DEAR SUN SPOTS: The annual Strawberry Festival and Baked Bean Supper at West Bowdoin Baptist Church will be held Saturday, June 24, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the church at 54 West Road in Bowdoin.
The dinner, featuring strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream, is sponsored by the church’s Mission Circle. Donations of $12 per adult and $6 for children 12 and younger are requested. Children preschool-age and younger are free. For information, call Gail at 353-2567 or Melanie at 353-2446. — Melanie, West Bowdoin
ANSWER: Here’s your reminder to go enjoy a delicious meal topped off with strawberries. If you’ve never been to a baked bean supper, now’s your chance!
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I sent my passport application by mail in mid-March, but I have yet to receive it. My trip departs June 18. I have checked the status online and for many weeks it shows as being “In Process.” I called their status phone line and I cannot get through. Can Sun Spots or a reader help me? — No name, no town
ANSWER: My anxiety level went up five notches after reading your letter. This happened to one of my daughters when she had to have her renewed passport rushed.
Since you applied for routine service, the first two digits of your application locator number allow you to identify which agency or center is working on your application.
You must call (877) 487-2778 for an “Urgent Travel Service” appointment with a local passport agency. Call as soon as they open at 8 a.m. EDT. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Local passport agencies are in major cities across the country. You will have to pay $60 more to expedite it in this manner.
There is complete information here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies.html.
Are you an AAA member? If not, you can pay for membership and perhaps they can help you through this dilemma.
Another thing you can do is contact your local congressional office. They may be able to help you make an in-person appointment at the nearest agency.
Here’s another option, but it’s quite expensive. There is RushMyPassport in the FedEX office at 181 Center St. in Auburn. They are a passport courier service and are affiliated with FedEx and AAA. You can see how it works at https://www.rushmypassport.com/. According to the site, they are open from 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 6 p.m. Saturday. Be sure to call first to confirm those hours. The number is 1-800-220-1899. This is how my daughter got her passport renewed in less than a week.
Another company that handles expedited passports is American Passport (https://americanpassport.com/). Call them at 1-877-304-8071. The hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. My understanding is that for a new passport, this process will cost a little over $200. For a renewal, the fee is $170. The prices may vary.
For more information on getting your passport this way, go to https://tinyurl.com/26tkkb86.
Readers, if you have any helpful tips and/or solutions, please write in.
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