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Bangor

Nurse of the Year award

Dorothy Hill, chief executive officer and registered nurse for The Acadia Hospital, was named the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Nurse of the Year at the organization’s annual meeting held recently in Atlanta, Ga.

The association awards and recognition committee chose Hill as this year’s recipient of the award for “demonstrated vision, perseverance, dedication and initiative in the delivery of mental health services to individuals, families and their communities.”

Hill helped open The Acadia Hospital in 1992 and was chief nursing officer until 2002. She was chosen to serve as chief executive officer in 2002 and has led Acadia to achieve Magnet Hospital status, the first psychiatric hospital in the country to do so. At the association’s annual meeting, The Acadia Hospital received a Special Recognition Award for that achievement.

Past president of the association, Hill has become a recognized national leader on issues involving psychiatric nursing, and is often asked to comment in national publications and to make presentations.

“This is an exciting time for the future,” Hill said. “The Nurse of the Year award is a reflection of the support I have received from my peers and I am honored.”

For information about The Acadia Hospital, visit www.acadiahospital.org. For information about the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, visit www.apna.org.

Foster-adoptive parenting

The Bangor office of the Department of Human Services will hold a public informational meeting about adoption and foster care from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12. To learn the location, call A Family for ME at (877) 505-0545.

Brass Rings

Arcady Music Society will present Brass Rings, a brass quintet on tour, at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at the Union Street Brick Church in Bangor. Tickets are $13 in advance or $16 at the door. Children 18 and under are admitted free. For ticket information, call 288-2141, or visit www.ardcay.org.

Play director

Tony Cox, known to many around the area as a talented actor on the Ellsworth High School stage, will direct the production of “Agency” by Lee Rose at The Grand in Ellsworth, Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 20-23. For tickets, call 667-9500.

While not directing for Castle Theatre Productions, Cox works as a graphic designer for the Goodwrench Proshop in Bangor. He is active in the Ellsworth community as chairman for the Ellsworth Community Television station and as vice president of Castle Theatre Productions, the company presenting “Agency.”

Under the auspices of Castle Theatre Productions, Cox directed “The Odd Couple” by Neil Simon, in which he also starred as the slovenly Oscar Madison. His other directing credits include “The Golden Years” with Castle Theatre Productions and “By Any Means Necessary” for the University of Maine.

“This is very exciting for Castle Theatre,” he said. “We are mounting a world premiere. This is something that cannot be compared to a video or other productions. We’re making it. So come and be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime event. You can only make a world premiere once,” he said in a recent interview with Pizzuto Marketing Group, the fiscal sponsor for the production.

YOUnited in Mission

The three American Baptist churches in Bangor – Columbia Street Baptist Church, Essex Street Baptist Church and First Baptist Church – are sponsoring a mission conference, YOUnited in Mission, Friday-Sunday, Nov 7-9.

The conference begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, with a potluck supper at First Baptist Church. A service is planned for 7 p.m. with Peter Beckwith as be guest speaker.

Breakfast will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at Columbia Street Baptist Church. At 10 a.m. the group will divide and youth and children will move to the educational building for their own programs. Ignition, a Christian music group, will provide entertainment.

Adults will have time to share with Deliris Carrion, ABC missionary to El Salvador.

The morning session will conclude at 11:30 a.m.

The conference will convene again at Essex Street Baptist Church at 7 p.m. when Paul and Winnie Dodge will be the featured speakers. Sunday morning, Nov. 9, each church will hold its own worship service, with the emphasis on missions.

The conference will end Sunday night at Columbia Street Baptist Church with Karen Smith, an ABC missionary to Thailand, as the main speaker.

For more information, call 942-4177 .

Altrusa International

Professional women wishing to join other professional women in serving Greater Bangor are invited to attend an informational meeting of Altrusa International of Greater Bangor at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, for a wine and cheese open house in the faculty-staff dining room, Peabody Hall, Husson College.

Altrusa offers personal and professional development, new friendships, leadership opportunities and a network of professional women working to serve the needs of the community. To learn more, call Catherine LaFlamme at 990-3254.

Swing dance

The John Bapst Memorial High School jazz band will hold its annual Swing Dance featuring Woody Woodman and his Band of Renown, with special guests the Hampden Academy jazz band and the John Bapst jazz band, 8-11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at John Bapst Memorial High School, 100 Broadway. Tickets are $15 per couple, $10 per single adult and $3 for students. Tickets are available at the door or the high school Fine Arts Office from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday, Nov. 17-21.

Swing dance lessons will be provided by The Back Door Studio 7-8 p.m. at no additional charge.

The event is alcohol-free and benefits instrument purchase for the John Bapst music program.

Housing grant

The Stephen and Tabitha King foundation had awarded Penquis Community Action Program a grant for $28,000 to support its Replacement Housing Program, which helps low-income families replace pre-1976 mobile homes and deteriorating stick-built homes with new low-maintenance, energy-efficient, site-built housing. The grant will be used to bridge the gap between what the owner can borrow and the cost of the project.

