Bangor

Tree lighting and parade

The city of Bangor will illuminate the holidays with its tree lighting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in West Market Square. The Festival of Lights Parade through downtown will be held immediately after the tree lighting.

The parade will begin at the Sea Dog and proceed down Railroad Street, right onto Main Street, downtown and up Central Street, then right on Harlow, disbanding at the Bank of America building on Exchange Street.

The event is sponsored by the Bangor Rotary, WABI-TV and downtown Bangor.

Holiday happenings

Holiday happenings are shaping up at the Maine Discovery Museum:

. Parents’ Night Out, Fridays, Nov. 30 and Dec. 14. Parents won’t need to hire a sitter to take care of the kids while they do holiday errands and shopping. They can drop off the kids 5:30-9 p.m. at the Maine Discovery Museum for a pizza dinner, a science and craft activity, and supervised playtime in the museum. The cost is $18 per child per night for museum members, and $20 per child for others, siblings half price.

Call the museum at 262-7200 to preregister. Parents’ Night Out is sponsored by New Moon Restaurant and Cristor’s Irish Public House.

. Advent and Hanukkah Calendar, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. Stack 24 or fewer little boxes, depending on which holiday you celebrate, and turn them into a little castle or house to fill with tiny treasures and gifts. A materials fee of $1 will be collected per child.

. Gingerbread House Workshop, 1:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Decorate your own ‘sweet’ little house. The museum will provide festive candy for shingles, bricks and shrubbery. Participants supply the imagination. The workshop is open to those of all ages. The cost is $10 member child, $12 other children. Price includes up to two adult helpers. Museum admission not included.

. Nutcracker Neighborhood. The Booktown area will be transformed into an enchanted holiday exhibit, The Nutcracker Neighborhood. Discover the joys of reading “The Nutcracker” and seeing the ballet performed by Robinson Ballet Company and Bangor Symphony Orchestra. The temporary exhibit in Booktown will be on display until Monday, Jan 7. General admission is $6.50.

For more information, call 262-7200.

Candlelight service of Advent Lessons and Carols

The Parish Choir of St. John’s Episcopal Church will present its annual Service of Advent Lessons and Carols, followed by the annual Advent tea at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. St. John’s is located at 225 French St., directly behind John Bapst Memorial High School, and is wheelchair-accessible. Childcare will be provided and admission is free to all.

Based on a medieval vigil service, the event is an Advent candlelight celebration adapted from the century-old tradition established at King’s College, Cambridge, England, where it is performed every Christmas Eve to standing-room only crowds and broadcast worldwide.

It consists of readings from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, traditional Anglican prayers and responses, and congregational carols, all related to the Advent and birth of Christ. After each reading, the choir sings one or more carols with text related to each of the readings.

The Advent service will be followed by the Advent tea in the Undercroft, hosted by the ladies of the church.

Directed by Travis LaCombe, organist and choirmaster, the St. John’s Parish Choir has a reputation for fine music-making in the Anglican choral tradition and a repertoire that spans the 15th century to the present day.

The mixed choir of adults and children has made four tours abroad and has sung at many notable places, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England. The Parish Choir is affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music.

Salsa for social justice

Maine’s three Salvadoran sistering projects will sponsor a salsa dance on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 120 Park St. Dance lessons will be given at 7 p.m. The dance begins at 8 p.m.

Silvana Cuello, who teaches children and adults in Blue Hill, will give the dance lessons.

Proceeds from the dance will benefit the campaign for the right to free speech and dissent in El Salvador.

Cuello moved to Blue Hill from the Dominican Republic. She studied with Maria Luisa Valdez, a pioneer of modern dance in the Dominican Republic. Since arriving in 2001, she has taught children and adults at the Blue Hill Consolidated School, at George Stevens Academy and at community events and festivals.

The three sponsoring groups are the sistering committees of Peace through International Community Action, WERU Community Radio and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners.

Sister Cities work to connect people in Maine with people in El Salvador. The Sister Cities Network strives to build a new kind of globalization from the ground up, united by human values of justice and solidarity.

No previous Salsa dance experience is necessary. The cost is $10, $5 students, free under 12. For more information, call PICA at 947-4203.

Home buying basics

MaineStream Finance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Penquis, will offer a free 12-hour certified training course that helps potential home buyers make prudent home purchasing decisions 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Dec. 10-13, at Penquis, 262 Harlow St. Participants must attend all classes.

The course uses a qualified trainer and discusses the roles of various professionals involved in the home-buying process, such as attorneys, real estate agents, lenders, insurance agents and home inspectors. Components of this course are 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 for more information or to register. MaineStream Finance is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to promoting community development through financial education and financing activities for Maine’s low- and moderate-income residents.

Bangor

Senior employment session

National Able Network will hold a senior employment information session 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, at the Able office, Bangor Parks and Recreation Building, 647 Main St. Find out about work programs available to older Americans. For more information, call (800) 655-6073.

Closing early

The Maine Discovery Museum will close at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, during the Festival of Lights Parade. The museum lobby will be open after the parade where cookies and coffee will be available. Call the museum at 262-7200 for more information.

