Dennysville festival to celebrate holiday season

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According to Ann Carter of Charlotte, “for many in our area, Christmas really begins with the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by candlelight,” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Dennysville Congregational Meetinghouse.

With carols sung by the Dennysville Festival Choir, the nine lessons will be read, not only by choir members, but also by members of the community and church, “young and old,” she said.

The service begins with the traditional medieval carol “Adam Lay Ybounden,” Carter wrote.

This special holiday service, she explained, was first celebrated “in a shed at the Truro Cathedral in the late 19th century.”

In 1918, it was adapted “for use at the Kings College Chapel of Cambridge, England, as a gift to the people of Cambridge at the end of the First World War.”

Carter added that “this service continues, there, through modern times and can be heard … live every Christmas Eve morning.”

I was able to confirm that it will be broadcast by Maine Public Radio at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24.

As its part of this historic celebration, “The Dennysville Church and Festival Choir offers this [local service] as a gift to the people of our area as a reminder of our Christmas blessings,” Carter wrote.

Traditional carols and contemporary carols will be sung, as well, with the congregation taking part and, Carter emphasized, “everyone is welcome to join in this celebration of Christmas.”

Nancy Grimes of Winterport reports an “informal and friendly” Family Education Workshop on mental illness is being offered by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Bangor Chapter from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at Acadia Hospital, 268 Stillwater Ave., Bangor

The workshop is free and confidential, and attendees will receive an informational packet.

Grimes explained that “no sign-up” is necessary for anyone who wants to attend.

For more information, call her at 223-5686.

NAMI Bangor has also decided to change the time and day of its monthly meetings, Grimes added.

The group formerly met on Sundays, which “seems to be too busy a time” for many people, she wrote.

To accommodate more interested individuals and family members, NAMI Bangor Chapter now will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Mallard Room at Acadia Hospital.

With the recent arrival of a 2004 calendar, I was reminded that some hardy souls like to plan ahead for particular fund-raisers, and this one came to mind.

The fourth annual Washington County Community College Polar Bear Dip begins at noon Friday, Jan. 23, at the Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation.

The dip’s theme is Mardi Gras, which should produce “lots of beads and wild costumes,” reports student services adviser Tess Ftorek.

So, if you’re one who loves this exhilarating challenge, which last year raised nearly $20,000 for the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor, mark your calendar and get in shape.

For more information, call John Miller of WCCC, 853-2518, or e-mail jmiller@wccc.me.edu.

Women planning their next educational objective should know the BPW-Maine Futurama Foundation, established by the Maine Federation of Business and Professional Women, offers three scholarships for Maine women.

The Rachel E. Lemieux Youth Scholarship is awarded a high school senior, or recent graduate, who will attend college in the fall of 2004.

Applications are available at school guidance offices or from the local BPW scholarship chairwoman.

The Continuing Education Scholarship is awarded to a woman whose postsecondary education is in progress, has completed at least one year of an accredited college or training program and is enrolled for one more year to complete that program.

Finally, the Career Advancement Scholarship is for a woman age 30 or older enrolled in an accredited college or training program.

Applications for these two scholarships are available at Maine college financial aid offices or from the local BPW scholarship chairwoman.

For more information, call BPW scholarship chairwoman Julie Antworth, 947-4915, or write her at 1453 Union St., Bangor 04401.

Applications must be received by April 20, 2004.

For a $5 donation, you can add a red ornament, inscribed with the name of a deceased loved one you want to honor, to the Northern Maine Medical Center Guild Memorial Christmas Tree that welcomes visitors to the Fort Kent hospital.

To purchase an ornament, visit the hospital switchboard or call NMMC Guild members Joan Sylvain, 834-3372, or Claire Moss, 834-3195, Ext. 3301.

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