“Older mobile homes were not designed for northern climates, nor were they constructed with long-term durability in mind,” said Stephen Mooers, director of Penquis CAP housing services. “Many are firetraps. They are well past their useful life expectancy and have depreciated to the point that many have essentially no market value.” The new homes will provide families with safe and affordable housing and the opportunity to build assets.

Individuals interested in the Replacement House Program should call Carlton Pinney at Penquis CAP, 973-3547.

Sitting Pretty

The Maine Discovery Museum will present “Sitting Pretty,” a dinner auction featuring 65 children’s rocking chairs painted and decorated by Maine artists, beginning with a preview and silent auction at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Norumbega Hall. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the live auction begins at 8 p.m. The cost is $35. Call 262-7200 for ticket reservations.

Food cupboard

The Union Street Food Cupboard will be open noon-2 p.m. Wednesdays, starting Nov. 5. Fresh produce, bakery and deli items and breads will be available. A $2 donation is requested to help cover costs of the van and fuel. Last week the food cupboard served 63 people and their families.

4,000 turkeys

Manna Ministries will begin its sixth campaign to acquire Thanksgiving turkeys for those in need on Monday, Nov. 10. Manna estimates that 4,000 turkeys, an increase of 500 from last year, will be needed.

Frozen turkeys, cash donations and gift certificates will be accepted and used to provide turkeys to food pantries, soup kitchens and individuals throughout Central Maine.

Manna will distribute turkeys to Millinocket and Old Town workers who lost their jobs. Manna also will begin taking requests for turkeys on Nov. 10. To learn more, call Manna at 990-2870.

‘Writer’s Block’

Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance will present a literary get-together for playwrights and theatre devotees with Laura Emack, who will present a dramatization of “Writer’s Block,” from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Bangor Public Library.

The get-together is open to writers working in all genres and is free. After the performance, there will be time for discussion and socializing. A $2 donation is requested to defray the cost of light refreshments. Those who plan to attend may call MWPA at 386-1400, or e-mail sarah@mainewriters.org.

Emack is a Maine Playwright’s Festival finalist and UMaine Hamlet winner. “Writer’s Block” is a wry look at the deep connections that form while six writers, ages 24-79, tilt at the maddening marketplace.

Emack supports her writing habit by working as a certified public accountant. She has written three novels, “Epstein Establishment,” “Once Ever After” and “The Far Island Fables,” and four stage plays, three screenplays, and numerous short stories. Her stage play, “In My Father’s House,” was one of five finalists in the Acorn Theatre’s 2000 contest for Maine playwrights.

MWPA and the Bangor Public Library present the Made in Maine Theatre Workshop monthly. Subsequent spots will be made available to Maine playwrights, with or without a production history, who wish to workshop their completed scripts. Those interested may call Laura Emack at 567-3437, or e-mail her at lkecpa@praxar.com.

Legal Education Program

Grandparents, aunts and uncles who are caring for a child or seeking custody of a child are invited to attend a free Legal Education Program from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Bangor Public Library.

Family Connections, a program of Families and Children Together, is offering the program to help relatives learn about the legal system as it pertains to guardianship, adoption and child protective proceedings. Attorneys Joseph Baldacci, Amy Faircloth and Wayne Doane will provide information and answer questions.

To register, call Kim at 941-2347, or toll-free (866) 298-0896.

Brewer

Argentine tango workshop

Teacher Javier Bucher of Portland will present an Argentine tango workshop beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 8-9, at Well Forms studio, 611 Wilson St. Saturday’s workshop will include classes in Tango Foundations: The Embrace, The Walk; Tango Foundations II, Flowing with the Music; Turns, Turns and More Turns; and Sacadas Perfectas I.

Sunday’s classes include private lessons with Javier Bucher for singles or couples; Keys for Milonga and Waltz Rhythm; Turns, Turns II; Sacadas and Perfectas II; and Workshop Review Practice.

For more information, call 866-2467, or e-mail tangoginny@adelphia.net.

Orono

Puppet show

The Frogtown Mountain Puppets will present “Everybody Loves a Pirate” at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Orono Public Library. Lucy and her goofy friend Little Chucky set off on a fishing adventure and run into a gang of bumbling pirates. To learn more about the presentation, call the library at 866-5060.

Winterport

Hands for Sharing

Shirley Philbrick, licensed massage therapist, will offer 30-minute massage sessions during November for the cost of five nonperishable food and-or toiletry items to be donated to area food cupboards. Her office is located on Main Street.

Upgrades to one-hour sessions are available for an additional fee. To learn more about massage and integrative bodywork, or the Hands for Sharing program, call 223-5100, or 223-4131, or e-mail slphilbrick@aol.com.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin