Curran farm ready for March 17 spring celebration

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The “17s” you were supposed to save for January and February have passed, as hard as that is to believe, and now you have just one of those saved 17s remaining – for March!

Staff and volunteers of the Curran Homestead hope you remembered to “save your 17s” for this month so you can attend its Spring Event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at the Curran Homestead overlooking Fields Pond in Orrington.

Many of you enjoyed the Homestead’s annual meeting Jan. 17, and its Winter Carnival on Feb. 17.

Now it is time to enjoy its Spring Event that includes not only the Curran farm open house and museum tours, but also an 1890s-style maple festival and the opportunity to “celebrate everything Irish.”

The open house and museum tours are planned for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You might even meet up with an old Irishman by the name of “Michael Curran,” and you’ll certainly enjoy listening to folks swap stories around the wood stove.

The maple festival is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there you not only will learn how maple sap is harvested and turned into maple syrup, but you also will be able to obtain a maple syrup recipe book and participate in a tasting party of maple syrup products.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day beginning at 2 p.m. with Irish music provided by Late Edition, and enjoy turn-of-the-century recipes for Irish stew, biscuits, corn bread, Irish coffee and the famous Curran ginger ice cream.

You can also purchase items from the gift shop, explore the nature trails, and if the weather is cold enough and any snow is left, you might be able to skate on Fields Pond, cross-country ski or snowshoe. In any case, you should be able to hike the nature trails as long as you keep a wary eye out for icy spots!

Whatever activities are available, you know you will have a wonderful time at this living history farm and museum during its final “Save your 17s” event.

While you’re there, you might consider becoming a member of the Curran Homestead and helping support this fine local resource.

The membership fee is just $10 a year for individuals, or $25 for families.

A delightful evening is in store for everyone associated with Etna-Dixmont School, as well as residents and visitors in the area who make plans to attend Celebrating the Arts from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 15, at the school.

According to Faye Olsen, adult educator with the LEAF Family Literacy Program, the evening will feature local artists displaying and demonstrating their artwork.

Included among those featured artists will be photographers, painters, quilters, musicians, a blacksmith, a sculptor and many more, Olsen reports.

In addition to those having the opportunity to get an up-close and personal look at the work of those adult artists, you can enjoy the artwork of the Etna-Dixmont School pupils who also will display some of their special works.

Admission is free, as are the refreshments, and door prizes will be offered as well.

This should be a most enjoyable evening, and the sponsoring Etna-Dixmont School staff, the PTF and those associated with the LEAF program certainly hope you will attend.

LEAF stands for the Learning Encourages Aspirations in Families literacy program at Etna-Dixmont School.

Since 1990, the 76 members of the Maine Credit Union League, through its Campaign for Ending Hunger, have raised $1.1 million for the nonprofit, Camden-based Partners in Ending Hunger.

From its first campaign of slightly more than $25,000 to this year’s record-setting $170,000, all the money raised through the campaign goes directly to help feed hungry people right here at home.

Jon Paradise, director of communications for MCUL, reports that fact pleases those who work so hard to make this fund-raising effort such a success.

With all the money staying in Maine, Paradise points out, it “means we are truly helping our friends and neighbors.”

Letters requesting support for Bangor High School Project Graduation are in the mail.

Committee member Paula Ballesteros urges that Bangor business owners and managers give serious consideration to the letter written by Paul Chaiken, Paul Baldacci and Peter Baldacci, chairmen of the business contributions committee for BHS Class of 2002 Project Graduation.

Ballesteros reminds those receiving the letters that “nearly 90 percent of graduating BHS seniors have attended this fun-filled event since it first began.”

In order to provide an opportunity for graduating BHS seniors to enjoy a safe, alcohol- and drug-free celebration on graduation night, the committee needs to raise $20,000 to cover expenses.

One piece of that effort is requesting direct financial support from the community, as this letter does.

Another of the numerous fund-raisers is a Super Raffle in which a limited number of tickets, at $10 each, are being sold.

Super Raffle prizes include a $2,000 Best Buy Gift certificate, an Otter kayak, a driver education course from Bair’s Driving School, overnight accommodations for two at the Lucerne Inn, autographed books from Bangor author Stephen King, cassettes and CDs.

Super Raffle tickets can be obtained, before Friday, March 22, by calling Cathy Boley at 945-5916 or Cathy Frazier at 942-3544.

The Super Raffle drawing is Monday, April 15.

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