Woodlawn Museum celebrates 19th century

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The grounds of Woodlawn Museum, also known as The Black House, will come alive with activities of old during “Living History Day” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, on the grounds of the museum on West Main Street in Ellsworth.

Woodlawn Education Committee member Karen Dickes invites everyone to attend this wonderful, free event, which features a historic re-enactment by The Ancient Ones, a demonstration of Windsor chair making, spinning, and old-fashioned games and activities for children.

Dickes explained that The Ancient Ones “is a group of historic re-enactors who come from all over the state.”

With tents set up and campfires built in the field behind Woodlawn, they will cook meals and depict New England life, as it would have been, in 1840.

“They also give knife-throwing demonstrations and cooking demonstrations,” Dickes wrote of activities that will include baking pies and frying doughnuts.

Craftsman Marc Blanchette will demonstrate how those beautiful, historic, Windsor chairs are made, and spinner Darlene Hillyard will demonstrate that art.

Led by Betsy Arntzen, children will play games and dress up for tea parties that were popular activities for youngsters in the early 1800s.

Lemonade and cookies will be served throughout the day and, if you want to tour the museum, special family rates will be available.

Sponsored by E.L. Shea Inc. and Ray Plumbing and Heating Co, of Ellsworth, Living History Day is a project of the Woodlawn Education Committee, whose members hope you take advantage of this event to enjoy “when history comes alive” in Ellsworth.

During the Speedway 95 evening race Saturday at the track in Hermon, representatives of five Healthy Maine Partnerships will distribute “Kick Butts” quit bags to those in attendance.

The event is part of the statewide Kick Butts Racing initiative sponsored by Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine, a program of the Bureau of Health, Department of Human Services.

Michael Thomas of the Kick Butts Race Team will compete in the Speedway 95 Race Card, which is sponsored by PTM’s Kick Butts Racing.

The quit bags are designed to help smokers quit their nicotine addiction, and to assist nonsmokers in helping someone they care about to quit.

The HMP participants are St. John Valley Partnership from the Madawaska area, Piscataquis Public Health Council from the Dover-Foxcroft area, S.P.R.I.N.T for Life from the Lincoln area, Katahdin Area Partnership from the Millinocket area, and Bangor Region Partners for Health.

The 17th annual “Mostly for Fun” trombone concert is 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Elm Street Congregational Church in Bucksport.

Admission is $6 for adults and $2 for students, and all proceeds benefit the church’s antique Hook organ.

The concert, which will be introduced by new church pastor, the Rev. Daniel Berry III, takes on a new twist with the addition of trumpets for the section “Cousins: Trumpets in the Boneyard.”

The trombonists, whose resumes include the Bangor Band, Bangor Symphony, the U.S. Army Band, Portland Public School Band, Downeast Winds, and the U.S. Navy Band, are Gordon Bowie, Washington, D.C., Fred Heath and Jim Trembley, Orono; Larry Douglas, Brunswick; Ernie Brown and Don Rearick, New Brunswick, and Merrill Ehler, Falls Church, Va.

Their “trumpet cousins” include soloist John Rynne, Oakland; Bangor Band principal Preston Miller and Peter Polk of Greenbush, retired conductor of the 195th Maine Army National Guard Band.

Clayton Smith of Bangor will play the Hook organ, and church organist Dorothy Lake will accompany the trombone quartet.

The program ranges from classical music to Jazz, Dixieland and hymns.

Anita McGarry of Bangor invites you to visit the Heart of Maine Chorus of Sweet Adelines International Gigantic Yard Sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at 212 Silk St., Brewer.

She promises “something for everyone, especially seamstresses!”

The Telephone Fair is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Telephone Museum, 166 Winkumpaugh Road, Ellsworth.

The open house showcases the museum’s collection of working electromechanical switching systems, hand-crank and dial telephones, telephone switchboards and exhibits arranged for this special event.

You can use telephones of old, visit with historic telephone characters portrayed by Doug Arntzen of Ellsworth and Angus MacDonald of Sangerville, and see antique telephone trucks and the museum’s newly acquired “deuce and a half” military pole-setting truck.

A Dollar-A-Book Sale will benefit the museum, and snacks and sandwiches will be available.

The event will be held rain or shine. For more information, call 667-9491, or e-mail switchboard@downeast.net.

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