Congratulations to the members of East Eddington Grange, who are celebrating 116 years of service to their community.

One highlight of that celebration is two performances of a variety show at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 30, in historic Comins Hall, 1387 Main Road in Eddington.

Admission is $3 for adults and teens, free for children.

Ruth Perry of Clifton e-mailed me that the variety show features performers from the Eddington, Clifton and Holden area, and the acts will include dancers, singers, bands and comedy routines.

She added that two shows are planned “in an effort to accommodate all who wish to attend.”

She went on to explain that because “last year’s show was packed to overflowing, we are limiting each show to 250 seats.”

Therefore, she urges you to reserve your seats by calling the Eddington Town Office at 843-5233.

Admission fees will benefit the kitchen improvement fund of the Eddington Clifton Civic Center in Comins Hall, and funds from the concession stand will benefit the Grange’s many community charity donations.

Pointing out that the shows are serving as multipurpose events, Perry added that members of Boy Scout Troop 23 will sell hot dogs and popcorn to raise funds to enable them to attend summer camp, and that members of the John Bapst Memorial High School Destination Imagination team will conduct a 50-50 raffle to raise money for a trip to the world competition in May.

In between the productions, the East Eddington Community Church is hosting a spaghetti supper with seatings at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. at the church, at the junction of Routes 9 and 46 in Eddington.

Admission for the supper is $6 for adults, $4 for children. Proceeds will benefit the church building fund.

There will be plenty of excitement at the Woodsmen’s Day opener at Leonard’s Mills from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum off Route 178 in Bradley.

Admission to the living history site’s 2005 opening day is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 2-12.

Among the attractions you can expect to see are competitions among the woodsmen’s teams of the University of Maine, Colby College and Unity College; twitching of logs by draft horses or oxen; a free Stihl chain saw safety training class; and the operation of the 1700s-style sawmill.

Free bean-hole beans will be prepared on-site, and there is plenty of parking.

For more information, call the museum at 581-2871 or e-mail info@leonardsmills.com.

President Bob Pentland and members of our historic Bangor Band invite you to their annual Spring Memorial Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at All Souls Congregational Church on Broadway in Bangor.

The concert is free, and Pentland hopes you will come and “enjoy some fine band music performed by one of American’s oldest continuous community bands.”

On behalf of The Animal Orphanage in Old Town, its president, Bobbie Fowler, invites you to treasure the memories of May Day, and the May baskets that went with it, by attending a May Day Longaberger Basket Bingo.

This fund-raiser for the no-kill shelter for strays in Old Town and Orono begins at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Old Town Elks Lodge, 290 North Fourth St. in Old Town.

For $10 you can play 10 games, with chances to win a basket with each game.

The event also features two blackout games for $5 per game, and raffle tickets for a large basket.

Fowler reports that several local business owners who are concerned with animal welfare have donated $1,500 worth of Longaberger Baskets for this event.

For more information, call the Animal Orphanage at 827-8777 or Fowler at 827-2658.

A May Day benefit for DHL workers is 4-7 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Solidarity Center, 20 Ivers St., which is off South Main Street behind St. Teresa’s Church, in Brewer.

Rep. Michael Michaud and Sen. Paul Davis will attend, and Shawn Mercer will entertain on guitar and harmonica.

Jack McKay of the Greater Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO said raffle prizes include tickets to a James McMurtry performance.

Patrick Mealey and Joyce Jackson will present a slide show and discuss the restoration of their c. 1892 Perry home at the next meeting of the St. Croix Historical Society meeting.

You are invited to this meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 2, at the Holmstead Civic Center on Main Street in Calais.

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