Bangor

James King Band concert

The James King Band and Maine’s own Union River Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at the Union Street Brick Church.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $7 for ages 12-16, and are available at Knapp’s Music.

Part of the proceeds will benefit the restoration of the Union Street Brick Church.

The show is sponsored by Knapp’s Music and Bill Thibodeau.

For information, call 949-1867, or e-mail bgrassurb1@netzero.net.

Boot Camp for New Dads

The Penquis CAP Parents Are Teachers, Too program is offering Boot Camp for New Dads, a free workshop funded by the Maine Bureau of Health for first-time expectant fathers, 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St. A light supper will be provided.

Boot Camp for New Dads is a national program in which new fathers of 2- to 4-month-old babies help fathers-to-be become more familiar and comfortable in their new roles as fathers.

To register or to obtain information, call Wendy Pace at 973-3674, or (888) 389-3610.

Literacy volunteers training

Literacy Volunteers-Bangor will offer basic literacy training for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to or improve reading. The training sessions will be held 6-9 p.m. Thursdays, April 7, 14, 28 and May 5, at the United Technologies Center, Hogan Road. Course materials are $20. Scholarships are available for those who cannot afford the fee. Refreshments will be provided. To obtain information, call 947-8451.

Radiothon

The Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems and the Bangor Mall will hold the annual CMN Radiothon beginning 5:30 a.m. Thursday, March 17.

Mike Elliott and Mike Dow, of the “Mike and Mike” show on KISS 94.5, will kick off the KISS Kares For Kids three-day event, broadcasting from center court at the Bangor Mall. The Radiothon will continue until 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Listeners will be asked to call in donations. Mike and Mike will conduct interviews with CMN children-patients, their families and physicians.

The Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare serves 200,000 children living in northern, eastern and central Maine.

Honored senators

Maine’s U.S. senators have been honored recently.

Sen. Susan Collins of Bangor and Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland received the first Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief Public Service Award for successful efforts to increase funding for nursing programs needed to reverse the nursing shortage.

Sen. Olympia Snowe received the Community College National Education Service Award from the American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees. The award recognized Snowe’s leadership in enhancing access to community colleges.

Noontime Rotary

Werner Fornos, one of the world’s leading experts on the effects of out-of-control human population growth, will share his views with members of the Bangor Noontime Rotary club at noon Tuesday, March 29.

Fornos is the president of The Population Institute, based in Washington, which is dedicated to convincing leaders of poor nations of the world to balance population growth with available resources. The organization also encourages leaders of developed nations such as the United States to assist poorer countries in achieving that balance.

Fornos received the 2003 United Nations Population Award, and other honors over the years, for his commitment to efforts to curb the consequences of overpopulation. Fornos will visit Maine as part of The Population Institute’s Educate America Campaign, which commits to personal visits to 10 states per year to discuss the details of those consequences. His topics will include family planning, environmental deterioration, deforestation, global warming, water scarcity, malnutrition and hunger, gender equity and equality, social disintegration, child and maternal mortality, and world security and terrorism.

To learn more about the Bangor Noontime Rotary, call Linda Packard, president, at 990-2774.

Spring dance

The Patawa Club will hold a spring dance, Dancing Through the Decades, from 7 to midnight Saturday, April 2, at the Bangor Motor Inn and Convention Center.

Local dancers will perform 18 dances during the evening, beginning with the Viennese waltz and ending with hip-hop. The event includes a raffle, door prizes and cash bar. Tickets are $10 per person. Proceeds go to the Patawa Club general fund and are dispersed to charities in the Bangor area. For tickets or information, call Darlene Oliver, 942-4925.

Lenten retreat

St. John’s Women’s Council will hold a Lenten retreat 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 19, in the Parish Hall, St. John’s Catholic Church, 207 York St.

Susan Conroy of South Portland will be the guest speaker. Conroy worked with Mother Teresa in India.

“I learned from Mother Teresa that each of us has everything necessary to make a world of difference,” Conroy said.

Conroy, author of “Mother Teresa’s Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity,” received permission from Mother Teresa to write about her experiences in India. Her book will be available for purchase. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to charity.

Rites of spring

Local yoga teachers Bunny Barclay, Sandy Cyrus and John Yasenchak will lead Life in Balance, a spring equinox yoga event, beginning 7:10 a.m. Sunday, March 20, at Cascade Park. The event is free.

The exact moment of the equinox is 7:43 a.m. this year, when the sun is directly lined up with Earth’s equator. Equinox means “equal night” and on that day the length of the day is equal to the length of the night, bringing the Earth into perfect balance. It is said that it possible to balance an egg on its end at the moment of equinox.

Practitioners and lovers of yoga are invited to welcome spring at Cascade Park with sun salutations and balancing postures. Herbal tea, muffins and sanga will be served from 7:40-8 a.m. For information, call Full Circle Yoga, 866-4103.

Special needs workshops

The Maine Parent Federation will sponsor six workshops for parents of children with special needs and for providers who work with families, 6-8 p.m. beginning Monday, March 28, at WINGS, Hammond Street. The workshops are free.

Workshop topics will include multiple intelligences, advocacy and communication, special education, significant changes to IDEA and NCLB, transitioning into kindergarten, and positive interventions for children with challenging behaviors.

For information, call Penny Steeves at (800) 870-7746, or e-mail psteeves@mpf.org.

