By Richard S. Lenfest

342-3179

Town office hours are Monday, 1-6 p.m.; Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.; and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The board of selectmen meets Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m.

The town office phone number is 342-5722 and the fax number is 342-2252.

Dog registrations

A reminder as you read this column that all dogs must have been licensed by Jan. 31, or be subject to legal action effective Feb. 1. An additional fee of $25 is due after Jan. 31 for late registrations.

Republican caucus

Belmont’s republican caucus will be held this Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast at 9 a.m.

Black Bears streaking

A week ago they beat Boston College twice at Orono in a weekend series. This weekend they visited Boston University and came away with another sweep. BC and BU were both rated near the top of the national college hockey standings. Could it be that UM is ready to make another run at the Frozen Four and a national championship?

Got Super Bowl fever?

If you were planning a trip to Indianapolis, I hope you have deep pockets. The latest information available on the news is that airfare and just about all other costs have increased by a 300 percent factor and over and above the cost of tickets; you can anticipate costs in excess of $6,000.

Lincolnville Farmers Market

Ducktrap Valley Maple Farm will be joining the Lincolnville Farmers Market for at least the duration of the winter season. The Lincolnville market is open Wednesdays from 2-6 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

It is located directly across Main Street from the Route 52 intersection in a heated building known in Lincolnville as Grampa Hall’s. Many varied vendors are participating. Once I am familiar, I will give you a rundown of available products.

Costa Concordia in perspective

This cruise ship, which ran aground in Italy, is actually a longer ship than many of the older U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. The Concordia is 952 feet in length, compared to the approximate 900 feet of the USS Essex (CVS-9) on which I served my time.

More striking is the fact that despite being several feet shorter than our attack carriers (CVA designation), the Concordia is actually heavier than the USS Enterprise, for example.

Campaigns and the economy

Every four years during the presidential primary season the New Hamshire economy gets a substantial boost in any of the cities, towns and villages visited by the candidates and their support staff and media. During the years that I was a purveyor of post cards and related products, the business created by the first primary in the nation was substantial in any communities visited by the candidates and news crews.

Crazy winter continues

As January 2012 winds to a close, we received another 3 inches of powder that was reduced to 1.5 inches of slush by the rain that fell on it. We have survived January with nothing worse than a 12-below, and with each passing day, the chances of seeing anything worse than that get increasingly remote.

I can’t give a snow total yet due to the possibility of a little today and again tomorrow. We are close to normal despite the thin coating of white. There is little frost in the ground due to the 40-plus highs we seem to see every few days.

I am starting to hoard any snow to create my refrigeration for the heavy days of the coming sugaring season, and at this time, it’s anyone’s guess as to when and how 2012 will flow.