Bangor

Candlelight ghost tours

Do you believe in ghosts? Take a ghost walk in downtown Bangor to hear tales of phantom specters believed to haunt the area – lumber barons, bankers, soldiers, business owners – the men and women whose dreams for a bright future were cut short by murder and mayhem, or scandal and disaster.

Guide Ryan King will tell these stories, and give an account of one of the worst naval disasters in American history that ended in Bangor.

King is the presenter of the Bangor Museum and Center for History’s Candlelight Tour of Downtown Bangor. He has appeared on television programs about local history, including the History Channel, which featured him in “Haunted Maine;” and “Weekend Explorer,” a program on PBS.

King has been interviewed for numerous articles, including those in the Bangor Daily News, Downeast Magazine and United Airlines magazine Hemispheres.

In the event King is unable to give the tour, Bangor Museum and Center for History’s curator Dana Lippitt will give the tour.

Tours take place at 7 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 10, 17, 24 and 31. Meet at Bangor Museum and Center for History, 6 State St. The cost is $5, $4 seniors. Members and children under 18 may attend without charge.

Children’s Halloween Barn

A Children’s Halloween Barn, sponsored by Acadia Entertainment, is being held through Sunday, Oct. 30, at 195 Norfolk St. Proceeds from the event will benefit Free Life Medical Assistance, a Baton Rouge organization which is providing relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

A group of colorful costume characters provide a half-hour of delight and story reading twice daily at the barn, at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Reservations are required. Admission is $2 for children age 3 to 5, $4 for all others. For reservations only, call 433-7575.

Beaux Arts Ball

The Robinson Ballet Company board of directors will present its elegant Beaux Arts Ball 7 p.m.-midnight Saturday, Oct. 15, in the newly renovated, historic Society Hall Ballroom, 193 Exchange St. The Society Hall Ballroom is Bangor’s best-kept secret.

It was built in 1892 and hosted the Bangor Symphony in the early 1900s, as well as other elegant social events. The board wishes to thank Alex Tessman and PROTEA Behavioral Health Services for allowing the Robinson Ballet to hold the first major community event in the newly remodeled ballroom.

The Beaux Arts Ball will feature the music of Brian Cattell, lavish hors d’oeuvres and elegant desserts by Montes International Catering, cash bar and dancing.

Tables of six are available. Semiformal attire is required. Tickets are $50 a person. For more information and tickets, call 866-3417.

Series for caregivers

Bangor Adult Education and Kindred Healthcare will present a caregiver series designed for those who are caring for a person with memory loss or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Classes will be held at Bangor High School. Register for one or more of the programs by calling the Adult Education Office at 941-6310.

. “Financial and Legal Planning for the Future, Long-term Care Insurance and the Changes in Medicare,” 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12. Attorney Jane Skelton, Skelton Law Offices; David Elliott, financial sales representative, MetLife; and Stacie Sparkman, Medicare specialist, Eastern Agency on Aging.

. “Memory Loss: What Causes it and What to do About it?,” 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19. Dr. Henry Atkins, certified in geriatrics, Independent Medical Associates.

. “How to Approach Challenges When Caring for Someone with Memory Loss,” 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. Nurse Tamera Leland, director of nurses, Westgate Manor.

Successful auction

Rape Response Services has announced that Alan Grover, WABI-TV Channel 5, is the 2005 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 volunteering.

In presenting the award, Kathy Walker, Rape Response Services executive director, recognized Grover as “a strong ally for Rape Response Services in the local television market, helping us educate the public with informative and timely coverage of sexual assault issues.”

The Janet Badger Volunteer Award was presented to social worker Carol Romeo Veits, who has provided clinical consultation services at no cost to the agency for many years. Veits is “respected and loved by so many people throughout our area,” Walker said. “The award is only a small token of our appreciation.”

Janet Badger, also a longtime volunteer at Rape Response Services, assisted in the presentation.

The two awards were presented recently at the ninth annual Fall Festival Auction and Awards Night. The event, Walker said, “exceeded our fundraising goal, and also provided an affirmation of the work done by volunteers and staff at this small, nonprofit agency.”

More than 200 items for the silent and live auctions were donated by area businesses and individuals in Piscataquis and Penobscot counties.

Underwriting the cost of the event were Pine Tree Landfill, Bangor Daily News, St. Joseph Hospital, Veazie Veterinary Clinic, WABI-TV Channel 5, Bangor Historic Track Inc., Machias Savings Bank, Merrill Merchants Bank and many friends.