Art at the library

An exhibit of the works of Indian Island artist and teacher Michael E. Vermette will be shown in December in the Lecture Hall of the Bangor Public Library. Many of the artist’s oils and watercolors depict images of Katahdin Lake and are representations of his philosophy.

“I love how color and the expressive mark can evoke a recognizable feeling, a nostalgic memory or emotional qualities such as the smell of salt and balsam in the air,” Vermette said.

Etna artist Olga Setrakov Russell will exhibit her watercolors in the library’s Stairwell Gallery. Russell, a former engineer, specializes in portraits. She is showing her work at the library for the first time in the exhibit, “Life.”

Brewer

New Renaissance Singers

The New Renaissance Singers, now in their 16th year, will perform their Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at First Congregational Church of Brewer.

The chorus also will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at Sunbury Village, Ohio Street, Bangor.

The New Renaissance Singers are directed by Laura Green Estey and accompanied on piano by Dora Rexrode. Members of the group are Judy Adams, Armand Andrle, Nancy Averill, Kathryn Farquhar, Marie Harrington, Melva Kent, Janet Kimball, Pat Moulton, Bill Shook, Molly Stevens, Mike Strang, Pam and Rex Ware.

Along with many other holiday favorites, music for the Dec. 2 concert will include “Ave Maria” by Jacob Arcadelt, “O Magnum Mysterium” by Thomas Luis de Victoria, “You Are the New Day” by John David, “Prayer from Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck, and “Ubis Caritas” by Maurice Durufle.

“The Sound of the Voice of the Lord,” an original piece written by Sanford Green and Jack Manus, will be performed in honor of the late father of Laura Green Estey.

The New Renaissance Singers is a private, nonprofit corporation that exists solely to perform for the enjoyment of the community. Members represent a cross section of local talent and contribute weekly to cover expenses to include director and accompanist salaries and music. The New Renaissance Singers gratefully acknowledge the support of individuals and businesses in the region that advertise in the concert booklet.

A holiday gift basket including two tickets donated by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra will be raffled during intermission at the concert. After the performance, attendees are invited to enjoy refreshments and conversation.

Vocalists interested in joining the New Renaissance Singers may contact Pam Ware at 989-6535 or e-mail WareHere@verizon.net. For more information, visit www.NRSingers.com.

Hometown holiday concert

The Brewer Hometown Band will present a holiday concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the Brewer Auditorium. The theme is “The Polar Express.” The tunes in the program include the delightful new melodies from the movie and lots of favorite carols everyone knows and loves.

A raffle will be conducted during intermission, presided over by a couple of train conductors from the Express. Colorful and tasty goodies will be available to sample.

“Hot Chocolate,” both as a beverage and as one of the song titles, will be on the program. And for very good boys and girls, Santa may do a lively step or two while passing out holiday treats.

The band is asking the public to bring nonperishable items or money to help the Brewer Community Council fill Christmas baskets for the less fortunate among us.

Holiday Shopping Night

The Brewer PTU will hold its Holiday Shopping Night 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the Washington Street School in Brewer.

Taking part as vendors in the one-stop shopping event are:

. Kim Severance, Mia Bella Gourmet Candles.

. Sue Roberts, Sparkling Moments.

. Kim Hand, Lois Tardy and Leslie Spencer, Defining Design.

. Lesley Fitts, Lia Sophia Jewelry.

. Gayle Roy, Tastefully Simple.

. Julie Casburn, Simply Jules.

. Teresa Maybury, consultant, Creative Memories.

. Sharon Gray, Tot’s Towels.

. Heather Sutherland and Amanda Kirby, At Home America.

. Sherri Cross, Taylor’s Totes.

. Nicole Hanson, Nick-Mac Crafts.

. Doreen Moody, Pampered Chef.

. Ruth Way, Smart Sisters Chocolate Creations.

. Jenna Arnold, Mary Kay Cosmetics.

. Gretchen Lewis, Noah’s Ark Stuff and Fluff Animal Workshop. Make at home snowman kits will be available.

. Francyne St. Thomas and Jeannie Hopkin, Brewer PTU scrip cards, gift mugs and stuffers.

Admission is free, door prizes will be awarded and raffles will be available. The concession also will be open.

Carmel

Christmas tree lighting

The Simpson Memorial Library will join with the Carmel Historical Society to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season. There will be a tree-lighting ceremony at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at the library in Carmel Village.

Afterward, participants are invited to view a replica of Carmel Village in the barn of the Paul Haskell House next door to the library. Refreshments will be served.

The library extends thanks to businesses, individuals and organizations for the contributions they made this year:

. The Village Market and Seafood Galley for supporting the library’s annual Summer Read Program. Twenty-one children enrolled in the program. Author Robert Pottle was the guest performer for the program. He delighted children and parents alike with his poetry and songs.

. The Rose and Samuel Rudman Library Trust for a grant which allowed the library to hold its first Teddy Bear Picnic featuring storyteller Jan Zimmermann, who shared music, poetry and stories.

