PALMYRA – The Nokomis Regional High School jazz combo played in the lobby while the ROTC color guard stood at attention in the parking lot at Wednesday’s grand opening of Maine’s newest Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Wal-Mart officials mounted a flatbed to pass out more than $30,000 to various community projects and organizations. Much of the money was raised by employees.

But three close friends – Shirley Davis and Gertrude Lawler of Newport and Gladys Chase of Burnham – had their backs to the crowd, poised with hands on the bars of their shopping carts, ready for the doors to the new grocery section to open.

Asked if they felt they were missing any of the formal activities going on outside, Davis said “No way. We’ve been here since 6:30 a.m. Now it’s a case of ‘Ladies, start your engines!’

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” said Davis. “We live here [at the store] anyway.”

Davis, Lawler and Chase are three friends who spend a lot – really a lot – of time at Wal-Mart.

“I’m here every day,” said Davis. “Twice on Fridays.”

“We know all the employees,” said Lawler. “We tease them and they tease us. We have noticed that since they have been expanding, we don’t know a lot of the new workers.”

“But they’ll get to know us,” joked Davis. “They already call me Miss Wal-Mart.”

In explaining why they come to the store every day, Davis attempted to explain that all the walking makes her healthier.

“She’s just spending her husband’s check,” countered Lawler.

“That’s more like it,” admitted Davis.

When the official ceremonies ended and the symbolic red ribbon was cut, the trio was off – cruising through the grocery aisles, checking out the selection and the prices.

“I don’t think that this will hurt Shop ‘n Save [the other local grocer],” said Davis. “Competition is good.”

Chase added, “People will still shop the smaller stores. Competition means better quality and better choices.”

The three women were part of a crowd of at least 100 people who attended the 7 a.m. grand opening of the expanded store, which doubles the size and staffing levels of the previous facility. Many attendees were there to accept monetary gifts from the store employees.

Barbara Meservey of Wal-Mart community relations said more than $7,000 of the donations was raised by employees. “It is our way of paying back the communities for being so patient during our reconstruction over the past year,” she said.

Meservey said the rest of the money came from the Wal-Mart Charitable Foundation.

Major recipients were the towns of Palmyra and Newport, receiving $3,230 each. Newport will use the funds toward the construction of a new library, said Al Worden, chairman of the board of selectmen. Palmyra Selectman Priscilla Jones did not have a target yet for the funds donated to her town.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department got $1,200 for its Safe Neighborhood Program.

Those receiving $1,000 were the elementary schools in Garland, Newport and Hartland, the Nokomis Music Boosters, Dexter Regional High School, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Dexter Historical Society, Maine Special Olympics, Ricky Craven Charities, Plymouth Parks and Recreation, Newport Public Library’s literacy program, and the United Way.

Those receiving $500 were Nokomis ROTC, American Cancer Society, Maine Central Institute, Corinna Teacher of the Year, Northeast Occupational Exchange, Maine State Police, the elementary physical education department of SAD 53, and the fire departments in Corinna, St. Albans, Plymouth, Newport, Pittsfield and Hartland.