The following letter was printed in the Conway Daily Sun Newspaper, September 27, 1999:



Kindness of strangers evident here in the valley

To the editor:
This letter is to tell you and your readers that there are still lots of kind and neighborly people out there to help you when you really need it. My family and I visited the Conway area recently as we do each year. We rented a canoe for ourselves and kayaks for the kids from Saco Bound and spent a picture-perfect afternoon canoeing and kayaking down the river. We had a small mishap-our canoe was accidentally overturned, but no matter, a great time was had by all. That is, until on he bus ride to our car, when my husband discovered that our car keys had been in a backpack in the overturned canoe and we had only brought one set of keys with us. (All experienced canoe and kayakers may now laugh at our stupidity, but we're reformed and will never do it again!) Well, when we actually thought that we might locate them in the river since we might locate them in the river since we knew the approximate overturn spot, fell Saco Bound bus riders, the Magee family from Princeton, Mass., sympathetically loaded two of us into their mini-van and drove back to the swimming area under the bridge. Not only did they drive us there, all three of them actually waded through the river with us, calling out encouragement and searching until we all finally accepted the futility of the search. Mr. Magee call AAA

for us on his cell phone and drove us back to our vehicle, where we thought we'd just have an hour delay or so until AAA came to our rescue. (All locked-out motorists with AAA may now laugh at our optimism-we're cured of it-and we'll always have our own hidden car key!) AAA had been given our location and we waited patiently for about an hour-that is, as patiently as possible, since we had skipped lunch (planning a nice dinner after canoeing) and we were all hungry, plus my husband was out of his bad-for-you but calming cigarettes. It was beginning to get dark so we walked to the Saco River Motor Lodge near the parking lot on Rt.302 and Kathy at the disk allowed us to use the phone to re-contact AAA. By now, my husband was not a happy camper and darkness was fast approaching. Kathy, along with the owner, Patti Wagner, very kindly let me use their phone to make call after call-to AAA, to the locksmith, to the place that gives you the "key-code" for your car so the locksmith can make a key, to Ford for the keycode, to AAA, to the locksmith again, etc., etc. Bottom line: no key code, no replacement key without dismantling steering column. Only dealership will have key code, "just call them first thing tomorrow morning." Easy for them to say! Picture the situation: It's after 9 p.m., the kids are tired and hungry, my husband is out of control and I am tired, hungry and so frustrated that nothing is working out that I cry. Frank LeTourneau, the locksmith, brings my husband to a store for cigarettes, and after checking us into her motel, Patti adopts me and the kids. She and Kathy brought us back into her home behind the motel, gave us sodas and made us all grilled cheeses. They console and encourage us, they make us laugh-basically, they treat us like family, these stranded travelers who are complete strangers to them. Morning fixed everything-the dealership provided the keycode, AAA dispatched the locksmith, he made the key and we were off. What had been an incredibly stressful situation was now just a memory of a hard lesson learned, but what is unforgettable is how incredibly kind the people at the Saco River Motor Lodge were-we will always be grateful and thought you'd want to hear about it.

--Adele and Bob Fee
Brookline, New Hampshire

"Thanks again for your terrific hospitality. It was a delight spending the afternoon with you, and a treat sharing your paradise. You can be sure I'll be steering a lot of Air Force people your way! Semper Fi --"

--Rick Larned,
Oakton, VA

"Sharlene and I had a wonderful time in New Hampshire last October. It was refreshing to meet two people with such great attitudes and willingness to help strangers for no reason. You have a very nice place to stay and the view from our room with the fall foliage was breath taking.

We are looking forward to our next trip to New England and hope to see you then. Thanks again for your rescue and may God Bless and Keep you."

--Judge Robert A. Whitney,
Justice of the Peace
Dallas County

"It has been almost a month since my son Nate and I stayed at your lodge, but it seems like only yesterday! I am writing to thank you for your generous hospitality and for your efforts on our behalf. Your consideration allowed us to salvage our fragmented adventure! Please extend my gratitude toward the rest of your family as well.

Nate and I enjoyed the "apartment" immensely. We found your facility immaculate and comfortable. I will spread the word about the Saco River Motor Lodge and we expect to see you again next year.

Once again, our sincere thanks to you and your family."

--Alfred W. Hanmer, M.D.
Newton, MA