News from the Beach
August 24, 2015
See you next summer!

 
 
 
 
“KBIA is an association of people who yearly answer the siren song of Kennebunk Beach, a place where the sky stretches overhead like a pale blue blanket, and the ocean crawls in over the sand and retreats leaving just a hint of its memory … scarlet-hued sunsets, double rainbows, periwinkles and insatiable seagulls.”
 
~ “Remembering 100 Year at the Beach”
 
 
 
KBIA by the numbers 
 
Closing out our 105th season at KBIA has us reflecting on another banner year down at the beach.  With open arms we welcomed back many familiar faces and were graced with the fortune of welcoming many new friends this summer.  KBIA served 766 people this season, the previous high being 691 in 2014!  During our bonus Week 9, we are happy to report serving 254 people, a wonderful way to end our final week. 
 

Weekly we offered more than 55 various programs, and we also hosted a MIRC sailing competition, our 24th annual 5K/1K road race and the sixth annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta, plus weekly sold-out movie nights, bonfires on the beach, teen and tween nights, and two celebratory awards/barbecues.

 
 
 
Extend the gift of “summer”
 
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Please help us keep the spirit of summer alive for children who are unable to attend KBIA without assistance.  For every $500 donated to the KBIA scholarship fund, we are able to invite a child to attend KBIA for a four week scholarship!  The impact of a summer spent swimming, sailing, and just “being a kid” has a lasting impression. All donations — large, small and/or online are greatly appreciated.
 
 
 
 
 
At the Helm
New and Departing Board Members 
 
KBIA is fortunate to have the tireless dedication of its volunteer Board of Directors working behind the scenes and meeting quarterly to help steer the organization.  At August’s annual membership meeting our Board of directors bid a fond farewell to departing members M M Shore Tornga, Diane Gregg Harrington, and James McGuckin, and we welcomed new member Leigh Griswold Boudreau.  Thank you all!
 
 
OFFICERS 2015-2016
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Shannon Beer Belanger, President
Pierre Monaghan, Vice President
David Keating, Treasurer
Kirsten Oppenheimer, Secretary
John Bauman
Susan Rundquist Palmer
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brian Campbell
David Sweetser
Courtney Finnegan Sepic
Donna Smyth-Wilson
Julie Wolfson Stockman
Chad Walier
Leigh Griswold Boudreau
 
 
 
Congratulations to our August award-winners
 
Always a bittersweet ending to a season, we concluded our 2015 season with KBIA’s biannual BBQ & Awards ceremony on Aug. 22. All children received participation ribbons, some received KBIA “wedges” or plaques for those who exemplify the KBIA spirit in attitude and accomplishment, while a select few earned their way into KBIA history. For these top honors, winners’ names are engraved on our traditional “silver ware,” which are on display in the office for all to see. Those winners were:

 

Hartley Lord Cup for Seamanship:  Nick Reszetnik
Eagle Rock Yacht Club Officer’s Cup:  Quin O’Hara
Eagle Rock Yacht Club Hartley Lord Cup:  Peter Cole Mitchell
Eagle Rock Yacht Club Friendship Cup:  Max Hanson
Sisters Gerold and Vincent Art Award:  Chloe Shea
Feldman Art Award:  Maizey Wilner
Keepers of the Cove:  Joey Birdsall
Griswold Tray:  Colin Blais
Jane Wydra Award:  Sarah Quinn
President’s Cup:  Abi Cotton
Waterhouse Cup:  Taylor Mullen
Calder Cup:  Katherine Cotton and Brial Dill
 
 
 
Coming soon to KBIA members!
 
“Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold”
 
When thinking of KBIA, these song lyrics ring true in all our hearts…it is a special community where you make new friends each year, while reuniting with friends made in summers past.  We come from all over the country, all over the world and join together during summers at KBIA.  To help us keep in touch year-round, we publish a Membership Directory every fall with families’ names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mails. Following tradition, it also includes a listing of winners’ names from our July and August awards ceremonies.  Members will receive the booklet in the mail as soon as it is available.
 
 
 
 
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?
Please share your thoughts
 
As we pack up our summer momentos and head towards a new season, we like to reflect on the adventures of the past nine weeks of warm, sunny days down at the beach.  What did you and your family like most at KBIA? What can we improve on next year? In the spirit of open dialogue, we want to know how we may serve our members even better in the future. We invite you to gather your thoughts and send them to Executive Director Martin Lodish.