Former and current residents of and frequent visitors to Lubec, the easternmost town in the United States, know that the first thing you see when you come into town is an area known as Flat Iron Corner.

Located at the triangle on Main and Washington streets, it was once the site of a filling station but, in more recent years, has been an unattractive, vacant lot.

“Acting at the direction of the Lubec selectmen, a group of people came together who wanted to take Flat Iron Corner and make it a welcoming part of the community,” said Sue Baker, a member of the Flat Iron Corner Improvement Committee.

To get that effort under way, the committee erected a skating rink this winter, hosted a winter carnival and plans to plant flowers, trees and shrubs to create a welcoming park at the entrance to town.

Baker emphasized that neither tax money nor any town funds will be used in the project.

To help complete its mission of upgrading the area, committee members soon will be approaching friends, neighbors, organizations and businesses for donations to beautify Flat Iron Corner.

People within the community will receive a letter, personal visit or telephone call from a committee member seeking a contribution.

And, you will be glad to know, those volunteers are really enjoying their work, Baker indicated.

“It’s a great group of people who are working, together, to get this done,” she said.

One thing that is so good about the committee, she added, is that it is made up of people who didn’t necessarily know each other before and has proven to be a great way to become acquainted with others who share the common goal of community improvement.

You can help make the entrance to Lubec more welcoming by making a pledge or a donation to the “Town of Lubec” with the notation “Flat Iron Corner Improvement Project” and mailing it to Flat Iron Corner Improvement Project, c/o Diana Wilson, Finance Coordinator, 24 Comstock Lane, Lubec 04652.

You are invited to attend the 17th annual AFS Benefit Auction sponsored by the Ellsworth Chapter of the American Field Service, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 15, in the cafeteria at Ellsworth High School.

You can preview the items up for bid starting at 9 a.m.

Phyllis Young reports that gift certificates for area restaurants and businesses, savings bonds and assorted gifts items will await your silent bid.

Light refreshments will be on sale. The event features a white elephant table, and information about becoming an AFS host family will be available.

Proceeds from the auction, she added, “will be used to support the chapter’s scholarship program for local students traveling abroad,” as well as helping support activities “for the current exchange students and host families in our area.”

If you have auction or white elephant items you would like to donate, call Young at 667-7935, and she will arrange for a convenient time to pick up your contributions.

Mike Lange reports the Veterans Remembrance Committee of the Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge will host a traditional St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/Dance to benefit programs for veterans at the VA Medical and Regional Office Center in Togus.

The event begins with dinner from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by dancing until midnight, Saturday, March 15, at the lodge at 21 Silver St. in Skowhegan.

Admission for those attending the dinner and the dance is $10 per person, but you can attend just the dinner, or just the dance, for $5 per person.

Disc jockey Dan Graf will provide music, and the evening will feature beverage specials and door prizes.

Donations from last year’s event helped purchase phone cards, comfort kits and a television set for the hospitalized veterans.

This St. Patrick’s Day celebration to help our veterans is open to Elks members and guests.

Due to inclement weather, Sharon O’Connell wrote, the talent show planned for earlier this month at Guilford United Methodist Church was postponed.

Sponsored by the church choir, the show is now scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16, in the church’s Fellowship Hall on School Street in Guilford.

Admission and refreshments are by donation, and more information can be obtained by calling the church office at 876-3372.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.