Harvest Home Walk for Habitat for Humanity

Fall is a busy time of year for members and supporters of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Bangor.

Now they are preparing for their Harvest Home Walk, which begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and the walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Second Congregational Church parking lot, 607 South Main St., Brewer.

“We will be taking a leisurely 5-kilometer walk past our two most recent houses that were built in Brewer,” explained Habitat volunteer Steve Earl of Veazie. The homes are located on Stone and Elm streets.

While one purpose of the walk is to view the newest homes, the real purpose is to raise funds to help support other Habitat projects. Earl asks members of the public to collect pledges for and to make donations to support the work of Habitat for Humanity. If you have questions regarding how you can help, you can call Earl at 942-1127.

The second activity that keeps Habitat volunteers busy this time of year is interviewing, now through the end of December, “partnership families” for next year’s homes.

“We are now accepting applications” for those projects, Earl said, “and we’re looking for partnership families to obtain and fill out applications. We’ll be making our decision early in the winter.”

Applications to be a partnership family with Habitat for Humanity may be obtained at Brewer City Hall, Bangor City Hall, Penquis CAP, and the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine.

Applications include a “cover letter explaining the process, and a recent newsletter from us,” Earl said. “And if anyone has other questions, they can call Habitat for Humanity of Great Bangor at 942-8977. We do have an answering service, so we ask people to be patient, and we will get back to you.”

Earl explained partnership families are “people who have an ability to repay, and who are willing to partner with us in providing 300-plus hours of sweat equity” in building their home.

“It takes between 2,000 and 2,500 hours to build a house, so the family is an active part of the work with the house.”

Habitat for Humanity members are on not only these two projects but, Earl added, “as communities are able to donate land, we are searching for fund-raising and nonconstruction projects” to help build even more homes for qualifying families.

The annual Fall Luncheon of the Bangor Nature Club begins at noon Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Brewer First Congregational Church on Church Street, and you are invited to attend either the luncheon, the program that follows, or both.

The cost of the meal is $7 per person; the program, which begins at 1 p.m., is free.

The guest speaker will be Sally Arata of Veazie, who will present her African Safari slides.

For reservations, call 862-4028 or 942-5977.

Since it is the only Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Washington County this year, I’m sure organizers Ellen Madden and Bonnie Hunter hope you have obtained your sponsor sheets, are collecting contributions, and are planning to participate.

Hosted by the Pembroke Historical Society, Making Strides begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at the historical society, where registration takes place from 1 to 2 p.m.

The walk follows a marked trail along Old County, Garnet and Hersey roads, and returns to the historical society. Guest speakers, refreshments, free T-shirts to those who raise $50 or more, and a raffle drawing for the quilt, “Me and My Shadow,” made by members of the St. Croix International Quilters’ Guild, will be among the post-walk activities.

Sponsor sheets can be obtained at the Pembroke Post Office, Calais and Eastport branches of First National Bank of Bar Harbor, Lubec Medical Center, Calais Regional Hospital and Down East Community Hospital in Machias.

For more information, call Madden at 726-5518 or 726-5141, or Hunter at 726-5117.

The Robinson Ballet Company board of directors and other sponsors are hosting the first Beaux Arts Ball from 6:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 26, at Norumbega Hall’s Chateau Ballroom in Bangor.

With appetizers and dinner by Montes Catering, and music by the Big Chief Band of Portland, dress will be semiformal as you enjoy an evening of good food, good friends and for the good cause of helping support Robinson Ballet Company.

Tickets are $50 per person, and tables of eight are available.

To help celebrate the importance of dance in Greater Bangor, you are invited to obtain tickets, or more information, by calling Helen Munsey, 866-3417, or Anne Marie Orr, 945-3476.

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