Bangor

New Year’s Eve at Noon

The Maine Discovery Museum will turn back the clocks and ring in the 2006 New Year at noon with the annual New Year’s Eve at Noon celebration on Saturday, Dec. 31.

“That’s right, instead of celebrating at midnight, we’ll be counting up to the noon hour,” said Jennifer Chiarell, marketing director for the museum. “This allows families with kids to get into the New Year’s celebration without staying up until midnight, and what fun for the kids,” she said.

“In traditional fashion, create your own hats and noisemakers beginning at 10:30 a.m., then join our in-house ‘Mother Time’ for the well-honored New Year’s Eve parade through the entire museum. We scour the closets for every single noisemaker we can find, just for you.

“Whoop it up with your family – that’s right, make all the noise you want, as we march through. Then, just before noon we will all gather in the lobby for our annual count up to the New Year,” Chiarell said.

Join the museum for the annual noisy, well-wishing and traditional fun to ring in the New Year. All events are free with paid admission to the museum.

For more information, call Jennifer Chiarell, marketing director, at 262-7200 or visit www.mainediscoverymuseum.org.

Art at the library

The Bangor Public Library will be the venue for two art exhibits during January – work by Art in the Heart, an organization for local art educators, and work by photographer Adam Williams.

The opening reception for Art in the Heart is 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the Lecture Hall.

Williams’ work, “Bangor Nights” will be exhibited in the Stairwell Gallery. His photographs are of Bangor at night. The exhibit begins Jan. 3. The opening reception is 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Stairwell Gallery.

Peace and Justice Center

The public is invited to attend an open house 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, at the Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St.

Refreshments, songs and music with Doug Crate, opportunities to work on creative projects including making cards, folding peace cranes or writing a poem or song collectively will be the order of the evening. The open house organizers say this is an opportunity to mingle, talk, get to know new and old members of the movement and affirm the commitment to economic, social and environmental justice and peace. People of all ages and abilities are welcome.

For information, call 942-9343 or visit www.peacectr.org.

Charitable grants

One of Bangor Rotary Club’s charitable priorities is to provide support to programs and organizations that benefit children in Greater Bangor.

Through Jan. 20, the Bangor Rotary Club will accept proposals from local nonprofit organizations that want to be considered as one of the recipients of the club’s annual fundraising event.

The club anticipates making grants of $5,000-$10,000 to one or more programs. Proposal details and guidelines may be found at www.bangorrotary.org.

For kids who stutter

Kids who stutter have a lot to say, and friends can show them how in “Stuttering: For Kids By Kids,” a new DVD starring real kids. The DVD is now available at Bangor Public Library.

Many children who stutter have never met anyone else who struggles with the same disability. But in the new video from the Stuttering Foundation, they meet other kids who recount how they handle challenges such as teasing, speaking out in class and teaching others about stuttering.

Swish, a lively and engaging animated basketball character designed by students from the computer graphics technology department of Purdue University, narrates the video.

The children in the video, who range in age from first-graders to high school students, offer frank and sometimes differing views of stuttering.

Speech-language pathologists Kristin Chmela of Northwestern University, Lisa Scott of Florida State University, Joseph Donaher of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Lee Caggiano of the support group Friends worked with Bill Murphy of Purdue University to produce the film.

For more information, call the Stuttering Foundation at (800) 992-9392, visit www.stutteringhelp.org, or e-mail info@stutteringhelp,org.

Honored city nurse

The Bangor City Council issued a proclamation Nov. 28 recognizing and congratulating Patricia Hamilton on her selection as the 2005 Dr. John Snow Award recipient.

Hamilton joined the city health and welfare department as a public health nurse in 1987 and became director of public health nursing in 2003.

The proclamation cited Hamilton for her work with the Bangor Region Influenza Coalition.

The award was created by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services in memory of Dr. John Snow. Snow traced to a public water pump the source of contamination that set off the cholera epidemic in London in 1854.

The award was presented to Hamilton for “her outstanding contributions to the reporting, monitoring, prevention and control of communicable diseases.

Quality rating system

The Maine Office of Child Care and Head Start is working with the eight resource development centers in the state to provide an opportunity for parents and providers to offer input and to gain a better understanding of the quality rating system. The system acknowledges child care providers who work to improve the quality of care they offer families.

A focus group for Penobscot and Piscataquis counties will be held 6-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, at Penquis Community Action Program, 22 Harlow St., Bangor. Refreshments will be provided. To participate, call Amy Ludwig at 973-3533.

Bradley

Bottle Drive

Junior Scout Troop 191 will hold a bottle drive 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, in Bradley. Those who wish to donate bottles may leave them outside their homes for pick up, or drop them off at the Bradley Redemption Center.

Brewer

Kiwanis Club news

The Brewer Kiwanis Club recently held its annual children’s Christmas party. Wal-Mart, Brewer Garden Club, Brewer Kiwanis members, Paul Cook, Cross Insurance, Brewer McDonald’s, Rosemary King and Pizza Hut made donations that helped make the party successful.

Kim Hopkins, committee chairwoman, and her family selected toys and wrapped them for Santa Ed Callahan to deliver.

Members of the Brewer Key Club and the Kiwanis took a turn at ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. Kiwanians who participated were Art Monk, Herb Hopkins, Bill Newberry, Kim Hopkins, Wes Archer, Carlton King and Dusty Fisher. Key Club members taking part were Kelly Clark, D.J. Ault, Brendon Carr, Katie Chambers and adviser Mike Hutchins.

Orono

Bicentennial items

The Orono Bicentennial committee has spent the last year gearing up for the town’s 200th birthday in 2006. Several bicentennial items are for sale, including a commemorative sterling silver coin imprinted with the town seal, the “Orono Cooks” cookbook, a set of eight memorial postcards and the Orono 2006 calendar.

Coins are available at Degrasse Jewelers on Mill Street for $65, and postcards, calendars and other bicentennial celebration items at various downtown businesses.

Copies of “Orono Cooks,” a compilation of recipes from past and present Orono residents, are available for $15 each at the public library. Cookbooks also may be ordered at www.orono2006.com. Print out the order form and send it to the listed address.

At least one event per month is planned throughout the bicentennial year.

The year of festivities will kick off with a bonfire at 3 p.m. Sunday, New Year’s Day, in the parking lot behind Orono High School. Bring written wishes for the bicentennial year to throw into the fire. At the event, commemorative calendars, postcards and cookbooks will be offered for sale. More information on the Orono Bicentennial Celebration may be found at www.orono2006.org or call 866-2467.