Brewer

Kiwanis news

Local Kiwanis Club members returned from the New England District Kiwanis 86th annual midwinter conference: president Bill Newberry, past president Jane Newberry, secretary Herb Hopkins and treasurer Andy McPhee. They attended workshops on childhood injury prevention, community service projects, bike rodeo, learning computer skills, club insurance and youth services.

Brewer Kiwanis members have gun raffle tickets available and are planning a new fund-raising project with Clear Channel Communications.

At its last meeting, guest speakers were Frank Page and Thomas Burby, who spoke about the Maine State Middle School Fair set for May 7, when more than 300 pupils from 35 schools will compete for science project awards.

Micho Ntacyo and Mark Wood attended the last meeting as prospective new members.

Brewer Kiwanis meets 6-7 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays at the Muddy Rudder Restaurant. Those interested in becoming members should call Bill Newberry at 945-0746, or attend a meeting.

Hampden

Wicked Good Band

The Wicked Good Band will present an evening of music and comedy at 7 p.m. March 19, at Reeds Brook Middle School on Main Road.

Tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults, $5 for children; at the door, $12 for adults, $6 for children.

Proceeds will benefit the Hampden Academy Dollars for Scholars. Tickets are available at Schacht’s, Hampden Natural Foods, the Grasshopper Shop in Bangor, and Ampersand in Orono. For information, call 862-2712.

Indian Island

Film ‘Invisible’

James Eric Francis, Penobscot Nation historian, will lead a showing and discussion of the film “Invisible” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, in the learning gallery at Augusta City Hall, 16 Cony St., Augusta.

Francis was one of the filmmakers of “Invisible,” produced by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine and Acadia Film Video.

Orland

Penobscot Bay Stewards

The Penobscot Bay Stewards program will run twice a week May 3-31 at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport. Residents of Penobscot Bay able to attend Tuesday and Thursday daytime classes may apply through the Maine Coastal Program. Applications must be submitted by April 18, and applicant interviews will take place later in April.

Stewards will have the opportunity to volunteer in programs such as the Craig Brook Fish Hatchery in Orland or preservation and interpretation at Fort Knox in Prospect.

Participants will be introduced to the ecology and cultural history of Penobscot Bay. They will visit Hurricane Island, the Penobscot Marine Museum, Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, and the Ducktrap River. Discussions led by leading authorities will cover interpretation of coastal habitats, interaction of ecological systems, watersheds and cultural ecology. Classes also will focus on the state of the bay’s natural and cultural resources and include discussions of resource monitoring, clam flat restoration, salmon restoration and smart growth planning. Students will take a boat tour of the Stonington area, visit Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery and take a cruise to Monhegan Island for a puffin watch.

At the end of the course, stewards will be expected to volunteer 30 hours on a Penobscot Bay project of their choice. For information, contact Josh Atwood at 287-9981 or josh.atwood@maine.gov.

Orono

A cappella concert

An a cappella concert with the Maine Steiners and Black Bear Vocals will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 17, at the Donald P. Corbett building, University of Maine.

Tickets are $5. Proceeds will benefit the agricultural project REACH in Panama in May. For information, contact Scott at 852-8566.

Bicentennial gardens

Orono residents can celebrate the town’s founding in 1806 by planting a bicentennial garden or by adding one of 10 specially selected perennials to an existing landscape. As part of the Orono Bicentennial Garden Project, 10 varieties of hardy perennials will be sold at a substantial discount.

Garden gurus Chris Dorion and Alma Otto researched the region’s horticultural history. Though time and space constraints limited the number of plants for sale, there is a list of their recommended heirloom plants.

Plant varieties available include the Raspberry Sundae peony, the Alma Potschke New England aster, Moonbeam coreopsis, lemon lilies, Caesar’s Brother Siberian iris, Alaska shasta daisies, David phlox, Jacob Cline bee balm, Magnus echinacea and fringed-leaf bleeding heart. These are heirloom plants known to have grown in the area between 1800 and 1850. Though historical accuracy was a concern, in several cases improved cultivars were chosen for top performance in today’s garden.

The plants are large, nursery quality perennials. Daylily, peony and iris come in a one-gallon container. Aster, shasta daisy, phlox, coneflower, bleeding heart and coreopsis come in a 5-pint container. Bee balm comes in a 2-gallon container. Prices range from $4.25 to $5.75 for most plants. Peonies cost $15.75. Quantities are limited and orders must be placed by April 15. Plants will be distributed in early May so that they may be fully established and in bloom during Orono’s 2006 bicentennial celebration.

Order forms are available at the Orono municipal offices, Orono Public Library, The Store-Ampersand, Park’s Hardware, Art Etcetera, DeGrasse Jewelers, Orono Pharmacy, The Pretty Woman, Judy’s Scrappin’ and Stampin’, Birmingham’s Florist, Burby & Bates and Rose Bicycle.

For information about the plants or recommendations for your yard, call Chris Dorion, 866-7806, or Lisa Colburn, 866-3861.

Winterport

Public auction

The Winterport Women’s Club will hold a public auction at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Wagner Middle School auditorium, Mountain View Drive. Those who wish to view auction items may do so at 6:30 p.m. In addition to regular bidding, a silent auction will be conducted. Light refreshments will be available. For information, call Katherine White, 223-5746.