Bangor

Fine craft and artwork

The annual Designing Women show and sale is set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Holiday Inn, Main Street, Bangor. A $2 donation at the door will benefit the Penobscot branch of the American Association of University Women.

Participating in the show and sale are Susan Blaisdell, hand-wovens; Barbara Boxer, clay whistles; Janyce Boynton, art quilts; Jodi Clayton, wool fleece; Lisa Colburn, fused glass; Susan Dickson-Smith, pottery; Sister Bette Edl, hand-spuns; Michelle Henning, porcelain; Pamela Hitchcock, goldsmith; Janice Jones, hand-wovens; Ginger Manna, hats; Gretchen Mead, paper; Kari Pritchard, felting; Suzan Scribner-Reed, jewelry; Mary Ann Small, rag rugs; Mary K. Spencer, pottery; Sandy Spiller; felt; Maryann Ingalls and Vera Trobisch, paper; Dayle Tognoni Ward, pottery; and Martha Whitener, silver jewelry.

Info on fostering, adoption

Those who have wondered what it would take to become a foster or adoptive parent may attend a public informational meeting sponsored by the Bangor office of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The meeting will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in Bangor. For information on the location and sign-up, call A Family For ME at (877) 505-0545.

Those considering adoption or foster care through the Maine Department of Health and Human Services are encouraged to attend the open meeting at no obligation.

Halloween fun

Celebrate Halloween with children under age 12 and join in on the confectionery-themed delight of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” It’s this year’s annual Enchanted Forest to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. The event will take place 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Sprague’s Nursery. Admission is $2 a person.

Attendees may dress up in costumes, or attend in everyday clothing. Activities include hayrides, cookie decorating (for an additional fee), pumpkin painting, Halloween face tattoos, Halloween sun catchers, a bounce house and Halloween games. A treasure hunt trail will lead to gifts and goodies.

Haunted Hayride

The Paul Bunyan Snowmobile Club will sponsor a Haunted Hayride 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28 and 29, at the Paul Bunyan Campground on Union Street.

Tickets are $6, or $5 in advance, available at the campground. Participants will experience freaky fun and ghoulish rides. Bring a flashlight for a spooky game of tag. Food will be available.

Camera club

Steve Maines will be the guest speaker when the Eastern Maine Camera Club meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Bangor Parks and Recreation Building, 647 Main St. His topic will be “Photography in Developing Countries.”

Maines said his experience last year in Southeast Asia helping tsunami victims, and his work for CARE and UNICEF, have taught him how to develop a deeper awareness and an ability to communicate when people don’t share a common language.

The public is invited. Call 942-9469 for more information.

For those who stutter

A Fluency Fun Day for kids and teens who stutter, and their parents, will be held 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the Memorial Union FAA Room, at the University of Maine.

Children will take part in games and age-appropriate activities that build on good communication skills. They will learn that if you stutter, you are not alone.

Parents will participate in a discussion led by speech language pathologists with expertise in stuttering. The day is sponsored by the stuttering clinic at the Conley Speech, Language and Hearing Center.

RSVP to Marybeth Allen, 581-2403 or e-mail Marybeth.allen@umit,maine.edu.

New firefighters

The Bangor Fire Department has hired two new firefighter-emergency medical technicians. Scott Van Patten of Belfast and Eric Pelletier of Hermon began two weeks of training on Oct. 17.

Van Patten has been a firefighter since 1990. He currently serves as a state fire instructor for Maine Fire Training and Education and is a volunteer firefighter in Belfast. He also was a former career firefighter in Camden. In his off-time, he enjoys rock climbing, skiing and physical fitness.

Pelletier has been in the fire service for the past five years and in emergency medical services for the last three years. A former full-time firefighter in Waterville, Pelletier volunteers in Carmel and Hermon. He enjoys playing basketball, baseball and soccer.

Winter Weekend

Think snow. It’s time to make plans for Bangor’s Winter Weekend set for Feb. 11-13. A meeting to further those plans will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 – today – at the Sea Dog Restaurant.

Some of the ideas that are being worked on are: An after dark snowshoe romp, a pancake breakfast, cinema, music, sleigh rides, children’s games, winter game competitions, fashion shows, entertainment, Banff Film Festival, the knit pit, remote control technical course, rescue dog demos, sporting goods demos, show-and-shine snowmobiles, food court, sidewalk sales, historic tours and tours.

