewster in Bloom events that will be announced later this week, I will be playing at the KOA Music Festival hosted by Bert Jackson at Drummer Boy (the bandstand I believe) on Sunday May 1. The event goes from 10-4, and I will be playing the 3-3:30 time slot - after the parade. Hope to see you there!

Easter Egg Hunt

Happy Easter Eve! The Brewster Rec gang did a great of accommodating an enormous crowd for the Easter egg hunt moved inside to the Carriage House at Ocean Edge. Our girls had a blast as always.

I also got to spend a cold, wet hour at the transfer station this afternoon. Thank you to all who took the time to chat.

My Favorite Places in Brewster, Part 7

After checking the herring run which was empty at 9 AM, we went to Drummer Boy Park.

A beautiful day for Walking

We kept up our busy vacation week campaign push today with two more neighborhood walks. This morning, Mary Chaffee (candidate for the Board of Health) and I walked Main St. and Alden for a couple hours. We had great discussions with innkeepers and shop owners about how we can improve the climate for small businesses in Brewster. I had an idea to form a task force of merchants and town officials to come up with a long-term strategy. Pictured above is Candleberry Inn co-owner Charlotte Fyfe - the kind of wise entrepreneur that we can learn a lot from.

This afternoon, I toured part of the Crowell's Bog neighborhood with Nadine Magazu, meeting folks on Carlton Circle, Tanglewood, and Sheep Pond Circle, as well as Crowell's Bog. This is one of the most scenic areas in Brewster. Again I'd like to thank the many citizens who took the time to meet and talk with us.

On the trail

A busy day on the campaign trail! After a nice morning coffee with some Crosby Lane folks graciously hosted by the Lambs, I headed over to walk around with Karen North Wells along Satucket and the full length of Rocky Hill. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon on Common Way. It was a great day of meeting voters and discussing the issues. Thanks to all who welcomed us. More tomorrow!

Daily Update

We had two campaign events today. First, I was Marcia Galazzi's guest at the Nauset Rotary breakfast this morning, bright and early at 6:30. Nauset, like all Rotary clubs, does great work in the community and beyond, and it was a pleasure to get to know some Rotarians. Look for their Pancake Breakfast fundraiser May 1, 7-11 at Captain Elmer's - just before the parade!

Later, I went door to door with the Whitneys off of Great Fields Rd - Lake Shore, Tracy, Pine Bluff, etc. We talked to a couple dozen folks and hopefully earned some votes. Mikey and Vicki were troopers and great doorbell ringers. Thank you!

Campaign Kickoff Event

Last night, the Johnsons hosted our campaign kickoff event. About 20 of us gathered to discuss the campaign and the issues facing the town. The group included two outstanding candidates for the Board of Health - Dr. Mary Chaffee and Dr. Jose Fernandez. This week I will be knocking on doors in various neighborhoods in town with some of the folks from the gathering - retail politicking. One month to the election!

My Favorite Places in Brewster Part 6

Another favorite place in Brewster - Little Cliff Pond Trail in Nickerson State Park. Isabel once asked Catherine, "Will you be my best friend?" "OK, but you gotta promise to stick with me."

Online Survey

We have designed an online survey to generate a database of supporters. Please click here to take the survey!

Our Campaign Flier

Here is our campaign flier. Btw, I did a little research after seeing it as "flyer" several places, and according to grammarist.com, both are right for any of the meanings, but "flier" is more common in American English, and "flyer" is more common in British English, so I'm sticking with flier.

Our Campaign Logo

OK, my grades are in and the house is out of quarantine. So let the roll out begin - our campaign logo - soon to be seen as a lawn sign around town. Email me at johntdickson@gmail.com if you want to put one on your lawn - particularly if you are in a high traffic area in Brewster.

Campaign Kickoff Week

While we have been quiet online this week, we have been busy gearing up the campaign. This week we will release our campaign flier and lawn sign design, and next Sunday, we will officially kick off our campaign - a month ahead of the election - more to come soon!

Eddy School Guest Presentation

I got to visit my daughter's class today at the Eddy School. They are preparing a Uganda exhibit for the International Fair this Friday. It turns out I lived in Uganda for 6 months in 1995 (working for an anthropologist studying chimps there), so I offered to give a slide show about the country. They seemed to enjoy the pictures and the stories - and I had a blast. Thank you Ms. Princi!

A chameleon we were lucky enough to spot.

A very pregnant lioness lounging in a tree.

One of the many adult male chimps in our study community.

Listening Tour

As part of the first stage of the campaign, I have been visiting with various town officials to learn more about how their departments work and how this fits into the overall operation of the town. I want to highlight one - my visit yesterday with Denise Rego, Director of the Council on Aging. We had a great discussion about how to improve the Council going forward - given the increasing numbers of elderly in our community. I also got a tour of their facilities and an overview of the many operations they run out of the old town hall. Thank you Denise!

My Favorite Places in Brewster, Part 5

We went out exploring after breakfast at Grumpy's, and took a brisk pic at Saint's Landing.

Day in Boston

Spent the day with Senators-for-the-day Camille Dings and Laura Adams at Student Government Day at the State House.