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Bangor

Rally for peace

Joining nearly 100 towns around the state, area residents who want to see an end to the war in Iraq will gather at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at Paul Bunyan Park. They will be part of a national day of demonstrations and protests in Washington, D.C., and around the country. At 12:30 p.m. local churches will toll their bells in honor of the lives lost in the Iraq War.

Contingents from Winterport, Hampden, Orono, Old Town, Houlton, Dover-Foxcroft, Milo, Lincoln, Belfast, Presque Isle and other communities will join the gathering after holding gatherings in their own towns. Nearly 100 Maine towns will either host local events or carpool to other major rallies to be held in Ellsworth, Bar Harbor, Belfast and Portland.

In Bangor, after a short rally, which will include music and talks by veterans of the Iraq War, participants will stand on the hillside beneath the Civic Center to create a large peace symbol.

Photos of the peace symbol will be posted, along with hundreds of photos of events from other communities, at www.everyvillage-me.us.

From Every Village Maine is the campaign which has hosted the organizing for this statewide event. Ron Greenberg of Bar Harbor and Kelly Bellis of Ellsworth created the Web site to facilitate communication for and the recording of the statewide demonstrations. They have been supported by the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine and Peace Action Maine as well as dozens of co-sponsoring organizations.

After the creation of the peace sign, participants will line up to form a “Chain of Concern” along Main Street.

Cascade Park was the site of the “chain” for the past three years of commemorations of the “Shock and Awe” bombing of Iraq. But this year’s “chain” will reach from the Paul Bunyan statue toward the Hollywood Slots where signs will say “Don’t Gamble with U.S. or Iraqi Lives” and on to the Bangor Homeless Shelter, where signs will read “Money for Human Needs, Not War.”

After the rally participants who wish to do so, may sign a Voters Peace Pledge and-or a Maine state petition calling for impeachment of President Bush. For more information about the Bangor event, call 942-9343. To learn about other communities or to sign on to a signature ad, visit www.everyvillage-me.us.

Fiddling phenomenon

Prince Edward Island’s 21-year-old fiddle phenomenon, Cynthia MacLeod, will appear with PEI guitarist Gordon Belscher 7:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at the James F. Doughty School, 143 Fifth St., as a part of an educational program she is offering in conjunction with the Bangor School Strings Program.

MacLeod is a multiple recipient of the PEI Entertainer of the Year award.

Admission is $10, $25 family. Visit www.cynthiamacleod.com to listen to downloads of her music.

MacLeod strives to preserve the PEI fiddling tradition. Reviewers say that her energy, enthusiasm and musical talent are unrivaled.

Adoption, foster care

The Bangor office of the Department of Health and Human Services will hold a public informational meeting about adoption and foster care in at 1 p.m. Friday, March 16, in Bangor. To learn the location of the meeting and to participate, call A Family For ME at (877) 505-0545.

Those considering adoption or foster care through the Maine Department of Health and Human Services are encouraged to attend the open, no-obligation meeting.

Art at the library

“Night Skies and Metamorphosis,” an exhibit of photographs by Bangor artist Sarah Sorg, will be on display during March in the Bangor Public Library’s Lecture Hall.

Sorg’s works have been exhibited throughout New England, including the 2005 Art in the Heart exhibit at the library. An exhibit opening is scheduled for 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. Refreshment will be served and the public is invited.

Still life and outdoor scenes in oils and acrylics will be featured during March in Lois Gopin’s exhibit in the library’s Stairwell Gallery. A Bangor resident, Gopin studied with artists Frank Nanatonis, Celene Farris and Barbara Applegate.

MPBN member campaign

Volunteer with MPBN and get a live, behind-the-scenes look at public broadcasting in action – and get free popcorn and pizza, too.

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network will hold its Spring Television Membership Campaign March 4 through 17. Volunteers are needed to assist with answering phones.

Those interested in having fun, eating free popcorn and pizza and watching public radio happen before your very eyes, all while taking a couple of hours to help out the community, call Dayna Boyles, MPBN’s volunteer coordinator, toll free at (800) 884-1717 or e-mail dboyles@mpbn.net.

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.

VFW, Auxiliary event

Interested in joining the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the Ladies Auxiliary?

The Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Bangor Post 1761 will hold a “March Madness for Membership” event at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at the post on Outer Hammond Street.

Dinner will be provided.

Members and guests are welcome, as well as those wanting to join the post or auxiliary. Members will be on hand to answer questions about eligibility.

