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Areawide

Giraffe Awards

The Maine Children’s Alliance is seeking nominations for its Giraffe Awards. The awards recognize parents who formed their own organizations to help foster children and those who have advocated for children’s mental health treatment.

To request a Giraffe Awards nomination form, write Maine Children’s Alliance, 303 State St., Augusta ME 04330; call 623-1868, ext. 202; e-mail Mainekids@mekids.org; or visit www.mekids.org. Nominations must be received by Oct. 7. Award presentation takes place Thursday, Nov. 3, at Maple Hill Farm in Hallowell.

Bangor

Books for the Gulf Region

Maine library staffs realize that among the many things that the victims of Hurricane Katrina lost are books and libraries. The idea that a book could provide much needed relief to those in shelters proved irresistible to book-loving Mainers.

Around the state, libraries are collecting books to send to the Gulf Coast region – lightly used or new paperbacks for children, young adults and adults. They will accept large-type books in any format. Book donations should be dropped off at Bangor Public Library on Thursday, Sept. 22.

Museum talk

Alison Isenberg will present a lecture and slide show, drawing from her award-winning book, “Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People Who Made It,” 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Bangor Museum and Center for History, 6 State St. “Beyond Nostaglia: A New History of Main Street Preservation and Urban Commercial Life” is the title of her lecture.

Isenberg chronicles how downtowns in large and small American cities were shaped in the 20th century by a variety of forces, including small-scale entrepreneurs, middle-class housewives, civic organizations and civil rights activists, as much as by government policy and urban planners.

“Downtown America” received the 2005 Ellis W. Hawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians and the 2005 Historic Preservation Book Prize from the University of Mary Washington.

This program accompanies the museum’s new, permanent exhibits, “Crossing the Bridge: Bangor in the Twentieth Century,” and “In Our Own Words: Bangor Rotary Oral History Gallery.” It is presented in conjunction with the department of history and the Margaret Chase Smith Public Policy Center at the University of Maine.

Admission to the program is free thanks to support from the Maine Humanities Council and community business members.

Groundbreaking

The city celebrated the start of the new police station construction project Sept. 13 with a groundbreaking ceremony at 240 Main St. The $8 million project will provide city police with 40,000 square feet of work space near the corner of Main and Cedar streets.

The new police headquarters will replace the one on Court Street, which was built 65 years ago and is in poor structural condition. Designed by the Bangor firm WBRC Architects-Engineers, the new station consists of an existing one-story building, which will be overhauled, and a new three-story office building. The police department hopes to move into its new digs next fall.

Potato Suppah

Mr. Potatohead will greet guests at the second annual Maine Potato Suppah 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 120 Park St. Bangor. The meal will include a Maine potato bar with green salad, Maine apple pies, coffee and punch. The cost is $6, $4 to children under age 12. The event benefits Habitat for Humanity of Greater Bangor and will help the organization build its 11th house.

For information or tickets, call Cindy Ault, 989-4547, or Charlie Boothby, 942-8977.

Proclamation

The Bangor City Council on Sept. 12 proclaimed September as Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month in the city of Bangor. The proclamation noted that accessing treatment is a crucial first step in helping people realize that recovery is possible and effective. The proclamation also celebrated individuals in recovery and saluted health care providers who aid in treatment.

Aid to hurricane evacuees

The American Legion, James W. Williams Post 12 of Bangor, has voted to send a donation of $250 to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Fund of the American Red Cross in Washington. Members, said trustee Charles Brikel, wanted to give a token of caring and helpfulness to those affected by the storm.

Cans, bottles for disaster aid

Big Red Redemption Center, 17 Barker St., has joined the nationwide effort to help those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The center has established a special account so that cans and bottles may be dropped off and credited to the account, which will be directed to the hurricane relief effort. For information, call 990-2267.

Book talk

Maine poet Ken Nye will read from his book, “Searching for the Spring,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Bangor Public Library. Nye is a retired school principal and his work celebrates the unique perspectives and beauty of Maine. His book will be available for purchase and signing. Nye invites other poets to bring examples of their work to share during the event. Call the library at 947-8336 for more information.

Firearm safety

Project ChildSafe will hold a community firearm safety day noon-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Wal-Mart in Bangor. Free gunlocks and educational materials will be available. To obtain more information, visit www.projectchildsafe.org.

Gallery talk

Karen Haas will conduct a gallery talk 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, in the University of Maine Museum of Art, Bangor. “Ansel Adams: Celebration of Genius,” on exhibit at the museum until Oct. 8, will be the subject of the presentation. Tickets are required.

Haas is the curator of the Lane Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the curator of the “Ansel Adams” exhibition at the MFA from Aug. 21 to Dec. 31.

An expert on Ansel Adams, Haas brings extensive knowledge on the history of photography to the lecture. She holds a doctorate degree in the history of photography from Boston University.

The evening will include a reception at 6:30 p.m.

The event has a limited number of tickets remaining. The nonrefundable tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased prior to the event. For information or reservations, call 561-3350.

October art at the library

Area photographers Trudy Scee and John Wentworth will exhibit their work during October at Bangor Public Library. Scee’s photos of Northern Cyprus will be exhibited in the library’s Lecture Hall, and Wentworth’s nature and maritime scenes will be shown in the Stairwell Gallery. For more information, call the library at 947-8336.

Brewer

Tuesday Forum celebration

Tuesday Forum, a networking organization offering the opportunity for business and personal growth to women, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a luncheon 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the Muddy Rudder Restaurant. Find reservation information at www.tuesdayforum.org or by calling Helen Munsey at 866-3417. Cost is $20 per person.

Guest speaker for the event will be author and past president of the National League of Women Voters Nancy Neuman. Neuman was the president of the National League of Women Voters from 1986 to 1990, and is the author of “The League of Women Voters in Perspective 1920-1995.”

“I am thrilled to be coming to Maine to speak to this dynamic group of business women. In a time when membership in many organizations has declined, they have stayed strong for 25 years,” Neuman said.

Tuesday Forum was started in 1980 as a way to overcome what area businesswomen believed was an exclusive network of business relationships. At that time women were not allowed to join organizations such as Kiwanis or Rotary to network or socialize professionally.

Founding members believed that in order to succeed in their careers they needed to build their own network of contacts and professional relationships. Longtime member Sue McKay recalled, “We needed a place to exchange ideas, develop business contacts, encourage cross-referrals and have a forum to discuss business issues, in other words, to network.” Twenty-five years later the need is still there.

Tuesday Forum continues to evolve. The group now boasts two sets of mother-daughter members in its membership.

In 1995, when Julia Munsey returned to Bangor from New York City, her mother, Helen Munsey, introduced her to the group.

“She invited me to a meeting and said that it was a good way to get reacquainted with the business community in Bangor after living away. I had a great time, met some very interesting women, and have been a member for 10 years,” Julia Munsey said.

Carol Bartlett, operations manager for WorkSource Staffing Services, brought her daughter Emily to a meeting after she graduated from the University of Maine and began her career in Bangor.

“I thought this might help to provide opportunities for her to stay in the area,” Bartlett said.

Her daughter has worked for the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce and is now with the United Way of Eastern Maine. She is the current president of Tuesday Forum.

For more information about Tuesday Forum, visit www.tuesdayforum.org.

Kiwanis news

At the Sept. 14 meeting of the Brewer Kiwanis, guest speaker Sue McMorrow, an independent wellness consultant, discussed products designed to enhance energy, promote restfulness and supplement nutrition.

Kim Long reported on the club’s L&M Videomarketing project and said that Jim Pooler has done an outstanding job getting ads.

Carol Lackedy spoke on behalf of Wal-Mart and an upcoming Casino that Brewer Kiwanis will run Friday, Oct. 14, on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network. She also spoke of other fundraisers.

Brewer Kiwanis members meet 6-7 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the Muddy Rudder. Those interested in joining are welcome to attend.

Hampden

Nomination papers

Ten residents have submitted valid nomination papers local offices to be filled during the Nov. 8 election. Voters will fill four district seats on the Town Council, three seats on SAD 22 board of directors and one on the water district board of trustees.

Mayor Rick Briggs and Councilors Edward Murphy and Andrew Colford are running uncontested for their seats. Councilor Thomas Brann will run against Andre Cushing III for his district seat. For the three seats on the school board, four people submitted qualified nomination papers: Annette Adams, Jonathan Henry and incumbents Christopher Cox and Timothy Pease. For the water district seat, Kenneth Libbey Jr. is uncontested.