. The Maine Reads Community Literacy Project for a grant designated to encourage use of the library and a love of books in children enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs in Carmel and Etna.

. And to library volunteers for their time and effort throughout the year.

Orono

Museum Holiday Shoppe

The Page Farm and Home Museum at the University of Maine is expanding its annual Holiday Shoppe exhibits and sale. Dozens of traditional Maine craftspeople have been invited to offer their creations to the public.

The event is set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at the museum on campus.

The public is invited to stop by and meet the artists and crafters and visit the museum’s old-fashioned gift shop stocked with traditional Maine-made crafts, clothing, books, artwork, pottery, toys and games.

Shoppers will find soap and candle makers, fiber artists, gourmet food artists, jewelry designers and representatives from local nonprofit organizations, including the Patch Friends Group dedicated to the preserving the legacy of Edith Patch, a famed entomologist, author and University of Maine teacher in the early 20th century.

Golden Age of Trotters, Lithography

The history of the trotting horse, and Currier and Ives lithography and their connections to Maine, are topics being combined for a brown bag lunch lecture at noon Thursday, Dec. 6, at the University of Maine Page Farm and Home Museum.

“Currier and Ives: The Maine Connection” will feature a discussion by UM alumni Clark Thompson, an authority on the Maine trotting horse and its place in Maine history from 1840-1895.

A trotting horse historian since 1977, Thompson, also a former Bangor attorney, has served on the board of directors for the Bangor State Fair and focuses his research on Bass Park. For the last three years he has worked on a Maine heritage trotting horse trail to memorialize trotting horses or racetracks from southern Maine to Bangor. Thompson also is a member of the Page Farm and Home Museum board of directors.

Thompson will display several Currier and Ives lithographs, known for their iconic depictions of life in rural America, including prints of horses on farms, racetracks and pulling sleighs, wagons and fire-fighting apparatus.

The talk is free and open to the public.

The Page Farm and Home Museum on the Orono campus collects, documents, preserves, interprets and disseminates knowledge of Maine history relating to farms and farming communities between 1865 and 1940, providing an educational and cultural experience for the public and a resource for researchers of this period. The museum can be reached at 581-4100.

Star shows at planetarium

The Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium at Wingate Hall, University of Maine, will offer two family star shows in December. Both shows use Jordan Planetarium’s new Omnidome system to surround the audience with the panoramic views and action of full-dome video.

Light up the Holiday Season with a bright and festive show, “Season of Light” at 7 p.m. Fridays, Dec. 2-23, and at 2 p.m. Sundays. The star show traces the origins of several traditions of the season and explores the mystery behind changing seasons before offering explanations for the star seen by the wise men in the east.

Then, the littlest star gazers will discover the fun and science of flying in “Wilbear’s Adventure” at 2 p.m. Saturdays until Dec. 15. December has the anniversary of the Wright brothers’ famous flight, and this show finds the same inspiration in the dreams of a teddy bear who really wants to fly.

Admission is $3 and seating is limited so reservations are highly recommended. For more information and reservations, call 581-1341 or visit www.galaxymaine.com.

Areawide

Firefighter grants

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded fire departments grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

The Bangor Fire Department will receive $135,000.

The Carmel Fire Department will receive $1,639.

Coats and Toys for Kids Day

Coats and Toys for Kids Day will be broadcast live from seven locations statewide, including Bangor and Brewer. Drop off a coat or a toy and meet NewsCenter personalities at Hannaford Supermarket in Brewer and Shaw’s Supermarket, Hogan Road, Bangor.

Coats may be dropped off at any Hannaford’s or Shaw’s from Nov. 27 to Dec. 31. Toys must be dropped off no later than Dec. 14 so they can be picked up by The Salvation Army and shared with families in time for the holidays.

For more information, call Charlene Belanger at (800) 464-1213, or e-mail communityrelations@wcsh6.com.

Virtual holiday food drive

Good Shepherd Food-Bank, based in Auburn and Brewer, has been working diligently and proactively in its commitment to helping agencies serve more families this season, said Director JoAn Chartier.

The goal is to triple the number of families served by conducting the food bank’s Virtual Holiday Food Drive to provide food and dinner items not only for the Thanksgiving season, but also through the holiday season. In order to do this, Good Shepherd needs to raise an additional $50,000 by Dec. 31.

Last year, in response to a plea for help, the food bank received more than 800 donated turkeys and other food items.

Good Shepherd Food-Bank needs help to make the holidays abundant for everyone and to ensure a healthy, happy new year for Mainers in need.

The Virtual Food Drive offers an easy and efficient way for community members to help meet the goal. With the high price of gasoline, a virtual food drive saves the associated transportation costs, and allows the food bank to acquire product in bulk, further cutting costs and increasing the return. Donations are accepted at www.gsfb.org or mail to GSFB, P.O. Box 1807, Auburn, ME 04211-1807.

A $10 gift allows the food bank to provide 48 meals, or more than $125 in retail value of food to partner agencies in local communities all over Maine.

Contributions received during the Holiday Campaign will be matched by a local community supporter and will double the result of gifts received.