Community News

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Bangor

Candidates forum

Bangor Public Library will hold a candidates forum Thursday, Oct. 21, in the library’s Lecture Hall. Candidates for the School Committee will speak 5:30-6:30 p.m. City Council candidates will speak 7-8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Library during the break.

In a year when it seems that the race for the presidency and statewide referendum questions are overshadowing local elections, library officials want to offer an open forum where voters have a chance to hear local candidates’ positions.

In its role as an information provider, the library has displays throughout the library with books and other materials available to help voters locate both current and historical information on the issues being debated in this election year. More information for voters may be found on the library’s Election 2004 Blog www.bpl.lib.me.us/.

Kiwanis charity auction

Bangor Noontime Kiwanis will hold its annual charity auction Sunday, Oct. 24, at the Bangor Motor Inn and Conference Center.

A silent auction will be held at noon. Bidding for the live auction begins at 1 p.m. There will be terrific bargains for all ages. In addition, there will be dessert auction items from Frank’s Bakery, Governor’s, Coffee Break Bakery and Ambrosia Catering.

Proceeds benefit local children’s charities.

Reclaiming Our Democracy

Peace through Interamerican Action will sponsor a dinner and presentation, “Reclaiming Our Democracy: North and South,” at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 120 Park St.

Featured speakers will be Teresa Perez from El Salvador and Jesse Kates-Chinoy from Bangor.

Perez is from El Salvador, where 1984 elections saw voters placing ballots in transparent ballot boxes under the trained eyes of armed soldiers. She is part of an international election observer team that will monitor U.S. elections in Florida next month.

Speaking with Perez will be Jesse Kates-Chinoy, who has done popular education and youth organizing in El Salvador since 2001. Together, the pair coordinate the U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities Network in El Salvador.

For information, call PICA at 947-4203.

Greek community dance

St. George Greek Orthodox Church will hold its annual Greek dance from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 16, at the G. Peirce Webber Campus Center, Husson College, in Bangor. The dance will feature live Greek music from the Hellenic Stars Orchestra featuring Kostas Haloulakos.

Tickets are $25, $10 for students and includes hors d’oeuvres and dessert. To obtain more information or to reserve tickets, call 945-9588.

Junior League of Bangor

Women interested in building better communities and developing lifelong friendships are invited to attend the Junior League of Bangor’s annual membership information night 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, at 66 Madison St.

JLB has a strong history of making positive change in the lives of Greater Bangor women and children through projects ranging from Eastern Maine Medical Center’s pediatric kitchen to the Maine Discovery Museum, from the Warren Center for Communication and Learning to the My Choice Pregnancy Resource Center.

If interested, RSVP at 990-2436 or www.jlbangor.com, and bring a friend. JLB is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Boot camp for dads

Penquis Community Action Program’s Parents Are Teachers, Too program provides information, encouragement and support to first-time parents and teen parents to help them give their children the best possible start.

PATT will offer a workshop for first-time, expectant fathers from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St., Bangor. A light supper will be provided.

Boot Camp for New Dads is a national program in which new fathers – veterans – of 2- to 4-month-old babies help fathers-to-be – rookies – become more familiar and comfortable in their new roles as fathers. A trained male facilitator guides the veterans and rookies through the workshop.

Rookies learn from the veterans and their babies about caring for babies, particularly when they are crying; caring for new moms, particularly when they are crying; working with little or no sleep; handling a barrage of conflicting advice; safety; and much more.

The workshop is for men and babies only. However, mothers are welcome to use the PATT resource area while the fathers and fathers-to-be meet.

To obtain more information, call Sheri Smith at 973-3579 or toll-free (888) 389-3610.

Dinner auction

The March of Dimes will hold its annual dinner auction at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Elks Club, Odlin Road. Karen Marsters and Bridget Lindsay, longtime supporters of the March of Dimes, will be honored at the dinner. To learn more about the dinner auction, call the March of Dimes at 989-3376.

Teal award

Kathy Walker, executive director of Rape Response Service of Bangor, announced that Renate Klein, University of Maine assistant professor of human development and family studies, is this year’s recipient of the Teal Ribbon Award. The award is presented to an individual who makes a difference for the agency in a capacity other than as a volunteer

Walker said that Klein “has been instrumental in establishing a firm presence for Rape Response Services on the University of Maine campus.”

Klein is the author of the Federal Violence Against Women Act grant that has funded the Safe Campus Project for four years.

The Teal Ribbon Award is presented annually at the Fall Festival Auction and Awards Night. The eighth annual event, Walker said, “generated crucial financial support for our agency and also provided emotional support from the community for our volunteers and staff.” More than 250 items for the live and silent auctions were donated by area businesses and individuals.

