Bangor

Lights of Remembrance

BANGOR – St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary invites the community to remember and honor loved ones this holiday season by participating in the Lights of Remembrance program.

A gift of $10 or more will include a special ornament with a loved one’s name on the Remembrance Tree in the hospital lobby; a gift of $25 or more will include a special ornament with a loved one’s name on the Remembrance Tree, and will provide the donor with a keepsake ornament. A gift of $100 will include an ornament on the Remembrance Tree annually, and a keepsake ornament annually.

All gifts are acknowledged in an album displayed in the hospital’s lobby.

Those who wish to purchase a Light of Remembrance may pick up an order form at the St. Joseph Hospital front desk or gift shop, or call the St. Joseph Healthcare Public Affairs office at 262-1720.

The public is invited to the hospital’s Broadway entrance at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, for a holiday celebration, including the lighting of the Remembrance Tree and holiday display. There will be caroling with St. John’s Catholic Church adult and children’s choirs, holiday refreshments and a visit from Santa.

Honoring veterans

St. Joseph Healthcare’s mission committee is honoring employees and their loved ones who have previously or are currently serving in the military.

The committee asked members of the organization to bring in photos of themselves or their friends and family to include in a special Veterans Day display. Nearly 100 photos are currently on display in the hospital cafeteria for all to appreciate, and will remain on display through November.

Child care training

The Penquis Community Action Program Resource Development Center will offer nine hours of training in Introduction to Early Childhood Education. Classes will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 1-3, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St., Bangor.

Training topics include a historical perspective of early childhood education in the United States, the types of early childhood education programs, a survey of major theorists who have contributed to the field and an overview of common terminology.

The registration fee is $15. To register or to obtain more information, call 973-3533.

Turkey drive

Manna has received 25 turkey donations to date. That leaves 4,175 more to go to achieve the goal of 4,200 in order to provide turkey dinners to the working poor, the elderly, people on fixed incomes and to soup kitchens. Many of the turkeys will be distributed to local food pantries, which will then give a turkey to those who have requested one.

Turkeys may be dropped off at Manna, 629 Main St., or send a gift card from Shop ‘n Save or Shaw’s for at least $10, or send a check for at least $10.

Manna is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Ofelia’s Community Resource Center, 1372 Union St., is working with Manna Ministries and will accept turkey donations and donations of nonperishable food items during the holidays, 9 a.m-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Free wood for fireplaces is still available at Ofelia’s.

Color for Costumes

The Robinson Ballet board of directors and Friends of Robinson Ballet had a successful launch on Nov. 7 at the Bangor Mall of its Color for Costumes campaign. The campaign features a “Nutcracker” coloring contest. Children were able to get the first coloring books at the Mall and begin coloring right there.

Winners of the coloring contest will win tickets to see the Robinson Ballet and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra perform “The Nutcracker” on Saturday Dec. 4 at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono.

Coloring books are available at the Maine Discovery Museum, Bangor Public Library, Bangor-Brewer Y, Bangor Mall, Old Town-Orono YMCA, Hannaford Brothers, Grasshopper Shop and River City Dance Center. The contest ends Nov. 22.

To obtain more information about the contest or to make a contribution to Color for Costumes, call campaign chairwoman Caroline Travis-Tully at 945-3807.

Audubon auction

The Penobscot Valley Chapter of Maine Audubon will hold its third annual benefit auction at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, at Fields Pond Audubon Center. A preview featuring hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be held at 6 p.m. Bob Deschesne will serve as celebrity auctioneer.

Items up for bid include gift certificates, canoe rental, handmade baskets, antiques, autographed Stephen King books, UMaine men’s hockey tickets, birdhouses, Maine Audubon memberships, books, jewelry, pottery, massage sessions and framed photographs.

To obtain more information, call 989-2591.

PICA annual auction

PICA’s 18th annual silent and live auction will be held 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at 210 Texas Ave., University College of Bangor’s College Center. The auction will benefit Bangor’s sister city, Carasque, El Salvador, and other PICA programs. Nearly 300 items will be up for bid and will include items from local businesses, artists and service providers.

The auction also will feature a holiday marketplace with items for sale from the fair-trade sewing cooperative in Carasque.

Information and pictures

of a sample of items are available at www.pica.ws/auction04.htm.

Brewer

Model train show and sale

The Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club will hold its 28th annual Model Train Show and Sale 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at Jeff’s Catering, Coffin Avenue.

Model trains and “railroadiana” will be displayed and for sale by vendors and individuals. The club’s large HO-scale modular layout will be operating, demonstrating the latest in digital technology.

