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Bangor

Artisans’ demonstrations

This summer, why should the kids have all the fun? Unlike those lucky kids, you have to work, you say? Well here’s something just for you.

On six Wednesdays in June and July, at lunchtime, area artists and artisans will be at the Bangor Public Library, ready to demonstrate their skills and answer questions.

On Wednesday, June 7, artist Sarah Theriault-Cotton introduces us to “Pastels and Portraits.” The student from New England School of Communications exhibited her art at the library during April.

Dennis Martin will show how to get started in “Pottery” on June 14 at noon.

On Wednesday, June 21, Adam Williams demonstrates how to combine the creative possibilities of “Photography” and other art forms.

The Penobscot Fly Fishers will be on hand on June 28 for “Fly Tying and Fishing.”

Wednesday, July 5, is Barbara Francis Day. Francis, a nationally known Penobscot basket-maker, will demonstrate her art for children at 10 a.m., and for adults at noon. At 1 p.m., there will be a showing of the Jim Starkey’s documentary, “Penobscot Basketmaker.”

On Wednesday, July 12, Cathy Cook will introduce us to “Ceramic Sculpture.”

The July 19 noon presentation will be an introduction to “Scrapbooking” by a representative of Yesterday’s Scraps.

Bring your lunch and find new ways to express creativity. The Friends of the Library will provide the beverages.

Street dance

Downtown Bangor will hold its annual spring street dance 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, May 25, on Broad Street.

Music will be provided by the Schoodic Steel Pan Band. Dancing will take place on Broad Street and in West Market Square. If rain is in the forecast, the band will play in the Pickering Square Parking Garage and the public may dance there. The event is free. Come to dance, or just listen.

Community conversation

Members of the community are invited to attend a public Underage Drinking Community Conversation 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business at Husson College.

Speakers will include Maine’s Attorney General Steven Rowe; author of “Augusta Gone,” Martha Dudman; Bangor Police Chief Don Winslow; Bangor High School principal Norris Nickerson and Penobscot County Sheriff Glen Ross.

People of all ages are welcome. Refreshments will be provided by Penobscot Job Corps Academy. Attendees will be eligible to win a free dinner for four with a limousine ride.

The event is part of a nationwide effort to increase understanding of underage drinking, and to encourage communities – including parents, young people, teachers, law enforcement and elected officials – to come together to discuss the role they play in creating a solution to the underage drinking problem. Bring ideas and suggestions on how everyone can work together to make the community safer and healthier for young people.

For info regarding the Underage Drinking Community Conversation, call Nancy Roberts at United Way, 941-2800.

Rottweiler Rescue Day

Northeast Rottweiler Rescue will hold a Rottweiler Rescue Day 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at Pet Quarters, 744 Stillwater Ave. The organization is dedicated to rescuing and finding homes for rottweiler dogs. It also provides information about training, health and nutrition for dogs. Donations, volunteers and homes for rottweilers are needed. For information, call (866) 392-0102.

Pet nutrition seminar

Green Acres Kennel Shop will be the site of a pet nutrition seminar set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 7. The event will benefit the Bangor Humane Society. The seminar will focus on nutrition as the foundation of good health, examining the information on what type of diet is best for the average cat and dog. Topics will include kinds of diets – homemade, home-prepared raw, commercial raw, commercial dry and commercial canned.

Pre-registration for the seminar is suggested. The seminar is free, but a $5 donation to the Bangor Humane Society’s Shed and Emily fund is requested. Call Don Hanson at 945-6841 for information.

Cleanup volunteers

A small, but dedicated group of individuals has volunteered each weekend since Earth Day to clean the streets and roadways within the Bangor city limits. A group led by the Audubon Society cleaned the Penjajawoc Stream by the Bangor Mall and Keep Bangor Beautiful volunteers cleaned the downtown area, east and west residential areas and areas on Broadway, Kenduskeag Avenue, Ohio Street, Essex Street and Burleigh Road.

Also assisting the effort were Volunteers of America and volunteers from Carol Epstein, Starbucks Coffee and John Bapst Memorial High School environmental club.

Schoolchildren and their families, working under the auspices of the United of Way of Eastern Maine’s Camp Bangor, also contributed to the cleanup effort, as they have for the past seven years. The student council at James Doughty Middle School cleaned the school grounds. Individual residents and business people also participated in cleanup efforts.

To date, said Katherine Guerin, executive director of Keep Bangor Beautiful, volunteers have collected some 4,000 pounds of litter consisting of paper, plastic and cigarette butts. Keep Bangor Beautiful has partnered with the city of Bangor’s storm-water runoff group, the Rubber Duckie, to organize the clean ups.

Employees from Bangor International Airport and the Maine Air National Guard cleaned Birch Stream, near the Airport Mall, which flows into Kenduskeag Stream. Tony Caruso, assistant airport director and cleanup coordinator, reported that 4,000 pounds of metal and debris were removed from Birch Stream during the clean up. That total included dishwashers, stoves, mattresses, tires, shopping carts and more than 100 bags of litter.