Underwriting the cost of the event were Pine Tree Landfill, Bangor Daily News, Veazie Veterinary Clinic, Filene’s, Husson Park Associates, Mayo Regional Hospital, Sargent, Tyler & West, and St. Joseph Hospital.

Fiber Arts Guild

The Bangor Fiber Arts Guild promotes interest in the fiber arts by providing opportunities for knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers of all ability levels to come together to share talents and learn from each other. The guild also serves the community through participation in Project Linus and other charities. Membership is free and everyone is welcome to attend meetings from 6 to 8 p.m. the second Monday of each month at Cityside Yarn Co.

The program schedule is:

. Nov. 8, Sock clinic. Show off your best socks, learn something new or start your first pair. Free sock patterns.

. Dec. 6, Happy Holidays yarn swap. Bring a wrapped 50-gram skein of 100 percent natural fiber yarn to swap for another wrapped skein. Free patterns.

Project Atrium gift

UBS Financial Services Inc. announced that it has made a gift of $5,000 to Project Atrium’s endowment fund. A formal presentation took place at Project Atrium’s annual meeting Oct. 12 at Montes International Catering in Bangor.

At the annual meeting, attorney Marvin Glazier of Bangor was recognized. He has been the long-term president of the Project Atrium’s board of directors. He is stepping down as president this year. Business owner David Theriault, current vice president of the board, will serve as president.

Project Atrium is the only residential treatment program in northern and eastern Maine serving adolescents who are struggling with both substance abuse and mental health issues.

Bradford

Big pumpkin

Elroy Morgan’s giant pumpkin was bigger than expected but not heavy enough at the pumpkin weigh-in at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts earlier this month.

Morgan’s entry weighed 859.6 pounds, about 57 more pounds than Morgan had predicted. Unfortunately for Morgan, who was hoping for the top 20 finish, his pumpkin came in 35th in a field of more than 91 entries.

The winner, a Rhode Island pumpkin, weighed in at 1,253 pounds, Morgan said.

Morgan is taking the loss in stride and is already planning for next year. He received an offer of seeds from another grower who raised a 1,458-pound pumpkin.

“We’ll see what next year brings,” Morgan said.

Brewer

Meet the candidates

The Brewer Education association will sponsor a Meet the Candidates night at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18, at the Brewer High School cafeteria.

Ten Bucks Theatre

Ten Bucks Theatre Company will present the Obie Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” by Paul Zindel.

“Zindel’s incredibly moving story of struggle, survival and triumph will touch your heart as you experience the world through Tillie’s enlightened eyes,” said theater officials.

The play will run 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 15-16 and 22-23; and 2 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 17 and 24, in the Brewer Middle School auditorium.

A director’s forum will be held after the Oct. 17 matinee.

“Gamma Rays” features A.J. Mooney as Beatrice, Lily Christian as Ruth, Jenny Bragdon as Tillie, Hillary Roberts as Janice Vickery and Marcia Douglas as Nanny. The play is directed by Julie Arnold Lisnet.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. For information and ticket requests, call 884-1030. The company has a Web site at www.tenbuckstheatre.com.

Eddington

Garden club

The Eddington Plant and Pray Garden Club will meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the East Eddington Community Church. A business meeting to vote in a slate of officers for 2005 will be held during the first hour of the meeting.

At noon, John Crowe from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will speak about methods to eradicate purple loosestrife, a flowering plant that invades and chokes wetlands.

The public is invited to attend the meeting to learn about loosestrife and other invasive plant species.

Frankfort

SchoolPop auction

Frankfort Elementary School PTG will participate in a program run by SchoolPop, a fund-raising organization for schools. The Auction and Earn program involves collecting goods from residents and local businesses which are then sent to SchoolPop in boxes they supply. SchoolPop photographs the items and sells them on e-Bay. Items are posted up to three times and the school receives 60 percent of the proceeds. Items that don’t sell after three tries are donated to charity. All donations are tax deductible.

Frankfort Elementary School is asking businesses and residents to donate any new or used items to be auctioned off. Bring items to the school on North Searsport Road in Frankfort, during school hours until Nov. 9. At other times, call Nancy Tang at 223-4698 to arrange drop off or pick up. Items must weigh under 100 pounds and be valued at $50 or more. Old camera equipment, electronic, toys and collectibles are some of the items being sought. Donations of gift certificates for bed and breakfasts, restaurants and other services also will be accepted. Donated items should be labeled with name, address, telephone number and value. To obtain more information, call Deb Williams at 223-9933.

