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Bangor

Municipal elections

Nomination petitions are available for City Council and school committee seats to be filled during city elections this fall.

Bangor voters will fill five local posts in citywide elections, which will be held in conjunction with the statewide elections set for Tuesday, Nov. 2.

This year, voters will fill three of the council’s nine positions and two of the school committee’s seven seats. All five posts are for three years.

In council elections, voters will fill the expiring positions of Annie Allen, David Nealley and Gerry Palmer. Palmer is not eligible to seek another term under the city charter, which now requires councilors take at least a year off after serving two consecutive terms.

Nealley’s seat has been vacant since May, when he moved to southern Maine.

On the education side of the ballot, voters will fill the expiring school committee seats now held by James Cox and Phyllis Shubert.

Nomination petitions and information about running for local office are available from the city clerk’s office on the first floor of City Hall.

The documents must be returned no sooner than Aug. 16 and no later than Sept. 3.

Brand image meetings

Bangor Center will hold public meetings 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, and 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, in the council chambers at City Hall. The purpose of the meetings is to gather ideas from downtown stakeholders in an effort to develop a brand image to use in promoting downtown. Those who live, work, shop or visit downtown are encouraged to attend the meetings.

Bangor Center works to make downtown a place where retail, service and professional businesses can grow and prosper; where residential life, cultural organizations and government offices can thrive. Bangor Center invests in downtown amenities, helps to market the area and participates in the city of Bangor’s planning for downtown.

Those who cannot attend the meeting, may visit www.down

townbangor.com to answer these questions:

. If downtown Bangor were a car, what would it be?

. If downtown Bangor were a dog, what kind of dog would it be?

. What movie would downtown Bangor be?

. What nickname would you give downtown Bangor?

. What do you like best about downtown Bangor?

Talk by author

Bestselling author George Colt, author of “The Big House,” will speak at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at Bangor Public Library.

A finalist for the National Book Award and recommended reading on the New York Times Summer Reading List, “The Big House” is a loving memoir placed in the setting of Colt’s family’s summer house on Cape Cod.

Back to School Celebration

A Back to School Celebration will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at Cascade Park in Bangor. The rain location is Abraham Lincoln School, 45 Forest Ave.

The event will feature a bounce house, face painting, games, a juggler, therapy dogs, nutrition information, child car seat installation, fire safety information, finger printing, ID cards, giveaways, drawings and refreshments.

Participating organizations include Toys R Us, Kaplan Early Learning Co., Bangor Interpreting Services, Sam’s Club, Golden Moments, Penobscot Community Health Center, Penquis Community Action Program, the Bangor and Hermon fire departments and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department.

The celebration is free of charge. To learn more about the event, call Maria Staples at 973-3586.

Friday Night Jazz

Maine Public Radio will air a live jazz performance before a studio audience at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, as part of its weekly program, “Friday Night Jazz with Rick Tozier.”

Guitarist Mark Kleinhaut and clarinetist Brad Terry will perform.

The public is invited to attend. To reserve a seat, call Tozier at (800) 884-1717, Ext. 3095, or e-mail rtozier@mpbc.org.

Brewer

Benefit bowl-a-thon

A bowl-a-thon to benefit the Charles O. Howard Memorial Foundation will be held 6-10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at Bangor-Brewer Bowling Lanes on Wilson Street.

Fees will be reduced for those bringing pledge donations. Bowlers may begin playing any time between 6 and 10 p.m.

Municipal elections

Two seats on Brewer City Council and one on the Brewer school committee are up for grabs during the November elections, and nomination petitions are now available.

The terms of councilor and former Mayor Gail Kelly and Deputy Mayor Manley DeBeck will expire this year, along with that of school board Chairman Mark Chambers.

All three positions are three-year terms.

Anyone interested in running for one of the three positions will need to collect 50 signatures of Brewer residents before filing.

The earliest petitions can be filed in Brewer is Sept. 3, and the deadline for filing is Sept. 20. Nomination petitions are available at City Hall.

Children’s garden

Work crews from Sprague’s Nursery & Garden Center broke ground recently behind Dead River Co. at 103 South Main St. and began to clear the area for a children’s garden with the city’s ambitious Penobscot Landing redevelopment project along the river.

The 1-acre children’s garden will include a presentation plaza and a story area with granite seating.

The garden will connect with a walking path running the length of the Penobscot Landing project, which spans the area between the three bridges.

Bucksport

Arcady Music Society

The Arcady Music Society will present “Intimate Sounds,” chamber music featuring piano, violin, cello and flute at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, at the Alamo Theater in Bucksport.

Tickets are $16 at the door, $13 in advance, free for ages 18 and under. For information, call 288-2141.

Castine

Penobscot Expedition

The Wilson Museum joins the community in commemorating the 225th anniversary of the Penobscot Expedition with a series of events:

. Thursday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m. Costume historian Henry Cooke IV will give a slide lecture, “Clothing of the Past: Citizens, Soldiers and Castine in 1779.”