That brings the total of trash, litter and other waste removed from streets, roadways and streams in the last five weeks to 8,000 pounds. Guerin said she knows there’s more out there.

Brewer

Sister of the Year

The Eastern Main Area Council of Beta Sigma Phi announced at its annual Founder’s Day banquet that Darlene Avery of Brewer is the organization’s 2006-207 Sister of the Year.

Avery has been a member of the chapter for 23 years. She has held all the offices in the chapter and has participated on all committees. She carries out projects under the sorority’s name, but has done them alone if the chapter has been unable to participate.

Her work has included donating a truckload of items to aid Hurricane Katrina victims on behalf of the chapter, participating in walk-a-thons, Make-A-Wish foundation projects and Susan Komen Foundation projects. She also attends church and sings in the choir at church and at nursing homes.

As a member of the council, she has been president, vice president and treasurer. She served as treasurer for the last council convention held in Bangor. Currently, she holds the degree of laureate and is vice president of her chapter.

Avery was cited for always being there for friends, family and sisters, supporting them in happiness and sorrow. She is a preschool teacher at Hilltop Preschool in Bangor.

Beta Sigma Phi, the largest Greek-letter women’s organization in the world, is celebrating its many years of sisterhood. Begun in 1931, the organization is devoted to service, social and cultural projects of all kinds.

Members are women of all ages, from all walks of life. It has a membership of more than 165,000 women in 20 countries. The first chapter was founded in Abilene, Kan., during the Great Depression. At that time, many women who ordinarily would have gone to college were obliged to stay at home to help support their families. Beta Sigma Phi provided these women a chance to have an intellectual and social experience among themselves.

Hampden

Garden tour

The Hampden Garden Club will sponsor a garden tour 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, rain or shine. Participants will be guided through seven gardens in Hampden. Several historic homes in town also will be open as part of the tour. Tickets are $10, $12 the day of the tour. To obtain more information or to purchase tickets, call Julie Urban at 947-3351, or Marian Syversen at 862-2952.

Kenduskeag

Cleanup day

The town of Kenduskeag will conduct a cleanup day 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at Cole Memorial Field, 536 Kenduskeag-Levant Road. Pre-registration is required and the day is for Kenduskeag residents only. For more information, call the town office at 884-7947.

Orland

Wildlands bird surveys

Love birding? Join the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands Breeding Bird Surveys on Saturdays, June 3 and 10, and help create a bird list for Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust’s newest preserve.

The 4,200-acre Wildlands preserve contains a variety of bird habitats, from lakeshore to swamp to bald summits, where birders are likely to encounter a wide variety of species – from loons and waterfowl to woodland warblers and wild turkeys. Roads and trails make most areas of the property accessible by car or on foot; bicycles, horses, canoes or kayaks are welcome as well. The preserve is off Route 1 or the Bald Mountain Road between Orland and Ellsworth.

Experienced birders are asked to pre-register to receive a map and guidelines for the survey. Each individual or team will have 24 hours on either June 3 or 10 (or both) to survey as many areas of the Wildlands as they wish and record species seen and heard.

Inexperienced birders are welcome too – contact the trust, and representatives will try to pair you with a pro. To register or to obtain more information, call 469-2008 or e-mail cdomina@midmaine.com.

Orono

Auctions for new library

The Orono Public Library Campaign for a New Public Library Foundation will hold a silent auction on Saturday, June 10, at the Buchanan Alumni House, 160 College Ave., on the University of Maine campus. The silent auction will begin at 7 p.m. and a live auction will begin at 8:30 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres and desserts will be served, and there will be a cash bar.

Auction items include:

. One week at a cottage on Prince Edward Island.

. Signed Black Bear Hockey shirt.

. Green Lake cottage for two weekends.

. Paintings by local artists.

. Books about Maine and books by Maine authors.

. A day of sailing on Penobscot Bay.

. Wine tasting party for six.

. Membership to Penobscot Valley Country Club.

. Boat tour of Moosehead Lake.

. Antiques.

. Quilts.

. Furniture.

. Bangor Symphony Orchestra season passes.

. Local crafts.

. Maine Center for the Arts tickets.

. Gift Certificates to local shops and restaurants.

. Sugarloaf golf weekend.

. Book signed by Stephen King.

. A day with a fishing guide.

. Signed script of “The Godfather.”

Admission is $20, or $35 per couple. Tickets may be purchased at The Store-Ampersand, Woodman’s Bar and Grill, and at the Orono Public Library.

‘Orono Cooks’

“Orono Cooks” is a limited-edition keepsake cookbook including nearly 400 recipes, personal and historical notes, photo dividers by John Pickering, and a cover design by Orono High School student Patrick Harpin.

With wedding and graduation season here, it is available for sale at the Orono Public Library, DeGrasse Jewelers, Orono Pharmacy, Pretty Woman and the University Bookstore. The cookbook costs $15 and proceeds benefit the Friends of the Orono Public Library and Orono Public Library Foundation.