For one of Bangor’s more highly regarded institutions, Mother’s Day 2002 is an extra-special occasion.

It was during a meeting of 300 churchwomen on May 8, 1902, that the Good Samaritan Agency had its beginnings.

To celebrate its first century of service to young mothers and their children, the Good Samaritan Agency invites the public to attend either or both of two special events.

The first is a Mother’s Day Open House from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at the Good Samaritan Agency at 100 Ridgewood Drive, which is off Stillwater Avenue in Bangor.

The second event is the dedication of a monument for the Good Samaritan Agency at 3:15 p.m. that day in the newer section of Mount Hope Ceremony off Mount Hope Avenue in Bangor.

Good Samaritan Agency administrative assistant Kimberly Horn said the agency is looking forward to celebrating this special occasion.

“This event ties everything together,” Horn said of the Mother’s Day celebration of the agency’s 100 years.

During the open house, at 1 p.m. the agency’s board President Phil Dunn will officially welcome guests, and former executive director and former board member Janet Pease will offer a history of the agency.

After that presentation, Charles Bragg of Bangor will dedicate the agency’s child care center in the name of his late, dear friend and generous community benefactor, G. Peirce Webber.

Refreshments will be provided, and then everyone will adjourn to Mount Hope Cemetery where the Rev. Bob Carlson will preside over a dedication ceremony for the Good Samaritan monument beginning at 3:15 p.m. At the dedication, Lynn Alexander will provide bagpipe music.

With the assistance of many people, particularly Douglas Coffin of Belfast, a monument has been erected over the unmarked graves of 86 people helped by the agency. The monument’s inscription reads: “Between 1902 and 1954, the Good Samaritan Agency of Bangor helped 994 young, single women to give birth and care for their children in safety. One woman and 85 children remain here.” The

The stone, described as a “birdbath memorial,” features a carving of a bowl with water.

“The bowl represents the womb,” Horn said, “and the water represents life.”

A constant source of support to young women for 100 years, the Good Samaritan Agency continues to live up to its purpose of helping “individuals who have special needs concerning pregnancy and parenting to gain the services and support they need to improve the quality of their lives.”

Bangor residents, indeed all Maine residents, can take great pride in the very special work of this wonderful organization, and express our gratitude for its continued presence in our community.

The public is cordially invited to attend a free Mother’s Day concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at the historic Friends Church Museum on Route 1A south of Fort Fairfield Village.

Ruth Mraz writes that the concert features the Presque Isle Vocal Ensemble and the Recorder Consort, both directed by University of Maine at Presque Isle professor of music emeritus, Jan Kok.

Members of the Ensemble, which includes Kok, are Sylvia Weinberg, Roberta Griffiths, Dr. Daniel Fowler and Evelyn Kok.

Canons, round and madrigals from the 1600s will be performed, as well as compositions by Jan Kok on texts by poets e.e. cummings and Louis Untemeyer.

The Consort members are Jean Hamlin, Dr. Richard Kimball, Griffiths and Evelyn and Jan Kok. Having performed together for many years, they will play music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The public is invited to participate in the program’s finale, and light refreshments will be served after the concert.

There is still time for you to preregister to run or walk in the 11th annual Cobscook Bay 10K Race For Down East Hospice, which begins with sign-up at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, June 2 behind Antone’s Triangle Store on Route 1 in Pembroke.

You can choose between a 5K or 10K run or walk, or a 1-mile fun-run for children.

The fun run starts at 9:30 a.m. that day, and the road races begin at 10 a.m.

Passing along the western shore of Cobscook Bay and finishing at Reversing Falls Park, racers and fans will enjoy a picnic cookout lunch at the park, after which awards and prizes will be presented the winners.

The first 50 people to preregister by Friday, May 31, receive a free commemorative T-shirt, but you can register the day of the race.

The entry fees are $6 for individuals age 16 and under, $10 for adults, and a maximum family fee of $30.

Or you can take advantage of the alternative payment option in which you raise $15 or more by soliciting pledges, and your entry fee is waived.

Organizers also want you to know, in order to ensure enough food is available for everyone, that food donations are greatly appreciated.

If you need more information about the race or about contributing food, call Barbara Barnett, 726-5087, or Jonathan Aretakis, after 5 p.m., at 726-5858. You can also e-mail jaretakis@panax.com.

Entry forms are also available at Shop ‘n Save stores in Calais and Machias, the IGA in Eastport, the First National Bank of Bar Harbor in Eastport and Calais, and Machias Savings Bank offices in Machias, Calais and Columbia Falls.

Funds raised through the event help support the work of Down East Hospice of Calais.

Carnations will be presented the first 25 mothers who attend a Mother’s Day Benefit Dinner from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at the Sherman VFW Hall in Sherman Station.

The $6 all-you-can-eat roast pork dinner and ice cream sundae dessert benefits Sherman Area VFW post #2299.

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

990-8288.