Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! It’s hard to believe we are already into November.

October at the Andover After School Program (AASP) was filled with autumn and Halloween fun. We hunted for leaves and searched for acorns. We counted the acorns and had a friendly competition. The buckets were placed outside where we could observe the squirrels and chipmunks. Whichever group had their bucket emptied first won the competition.

We followed up by making squirrels to hang up around the Annex and took some pictures. The kids really enjoyed this. We also had our traditional Halloween pumpkin hunt. Once the child found their pumpkin, they exchanged it for a goody bag. We also had special snacks and homemade ice cream sandwiches.

This month we will be having two fundraisers. We will be selling Christmas paper and miscellaneous items out of a catalog. We also will be hosting a chili cook off. This will be held on Saturday, November 9. We will be in operation from 11 AM to 2 PM.

We have eight entries, and the winning chili wins a gift card. We will charge $5 a bowl, and you may walk through and taste all eight entries and vote for your favorite. We will also have corn bread and condiments to go with the chili. This will be a nice way to have lunch.

It will be held at the Andover After School Program, and some of the proceeds will be donated to the Duquette family. Our friend Gina (who worked at AASP) is battling cancer, and we are trying to help out. We will also be selling her t-shirts and accepting donations. Please join us. Visiting with the community is such a pleasure for us.

We here at the AE/MS Annex wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for all your support.