Those who would like to join the planning are invited to bring ideas of their own or help turn current ideas into reality.

Co-chairmen of the event are Terry Delargy of J Group Advertising, and Steve Ribble of Ames A/E. For more information, call Jason at J Group Advertising, 990-3879, or visit www.downtownbangor.com.

Kiwanis News

Kiwanis Club Lt. Gov. Nancy Golding recently installed board members and officers of the Bangor Noon Kiwanis. They are: Deborah Paradis, immediate past president; Nok-Noi Hauger, president; Chris Patten, president-elect; Robert Byram, vice president; Kimberly Whitmore, secretary; Larry Parker, treasurer; directors, Pam McKay and Lisa Reed.

Ann Richards was selected as Kiwanian of the Year by Deborah Paradis.

Concert and lecture

The music of Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn will be the focus of a lecture and concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at St. John’s Catholic Church, 207 York St. Kevin Birch, Kay Eames and Carlton Russell will be at the organ, and Baycka Voronietsky at the piano. A chamber trio with Anatole Wieck and choirs also will perform. Admission is by donation. Call 942-1474 for more information.

Rug braiding and hooking

As part of the Bangor Public Library Brown Bag Series, Verna Cox of Bucksport will present a program on rug hooking and braiding at noon Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the library. Cox has published how-to books and videos about rug making and has taught many of the area’s artisans. Call 947-8336 for more information.

Bradley

Bottle drive

Cub Scout Pack 49 will conduct a bottle drive 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 29, in Bradley. Those who wish to donate, but who will not be at home, are asked to drop off bottles at the Bradley Redemption Center or leave them on the front steps for the Scouts to pick up.

Brewer

Band concert

The Brewer Hometown Band will present a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Brewer Auditorium.

The band lost one of its members, Sister Elizabeth Desjardins, this fall, said band director Jan Cox. Desjardins was a member of the trumpet section and always could be counted on to have a smile for everyone. She loved music and a good time. The concert will be in her honor, Cox said.

The band will play seasonal reflections, marches, a few goofy gags and familiar tunes. A saxophone quartet will be featured. Refreshments will be available during intermission.

Bucksport

Halloween party

The Riverbend Players will hold a family-oriented Halloween party 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Jewett Community Center, Bridge Street and Broadway. Costumes are suggested but not required.

Activities include games and a costume contest. Food will be available. The party is open to all ages. Children under 10 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For information, contact Suzi Leeman, 469-5885, or e-mail sflmedtran@adelphia.net.

Hampden

Sewing class

The Bangor Area Sewing Guild will hold a sewing class at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Hampden Municipal Building. Participants will learn how to make a quilt-as-you-go table runner. The cost for the class is $10 for members, $15 for others. To register for the class and to learn fabric requirements, call 941-8815.

Orono

Dancing and dessert

The public is invited to an evening of dancing and dessert to benefit the University of Maine Upward Bound scholarship fund. Live swing dance music will be provided by members of Edith Jones Project 8-11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Penobscot Valley Country Club. The cost is $25 a person or $35 per couple.

Upward Bound is a federally sponsored program for high school students. In Upward Bound, a college preparatory-academic support program, high school students learn how to succeed in school and in life.

During six-week residential summer sessions at the University of Maine, students are involved in rigorous coursework and internships in their fields of interest. Upward Bound counselors assist with issues such as financial planning for college, and offer academic support throughout the year.

Most Upward Bound students spend three summers at UMaine, including the months between high school graduation and the start of college classes in the fall. During that “bridge summer,” they take their first college course, paid for by a stipend from Upward Bound, which is part of the College of Education and Human Development.

The evening of dancing and dessert is one of the program’s major fundraisers for the summer stipend-scholarship for the students. For more information, call (800) 581-2522.

For information about Edith Jones Project, visit www.edithjonesproject.com/.

Orono

Singer-songwriter showcase

The Maine Songwriters Association will hold a singer-songwriter showcase 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the Bear Brew Pub.

Doug Nye will serve as host, and Stephanie Hayward and Joe Gates will be featured. There is no admission fee. To obtain more information, call 568-3253, or e-mail doougnye@uninets.net.