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Bangor

Chocolate dessert party

Chocolate delights will highlight Spruce Run’s annual dessert party 7-9 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Spectacular Event Center. The desserts are donated by 30-50 restaurants, bakeries and individuals from Greater Bangor, and include cheesecakes of all kinds, tortes and confections that marry raspberries, strawberries or cherries with chocolate.

“This year we’ll have fruit and veggies, too,” said Francine Stark, Spruce Run community response and training coordinator.

The dessert party is the organization’s major fund raiser and nets approximately $3,000, said Dorathy Chocensky, resource development coordinator for the agency.

Spruce Run provides services and shelter for women seeking to escape abusive relationships.

“The dessert party raises awareness as well as funds,” Chocensky said.

The party also marks Spruce Run’s 30th birthday. The agency was incorporated in 1973. It grew out of a discussion group for abused women which had been formed a year earlier.

Special features of the event are music provided by the Hampden Academy Jazz Lab Band, the Spontaneous Jazz Ensemble and a performance of the Feminist Oral History Project’s Readers’ Theatre.

Tickets for the dessert party are $15, $5 for children, and will be sold at the door. Donations of desserts are still being accepted. To donate a dessert or to obtain tickets, call 945-5102.

Sponsors are Warren Silver Law Firm, the Bangor Daily News, Northeast Reprographics, Miller Drug, Miller’s Restaurant and the Spectacular Event Center.

Book discussion

The Bangor Public Library presents its latest book discussion group, “Cogewea, The Half Blood,” by Mourning Dove, at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27.

One of the first known novels by an American Indian woman, “Cogewea,” published in 1927, is the story of a half-blood girl caught between the worlds of Anglo ranchers and full-blooded reservation Indians.

The activity is open to the public and copies of the book may be picked up at the circulation desk. “Cogewea,” is the third book in the series, “Landscapes of the Western Mind: Exploring the Frontier,” a Let’s Talk About It series sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council. Kathleen Ellis, a creative writing instructor at the University of Maine, is the facilitator. To learn more, call the library at 947-8336, Ext. 139.

Arcady concert series

The Arcady Winter Concert Series has announced a program and schedule change. Orquestra de Sopro will not perform on March 24.

Instead, the Bottom Line Tuba Quartet of New York City will perform at 7 p.m. Monday, April 7, at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 120 Park St. For information, call 990-2805.

YWCA spring fair

It’s spring for sure – the 27th annual YWCA Spring Fair is set for 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 28-29, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center. The fair features rides, games, gifts, crafts, food and entertainment. To learn more or to obtain ticket information, call the YWCA at 941-2808.

Master basket maker

Barbara Francis, master basket maker, will talk about her life and art at two presentations this month, one at the University of Maine and one at the Bangor Public Library. A documentary about her life by Orono filmmaker Jim Sharkey also will be shown. Francis’ presentations are part of Women’s History Month activities at the University of Maine.

The public may view the film and meet Francis at:

. 7 p.m. Monday, March 24, Lecture Hall, Bangor Public Library.

. 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, Coe Lounge, Memorial Union, UMaine, Orono.

Rap contest

The children’s department at Bangor Public Library invites pupils in grades six-12 to compose a rap to help promote this year’s summer reading program. The prize is $100.

The rap must have at least six verses that proclaim the wonders of summer reading. Librarians at local grade schools will use the winning rap to get kids enthused about reading during the summer.

The winning rapster will have the opportunity to perform at the party in September for the school that wins the Summer Reading Challenge.

The deadline for submissions to the children’s department is April 30. Each must include the writer’s name, phone number and age. For information, call the library at 947-8336, Ext. 111.

Dental hygiene clinic

The University of Maine system offers a low-cost dental hygiene clinic to the public from September until April. All dental hygiene services are provided, including oral exams, dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, athletic mouth guards and x-rays. Services are provided by dental hygiene students under the close supervision of faculty. To learn more, call the University College of Bangor Dental Health Programs at 262-7872.

‘Angel Street’

Producing Artistic Director Mark Torres of Penobscot Theatre Company-Maine Shakespeare Festival describes the 2003 season as, “a journey of the imagination,” featuring everything from contemporary and classic comedies, musicals and thrillers to Shakespeare.

The Maine Shakespeare Festival has relocated from the waterfront to the Bangor Opera House this year.

Tickets are on sale for all 2003 productions. Money-saving subscription and flexible pass offers are available. Ticket prices range from $10 to $22. For information, call the theater box office at 942-3333.

The current production, “Angel Sreet,” by Patrick Hamilton and directed by Gregg Brevoort, is about a society wife and the husband who searches for hidden jewels in their townhouse. A Victorian thriller, the play was made into the 1943 film, “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman.

Performances are 7 p.m. April 2-3, 10; 8 p.m. April 4, 11-12; 5 p.m. April 5; 2 p.m. April 6, 13, at the Bangor Opera House.

Art program

Grace United Methodist Church will offer an art program, Neighboring Arts, 9-11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday, April 22-24, at the church. The program is open to 15 children, youth and adults on a first-come, first-enrolled basis. A parent or other adult family member or friend is encouraged to participate with a child. A $10 fee will cover the cost of art supplies. Scholarships are available on request. To enroll, call 942-8320.

