Alton

Spring cleanup

The Alton Spring Cleanup will be held on Saturday, May 12. Acceptable material should be placed at curbside by 7 a.m.

. Pile metals separately from bulky waste piles; mixed debris will not be taken. Unacceptable metals are gas containers, propane cylinders and any metal that contains a liquid. Other unacceptable items are auto-related parts, TVs, computers, microwave ovens, mercury vapor tubes or wood waste.

. Carpet waste must be cut into 4-foot sections and be rolled and tied.

. Couches, mattresses and small amounts of sheet rock in bags will be accepted.

. Freon from refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners must be removed before pick-up.

For information, call Maine Waste Systems at 379-2031, or the town of Alton at 394-2601.

Bangor

Library book sale

Winter is over, spring is here and it is time to get ready for the Friends of Bangor Public Library book sale set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 12.

On the day before the sale, at 3 p.m. Friday, May 11, for a $10 entrance fee, anyone can buy as many books as they like for $5 each. At 5 p.m. that day, members of the Friends of the Bangor Public Library get a chance to look over the books and purchase up to 10 books per adult for $2 per book. Not a member? Membership applications are available at the library.

The library needs good quality used hardcover and paperback books, including children’s books. No textbooks, Reader’s Digest condensed books or magazines will be accepted for donation.

Those who wish to have a volunteer pick up books to be donated to the sale should call the library at 947-8336, ext. 128 and leave a message.

Music Off Broadway

The Bangor Noontime Rotary Club will present its second annual Music Off Broadway show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at Bangor High School’s Peakes Auditorium.

Proceeds will benefit youth programs at the Bangor Y, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and various organizations in the community.

The artistic team of Josua Schmersal, director; Heather Astbury Libby, choreographer; and Bob Bahr, music director; have pieced together the Broadway revue to highlight tunes from well-known and recent Broadway shows.

Tickets are $15, $10 children under 18, $40 families and may be purchased at BookMarc’s Bookstore, The Grasshopper Shop and Patrick’s Hallmark store. Tickets also will be available at the door.

Home-buying course

BANGOR – MaineStream Finance is offering a free 12-hour certified training course that helps potential home buyers make prudent home purchasing decisions.

The class will be held 5:30- 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, May 14, 15, 16 and 17, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St.

The course is conducted by a qualified trainer. Components include budget and debt management counseling and credit counseling. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required. Call MaineStream Finance at 974-2424 or (800) 215-4942 to obtain information or to register.

Landscapes in watercolor

The fifth and final art exhibit of the Eastern Maine Community College academic year will be “New Maine Landscapes” by well-known local artist Paul Thibodeau. His landscapes in watercolor and acrylic will be on display May 1-June 29 in the Eastern Maine Community College Library Gallery located in the new Campus Center.

Museum visits free in May

Maine Discovery Museum was selected to join some of the nation’s art and science museums in the 2007 Bank of America’s Museums on Us program.

Those traveling coast to coast or staying home in Maine, and their guests, can visit world museums, including the Maine Discovery Museum, for free during May with a Bank of America credit or check card, or MBNA credit card, plus a photo ID.

Can’t get to the Museum of Modern Art to see the Picassos? Let your children create their own masterpieces at Maine Discovery Museum’s Wednesday morning Little Ones’ Art programs, or celebrate Japan’s Golden Week with special art programs May 4-6.

For more information, visit www.mainediscoverymuseum.org.

Art at the library

May is the month of the Bangor Art Society’s Juried Show in the Lecture Hall at Bangor Public Library. The show, which attracts many of the area’s most prominent artists, will hang all month, with the society’s opening reception set for 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 15.

In the library’s Stairwell Gallery, Steuben artist Robert Bryson will show his works, which range, as the artist describes, “from realistic Maine scenes to surrealistic dreams.”

While Bryson has a preference for working in black and white using pen and ink, rapidograph, graphite or charcoal, he also will show works in oils, watercolor, acrylic, pastels and colored pencils.

Mainely Dolls show

The Mainely Dolls Club will hold its annual show and sale 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at the Elks Club, 108 Odlin Road. Charlene Woodvine will read “Little Red Riding Hood” at 1 p.m. Her doll collection also will be on display.

A “doll doctor” will be on hand to restring dolls that have become discombobulated.

Door prizes will be awarded hourly, and lunch will be available. For more information, call Debi at 989-9850.

Basket bingo

The Bangor Noon Kiwanis will sponsor a basket bingo at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Bangor Recreation Department building, 647 Main St. Doors open at noon. The cost is $10, 15 games and two blackouts will be played. Refreshments will be available. Proceeds will benefit the Bangor Police Athletic League.

The PAL Center provides a safe and fun place for children from the area to participate in a variety of activities, including sports and an after-school program.

To obtain tickets to the basket bingo or to sponsor a basket, call the Bangor Noon Kiwanis at 299-8276 or 843-6263.

Barbershop chorus

The members of Maine-ly Harmony women’s a cappella barbershop chorus installed new officers for the 2007-2008 on March 28: Sue Staples of Bangor, president; Anne Danforth of Chelsea, vice president; Linda Davis of Palermo, secretary; Catherine Erdman of Augusta, treasurer; Debbie Greim and Sheryl Whitmore of Auburn, board members.

The new officers were busy making last-minute preparations for the chorus’ participation April 28 at a convention and competition in Ottawa. Many performances and workshops are planned.

The chorus meets at 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday at the Gardiner Regional Middle School under the direction of Kathy Greason. To find out more about Maine-ly Harmony, call Donna Ryder at 582-5523 or e-mail dryderme@juno.com.

Folk Festival volunteers

The American Folk Festival is seeking volunteers for the 2007 festival Aug. 24, 25 and 26. Volunteers are key to the success of the American Folk Festival and more than 800 volunteers are needed to fill more than 2,100 shifts.

Festival volunteers have a wide variety of positions to choose from, including performer check-in, music logging, vending, music sales and performer hospitality.

To join the fun and be part of the event that brings the world to Bangor, call Debbi at 992-2630 or visit www.americanfolkfestival.com. Festival volunteers receive an exclusive festival T-shirt and a ticket to a private party held for volunteers, artists and staff.

The American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront is produced by the Bangor Folk Festival with the city of Bangor, Eastern Maine Development Corp., the National Council for the Traditional Arts and the Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine.

Indoor yard sale

An indoor yard sale will be held 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Hammond Street Congregational Church. Items for sale will include clothing, household goods, sports equipment, books, small pieces of furniture, seedlings, potted plants, baked goods and fudge.

Beverages will be available for a small donation. For more information, call 942-4381.

Holden

Spring Fest at Fields Pond

The Fields Pond Audubon Center is celebrating spring and Migratory Birds Day with a free event for all ages. Spring Fest on Saturday, May 12, will offer bird walks, yoga, children’s walks, pond explorations, a native plants sale and presentations by local naturalists at 216 Fields Pond Road. A children’s activity area will be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. No preregistration is required.

. Birding By Ear walk with Bruce Barker, 6:30-7:30 a.m.

. Bird walk with Sandi and Bob Duchesne, 7-8:30 a.m.

. Morning yoga with Barbara Lyon, 8:30-9:30 a.m.

. Children’s walks, 8:30-9:30 a.m., 10-11 a.m. and 4-5 p.m.

. “Planning Your Garden and Wildlife Habitat” with Reeser Manley, 10 a.m.

. Lunch Break, wraps, chips, cookies and juice for sale, noon.

. Native plant sale, Julie Beckford, Rebel Hill Farm, 1 p.m.

. Live skunk (de-scented) show and tell, 2 p.m.

. Walk and talk with Bucky Owen, 2-3 p.m.

. Bugs and pond exploration with Ruth Perry, 2:30 p.m.

. Birding by ear walk for the visually impaired with Steve Coleman, 3 p.m.

. “Maine’s Birds in Ecuador” with Bonnie Bochan, 3-4 p.m.

. Evening yoga with Sandy Cyrus 4-5 p.m.

. Bugs and pond exploration with Ruth Perry, 5-6 p.m.

. Bird walk with Judy Kellogg Markowsky, 5-6 p.m.

For more information, call 989-2591 or e-mail htwining@maineaudubon.org.

Superior Court justice

Bangor Attorney Kevin M. Cuddy of Holden was sworn in recently as a justice of the Maine Superior Court by Gov. John E. Baldacci.

“We are very honored,” Gov. Baldacci said to Cuddy. “You had a wonderful confirmation hearing and you have a tremendous reputation of service. We are honored to have you serving the citizens in this new capacity.”

Cuddy is a former assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., and Maine. He also has worked for the Federal Communications Commission.

He’s been in private practice since 1973 and has argued cases at every level of the judicial system, including the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cuddy has served as the president of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, the Maine Bar Foundation and the Maine Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates. He was appointed to the Select Committee on Workers’ Compensation by Govs. Longley and Brennan, and to the Select Committee on Judicial Nominations by Govs. King and Baldacci.

Cuddy is married and lives in Holden. He has three adult sons.

Old Town

Museum hours

The Old Town Museum, 353 Main St., will be open 1-5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 4, 5 and 6; and Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12. It will be closed Mother’s Day, May 13. There is no charge to visit the museum and visitors will find ample parking. For more information, call 827-7256.