Hermon

Public gardens cleanup

An Open House Work Session will be held 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, at Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum in Hermon. Volunteers are needed to help clean up the gardens and put them to bed for the winter. The gardens are at the corner of Route 2 and Annis Road. Parking is available in Annis Road parking lot.

The Trust for Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum was established in March 1995, and volunteers maintain four to five acres of gardens and lawns and more than 80 acres of woodlands left to the public by the Crosby family. A few regular volunteers maintain the gardens.

Last fall volunteers cleared away the season’s growth – a process known as deadheading – in some of the gardens. They found it very beneficial when spring came, freeing time for other garden projects.

Ecotat has 57 gardens, some as small as 20 feet but many are larger. Non-gardeners are welcome to join in.

Cider and doughnuts will be served. Bring work gloves, cutting shears and a garden cart, if possible To volunteer or to learn more about Ecotat Gardens, call 848-5946 and leave a message with Gaynor Reynolds.

Newburgh

Dressage championships

The weekend of Sept. 24-25 will see horseback riders from all over the state meeting at Puckerbrush Farm in Newburgh for the First Maine Team Dressage Championship.

Dressage riding is one of the oldest forms of horsemanship. It was created to train horses for use in wars with exotic moves such as the horse jumping and kicking out at the enemy. In more modern days, it is thought of as “dancing” with horses and is the basis for training in most disciplines.

Puckerbrush Farm has a lively history in the dressage world. Founded by Braley Gray of Old Town Canoe, the farm was built for his daughters to continue their careers in the horse world. Both daughters, Lendon and Marshall, went on to the Olympics as top riders and coaches in their field. The current owners are working to bring the historical farm back into the limelight.

To learn more about the championship, visit www.puckerbrushfarm.com.

Orono

Rug braiding session

Dot Demyan of Eddington will present a brown bag luncheon workshop on rug braiding at noon Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Page Farm and Home Museum, University of Maine. Participants will learn about the history of the craft and experience the challenge of combining colors and textures in braiding.

Demyan was introduced to rug braiding by Bangor Adult Education instructor John Halloran and has been a rug braider for 10 years. To learn more about the museum and its lunch series, call 581-4100.

Fundraising workshop

A Fundraising Workshop with Kim Klein will be held 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Wells Commons, University of Maine. The cost is $150 and includes lunch. Limited scholarships are available. The workshop will benefit the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center in Bangor. To register or to get more details, e-mail info@mabelwadsworth.org, or call (800) 948-5337.

Greenhouse workshop

The Page Farm and Home Museum on the University of Maine campus will hold a slide lecture, 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 1, at the museum showing simple backyard greenhouses and the principles of greenhouse construction. After the lecture, participants will take a short walk on the university campus to look at different greenhouse structures.

The workshop is free and aimed at homeowners. It is open to the public and does not require registration. To learn more about the workshop, call 581-4100.

Environmental series

The Sen. George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research announced its fall seminar series, “Juggling research, policy and management decisions for federal, state, tribal and conservation lands.” Lectures will take place on the University of Maine campus and are open to the public.

. Tim Hall from the Maine Department of Conservation will present “Protecting Resources: For People, or From People?” Using the Allagash Wilderness Waterway as a case study, Hall will discuss whether conflicts are due to politics, funding, poor planning, or something else entirely, noon Friday, Sept. 23, Norman Smith Hall.

. Jim Lehner and Luke Muzzy of Plum Creek Timber Co. will present Plum Creek’s plans for the Moosehead Lake region. Bangor Room, Memorial Union, noon Friday, Sept. 30.

For more, call Ruth Hallsworth, 581-3196 or visit www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/outreach/lectureseries.htm.

Veazie

Birthday calendars

Members of the Veazie Garden Club have for sale the 2006 Veazie Community Birthday Calendar. For $5, one may purchase a calendar and list up to four family birthdays and anniversaries. Additional listings are 50 cents each. Businesses may purchase display ads for $35.

Proceeds help fund community projects such as planters in the school foyer, flower boxes at the cemetery and on town signs, and the Annual Community Improvement Award. Orders must be placed by Sept. 28.

To order a calendar, call Leah Vetelino, 942-3569, or Barb Brown Dalton, 947-4827.