First Events on the Calendar!

As hinted at previously, if you live in or near South Portland and want to see some art around town that also gives you a place to be seated, come on by a corner of Mill Creek Park and bring whatever bits of paint and paint brushes you have! I will be there on Sunday May 17th from 9am to noon painting some exceedingly bench-shaped signs. Kids absolutely welcome; wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint on.

I got a little pile of lumber for free a while ago the perfect size to continue/revive this project, and will be looking for help painting them and dispersing them around South Portland. Anyone from the Parks department reading this, don’t worry I will spread a tarp to keep from getting paint and whatnot on the ground! Look for a collection of benches with extremely paintable backs like the ones pictured above, which Dora Small Elementary students assembled and painted from pieces I gave them, only these ones won’t be painted yet and will have adult-height seats.

I don’t know that I have enough paint for all the benches I have wood for, but I will certainly bring what I can. I’ll also be looking for volunteers to maintain them as well, with the only necessary qualification being living close by and being enthusiastic about painting (enthusiasm is much more important than skill to be honest). These volunteers would be crucial, if no one signs up I will have to put them all back in the back of my car (they absolutely won’t all fit once assembled) so if you have a friend with a pickup or RAV4 or something with a utility trailer available that day that would be amazing!! Email tristramforcongress@gmail.com to volunteer for this. These materials I got for free a while ago and are not for or from the campaign, I’ve just been meaning to pass them along and am using this platform to help get the event rolling!

I’ll also be at Hi Fidelity Brewing Company in Portland that evening (May 17th) for a candidate Q&A and discussion from 4-6pm! Bring yourself, bring your friends, bring your questions, and I will do my best to answer them. You’ll also be able to sign nomination petitions while you’re there!

Speaking of nomination petitions, we’re moving towards a hub model for circulating papers, where stations in towns have petitions on hand for their residents and neighboring communities to come and sign. If you are or are connected to a business owner or someone who doesn’t mind spending regular hours in a public place, let us know and we’ll hook you up with everything you need to be a petition hub and meet all sorts of really cool people in your community! As described on our petition hubs page, we now have hubs in Damariscotta, Wiscasset, Portland, and South Portland, covering 22 towns and cities. Help us get to 2,000 signatures by May 26th to get Tristram Howard on the ballot for US Congress this November!