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Bangor

‘Ktaadn Trails’ book

Richard Judd and Edward “Zip” Kellogg will be at the Bangor Public Library at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15, to talk about their book, “Ktaadn Trails: Lucius Merrill and the Paths to Katahdin.”

“In less than 50 photographs Merrill has given us a truly amazing variety of angles on a region known and loved by thousands of people today. He did it with great empathy for both people and place, he did it with humor, and he did it with focused attention to detail and, perhaps above all, clearly with a love of and profound sense of place,” writes Kellogg in the introduction to “Ktaadn Trails.”

The book contains photographs from the trips Lucius Merrill took to Katahdin in 1892 and 1894. University of Maine history professor Richard Judd tells the story of Lucius Merrill and places him in the context of his times. Bangor Public Library published the book after receiving the glass negatives of Merrill’s treks from Laurence Leavitt.

Copies will be available for purchase and signing.

Programs for children

Bangor Public Library is offering a slate of programs for children during April.

. April is Poetry Month, and here’s a challenge: Celebrate by reading or writing a poem each day, all the way to May. Then at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, attend the Punch and Poetry gathering in honor of Young People’s Poetry Week. There will be games, snacks and lots of poems to tickle the funny bone.

. “Just Us Chickens” will give youngsters a chance to learn about chickens when Bill Jenkins and Ethan Washington, members of Gallus Domesticus 4-H Club, will bring their best-behaved bird to visit at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 18, in the library’s Story Room.

. Learn how to make a May basket at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 19. Join in the age-old tradition of hanging May baskets on the first of May. School

age children can learn the art of folding and cutting to create a billowy crepe paper surprise for a friend or family member.

. Bears, Bears, Bears! at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 20, means Mary Hartt, former kindergarten teacher and member of the Maine Camera Club. She has photographed bears in Alaska and Canada, and locally as well. She will show slides and talk about her experiences with the burly carnivores.

. A salute to trees takes place at 11 a.m. Friday, April 21. Trees are an amazing and very important part of the world. A week before Arbor Day, a staff member of Sprague’s Nursery and Garden Center will talk about different kinds of trees, what makes them thrive, how they contribute to our lives and how to be tree-friendly.

. Alex Turallo and Denise Gault will present a class on applique at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22. Applique is the craft of cutting out a piece of fabric and sewing it onto another piece as decoration. Materials needed will be provided. Guys and gals can learn how to jazz up jeans, a tote bag, a towel and more. Register for the class at the library’s Children’s Desk.

To learn more about these and other programs for children at Bangor Public Library, call 947-8336.

Spring art camp

The second annual University of Maine Museum of Art Spring Art Camp, an in-depth art experience, will held 8:30-noon Tuesday through Thursday, April 18-20, at the museum on Harlow Street in Bangor. The program is open to children in grades two to four. Instructor will be Gina Platt, museum education coordinator.

The spring art campers will take an artistic journey around the world as they explore sacred places through the photography of Japanese-born artist Kenro Izu. From Angkor Wat to Easter Island to Stonehenge, Izu’s art will serve as the inspiration for the children’s artistic investigations.

The cost is $70, including supplies. Call the museum at 561-3350 for information and registration.

Zoot Suit Revue

St. John’s Catholic Women’s Council will present the Back Door Dance Studio performing The Zoot Suit Revue at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in the Parish Hall, 207 York St.

From flappers doing the Charleston, to Lindy-hopping gangsters in zoot suits, to girls in poodle skirts, the show offers something for everyone on the journey through great dance styles. Tickets are $8, $3 children. Tickets are for sale at the rectory office during business hours and at Patrick’s Hallmark on Broadway. Light refreshments will be served.

Mayflower Society

The Priscilla Mullins Alden Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Maine will meet noon-2 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the East Bangor Community Church on Pushaw Road.

The speaker will be Alice Beal, an active member of the Milbridge Historical Society who writes a weekly column on genealogy for the Down East Coastal Press.

All Mayflower Society members are welcome to attend and bring a guest. Lunch is $8. For directions or information, call Martha at 947-5540.

McDonald book talk

John McDonald, author of the newly released “Down the Road a Piece: A Storyteller’s Guide to Maine” and “A Moose and Lobster Walk into a Bar,” will read from his new book and autograph copies at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Bangor Museum and Center for History, 25 Broad St.

In his new book, McDonald offers his version of Maine’s history, his take on destinations in the state not to be missed, how to interpret Maine-speak, where to shop and what unique Maine foods to eat. The book also offers a mix of humorous traditional Maine stories and new material.

For more information, call the museum at 942-1910.

Honor for Water District

The Bangor City Council issued a proclamation March 27 recognizing the Bangor Water District for receiving in February an Excellence in Operations Award from the Maine Utilities Association.

The Water District was cited for its outstanding safety program, its participation in the a National Drinking Water advisory committee and its participation in an American Water Works Association Research Foundation research project on disinfection byproducts.

Brewer

Auditions for ‘Macbeth’

Ten Bucks Theatre Co. announces auditions for its upcoming summer show, “Macbeth,” directed by Julie Arnold Lisnet. Auditions will take place 4-6 p.m. Saturday, April 15, in the Brewer Middle School Auditorium, 5 Somerset St.

A second audition and callbacks will be held 4-6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, also at Brewer Middle School Auditorium.

Actors should bring a prepared monologue and-or read from the script. Casting will comprise actors from age 10 and up.

“Shakespeare Under the Stars: Macbeth” will be performed July 14, 15, 16, 20, 21 and 22 at Indian Trail Park in Brewer. Visit www.tenbuckstheatre.com for more information.

