The Pleasant River Ambulance Service “Eggs-Travaganza” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at the ambulance building on Route 1 in Columbia.

“We’ll have egg hunts, games for the kids, a bake and fudge sale, a bicycle and tricycle raffle and a ham dinner raffle,” said Betty Hammond of Harrington, a 22-year PRAS veteran.

“We’ll have hot dogs, chips and soda for sale, and all kinds of activities with prizes for the kids,” she added.

Two 10-speed bikes and two trikes, for youngsters ages 4-7, will be raffled for $1 per ticket or six for $5. Ham dinner tickets are three for $1, and games are 50 cents to $1.

Hammond explained that three full-time employees and 17 volunteers “respond to all kinds of calls,” from accidents to transferring people to and from hospitals and nursing homes.

“We’re the only wheelchair van in the area, and we serve five towns,” she said proudly of the program covering Columbia, Columbia Falls, Patterson, Harrington and Centerville.

Charlene Hammond of Columbia Falls, Aaron and Missy Wood of Addison and many others are raising funds to help defray expenses of those dedicated PRAS members.

“We have classes to keep up our licenses, which can be awfully expensive,” Betty Hammond said of bringing in trainers to give them the instruction they need.

So if you’re in the Columbia area Saturday looking for something fun to do with the kids, drop by the PRAS building and help support neighbors who are always there for you.

Rebecca Reeve, chairwoman of Hope Lutheran Church of Bangor Totes of Hope project, invites you to Basket Bingo at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at the Hampden VFW Club on Canoe Club Road.

Totes of Hope volunteers fill tote bags with gifts for children of all ages receiving treatment at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Bingo proceeds will help support this project.

Tickets are available by leaving a message at 990-5900.

Glynn Porter of New Limerick reminds readers the drawing for the NASCAR raffle will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 4, during the Houlton Chamber of Commerce Home and Garden Show at Millar Civic Center in Houlton.

The raffle is a fund-raiser for Health Services Foundation, which is affiliated with Houlton Regional Hospital.

The winner receives a trip for two, including airfare, hotel, race tickets, hospitality passes and $500 to spend at the NASCAR race Sunday, May 30, in Charlotte, N.C.

Second prize is two tickets and hospitality passes for the New England 300 race in July in Loudon, N.H. Third prize is a Richard Petty Driving Experience ticket entitling the winner to a ride with a professional driver.

Tickets are $20 each and can be obtained by calling 532-2900, Ext. 147 or 403. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

For 16 years, Rape Response Services in Bangor has served residents of Penobscot and Piscataquis counties affected by sexual assault.

The agency is offering a free six-week support group for women who have experienced rape, incest or child sexual abuse, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, beginning April 5 in Bangor.

For more information, call Angel Shaw at RRS at 973-3661.

For the first time since the early 1980s, our area is home to a Marine Corps League: Greater Bangor Area Detachment 1151.

Junior Vice Commandant Bill Jones of Levant reports that the approximately 50-member detachment was organized six months ago.

Jones invites any Marines who would like to join to call him at 884-7376 or Phil Eckert of Orrington at 825-3722.

The detachment expects to support the Toys for Tots Program, a Young Marines Program, and a scholarship program, and to provide services for parades and funeral details.

Jones thanks Star Satellite of Levant, the Maine Veterans Home and Miller’s Restaurant, both in Bangor, for financial donations and contributions of services to the detachment.

The Maine 4-H International Exchange Program needs yearlong host families for two 16-year-old girls who would be part of the family’s day-to-day life. The girls have their own spending money, and the host child is then eligible to visit Japan.

The month-long 4-H program for boys and girls ages 12, 13 and 15, needs 16 more host families, with children of similar age and interests, for July 25 to Aug. 20.

For more information, call state coordinator Jill Coffren, 645-3248, or write her at 126 Plaisted Road, Jay 04239.

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