Members of the public may bring in trains to sell at auction. The Train Doctor will be on hand to offer free diagnosis and minor repairs.

This is the chance to get trains ready for the holiday season, or to find gifts for train-happy friends and relatives.

For further information, contact Bill Soule at 866-4060 or soule@maine.edu.

Abnaki Girl Scouts Council

Four members of Abnaki Girl Scouts Council staff attended the Association of Girl Scouts Executive Staff Section One Conference Oct. 26-29 at The Inns at Mill Falls in Meredith, N.H.

AGSES provides opportunities for networking, professional development and career advancement for Girl Scouts executives from the more than 300 Girl Scouts councils nationwide.

Section One serves New England, New York and New Jersey. Conference topics ranged from how to end teasing, bullying and aggressive behavior in girls to an introduction to Reiki. Members attended a focus group session to assist in developing Girl Scouts of the USA’s core business strategies with Eileen Doyle, director of program development at GSUSA National Headquarters in New York. Special guest was Vicki Wright, national AGSES chairman.

Abnaki Girl Scouts Council staff who attended were: Lucy Eaton Hawkins, executive director, of Bangor; Dina Eccleston, executive assistant, of Brewer; Pamela A.W. Newcomb, program director, of Newport; and Cathy Brown, director of communications, of Bangor.

Section One Steering Committee members from Abnaki include Lucy Eaton Hawkins, who serves as the Sustaining Gifts chairwoman, and Cathy Brown, Communications chairwoman. Abnaki Girl Scout Council will host the 2006 AGSES fall conference in Bar Harbor.

Brewer Kiwanis news

The Brewer Kiwanis met recently at the Muddy Rudder Restaurant with 25 attending.

Interclub visitors from the Bangor Noon Kiwanis were Ron and Nancy Lunn, Bud McEachern, Cecil Wilson, Bill Meucci, Ann Richards and club president Debbie Paradis.

Interclub visitors from the Bangor Breakfast Kiwanis were Amelia Levesque, guest Rick Bronson, Frank Carr, Ed Healy and Lt. Gov. Doug Hollingsworth.

The two interclubs from Bangor participated in the board of directors meeting. Kiwanis participation in the Fourth of July Corporation was discussed.

Mark Dube attended as Bob Dion’s guest.

In honor of Key Club Week, guest speaker was Mike Hutchins, adviser of the Brewer High School Key Club. Key Club activities included the Brewer Kiwanis pancake breakfast as part of the Brewer Days celebration and the Walk-a-Thon for Dyslexics. The Key Club also cooked a meal at a homeless shelter, held a blood drive that gained 92 pints of blood, conducted a Halloween Haunted Forest, held a dance, cleared an area for a bonfire and helped with an open house. Libby Shephard was named Key Clubber of the month.

Plans are being made for the annual children’s Christmas party set for Dec. 22.

Brewer Kiwanians who traveled to the Samoset in Rockland to sponsor a casino for the Maine Physical Education Association’s fall conference were Herb Hopkins, Wes Archer, Carlton King, Bill Newberry, Jane Newberry, Andy McPhee, Dusty Fisher and Art Monk.

Hampden

Ending hunger campaign

Gov. Baldacci declared November to be Maine Ending Hunger Month and urged citizens to dedicate themselves to the goal of ending hunger.

True Life Fellowship has joined nearly 1,000 community organizations from around the state to work toward a hunger-free Maine.

True Life Fellowship will launch its efforts to end hunger in Maine with its Money for Life Campaign. Fund-raising events include a bake sale from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22 and Nov. 29, at Marden’s in Brewer. Raffle tickets for a handmade quilt also will be available. The quilt will be on display 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, at the Bangor Mall.

Oasis Food Project will hold a bottle drive 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, in Hampden.

Heart’s Desire in Hampden will raffle off a mountain bike. Tickets are available at the Heart’s Desire shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.

For more information, or to make a donation, call Oasis Food Project at 862-4287, visit www.oasisfoodproject.com, or write: P.O. Box 446, Hampden ME 04444.

Orono

Adopt a Magazine

The Orono Public Library has announced its Adopt-a-Magazine fund-raiser.

Help the library provide magazines for all ages and interests by sponsoring your favorite subscription. See the display in the library, choose your magazine and bring its corresponding donation card to the service desk.

Make checks payable to the Orono Public Library.

The library offers a varied selection of old favorites and enticing new publications – more than 80 titles in all, including Bookmarks, Cooking Light, Echoes, Hope, Mental Floss, Outside, Ranger Rick, Real Simple and Yes!

“Thank you in advance!” said Katherine Marks-Malloy, librarian.