I was raised in a community the size of Machias, and I love my hometown. But I will say this — it doesn’t have one-tenth the community spirit we have here. This weekend I had the good fortune to spend most of my Saturday at one or another of the many holiday events taking place around Machias. It was a beautiful thing to see hundreds of people out enjoying themselves, and the evening’s parade was phenomenal. You’ll find that story on page one.