Event Pavilion for Alna Center - Official Reassembly Thread

[John Kokas]

Agree with Bob;  think we're over thinking it.  Probably the biggest piece we'll see inside (possibly) is a stake body that could be used for a stage.  An 11'0" opening is plenty big enough.

[Ted Miles]

Mike,
        do you have any idea when you will be able to re-start the construction on the
Pavilion? You were doing so well last year! I think modeling it after a historic Maine building is a great idea!  Ted Miles, WW&F Member

[Mike Fox]

Hi Ted. My plan is next month to dig the footings and get the concrete delivered. Also, I am hoping to board up the finished portion. We will most likely finish it over the winter again. But getting the footers in will be a big boost.

[John Kokas]

I thought the plan we to get the pavilion finished during FWW so that it could be used for VC, and other winter specials.  Has that plan changed?

[Mike Fox]

Any previous plan has been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. We will have the first half available atleast.

I moved the Kubota there Saturday. I have a Fire Department function then a family function on Saturday the 27th, so I had no other place I could use it prior to starting again on tha Pavilion.

[Paul Uhland]

Once again, in the immortal words of that Saturday Night Live philosopher Roseanne Rosannadana (played by the late genius commedienne Gilda Radner), ..."If it aint one thing, it's another!!"   

[Mike Fox]

Dwight and I were at it today. Laying out where the posts were going..



Then I started digging. Probably could have gotten them all in, but a reporter showed up so I stopped the machine so there was no noise until she was done with her interviews and note taking. And it was a nice enough day that I did not want to hurry. We will get the rest dug next weekend (unless it rains) and pour cement the following Saturday.





South posts all completed







And one for the books. I have never seen a hornet nest like this. I did finally see it was a white tailed hornet, just not sure what it is called.. Murder Hornets?? Just kidding..

[Dwight Winkley]

Mike did find a second hornet nest, shaped like they should be built.
 We found no birds nests.

[Roger Cole]

What is the black "thing" under the concrete tube?  Is it metal or plastic?  I am assuming it is to spread the weight from the column.

[Graham Buxton]

More info on those post base forms here:

https://www.sonotube.com/sonotubeconcreteforms/tubebase.aspx

[James Patten]

Mike, digs a lot easier when it's not frozen, doesn't it?

[Mike Fox]

Graham has provided a good link. My thoughts for these were because of the clay base, I wanted something stable. As it was, there was only one or 2 posts that we put in back November/December that really needed them. But all of the south and a couple of the north are dome with these. Those posts will not move..

And yes James. Much easier when we are not prying frost out first.

[Bill Reidy]

And one for the books. I have never seen a hornet nest like this. I did finally see it was a white tailed hornet, just not sure what it is called.. Murder Hornets?? Just kidding..

Apparent this is a bald-faced hornet nest in its early stage, if this web site is to be believed.  https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2015/06/07/newly-constructed-bald-faced-hornets-nest/  and  https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/06/11/bald-faced-hornet-queen-and-nest-eliminated/

And I was going to ask if this is where black flies live.

[John Kokas]

If its bald-faced hornets, kill and destroy nests ASAP.  These hornets are known to attack honey bee colonies as raiders and will destroy a hive in less than a day.  They are no friend of the farmers/orchards.

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

If its bald-faced hornets, kill and destroy nests ASAP.  These hornets are known to attack honey bee colonies as raiders and will destroy a hive in less than a day.  They are no friend of the farmers/orchards.

You've got your hornets mixed up.
The ones you are thinking of are the ones now typically known as "Murder Hornets," an invasive species not-native to these parts.
There have been a few sightings of this type and the damage you describe in the Pacific Northwest, and while it's not "impossible" for them to appear in New England, they as yet have not.
The hornets in the above pictures are the perfectly normal and native to this area variety.
I'm not a FAN of them, but they're not a reason for panic.

That being said, I'm not opposed to all-out chemical warfare on them,... but I'm biased.