Bangor

Home-buying course

BANGOR – MaineStream Finance will offer a free 12-hour certified training course to help potential home buyers make prudent home purchasing decisions.

The class will be held 5:30- 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, June 18-21, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St.

The course is conducted by a qualified trainer and discusses the roles of various professionals involved in the process, such as attorneys, real estate agents, lenders, insurance agents and home inspectors. 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.

USDA open house

BANGOR – The public is invited to attend an open house for the new Penobscot County USDA Service Center 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, June 14, at 1423 Broadway. The ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m.

Offices of the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rural Development, Heart of Maine Resource Conservation and Development, and Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District are located at the new Service Center.

Special guests attending the open house will be Jim Fitzgerald, chief of staff, Rural Development, Washington, D.C., and Michael Sanders, senior adviser to the chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC.

Brewer

New Renaissance Singers

The New Renaissance Singers will present a spring concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at the First Congregational Church of Brewer. The church is on Church Street, off North Main Street, behind the Brewer Public Library and City Hall.

The beat goes on with the community choral group that has been performing for 15 years. The concert, featuring diverse music from the late 1800s through the 1960s, is full of surprises. The program features solos, duets and the full ensemble performing light opera selections, spirituals, ’60s rock music and folk songs, and Broadway show tunes.

The singers are directed by Laura Estey and accompanied by Dora Rexrode. They are Judy Adams, Armand Andrle, Nancy Averill, Marie Harrington, Melva Kent, Janet Kimball, Pat Moulton, Bill Shook, Molly Stevens, Mike Strang, Pam Ware and Rew Ware.

The concert is free and donations are accepted. A raffle will be held for a Spring Fling basket of goodies. After the concert, the audience is invited to share refreshments.

Indian Island Summer food service

INDIAN ISLAND – The Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to children without charge.

Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided at these sites and times:

. Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club Kitchen, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write or call immediately: USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410. For more information, call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Orono

‘Special Smiles’ program

Visiting a dentist in the middle of a Summer Games event is not unusual for athletes competing in Special Olympics Maine. On June 9, dentists, dental hygienists and other volunteers will set up tents on the University of Maine athletic field and when not competing, Special Olympic athletes can drop by for a free oral health screening.

Dr. Gordon “Scott” Trowbridge, a dentist from Milbridge, coordinates the annual Special Smiles event for the Maine Dental Association.

“This is just a great day,” he said. A team of dental care volunteers will assess the oral health of 250-500 athletes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Training and education are part of the Special Smiles program, too, Trowbridge said. Nutritional information is provided so athletes know what to eat for strong teeth. Instruction is provided on proper teeth brushing and flossing as well as other important preventive measures for optimal oral health. If any problems are noted, athletes are referred for follow-up.

The Special Smiles program is part of an international Special Olympics program called Healthy Athletes Initiative. Phil Geelhoed, president of Maine Special Olympics, said the initiative was developed in 1996 to improve athletes’ ability to train and compete in Special Olympics. Healthy Athletes is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve health and fitness, leading to enhanced sports experience and improved well-being.

“We are very pleased with the Special Smiles volunteers,” Geelhoed said. “The free screenings are an important resource for our community of athletes. This is just a great opportunity for them to get an annual check-up and in many cases, follow-up information.”

Trowbridge said it is always easy to get a team of volunteers because the work is so rewarding.

“I enjoy knowing I have helped athletes in the program to improve their oral health. But most of all, I enjoy meeting the competitors,” he said. “They lift our spirits and are very appreciative of what we are offering to them.”