MS Walk

There’s still time to register for the 2003 Manpower MS Walk set for Sunday April 6 and Sunday May 4 at 16 locations in Maine. To date, more than 2,500 people have registered for the MS walk statewide.

Last year more than 3,600 people registered for the walk, raising more than $430,000 for the Maine Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year’s goal is $500,000.

Those interested in participating in the walk, or who wish to volunteer the day of the event, should call Nichole Rutherford, walk manager, at (800) 639-1330.

Brewer

Hometown Band concert

The Brewer Hometown Band will offer a rousing spring concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 23, at the Brewer Auditorium.

The guest soloist will be Paul Greenstone, tuba player. The concert will include many favorite marches of the late Sam Wyman, who played tuba in both the Bangor Band and the Brewer Hometown Band.

The event is free, but donations will be accepted. Refreshments will be available.

Orono

AFS raffle

Need a kayak or mountain bike? The AFS, the international high school student exchange program, is sponsoring a raffle. Items to be raffled are an Old Town Stoker Kayak – color tequila sunrise – and paddle, a $350 value; a Jamis Cross Country SC 17-inch mountain bike, a $200 value; a nine-patch crazy quilt, 75 inches by 75 inches, pieced by Pat Cody and machine quilted by Rosalita Feero of Grandma Rose’s, a $150 value; and a handcrafted poseable clown, a $50 value. Raffle items are on display at the Orono Pharmacy, Mill Street.

Winning numbers will be drawn May 3. The first name drawn gets first choice of the prizes. Tickets are available at Orono Pharmacy or by calling Nancy Grant, 866-4542, or Joyce Murdoch, 866-7732. Tickets are $1 or six for $5. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to help defray expenses of local students participating in the AFS exchange program.

Let’s Talk About It

A Let’s Talk About It series, “Fear and Hope: Writing from the Great Depression” of the 1930s, is being offered at the Orono Public Library.

Books for the program are available for loan at the library. Call the library at 866-5060 to register and come in to pick up the first book of the series.

Participants will meet at 7 p.m. at the library on Thursdays: April 3 and 10, May 1, May 15 and 29. Books to be discussed include: Frederick Lewis Allen’s “Since Yesterday: the 1930s in America,” Richard Wright’s “Uncle Tom’s Children,” Jack Conroy’s “The Disinherited,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Tender is the Night,” and Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.”

The first discussion will be led by retired Colby professor of American studies and English, Charles W. Bassett, who developed the series.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Orono Public Library through the Maine Humanities Council’s Maine Center for the Book in cooperation with the Maine State Library.

Women’s history celebration

Linda Gordon, professor of history at New York University, will give the keynote address at this year’s Women’s History Celebration at the University of Maine.

Gordon, who has specialized in examining the historical roots of contemporary social policy debates, especially those that concern gender and family issues, will present “How Welfare Became a Dirty Word” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, in Room 100 of the Donald P. Corbett Business Building. Her talk is a Howard Schonberger Peace and Social Justice Memorial Lecture and is sponsored by the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program.

Since 1976, Gordon has produced a series of books that explore child abuse, reproduction, welfare and adoption.

Her works include “Woman’s Body, Woman’s Right: The History of Birth Control in America;” “Heroes of Their Own Lives: The History and Politics of Family Violence;” and “Pitied But Not Entitled: Single Mothers and the History of Welfare.” Her most recent book, “Dear Sisters,” edited with Ros Baxandall, offers an historical introduction to the women’s movement of the 1970s through essays and documents.

Gordon will offer an informal talk on a 1904 white vigilante action against the Mexican American foster parents of white children at 11 a.m. Friday March 28, in the Bangor Lounge, Memorial Union. Her talk is “The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction: Race and Vigilantism in the Wild West.”

For more information about Gordon’s talks, call the Women in The Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program at 581-1225 or visit the Web at www.umaine.edu/wic.

Election results

The results of the municipal elections last week are:

Town Council, three-year position: Lianne Harris, 422 votes; Carol Alford, 348; and Mary Hutchinson, 319, filling the three open seats. Sean Wasson received 314 votes and James Dearman, 221.

Two positions for school committee, three-year terms: Tracey O’Connell, 411 votes and Robert Swindlehurst, 330. Chris Ruge received 226 votes.

One position for school committee, one-year term: Katherine Sewall got 549 votes.

Winterport

Watershed council fair

The Cove Brook Watershed Council will sponsor a “Lawns and Gardens for a Healthy Coastal Watershed” fair 10 a.m-1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at Samuel Wagner Middle School. The Maine Master Gardeners, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, local environmental steward groups, Soil & Water Conservation District representatives, Maine Board of Pesticides Control, and other Maine natural resource agencies will be on hand to answer questions.

The free public event will feature guest speakers Gary Fish from the Maine Board of Pesticides Control; Lois Berg Stack, ornamental horticulture specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension; and Barbara Damrosch, horticulturist and author.

There will be displays and demonstrations by natural resource organizations throughout the day.

The Cove Brook Watershed Council is a nonprofit organization formed by local citizens in 2001 to conserve the Winterport brook.

It is one of the eight waterways in Maine designated as having a wild Atlantic salmon population. The council’s mission is to conserve and enhance the watershed, educate the public about its resources, and maintain environmentally sound traditional uses of the watershed.

For more information about the council, call Donna Gilbert at 223-4306, or e-mail gilbertdonna@adelphia.net.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin