Bangor

Ringing in the new year at Maine Discovery Museum

On Sunday, Dec. 31, the Maine Discovery Museum will turn back the clocks and ring in the 2007 new year at 6 p.m., rather than the traditional noontime celebration.

In collaboration with other downtown businesses and groups planning events for New Year’s Eve, the museum will be open noon to 7:30 p.m.

“This allows families with kids to get into the New Year’s celebration without staying up until midnight, and what fun for the kids!” said Jennifer Chiarell, marketing director.

In traditional fashion, create your own hats and noisemakers beginning at 5 p.m., and then at 6 p.m. gather in the lobby for the annual “count up” to the new year, followed by 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,” Chiarell said. “Whoop it up with your family, that’s right, make all the noise that you want, as we march through.

“Join us for the annual noisy, well-wishing and traditional fun to ring in the new year,” she said.

Free admission for everyone after 5 p.m., this day only. Refreshments will be available.

For more information, contact Jennifer Chiarell. Call the museum at 262-7200 or visit www.mainediscoverymuseum.org

Cribbage tournaments

As part of a monthlong celebration called Penobscot Reads, several local libraries will hold cribbage tournaments.

The tournaments are just a part of the many activities during the month that pay tribute to the areas of Franco-American cultural heritage.

The tournament is open to everyone who enjoys a good game of cribbage, no matter how old you are. Each library will hold its own tourney, with the winner moving on to the championship match at Bangor Public Library on Jan. 31.

Each pairing will be best of three. Rules will be outlined at the start of the event. The winner will receive a handcrafted cribbage board.

The Old Town Public Library will hold its tournament at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11.

Orono Public Library will hold its event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Edythe Dyer Library’s tournament will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, in Hampden.

Bangor’s will be at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8.

Both Bangor and Orono have scheduled second rounds if needed. The tournaments are open to all ages, however, pre-registration is required.

The celebration focuses on the book “Papa Martel” written by Gerard Robichaud.

First published in 1961, reissued by the University of Maine Press in 2003, “Papa Martel” has become one of the literary giants of the Franco-American experience.

It offers a view of Franco-American culture and working-class life that is rapidly disappearing from the Maine landscape. While the book takes place 1919-1937, the reader gets a glimpse of life for the Martel family and a treasure of cultural history from the point of view of those who lived it.

Four libraries – Old Town Public Library, Bangor Public Library, Edythe Dyer Community Library and Orono Public Library – will hold various events during the month.

The directors of these libraries invite readers to take part in the many events planned during January.

Each library will have copies of the book available for checkout. Borders, BookMarc’s, Mr. Paperback and the University of Maine Bookstore will have copies for sale.

Old Town Public Library, 827-3972.

Bangor Public Library, 947-8336.

Orono Public Library, 866-5060.

Edythe Dyer Community Library, 862-3550.

Shaw’s slide show of historic Bangor photos

Dick Shaw is a Bangor native who likes to tell people that he grew up in the Bangor Public Library. Raised on the city’s East Side, just a block from the library, he spent many hours as a youth reading and researching inside the Harlow Street landmark.

He recently left the Bangor Daily News, where for 30 years he was the staff historian, editorial page assistant and book reviewer.

With his wealth of experience and enthusiasm for area history, Shaw will present a slide show of historic Bangor photos and images from 1919 to 1937, with narrative drawn from family memories and his research.

His presentation, at noon Thursday, Jan. 4, will provide a window on the time period in which Gerard Robichaud’s novel, Penobscot Read’s pick, “Papa Martel,” takes place.

Penobscot Reads is an expanded version of the Bangor Public Library’s annual Bangor Reads. It is an effort by area libraries to have everyone reading and discussing the same book at the same time.

This year’s book, Papa Martel, is a rollicking tale of growing up in a Franco-American community in Maine during the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression.

In addition to book discussions, a photo exhibit and book displays at the Bangor Public Library, many events are planned at the participating libraries.

Tutor training

Literacy Volunteers of Bangor will offer English Language Learners Tutor Training for volunteers interested in helping adults speak English and understand American culture and customs.

The 20 hours of training will be held 6-9 p.m. at United Technologies Center, 200 Hogan Road on these dates: Tuesday, Jan. 2; Tuesday, Jan. 9; Thursday, Jan. 11; Tuesday, Jan. 16; Thursday, Jan. 18; Tuesday, Jan. 23; and Thursday, Jan. 25.

Those interested must call LV-Bangor at 947-8451 to register. A training session also will be held in March. The cost of course materials is $25. Scholarships are available.

LV-Bangor is accepting applications from adults who want to improve their English speaking skills. They may call 947-8451 for more information.

LV-Bangor is an organization that links volunteer tutors with adults who want to improve their literacy skills, which include learning English. In particular, adults who have moved to this area from countries in Asia, Africa and Central America are in need of English language services. Last year, LV-Bangor volunteers donated more than 11,300 hours of service.

Boot Camp for New Dads

The Penquis CAP Parents Are Teachers, Too program is offering Boot Camp for New Dads, a free workshop for first-time dads-to-be whose partners are in the last trimester of pregnancy.

The next workshop will be held 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St. (Storm date is Jan. 17.)

Pizza and drinks will be provided.

New babies don’t come with owner’s manuals. Lots of first-time fathers have questions: How do I hold, feed, talk to or play with a baby?

Boot Camp for New Dads offers first-time fathers-to-be a chance to talk with experienced dads who bring their own babies. The goal is for participants to leave the workshop more confident in their ability to be great dads.

There is no cost to participate. To register or to obtain more information, call Wendy Pace at 973-3674.

The Penquis CAP Parents Are Teachers, Too program is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The $1,327,236 grant covers 74 percent of program costs for a 34-month period.

Holden

Family nature walks

Winter is upon us and also the desire to hibernate. But Maine Audubon naturalist Holly Twining wants families to get outside and explore the great outdoors. No matter what the weather brings, she’ll take families walking through fields and woods. Then they’ll warm up inside with hot chocolate and an indoor nature-related activity.

There is plenty to see around the Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden: winter weeds, frozen streams, animal tracks, birds, nests, and much, much more. At the nature center there are always birds to watch at the feeders, and interesting animals to learn about.

A creative project tied into the walk’s themes – such as winter bird feeding, creating habitat from recycled materials, and examining and creating snowflakes – will be offered to parents and children.

Programs will be held 1-2:30 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 6 and 20; Feb. 3 and 17; and March 3, 17 and 31, at Fields Pond Audubon Center.

Each program is free to adults, $4 for one child, $6 for two children in the same family, and $7 for three children in the same family. No preregistration is necessary.

For information, call 989-2591, or e-mail fieldspond@juno.com.

Orono

‘Maine Writers’

“Maine Writers,” a new literary discussion group focusing on Maine authors, has been scheduled in Orono.

A tea will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, at Dirigo Pines Retirement Community to introduce the series, the books, and discussion leader Judy Hakola, lecturer in the English department at the University of Maine.

The books have been chosen to introduce readers to both the geographical and the cultural scope of the state. Reading and discussion guides will be provided for all books.

The first book will be Sarah Orne Jewett’s “The Country of the Pointed Firs.”

The session will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at Dirigo Pines.

All sessions will be held at Dirigo Pines and everyone in this and nearby communities is invited. Participants are welcome at any or all of the series’ meetings.

Scheduled dates, all at 3:30 p.m. Thursdays, are: Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 22, April 26 and May 24.

For more information, contact Judy Hakola at judith.hakola@umit.maine.edu