DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’m looking for a reputable professional to appraise an antique violin for insurances purposes. Please call 207-200-0466.
— No name, Sabattus
ANSWER: According to the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers’ website, Jonathan Cooper is an appraiser of violins. His website is http://jcooperviolinmaker.com. There’s an email form on the site or you can call him at 207-671-6029. He’s located at 142 High St., Suite 218, in Portland.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: A friend gave me a print of a Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover that includes a battery-operated clock in the lower right-hand corner. It seems to keep good time and is in good shape except for a bit of water damage on the back. Where can I get it appraised and possibly sell it?
— No name, Lewiston
ANSWER: Daniel Buck Auctions, Inc. at 501 Lisbon St. in Lisbon Falls may be a good place to start, although your clock print is probably “vintage,” not an antique. Give him a call at 207-407-1444. Orphan Annie’s at 96 Court St. (207-782-0638) in Auburn might be able to help as well.
You can contact the Norman Rockwell Museum in Rutland, Vermont, at 802-773-6095. It’s “kitschier” than the one in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and has a lot of Rockwell memorabilia. When I visited there several years ago, it was simply delightful. They may be interested in having it for their collection.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I hope you don’t mind me writing so much. I live alone and don’t have a computer. I see new faces on WCSH Channel 6 and WGME Channel 13. People I can remember not seeing for quite a while are Kristina Rex on WCSH and Alexa Maslowski. What happened to them?
Also, when did Johnny Russell, the country singer pass away?
— Jan, no town
ANSWER: Sun Spots is here for you, Jan! There are a lot of people living alone and not everyone has a computer. And not all answers to questions can be found online, believe it or not. Curious people like yourself give me loads of job security so I appreciate all the questions!
First of all, Kristina Rex moved back to her hometown of Boston in mid-summer after securing a job with WBZ.
Alexa has moved to the Cleveland, Ohio, area where she’s now working as a personnel consultant.
John Bright Russell, born in 1940, was a country singer, songwriter, and comedian best known for his song “Act Naturally,” which was made famous by Buck Owens in 1963, and by The Beatles in 1965. His songs have been recorded by Burl Ives, Jim Reeves, Jerry Garcia, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. He passed away in 2001 at the age of 61 of complications from diabetes.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: My friends and I wondered what Janet Mills was doing with that box of meds on television.
— No name, no town
ANSWER: The governor-elect appeared in a commercial during her successful campaign that focuses on how she sued the drug companies behind the opioid crisis then used the funds to purchase and distribute the anti-overdose medication, Naloxone. This ad was made to illustrate that Mills is a woman of action. One of her five stepdaughters appeared in the commercial with her.
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