I was standing on the corner Saturday, watching all the tourists go by.  The sun was out, the temperature was pushing 70, and the traffic was flowing in both directions. My Gawd!!! Had spring arrived?

It was 11am, and the serving window at Red’s Eats was closed. But that didn’t stop people from lining up, anxious for it to open in 30 minutes.

“Welcome to Wiscasset,” I said to some window shoppers at Rock, Paper, Scissors. As a supporter of the Friends of Wiscasset Village, my task for the morning was to put on a happy face in the midst of the Route 1 construction confusion.  I and Nancy Roby walked the sidewalk for two hours, while Peter and Terri Wells were to take over at 1.  Our intent was simply to smile at folks and show them we appreciated their stopping by.

“We visit every year,” said a woman, carrying a bag from Birch. “It’s a pretty town,” she added.  A few yards up the street, two couples were leaving Treats.

“Is there an ATM around here,” a young woman asked.  I pointed her to the cash machine at Red’s.

Of course the big question is how will the highway project affect businesses along Route 1.  “So far, so good” is what one owner told me. “During the weekdays, it’s been business as usual.” 

I popped into Jessica Deshiro’s new bakery, Mammy’s. Last year, she was in Damariscotta. Now she’s  moved to Wiscasset.  I took home Tiramisu.

As Noon passed, traffic was moving nicely even though in a few hours it would be backed northbound at Grover Auto Service.

I was sorry to see that Elliott Healy’s rare book store is now not just closed for renovations, but gone.  I met Healy two years ago as I wandered around during a Wiscasset Art Walk.  He was so welcoming and warm that I told myself I needed to go back and talk with him. He obviously had a lot to share.