Photos and videos online showed the former president and his wife, Laura, attending services at St. Ann's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church on Sunday.
Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, were spotted attending services at a Kennebunkport church Sunday, one day prior to his 80th birthday.
Photos and videos circulated online of the Bushes’ visit to St. Ann’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, just a day before the Republican former president turned 80 on Monday.
In one video, the former president can be seen smiling and waving at other attendees and later shaking hands with one. Someone in the crowd can be heard wishing him a happy birthday, to which he replies, “Thank you, I know it’s a big day,” with a grin.
In another clip, Bush smiles and poses for a photo with other attendees outside the open door of a black SUV.
Representatives for the former president and his George W. Bush Presidential Center did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment on the Bushes’ visit to Maine.
The Bush family has maintained a compound at Walker’s Point for more than a century, which rose to worldwide prominence when George H.W. Bush was elected president in 1989. Often referred to as the “summer White House,” the Bush compound has hosted generations of the prominent political family each summer, as well as foreign leaders and fellow presidents.
While George W. Bush’s public visits to Kennebunkport have become less frequent in recent years, the compound still remains in the family and has become something of a landmark in town.
Abigail is a community reporter for Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Sanford, and Wells. She recently moved up to Maine from Connecticut after getting her bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism at the University... More by Abigail Driscoll