Old Town

Special Olympics benefit

Saturday, Oct. 2, was a beautiful day for flying. For a $10 donation to Special Olympics, participants had a chance to see the fall foliage and their community from the air.

The fund-raiser was a huge success, thanks to Tina Bouffard, general manager of Old Town Aviation, and pilots Jim Jordan, Nate Jordan, Nick Eaton, Jim McGordy, Jeremy Williams and float plane pilot Rod O’Keefe, who donated their planes, gas and time. Bob Bryant assisted passengers on and off the planes. Thanks to the members of the community who flew that day, said Carol Ryan, representative for Penobscot Area Special Olympics.

Orland

Community radio

WERU, located on Route 1 in East Orland, is a community radio station powered by volunteers whose many voices are on the air and behind the scenes. Without volunteers, the radio station could not exist.

Those who would like to become volunteers at WERU are invited to attend two new volunteer orientation sessions set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, and 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23.

New volunteer orientation is an open house and provides the starting point for volunteer training. Hands-on instruction with WERU equipment takes place in late October and early November for those who complete the volunteer orientation session.

To learn more about volunteering at the radio station, call WERU at 469-6600, or e-mail info@weru.org.

Orono

Meet Republican candidates

The Orono Republican Town Committee will host a “Meet Your Republican Candidates” evening at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, in the Orono Town Council chambers.

Participants will include Brian Hamel, candidate for U.S. Congress; state Rep. Anita Peavey-Haskell, who is running for state Senate seat District 30; Bill Reed, who is running for state House District 19; and Matt Gagnon, who is running for state House District 14.

Refreshments will be served. For information, call Mary Drew, Orono town chairman, 866-3832.

Staring Over

Are you tired of being alone, of not having someone to do things with, of your friends and family not understanding your feelings? If so, Starting Over, a support group for singles, may be the resource for you.

The group is made up of people from all walks of life, mostly from between the ages of 40-75, who have been through the ending of a relationship because of death, divorce, separation or choosing to live a single life.

The group provides a supportive environment and sponsors speakers, shows videos, has conversations and provides activities and opportunities to meet other people who are experiencing the issues of being single. The group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at the Orono Methodist Church, 26 Oak St. To obtain more information, call 945-9326, 947-2427, or 866-4605.

American Red Cross meeting

The Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross will hold its annual meeting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, at the Best Western Black Bear Inn in Orono. The meeting is open to the public.

Free computer class

The Orono Public Library’s free computer instruction classes are perfect for beginners. Find it Fast will be taught by Gretchen Gfeller from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 16. Gfeller said the class will be a fun, stress-free introduction to using and evaluating Web resources. The workshop will introduce library patrons to the world of the Web and provide helpful hints to get participants started on the quest for information. To preregister, call 866-5060.

Stetson

Stetson Day activities

Stetson Day is Saturday, Oct. 16. The parade will line up at 9 a.m. on Wolfeboro Road, organized by Andy Gray of the fire department.

The theme is Country Pride and everyone is welcome to march, ride a bike or a horse, decorate your dog, make a float, fly a flag or just come and watch.

Stetson T-ball kids and baseball teams are encouraged to wear their uniforms and march. For information, call Jen at 296-3100.

A craft and food sale will be held in the meeting house basement. To rent a table, call Rhoda at 296-3470.

The Clueless Quilters will have a display at the meeting house.

The fire department will put on a barbecue lunch, with proceeds benefiting the department.

A chili cookoff will be held at 5 p.m. at the food cupboard supper.

Other activities will include sale of Stetson T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats; five and dime and food sale at the Food Cupboard; library book sale; Stetson Historical Society trivia contest and sale of calendars and mugs; kids’ entertainer; face painting; bounce house; kids’ play area with activities; early rock ‘n’ roll era band on the meeting house lawn (bring a chair); make your own sundae; kids’ soccer game, pennies in the haystack.

All events are free except for the fund-raising lunch and supper, so give as generously as you can.

For information, call Jen at 296-3100, or get a program at Buda Belly’s Store.

Big trash day

The “big trash” disposal will be held 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, in the meeting house parking lot. Dumpsters and trucks will be there.

A check-off list will be used to verify that only Stetson property owners are admitted. No dumping will be allowed before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m. No household trash will be accepted.

Acceptable materials include appliances, couches, stoves, stuffed chairs, microwaves, washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioners, file cabinets, water tanks, freezers, refrigerators, mattresses, dryers, plastic pipe, metal tables and chairs, two tires without rims, and carpet – cut in 4-foot sections, rolled and tied.

No TVs or computer monitors will be accepted.