Lobster stew dinner

All Souls Students in Service to Jesus Christ will be the hosts for a lobster stew dinner Saturday, March 3, at All Souls Congregational Church, 10 Broadway. Seatings will be at 5 and 7 p.m. The cost is $12.50. To order tickets, call 942-7354, or stop by the church. Tickets also will be available at St. John’s Episcopal Church and by calling that church at 947-0156.

Proceeds from the event will fund a mission trip in June to the village of Nuevo Sacramento, Honduras. Seventy youth and adults from All Souls Congregational Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church will travel to the village in Honduras. They will set up a medical clinic, build homes and provide a bible school for children.

Chinese New Year

The public is invited to attend a Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival Celebration 1-4 p.m. Sunday, March 4, Campus Center Peabody Hall, Husson College. The event is sponsored by the Bangor Chinese School.

Attendees will enjoy Chinese food, learn about Chinese culture. Performances will include a dragon dance, erhu, flute, tai chi and gongfu. Children’s craft activities will be available and a hu-la-hu demonstration will be given. Door prizes will be awarded.

Admission is a $10 donation which will benefit the Bangor Chinese School. For more information, call Jing at 990-0710.

Child care information

Balancing work and family can be tough. Parents needing child care in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties can turn to the Penquis CAP Child Care Resource Development Center for help in locating before-school, after-school, full- or part-time child care.

This free service can be accessed by phone or through the Internet.

The online search tool is located at www.penquiscap.org/rdc. Basic and advanced searches are available to help parents locate providers that meet the needs of their children and families. Parents also may call the Penquis Child Care Resource Development Center at (888) 917-1100 or visit at 262 Harlow St.

In addition to helping parents locate child care, the RDC can provide information on the various types of child care and how to select child care; types of subsidies and-or tax credits or Dependent Care Assistance Programs available to families; and other consumer education based on the age of the child or special circumstances.

Brewer

Celtic Festival

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church will hold its first-ever Celtic Festival March 16-18 at the church on the corner of North Main and Holyoke streets in Brewer.

An Irish supper of corned beef and cabbage will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 16. Tickets are $7.50. Afterward, there will be a performance by the Anah Shrine Highlanders. Concert admission is $10. Tickets are available at the church or at the Anah Shrine office, 586 Main St., Bangor, by cash or check only, and pre-purchase is highly recommended.

“A Walk with Celtic Spirituality,” a “quiet day,” will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Bring your own lunch, tea and coffee will be available. Pre-register by calling the church at 989-1308.

A Celtic Eucharist, with sermon by St. Patrick, will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 18.

St. Patrick’s Day event

A St. Patrick’s dinner dance will be held 5-10 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at St. Teresa Parish Center, South Main Street. The menu will feature smothered beef. Music will be by DJ and a cash bar will be available. The cost is $12 per person, $5 children under 12. For more information, call 989-7049.

Hampden

Sewing class

The Bangor Area Sewing Guild offers the class Tumbling Blocks: Two Ways at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 10, at the Hampden Municipal Center, Western Avenue. The cost is $10 for guild members, $15 others. Call Kathy Childs at 941-8815 to register and to obtain a list of supplies.

Book sale

The Edythe Dyer Community Library will hold its annual book sale and coffee house 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at the library, 269 Main Road North. For more information, call the library at 862-3550.

Writing workshop

Writing For Self-Discovery and Fun will be held 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at Edythe Dyer Community Library, 269 Main Road North.

Workshop leader Lee F. White will use guided writing exercises to spark creativity in poetry and prose. The workshop offers a safe framework for writing and having fun with the written word.

Participants may share their work with workshop participants if they wish. No writing experience is necessary. Bring a pen and a notebook or journal. The program is open to those age 18 and up. Sign up at the library. For more information, call White at 862-5448.

Orono

3-D trip to Mars

The University of Maine’s Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium will offer showings of “Mars Invasion” at 7 p.m. Saturdays, March 3 to 31. Families will take the trip of a lifetime to planet Mars where 3D glasses will be used to explore the planet as current missions are examining our red neighbor. “Mars Invasion” is a historical, hi-tech exploration of another planet.

The Sunday feature show, “Our Sky Family,” will be shown at 2 p.m. Sundays from March 4 to 25. Young children will to learn about planets and constellations in the solar system with Franklin, a friendly star projector.

Under the planetarium dome the night sky will come to life, proving how much fun science can be for children ages 4 to 8, and their families.

The cost of admission is $3. For information or reservations for either of the two shows, call 581-1341 or visit www.galaxymaine.com.