Church grand opening

New Life Bible Church will hold a grand opening at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, April 16, at Jeff’s Catering, 5 Coffin Ave. A worship service will be held after a continental breakfast. An Easter egg hunt for children will take place at noon. To learn more about the church and its activities, call 989-5119.

Hometown Band concert

The Brewer Hometown Band will present a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at Brewer Auditorium. The musical selections on the program have something to do with blue – the title or a reference to the color. The band will be dressed in blue, and blue M&M’s sporting the city’s name on one side and the band’s name on the other will be part of the refreshments.

Audience members who wish to get into the spirit of the concert are encouraged to wear blue.

The band is beginning its 27th season and is preparing for its regular outdoor concerts and R.B. Hall Day held in southern Maine.

Those who attend the concert are asked to bring items of nonperishable food for the Brewer Food Cupboard.

Small Cities Council

Deputy Mayor Michael Celli has been named to the Small Cities Council of the National League of Cities, a committee that focuses on advocating for small cities, as the only representative from Maine.

Celli will head to Reno, Nev., for a Congress of Cities conference in December where the council will take up a variety of issues that communities, including Brewer, are discussing.

Topping the list is emergency preparedness and response for small cities dealing with natural and other disasters, followed closely by national energy policy, health care reform including long-term care and flu pandemic preparedness, intergovernmental coordination, and the future of surface transportation funding.

Several Brewer leaders, mayor Gail Kelly, city manager Steve Bost and D’arcy Main-Boyington, Brewer economic development director, went to Washington, D.C., in March to attend the Congressional City Conference of Cities and Exposition, where they met with Maine’s lawmakers.

Greenbush

Talent show

Local talent will perform at the third annual talent show at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the Helen S. Dunn School gymnasium. The event, sponsored by the Greenbush Booster Club, will feature tap dancing, Abbott and Costello comedy, singing, ribbon dancing, art, ventriloquist and more.

The Greenbush Booster Club is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to purchase required items for extracurricular activities at the school. Proceeds from the talent show will go toward purchasing baseball equipment.

Admission to the talent show is $2, $1 children, $5 family. The concession stand will be open before and after the show, and during intermission.

Hampden

Benefit yard sale

The Hampden Fire Department will hold its annual yard sale Friday and Saturday, April 28-29, at the Hampden Municipal Building, 106 Western Ave. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Those who wish to donate goods for the sale should call the Hampden Fire Department at 862-4586, or drop of the items at the municipal building. Arrangements may also be made to have the items picked up.

For more information, call Kim Mancini at 854-3749.

Hermon

Benefit yard sale

Members of the Hermon Fire Department Auxiliary are seeking donated items for its second annual yard sale 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the fire station. Those who wish to donate items, and arrange to have them picked up, should call, Ann Byers, 848-5067; Joanne Leanoard, 848-5461; Mary DiBona, 848-5106; or Vicki Gonyea, 848-5615.

Orland

‘Godspell Junior’

The fifth- to eighth-grade pupils of the Orland Consolidated School will present “Godspell Junior,” a part of the Broadway Junior Collection, at 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8, at the school. Tickets, available at the door, are $5, $3 children, $12 family.

Thirty-five children are in the production. They have been practicing since the beginning of March. Based in the gospel of St. Matthew, “Godspell Junior” draws from various theater traditions such as clowning, pantomime, charades, acrobatics and vaudeville. To obtain more information, call the school at 469-2272.

Orono

Friends of the library

The Friends of the Orono Public Library will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the library. The meeting will feature Orono resident and author Kelly McClymer whose topic will be “Confession of a Historical Romance Writer.” The public is invited to attend the meeting and hear why the romance novel gets a bad rap.

Refreshments will be served after the talk and followed by a business meeting.

Author appearance

The Maine Center for the Arts will depart from its usual performance lineup to welcome celebrated author Augusten Burroughs, who will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at Hutchins Concert Hall.

Burroughs is the author of the memoir “Running with Scissors,” which spent more than 70 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. His other works include, “Magical Thinking: True Stories,” “Dry: A Memoir,” and the novel “Stellevision.” He also is a regular contributor to National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” and had been hailed by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the 15 funniest people in the country.

Burroughs frequently visits universities across the country giving lectures and speeches.

Tickets for the show are free to UM students with a Maine Card, and $10 for the public. Tickets are available at the MCA box office or at the door. Seating is general admission. A reception and book signing will be held after the show. Tickets for the reception are $30, which also upgrades seating to the orchestra section for the lecture. Ticket and reception information is available by calling 581-1755.

Craft show and sale

Orono Creates, a bicentennial arts and crafts show and sale, will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Asa Adams Elementary School gym in Orono. Admission is free.

Penobscot County

Girl Scout Camp

Abnaki Girl Scouts Council’s Camp Natarswi will open for its 70th season on July 2. Camp Natarswi offers one- and two-week sessions for girls entering grades two through the 12 with camp programs tailored to varying interests and abilities. The three levels of the Junior Maine Guide program are offered during July.

Camp Natarswi, located 17 miles from Millinocket and just inside the southern entrance of Baxter State Park, will hold an open house noon-4 p.m. Sunday, June 4, for those interested in seeing the camp. No reservations are necessary for the open house and attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at camp. Staff will be available to answer questions about the camp property and the programs.

The camp is accredited by the American Camping Association. Space is still available for all camp programs. For information on how to register, call Abnaki Girl Scouts Council, 989-7474 or (800) 464-3858. Forms also are available at www.campnatarswi.org.