Community news

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Alton

Budget committee meeting

The town of Alton will hold its annual budget committee meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, in the Municipal Building, 3352 Bennoch Road. Residents of Alton are encouraged to attend.

Bangor

Family winter activities

Maine Discovery Museum staff and friends from the Bangor Land Trust will be on hand to promote healthy, safe and fun winter activities for the whole family 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, at the museum on Main Street.

“Some of my best memories as a kid in Maine include building forts and snow people in our backyard,” said Jennifer Chiarell, museum marketing director. “We’ve put together an event that shows your family how to make our state your own winter playground.”

Dress warm, because some activities will take place outside behind the museum in Pickering Square. Participants will explore snow shelters created by volunteers from the Bangor Land Trust and Maine Bound, and create a snow critter.

Back inside the museum, warm up with free hot cocoa with marshmallows and learn more about animals that survive in some of the coldest places on earth. Make polar bear mittens, a science activity to discover what it takes to keep your paws warm in the snow and ice. Also, try walking like a daddy penguin tending to a delicate egg, and make penguin puppets.

Learn more about Bangor Land Trust with take-home materials about public trails in Maine. There will be a coloring activity for the little ones. Bangor Land Trust, a nonprofit organization, works with other groups to protect Maine’s natural resources, and to promote safe, scenic exploration and enjoyment.

With the information provided by Bangor Land Trust and the info found online at bangorlandtrust.org, plan your family’s next adventure.

Winter Trails is a collaboration with Bangor Land Trust. The indoor winter trails activities in the museum are free with paid admission, $6.50 for children and adults. Outdoor activities will take place if weather permits. All ages welcome.

Abbott Hill Ramblers

The Abbott Hill Ramblers will present an evening of bluegrass music 4-8 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at the Bangor Public Library in the Lecture Hall.

The Ramblers are young musicians from the Dexter area, who love bluegrass music and know just what to do with fiddles, guitars, banjos, mandolins and a string bass. Director Chris Pricket launched the bluegrass and American Roots program in Dexter in 2000, and since then the Abbott Hill Ramblers have performed to dozens of enthusiastic area audiences.

The Abbott Hill Ramblers are presented as part of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s “Strings Attached” Program, in advance of the world premiere collaboration between the orchestra and the Kruger Brothers, “Music from the Spring: A Romantic Serenade for Banjo, Guitar, Bass and Orchestra.” The Krugers are internationally known folk and bluegrass performers, originally from Switzerland, and now from North Carolina.

The Abbott Hill Ramblers’ performance is free and open to the public.

Bay State Winds

Members of the United States Air Force Band of Liberty, a chamber group of four woodwind players known as the Bay State Winds, will perform at 2 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the Bangor Public Library Lecture Hall.

The Band of Liberty’s members are known for their exemplary level of musicianship. Their extensive repertoire has something entertaining for everyone. Based in Massachusetts, these representatives of the band travel throughout New England and never fail to deliver a pleasing performance.

For further information, call the Library at 947-8336.

Cribbage at the library

Thursday, Feb. 22, will be the first of the Bangor Public Library’s monthly cribbage nights.

A recent cribbage tournament at the library in conjunction with Penobscot Reads indicates that there are a lot of avid players in the area, many of whom would like more opportunities to get together with other players in the community on a regular basis.

Bring your cribbage board and cards to the library’s Lecture Hall between 5 and 8 p.m. For further information, call 947-8336 and ask for Jim.

Congratulations to the winner of the Bangor Public Library Tournament, David Lord; and to the interlibrary champion, Luke Doucette of Hampden.

Dr. Seuss birthday party

The world will celebrate the 103rd birthday of Theodore Geisel, also known as the beloved Dr. Seuss, on Friday, March 2.

Children are invited to join the hoopla at the Bangor Public Library in the Lecture Hall, where they may shine in a Seuss Trivia Game, ring bells in the “Cat in the Hat” relay, eat birthday cake and, perhaps, take home a door prize. A special guest reader, WABI sportscaster Keith Erickson, will deliver the immortal words of the great Dr. Seuss.

Be at the Bangor Public Library at 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 2, when “Seuss Silliness” will reign.

Shriners’ dinner auction

The Anah Shrine Keystone Kops Dinner-Auction will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at the Spectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin Road.

The silent and live auctions will feature more than $10,000 worth of items and gift certificates, including tools, furniture, sports equipment, clothing, camping gear, jewelry, savings bonds, a PSP game system, an autographed book, landscaping stone, oriental rugs, sewing supplies, mini-cruises, crushed driveway stone, Portland Sea Dogs tickets. vehicle tires and more.

The cost to attend the event is $25. Tickets are available by calling Shawn Cowan, 848-7317 or 299-5186.

Adult education

Congregation Beth El is holding its adult education program, “L’Olam Va’ed – The Whole Universe and Then Some,” at the synagogue at 183 French St.

Remaining classes will be held on Feb. 28 and March 14. Don Lewis is leading an introduction to traditions of Jewish mystical thought and practice. The course is open to members and nonmembers of the congregation.

Congregation Beth El is an open, welcoming and inclusive Reform congregation. For more information about Beth El, call 945-4578 or visit www.me002.uri.net.

Producing short videos

The Community Media Center is sponsoring eight three-hour sessions on capturing, editing and producing short videos 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 28, March 12, 21 and 28, April 4, 11 and 25, and May 2, at the United Technologies Center, corner of Mount Hope Avenue and Hogan Road.

The course will enable participants to produce short documentaries or informational pieces. The course is free. Space is limited.

Each participant will be expected to have access to a camcorder. They will use UTC’s Macintosh computers for editing a production purposes. Depending on project requirements, attendees will work in iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Live Type, Garage Band or Soundtrack. Final formats will include digital 8 video tapes, mini-dv tapes, DVDs and Quicktime movies.

Chris Newcomb, coordinator of the Gifted and Talented Program in Brewer, will be the course instructor.

He was the executive producer and host of “Off Center with Chris Newcomb,” an award winning public access show that ran in Portland for two years.

He teaches video production at The Maine School of Art Saturday School and Summer Arts Camps. He also is an actor and storyteller. He is prepared to help interested participants with the storytelling aspect of video production.

For information, call Peter Rottmann at 866-2292 or e-mail cmcmaine@earthlink.com.

Marriage course

Neighborhood Church, 263 Texas Ave., will offer “The Marriage Course,” an internationally recognized course created in England in the 1990s.

“The Marriage Course” begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 8, and runs seven consecutive Thursdays through April 19. The program begins with a candlelight supper.

A different topic is featured each week followed by an opportunity to discuss the topic as a couple. Privacy is respected and no group discussion about the topic takes place.

The cost is $80 per couple for the course, which is limited to 12 couples.

“The Marriage Course” is for any married couple wanting to build a strong and lasting relationship, and helpful for anyone with or without a Christian faith or background.

For more information, call Brian Haggerty at the Neighborhood Church at 945-9937 or Bill Benysh at 942-0099.

United Way prizes

The United Way of Eastern Maine presented a new Nissan Sentra, 500 gallons of heating oil and a $1,000 gift certificate to the winners of a drawing for United Way donors. The event took place at Darling’s Honda Nissan Volvo on Jan. 26.

Bob Page II won the car. He is a field construction worker for Sargent Corporation during the construction season and has just welcomed a new baby to his family.

Rebecca Donovan of Bangor works at Marden’s and is the winner of 500 gallons of R.H. Foster heating oil.

Marissa Carr of Holden won the $1,000 L.L. Bean gift certificate. Carr works at Acadia Mortgage in Bangor.

Last year, United Way invested more than $3 million in community programs including 65 programs run by partner agencies in Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington and Waldo counties. For more information, call 941-2800 or visit www.unitedwayem.org.

Basket Bingo

The Fourteenth Street PTO will sponsor Basket Bingo 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at the school, 224 Fourteenth St. Doors open at 11:45 a.m. Proceeds from the event will be used to provide enrichment activities at the school throughout the year and to benefit the school’s scholarship fund.

The PTO is asking local businesses or individuals to sponsor one of the Longaberger baskets. A business may anonymously sponsor a basket.

Those who wish to sponsor a basket should indicate the basket they wish to sponsor and send a check payable to Fourteenth Street PTO to Erikka Graves, PTO co-chairwoman, 31 Fowle Road, Bangor ME 04401.

PTO members will sell 200 tickets to the event. The cost per ticket is $12.

To obtain more information, call Graves at 942-7989 or Hannah Tapley at 973-0404.

Brewer

Preschooler fun, fitness

The Brewer Parks and Recreation Department announced that it is accepting registrations for its new preschool fun and fitness program, Tommy Time, which will be held 10-11 a.m. beginning Monday, Feb. 26, at the Brewer Auditorium.

The six-week program is open to children ages 3 to 5 and will feature safe and healthy ways for youngsters to burn off energy, such as stretching, aerobics, dance, hula hoop and jumping rope.

The fee is $20 for Brewer residents, $25 others. To obtain more information or to register, call 989-5199.

Old Town

Master Pilot Gibouleau

Longtime local pilot Ray Gibouleau was presented the Federal Aviation Administration’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award on Feb. 15 at the main hangar of the Old Town Municipal Airport, as part of a safety program sponsored by the J.W. Sewall Co. Pilots are considered for the Master Pilot Award based on 50 continuous years of dedicated service in aviation safety. He is the 11th Maine pilot to be honored with the award.

Gibouleau’s flying history began Aug. 30, 1956, with his first solo flight in a Piper J3 Cub at the Brewer airfield. He followed that flight with private and commercial pilot certificates and an associate’s degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical technology from Boston University and a master’s in aeronautical education from the University of Maine.

Gibouleau served as a flight instructor for 48 years, having spent more than 5,000 hours giving instruction to pilots. He has soloed 102 pilots. In 1988, Gibouleau was appointed an FAA-designated pilot examiner. For many, a “check ride” with Ray Gibouleau was the memorable last challenge before being granted pilot certification.

He has kept his skills sharp over the years with challenges like those found at the annual Greenville International Sea Plane Fly-In, hunting trips to remote lakes and time-sensitive medical flights.

At age 68, having logged 22,013 hours to date, Gibouleau remains an active pilot, flying for pleasure and for the aerial photography department of the J.W. Sewall Co. He and his wife, Mary, volunteer at aviation events around the country.

Orland

Volunteer forestry work

Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust is seeking volunteers to help with forestry work at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25.

Enjoy a snowy day in the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands using bow saws and loppers to cut small saplings away from red pine plantation trees to encourage their growth.

Meet at the Wildlands North Gate on Bald Mountain Road in North Orland, 0.2 miles west of the Winkumpaugh intersection. Bring a bow saw if you have one, snacks and water, and dress for the weather. Hot chocolate will be provided. To obtain more information, or to borrow a saw, call Jennifer at 469-2045.

Orono

Talk on embroidery

“Subversive Stitches: The Embroidered War Between Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I” is the subject of a lecture at noon Thursday, Feb. 22, at the University of Maine’s Page Farm and Home Museum on campus.

Michele Goldman, sociologist and needle-worker, will present the free talk. Guests are invited to bring a bag lunch.

Goldman will explore how the two monarchs expressed their animosity toward one another through needlework. Of particular interest is the needlework created by Mary, Queen of Scots, while in jail awaiting execution at the hand of England’s Elizabeth I.

Mary Stuart, though Queen of Scotland, had a bloodline interest in the English throne, which was occupied by her more powerful cousin Elizabeth I. After years of animosity and Elizabeth’s particular distrust of Mary, Mary Stuart was convicted of treason and beheaded.

In her days awaiting execution, Mary created artful and historically symbolic embroidery.

Both Mary and Elizabeth were needlework and embroidery enthusiasts. Goldman will show photographs of some of the needlework.

Goldman has been doing needlework for 39 years, both professionally and as a means of artistic expression. She owns and operates, Fiberphilia, a needlework and knitting store in Orono, and is past president of one of the largest chapters of the Embroiderers Guild of America, the Constellation Chapter in Baltimore.

Goldman began studying the history of embroidery when she discovered ornate embroideries could be purchased from second-hand shops. She has studied embroidery and the women who produced them with some of world’s best scholars on the subject.

More information is available by calling the Page Farm and Home Museum at 581-4100 or Michele Goldman at 866-3423. The museum is located not far from the Maine Center for the Arts.

Income tax assistance

University of Maine Business School accounting students under the supervision of accounting professor Steven Colburn are offering free income tax assistance to the public on Mondays and Thursdays.

While the UMaine Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program is designed for low- to moderate-income taxpayers, people with disabilities, the elderly or students who need help, the service is available to anyone on campus or in surrounding communities with basic tax assistance needs. It is sponsored by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Taxpayers will be assisted on a first-come, first-served basis 2-4 p.m. Mondays and 3:30-5 p.m. Thursdays in Room 215, D.P. Corbett Business Building, behind the Maine Center for the Arts on the Orono campus.

Filers should bring W-2 forms from all employers, Forms 1099 (for dividends and interest), if applicable, and any other forms or information regarding income, deductions or credits. Volunteers can download tax forms from the IRS Web site, if needed, and also can file returns electronically.

All of the student volunteers have taken tax preparation courses and are up to date on the latest tax law changes and Colburn double-checks each return. The program is a benefit for taxpayers in the community and is good training for students, who enjoy the interaction with walk-in clients, Colburn said.

Between 100 and 150 people from the Old Town-Orono communities, including students, usually come for assistance each year, Colburn said.

For further information, Steven Colburn can be reached at 581-1982.