Progress on Cranberry House has been astounding.  Since we started in late 2004, we've raised and spent over $275,000 toward realizing what will soon be a valuable community resource, preserving the past while also serving the present.

THANK YOU...
You’ve all been wonderful.  Thanks for your gifts over these three years to make our project move along so well.

And another heartfelt thanks to those who made our second Art show and auction a big success.  This fund raiser, plus grants and donations, enabled us to finish this summer’s Phase III work.

$ 84,704 raised
$113,852 spent

$117,222 raised
$109,454 spent

$76,653 raised
$73,653 spent

64% done!
The work done so far is apparent from the outside.  Now mostly interior work, plumbing, electrical, kitchen, and safety equipment must be installed.  We still need $112,000 to open (without the kitchen), and $160,000 to finish the complete plan, including the café.

Sadly, due mostly to lesser grants, our 2006 income so far is less than last year.  The good news is: if we could repeat our 2005 earnings again in 2007, we’d be able to open right away.  With enough enthusiasm we can do it! To help, we’ve got a great event planned for next year.

2007: The Miracle Year
In 2007 we want to bring it home.  Our big July 28th fund raiser – a Garden Party and Art Auction – will be held on the island, at Cranberry House.  We can’t use the inside yet, but we’ll use the outdoor deck and “Theater Green” created by filling and seeding the front lawn.

This will be our most exciting event ever!  We’ll concentrate on the fundamentals: ART.  Artists and friends of the Cranberry Isles will offer hand-painted canvases and wooden furniture – plus a few surprises.  So save the date, and invite lots of friends that weekend!

A BIG 2007 Event
“Garden Party”

Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 28th

Meet us on the “Theater Green” at Cranberry House for an exciting afternoon with live music and good food in a garden atmosphere.  Best of all will be a wonderful auction of “Painted Pieces,” sturdy wooden items such as chairs and stools hand-painted by Cranberry Isles artists and personalities.  They’ll become valued one-of-a-kind conversation pieces for your island home.

The auction will also include a prized assortment of donated art, an opportunity to pledge native plants and trees for planting in our garden and grounds, and some other surprises.  You’ll also be able to buy chances on another beautiful island quilt created especially for us by Beverly Sanborn.

How you can help
Do you have a wooden piece crying out to be painted, such as a footstool or birdhouse?  We’d love to have it, and even more so if you’ll decorate it in an artistic way for the Painted Pieces sale.

Or do you have an artwork or painting to donate?  All your tax-deductible gifts will make this event an even bigger success.

By next Spring, the front lawn and garden areas of Cranberry House will be filled in with topsoil, ready for seeding and planting.  Anyone with a green thumb is invited to help out with planning, planting, or pledging native bushes, trees, and flowers for our landscaping effort.

To help in those ways or any other, contact Sarah Newell (244-7773) or Bruce Komusin (244-3682.)

Work at Cranberry House

2006 Accomplishments
This Spring we finished exterior work on the front deck, porch, and steps.  Then the well was drilled.  Fall saw the completion of interior work on the entry hall, stairway, handicap lift shaft, and upstairs storage closet, with oak floors in all those areas, except the closet.  The retaining wall for the earthen entry ramp was recently built.  Soon we expect to install the well pump and tank, and bring fill and topsoil (loam) to the site, for landscaping next year.

2007 Work Anticipated
Fill and loam will be spread to create an even front lawn, and connect the earthen access ramp to the deck.  Funds permitting, we’ll install the fire escape, sprinkler system, second floor bracing, electrical, plumbing, flooring, and deck railings.

Need a tax deduction?
Give to your favorite Museum!
We are a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt organization.  All your money goes to a worthwhile project, with no administration fees.  All donations, large or small, yield the satisfaction of enriching the community, but substantial donors also get significant tax benefits, plus lasting recognition through a permanent named remembrance item.  Your name, or that of a loved one, will be engraved on a plaque by the item – to remind future generations of your thoughtful support.

Please complete this form, make out your tax-deductible check to “GCIHS”, and send it to:
GCIHS, POB 12, Cranberry Isles, ME 04625