. Friday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Henry Cooke will give a daylong workshop, “Recreating Historic Costumes of the Revolutionary Era.” The workshop is full, but onlookers are welcome.

. Sunday, Aug. 15, 2-5 p.m. The John Perkins House and Blacksmith Shop will open again with fireside cooking and black-smithing.

The Wilson Museum is open 2-5 p.m. through Sept. 30. The Perkins House, Blacksmith Shop and Hearse House are open 2-5 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday.

Eddington

Purple loosestrife intervention

Eddington’s Plant and Pray Garden Club provides purple loosestrife intervention.

Purple loosestrife is a beautiful flower that invades farm ponds and ditches and chokes wetlands, club officials explained. In less than a decade, purple loosestrife has spread from Brewer along Route 9 to Clifton and beyond to wet spots along Routes 178, 146 and 180. Each blossom releases thousands of seeds and the plant is difficult to eradicate.

The Eddington Garden Club’s intervention program provides landowners with purple loosestrife information, eradication demonstrations and hands-on removal when possible. For information, call 843-5587.

Etna

Grant to improve housing

The town had received a $300,000 grant for improvements to lower-income homes in town.

Ron Harriman, an economic development consultant hired by the town, estimates that at least 25 homes will benefit from the funding that helps with improvement projects such as replacing septic and heating systems and installing new roofs, windows and doors.

A special committee will review and evaluate the applications, placing them in priority of need. Bids for the projects will be sent out to local qualified contractors.

Harriman said the goal was to do as many homes as possible.

Hampden

Heritage Day

The Hampden Historical Society – a very busy group – will sponsor a Heritage Day 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Kinsley House, 83 Main Road South, the headquarters of the society in Hampden. Activities are free.

Heritage Day is a biannual event designed to showcase and demonstrate the arts and crafts of a bygone era – with something for everyone in the family.

This year’s Heritage Day will feature canoe building, baskets and jewelry, candle dipping, apple cider pressing, quilting, weaving, spinning, tatting, knitting, rug braiding and hooking, chair caning, custom fly rod making, clogging, a cookie lady for the kids and the Girls’ Drum Group from Indian Island.

For those with a sweet tooth, the society will have baked items for sale.

Other activities will include a demonstration of the Kinsley House antique tool collection, and tours of the Hannibal Hamlin law office and the Hampden Historical Society archives and museum.

For information and directions, contact Gerry at 862-2027.

Barbershop music

The River City Harmonizers of Hampden will present a program of barbershop music at 8 p.m. Aug. 21 at Marsh River Theater, Rte. 139, Brooks.

Ticket prices are $5 and $8. Contact the theater at 722-4110 for ticket information. Contact Shari Gervasi at 862-2961 for information about the group.

Municipal elections

Three seats on the Hampden Town Council and two seats on the SAD 22 board of directors are available.

The nomination papers are due by Sept. 3 and for council seats require at least 50 signatures. A total of 25 signatures is required for the school board, which represents a school district that includes Hampden, Newburgh and Winterport.

All three seats up for election on the council are at-large positions held by Robert Gilberti, Carl Pease and Dana Skinner. The two Hampden seats on the SAD 22 board are held by Kim Slininger and Steven Lord.

Holden

Island wildflowers

An excursion paddling to Maine Audubon’s island in Field’s Pond to look for wildflowers will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14. The cost is $5 per person. The cost to rent a canoe is $10. Call 989-2591 to preregister.

Atlantic Salmon Museum

Fly fishing aficionados and others are encouraged to visit the Craig Brook Atlantic Salmon Museum, which is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day.

The volunteer-run museum – and only one of its kind in the country – is located at the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery. On display are fly fishing equipment, artifacts and memorabilia, including an impressive collection of salmon flies.

For more information, contact Peter Steenstra at 469-7300. The hatchery and museum are on Hatchery Road in East Orland.

Orono

Arcady Music Society

The Arcady Music Society will present “Intimate Sounds,” chamber music featuring piano, violin, cello and flute at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16, at the Minsky Auditorium at the University of Maine.

Tickets are $16 at the door, $13 in advance, free for ages 18 and under. For information, call 288-2141.

Library closed for cleaning

The Orono Public Library will be closed for cleaning on Friday, Aug. 20.

Orland

Gray Family Reunion

The annual Gray Family Reunion will be held Aug. 21 at the home of Amos Orcutt on Bald Mountain Road in Orland.

Lunch will be served at noon and the family meeting will follow. Everyone is asked to bring a hot or cold dish and dessert. For information or directions, contact Michelle at 848-5210 or Billy at 469-2226.

Stetson

Around Stetson

Terry D. White was elected in May to fill the remaining one-year term on the Board of Selectmen created when A. Clayton Brown left, according to the Stetson Public Library newsletter.

Don Carroll was elected chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

Terry Moore was appointed to the planning board during the selectmen’s July 20 meeting.

Thirty-day notices on unpaid taxes for 2004 were mailed July 19. The end of the 30-day period is Aug. 18.

Kim Tracy has been appointed fire chief. Duane Leighton is now first assistant chief, and Andrew Gray is second assistant chief.