Bangor

Sweet Peace Open House

The public is invited to celebrate the 20th year of the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine. A Sweet Peace Open House will be held 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at 170 Park St.

Visitors will enjoy chocolate and other sweet desserts, fruit, cheese and snacks. Children will have fun crafting origami peace doves, making posters for the Martin Luther King commemoration and joining a sing-along for children of all ages.

Photos of past actions and events will be on display and participants may chat with members to learn about ways to become involved in helping to grow peace in the region.

Whether you are a longtime member or just becoming involved, members look forward to spending time with you and talking about how to keep the center going and growing.

For information, call 942-9343.

Book signing

The Rev. Peter B. Panagore will conduct a reading and signing of his book, “Two Minutes for God,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at Borders, 116 Bangor Mall Blvd. Organizers say the book shows how God’s message and plan for everyone shows itself in unexpected ways and in the least likely places, including New York’s East Village, an old lobster skiff and the surface of the moon. Panagore finds God’s lessons and love in the ordinary and the exquisite moments of modern life.

Museum play dates

Parents age 25 and under with children under age 5 are invited to participate in Discovery Day Play Dates at 1 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Maine Discovery Museum, 74 Main St. Meet other parents with children and enjoy exploring the museum together as a group.

Play Dates are free. To obtain information or to register, call Dianna Sullivan at 973-3591 or 888-389-3610.

Discovery Day Play Dates are sponsored by the Penquis Parents Are Teachers, Too program, which is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The $936,872 grant covers 66 percent of program costs for a 24-month period.

Dance auditions

Artistic Directors Keith and Maureen Robinson announced the audition schedule for Robinson Ballet’s upcoming annual dance performance.

Auditions will take place Saturday, Jan. 12, at the School of Robinson Ballet, 107 Union St., above the Greyhound Bus Station. The schedule is:

. 10:30 a.m.-noon, company class, open to all dancers auditioning.

. 12:30-1:30 p.m., auditions for dancers age 12 to adult.

Five choreographers will create pieces for the show, ranging in style from classical ballet to jazz and modern.

For information, visit www.robinsonballet.org or call 989-7226.

Show times are :

. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, Bangor Opera House.

. 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 27, The Grand in Ellsworth.

Kids, Movement and Learning

The Penquis Child Care Resource Development Center is offering three hours of training in Brain Gym: Kids, Movement and Learning. The class meets 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Jan. 19, at Penquis, 262 Harlow St. The cost of the training is $15.

Brain Gym is a “whole brain” program, using 26 fun and simple movements to help complete neurological development, release learning blocks and reduce stress. For all ages, Brain Gym can increase self-confidence and maximize mental, physical and creative abilities. The presenter will be Margaret Marshall.

Individuals are encouraged to call in advance to ensure a place. To register, call 973-3533 or 888-917-1100.

Art exhibit by Whitney

The third show in the Eastern Maine Community College 2007-2008 Art Exhibit Series, featuring Kristborg T. Whitney’s work, will be on display from Jan. 16 to Feb. 29 in the Library Gallery. A reception for “Transformations” will be held 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, during which Whitney will give a presentation on her artwork. The public is invited to attend.

Whitney’s work – from realistic interpretations of the natural world to abstract mosaics – blazes with light and harmony. She says her work shows “landscapes of angles and relationships, and light, always light,” and she begins her work by building the entire image in her mind before painting.

Working in acrylic, Whitney creates paintings with an aspect of architectural stained-glass. The influence of her aunt, a well-known Icelandic sculptor and stained-glass artist, is clear.

Whitney, a native of Iceland, graduated from Reykjavik School of Arts and Crafts with a focus on fiber arts and textile design. In 1987, Whitney moved to Maine, becoming a full-time studio artist in 1996. Her artwork has been featured in numerous galleries throughout the United States and Iceland.

For information or library hours, call 974-4640.

Hampden

Benefit supper

There will be a benefit spaghetti supper 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Weatherbee School gym.

The supper is to benefit Jen Poll, a Hampden mom and day-care provider, who has leukemia. Proceeds will help defray mounting medical bills. A silent auction also will be held. The public is invited to join the community in helping raise money for this cause. The cost of the supper is $5 per person, $20 per family, and donations are welcome.

Poll has been a day-care provider for nine years. Her illness struck just before Christmas and she has been hospitalized since. As soon as she comes home, she will go to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Donations may be sent for the benefit of Jen Poll in care of Melissa Ryder, 489 Kennebec Road, Hampden 04444.

Hermon

Orchid Society

Eastern Maine Orchid Society’s next meeting will be a repotting workshop at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at Greencare, 1779 Hammond St.

Pots and containers will be available for sale. Potting media is provided for society members.

Bring orchids that need repotting. Enjoy good conversation and learn orchid-growing tips in the warmth of the greenhouse. Light refreshments will provided.

The meeting is free and open to be public. For information, call Janelle at 567-3822 or Sue at 848-5656.

Holden

Nature programs

Nature programs for children and adults have been scheduled at Fields Pond Audubon Center:

. Winter Birds in Greater Bangor, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday, Jan. 19. Meet at Fields Pond Audubon Center to carpool. Join trip leader Jerry Smith for a four-hour excursion around Greater Bangor to search for Bohemian waxwings, pine grosbeaks, common redpolls, and maybe even a northern shrike. Free.

. Children’s Drawing Class, ages 4 to 10, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12. Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio will introduce children to nature drawing by recognizing basic shapes as the building blocks to creating artistic forms found in nature. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate. Bring favorite art supplies, such as pencils, colored pencils, crayons and markers. The cost for members is $10 for one adult and one child, $12 others.

. Art Lessons for Adults: Drawing from Nature, two sessions, 11 a.m.-noon and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12. Learn drawing techniques from Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio. Capture the essence of the local fauna and flora species with pencil and paper. Bring a regular school pencil, sketch pad, eraser and enthusiasm for drawing and nature. The cost per session is $10 members, $12 others.

. Family Walk in Nature, 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12. Bring the family to explore nature on the grounds of Fields Pond. Parents and children will enjoy the exercise and fresh air, as well as learning the science and poetry of nature. A creative indoor project will be offered after the walk. Free to parents. One child $4, two children same family $6, three children same family $7. No registration necessary.

Indian Island

Annual Polar Bear Dip

Jumping jiminy and shiver me timbers. The fifth annual Polar Bear Dip is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, in front of the Penobscot Nation Police Department on Indian Island.

Organizers of the fundraising event are seeking people willing to brave the chilly waters of January. For information, call Carla Fearon, Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club director, at 817-7355.