Bangor

Holiday Vacation in Space!

BANGOR – The Challenger Learning Center of Maine will offer fun and educational activities during the holiday school vacation. Here’s what’s going on:

. Crash course in Planetary Life Investigations, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27. Learn the scientific methods behind finding life on other planets. The class is for children in grades four through eight. The cost is $45.

. Join us for a simulated space mission for children age 10 and up at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27. The cost is $18, $15 students. Children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent.

. Light Investigations will be offered 9-11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 28. Learn to write and read secret messages and see the world through the eyes of an alien. For children in kindergarten through grade three. $20.

. Space Mission Specialist Training will be held 1-3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28. Learn about the daily life of astronauts in space. For children in kindergarten through grade three. $20. Bring a lunch and stay the whole day for both classes.

. Spend New Year’s Eve learning about the stars, watching space movies on a big screen and more, 6:30-10:30 p.m. For children age 7 and up. $30.

Children age 10 and up can spend the night in the Challenger Learning Center and wake up to breakfast and a simulated space mission. $75.

For information, call the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, 30 Venture Way, at 990-2900, or visit www.clcofme.org.

Christmas concert

Members of the Bangor Community Chorus invite the public to share the holiday season at its annual Christmas concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the First United Methodist Church, 703 Essex St.

A varied program will be sung under the direction of Joshua Schmersal.

The chorus will welcome a new accompanist at the concert. Colin Graebert succeeds pianist Naomi Hall, who served as the chorus’s accompanist for nearly all of its 40-year history.

Admission is $5.

Talk on space travel

Dr. Neil Comins, one of the world’s foremost astronomers, will give a free public lecture and book signing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Challenger Learning Center, 30 Venture Way, off Maine Avenue.

Comins’ new book is “The Hazard of Space Travel: A Tourist’s Guide.” Comins is a professor at the University of Maine.

Live Nativity

Neighborhood Church, 263 Texas Ave., will present a Live Nativity at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14. The snow date is Saturday. The event is free and all are welcome.

The presentation will last less than one hour, but dress warmly. Fellowship and refreshments will be held afterward in the meeting hall.

Dixie Chicks film

“Shut Up and Sing” will be shown at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park St. The event is free and open to the public. A discussion will follow the film.

“Shut Up and Sing,” produced by two-time Academy Award winning documentary filmmakers Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, chronicles the lives of the Dixie Chicks from 2003 starting with the incident of criticizing President Bush, to the start of their 2006 tour.

For information, call 942-9343.

Master gardening

The Penobscot County Extension Office announced that the 2008 Master Gardener training program will concentrate on food crops.

Instruction will include basic soils, botany and pest management training. The Master Gardener training program fee is $90. Master Gardeners receive a reference manual, opportunity to interact with other gardeners and opportunities to work on volunteer projects.

Forty hours of volunteer time is required of each trainee as part of the overall program.

The training begins Feb. 5. Application deadline is Jan. 11.

Training sessions will be held at the Extension office, 307 Maine Ave.

Application packets for the program may be obtained by calling the Penobscot County Extension Office at 942-7396 or 800-287-1485, or by e-mailing Theresa Tilton at ttilton@umext.maine.edu.

Christmas events

Grace United Methodist Church has announced its Christmas schedule at the church, 193 Union St.

. Bake sale, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15.

. Christmas Eve service, 6 p.m. Dec. 24.

. Sunday worship and Sunday school, 10 a.m. Dec. 23.

Bucksport

‘Blue Christmas’ service

Elm Street Congregational Church will hold a “Blue Christmas” service at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20.

Amid the festivities and joviality of the season, those who are in emotional, spiritual or physical pain – those who are “blue” – often dread the season. With a deep awareness for those who are hurting, and in hopes of being attentive to those who are “blue” this time of year, the church will conduct this special service.

Elm Street Congregational Church also will hold a candlelight Christmas Eve service at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24.

Eddington

Historical society meeting

The Eddington Historical Society meeting will be held 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, in the Adams Real Estate conference room.

Hampden

Sewing class

Make a snowman wall hanging in the Bangor Area Sewing Guild class set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Hampden municipal building. The wall hanging is a 1-foot square and is constructed with piecing and applique techniques. It can be made quickly and easily. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for others. To register for the class or to obtain information, call Kathy Childs at 941-8815.

Old Town

New ramp at museum

The Old Town Museum is a modest operation that exists on donations and the generosity of volunteers. When the time came to replace the building’s wheelchair ramp, which was in terrible shape and no longer met accessibility standards, the museum board faced a tough financial decision.

“Building a new ramp was a big, expensive task for us, but it needed to be done,” said Dick Eustis, the board’s president.

Fortunately help was found at the University of Maine. The student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Associated General Contractors are always on the lookout for projects they can do as part of their community service mission. When they heard about the museum’s need, they decided to donate their time and talent to the cause.

Led by third-year mechanical engineering major Drake Voisine, the service project coordinator, the students designed a new, longer ramp and prepared a list of materials that the museum paid for.

About 10 students tore apart the old ramp’s framework one weekend and resurfaced the site with the help of a local contractor. The following Saturday, Nov. 17, nearly 20 more students chipped in to build the sturdy, pressure-treated wood replacement.

“I think it was a good experience for everyone,” said Voisine, who is from St. Francis.

Eustis couldn’t agree more. Without expensive labor costs, he figures the local history museum saved some $2,200 on the project.

“Obviously we’re very grateful for everything they did,” Eustis said.

Orono

Dance recital

Top Hat II Dance Studio of Holden will present “The Toy Shop” dance recital at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, and at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at Hauck Auditorium, University of Maine.

The Top Hat II Dance Team will be featured in the show’s finale dressed as favorite toys, stuffed animals, games and characters.

For ticket information, call the studio at 843-6028.