Twenty-four-hour, confidential services may be accessed by calling Rape Response Services at (800) 310-0000.

Brewer

Good Shepherd Food Bank

Susan O’Brien was hired recently by Good Shepherd Food Bank as an assistant to the Brewer Warehouse manager, Dan Holmes. Her role will include media relations, agency relations and to help raise awareness about the mission and work of the Good Shepherd Food Bank in the Bangor-Brewer area.

O’Brien spent 13 years in the banking business before moving to the Bangor area. She serves as a member of the development committee for the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, chairs the new development committee in Bangor, is a Chamber of Commerce member and an active volunteer with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. She lives in Newburgh with her husband, Jeff Smith, and enjoys spending time with her three horses and many other pets.

Good Shepherd Food Bank is Maine’s largest social service organization, serving more than 540 agencies statewide. The Bangor-Brewer facility is a satellite distribution center, helping serve more than 100 agencies in that part of the state. More than 70,000 people are fed each month through the food bank’s partnering agencies. To learn about how to help, visit O’Brien at the Brewer location, 88 Stevens Road, or call 989-4672.

Bucksport

Legal clinic for seniors

The Successful Aging Series, sponsored by the senior resource committee of the Bucksport Bay Healthy Communities Coalition, is partnering with Legal Services for the Elderly’s Legal Access Project to offer a free legal clinic for those 60 years and older.

The clinic will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Jewett Community Center, located at Broadway and Bridge streets in Bucksport. Participants must pre-register for the clinic by calling (800) 683-5934, ext. 212, before Oct. 21.

The Legal Access Project is a joint program of Legal Services for the Elderly and the Maine Primary Care Association providing legal information, counsel and advice to those Mainers who are 60 years and older living in rural areas.

Clinics are staffed by experienced attorneys who have volunteered to provide free counsel to seniors who attend the clinics. Attorneys may assist clients with signing health care advance directives and financial powers of attorney. Clients also may bring to the clinic questions and concerns on other legal matters such as long-term care eligibility-planning, probate, consumer rights and contract matters.

The Successful Aging Series is designed to assist elders and their family members in learning the skills and resources related to the key planning areas of aging, which include legal issues, home alterations, health and safety issues, financial preparation, nutrition, active aging and family communication. For information on other Successful Aging Programs, call Mary Jane Bush at 469-6682.

Old Town

Pumpkin carving

The Old Town Parks and Recreation Department will hold its second annual pumpkin carving at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Herbert Sargent Community Center, Bennoch Road. The program is open to all ages and abilities and will include hayrides, pumpkin carving, games, refreshments and more.

The per-carver cost is $5 for Old Town residents, $10 for others. The event is open to the first 25 carvers. Other family members may attend to assist the carver, or to take part in the festivities. Preregistration is a must. Registration opened for Old Town residents Wednesday, Oct. 5. Registration for others opens Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Call 827-3961 to reserve a spot in this new Old Town tradition.

Youth theater

The Old Town Parks and Recreation Department has announced the return of youth theater to Old Town. Under the direction of Barbara Seymour, pupils in grades six through 12 will perform a musical review, featuring numbers from poplar musicals.

Rehearsals will be held 6-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, and 1-4 p.m. Saturdays at the Herbert Sargent Community Center. Rehearsals will begin Wednesday, Oct. 12. Call the recreation department at 827-3961 for information.

Orono

Maine Arts Commission

An open meeting of the Maine Arts Commission is set for 10:45 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the Maine Center for the Arts, University of Maine. The public is invited to attend the meeting and provide input on topics being discussed.

The agency’s five new members, Lee Griswold, Auburn; Noah Keteyian, Rockland; Donald Sharland, Saco; Jessica Tomlinson, Portland; and Rebecca Welsh, Rumford, will attend the meeting.

Commission members will be briefed on the agency’s work to assist artists and arts organizations affected by Hurricane Katrina and on the state’s work to encourage the creative economy.

The agency also will hold Artist Recognition Day. Recipients of the 2005 Individual Artist Fellowship Award and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program will perform and show some of their work 2:30-4:30 p.m.

The event is expected to include Franco-American step-dancing, old-time fiddling and a demonstration of birch-bark rattle making.

To obtain information, call 287-2724 or (877) 887-3878 TTY/NexTalk.