Old Town Riverfest an opportunity for release

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People who feel the need, collectively, to express their emotions following the tragic events of this week can find release, perhaps, by attending Old Town’s Riverfest.

Old Town Parks and Recreation Department recreation director Jeff Bryant said that event is a go for today, Saturday, Sept. 15.

He hopes, “with everything going on,” that participating in Riverfest will be a “good thing for our community.”

He believes the event will offer citizens an opportunity “to take that next step forward in the healing process.”

And one excellent way to take part in proclaiming who we are, as a people, would be by attending the Riverfest parade, which begins at 10 a.m., today, at Old Town High School.

Proceeding down Stillwater Avenue, Bryant said the parade route will take participants “towards North Main Street, then along the riverfront and end at Holy Family Church” on South Main Street.

“This should be one of our bigger parades, as long as people want to come out and participate,” Bryant said.

“We are expecting four or five Shrine units, lots of local businesses, and lots of youth groups such as Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and youth hockey groups.”

In view of recent events, Bryant said perhaps “the most important group” in the parade will be representatives of five different veterans organizations.

And, we can promise you, there will be a marching band.

In fact, that’s how we first learned about this parade: From a letter sent us by “The Gov,” Leith Wadleigh of Veazie, announcing the appointment of Peter Polk of Greenbush as the new director of Governors All Maine Marching Band.

Polk is looking forward to the band’s first appearance under his direction and is seeking to expand the band and help it get more tightly organized.

He, too, sees this parade as a “time to come together” and share the experiences of the previous week.

In the meantime, Polk is eager for people to think about joining the band.

The retired First Sergeant and adviser for the Maine Army National Guard Band in Bangor said the only criteria for joining the band, which is open to musicians of all ages, “is a willingness to be part of the summertime parade activity in Maine.”

The band rehearses on Sunday afternoons at Old Town High School and he expects as many band members as possible will meet once a month throughout the winter.

He is also hoping to find band volunteers to serve on an executive board to help in “collective decisions” affecting band members and activities.

“Decisions about where and how often we perform, and how often we rehearse, are better made with input from everyone involved,” he said.

If you are interested in joining the band, or learning more about it, call Polk at 827-7671.

If you want to see and hear the band, go to today’s parade in Old Town and cheer everyone on.

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People everywhere are seeking ways to help victims of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.

Lyn Smith, communications manager for Catholic Charities Maine in Falmouth, reports Catholic Charities USA is receiving financial donations to help with disaster relief following those tragic events.

To contribute to the disaster relief fund, send checks to Catholic Charities USA, P.O. Box 25618, Alexandria, Va., 22313-9788; call (800)-919-9338; or visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Maine-ly Music Chorus, The Barbershoppers of Bangor, presents its annual concert at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15, at William Cohen Middle School on Garland Street in Bangor.

“It’s a great little auditorium,” said chorus member Russ Van Arsdale.

“There is not a bad seat in the house.”

Admission is $10 per person at the door.

In August 2002, members of the Skowhegan Area High School Drama Club will represent our state in the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

To enable all members of the club to participate, students and supporters are raising $100,000 to cover expenses.

Committee member Nancy Chapman provided an update on the progress being made in that effort.

“We’ve been very busy this summer,” she wrote.

“We parked cars for the Skowhegan Fair and raised $1,500. Chuck Robbins donated a demolition derby car and raised $5,000” from sponsors, the most he has ever raised for a single group, she added.

Approximately $25,000 has been raised, and the group is now accepting registrations for a Golf Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Lakewood Golf Course.

The men’s and women’s mixed 18-hole scramble begins with an 11 a.m. shotgun start.

Prizes will be awarded at various holes; Hight’s Chevrolet of Skowhegan is sponsoring a hole-in-one contest; a buffet luncheon will be served; and entertainment provided by the speech and drama students.

Caddies and carts can be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $50 per person. Checks can be made out to SAHS Speech and Drama and mailed to Karen Hart, 5 Michael St., Skowhegan 04976.

More information about the tournament can be obtained by calling Eric and Brenda Roy at 474-2554.

I will be off next week, taking some time to enjoy the beauty that is Maine.

My column will return to Page B4 on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

While I’m away, look for news about your community members and organizations on the local and regional pages of the Bangor Daily NEWS.

In the meantime, no matter where any of us are next week, or what we are doing, I am sure our thoughts will be the same.

We will be thankful for what we have, grieve for what we have lost, and hopeful that a solution will be found to bring an end to the threat of terrorism that takes innocent lives at home and abroad.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.