SACOThirty-five members of the Saco Jets baton twirling organization and members of their families will be heading south this July to compete in the United States Twirling Association's National Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida.

These girls and their parents and other supporters have been raising funds for this trip for well over a year to defray the extensive cost of this opportunity to represent Saco, and the entire State of Maine this year.

On Saturday, June 28, the group will hold a car wash at Bob and Mike's Citgo, on Elm Street, in Saco, as their final fund raiser for this event. The car wash will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Donations will also be accepted at this event.

This group has held other fund raisers including car washes, bake sales, calendar sales, comedy nights, Applebee's pancake breakfasts, bottle drives, and tag days. The funds obtained will be used to defray the cost of travel and housing for the twirlers during this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Saco Jets organization began in 1963, when Linda Zello Ladakakos founded the group as a program of the Saco Parks and Recreation Department, while she was still a student at Thornton Academy. In the ensuing 45 years, the organization has helped thousands of kids in Saco develop twirling skills, poise, and confidence. Many of Ladakakos' former students have come back to coach generations of twirlers. One such student, Susie Stackpole Skaggs, of Saco, has taken a leadership role within the Jets, coaching and directing the organization.