Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby race director Vicki Vroom of Bangor wants all prospective soapbox derby entrants to know that registration for the 2008 race is about to begin.

The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby is planned for Saturday, June 7, on Buck Street, Bangor.

“It is open to boys and girls ages 8 through 17,” Vroom wrote.

“The registration fee is $35, and the registration deadline is April 30 or when the field is full, so don’t hesitate,” Vroom added, encouraging youngsters to register as soon as possible.

Vroom wrote that information and displays about the soapbox derby will be available for all to visit from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at the Bangor Mall and registration for the race will be open at that time.

If you are unable to get to the Bangor Mall to register for this increasingly popular and traditional event, you can also receive registration information by calling the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department at 992-4490.

Vroom also urges youngsters who wish to participate, but are unable to find a financial sponsor, to call the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department. And she urges adults who “can donate prizes or can volunteer some time to the Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby” to also call Bangor Parks and Recreation Department at the number above.

The rescheduled presentation, “If Maine Had a Queen,” a discussion by author Karen Tolstrup of her book about the late Bangor Daily News cooking columnist “Brownie” Schrumpf, is 2:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2, in the dining room at Dirigo Pines on Alumni Drive in Orono.

The presentation is part of a series of monthly public forums sponsored by the Dr. Edith Marion Patch Center for Entomology, the Environment and Education. The event is free and open to the public.

Mary Bird of the Patch Center, reports “Tolstrup will share stories and images from her forthcoming book on Brownie and invite recollections from the audience.”

For information about this series or the Patch Center, call Bird at 866-2578 or e-mail mary.bird@umit.Maine.edu.

Lis Dudley-Bean of Rape Crisis Assistance & Prevention reports free Volunteer Advocate Training begins Tuesday, March 4, at RCA&P, Suite 410, 179 Main St., Waterville.

“Training will be held in our office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for a total of 48 hours of education around mental health, sexual assault and related issues,” Dudley-Bean wrote.

“Trainees completing the course will be considered for our 24-hour statewide help line.”

For information about this volunteer opportunity, call Dudley-Bean at 872-0601.

From Elizabeth Clayton, director of public relations for Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, comes a call for artists.

EMCC “is seeking exhibit applications for the 2008-2009 academic year,” Clayton wrote.

“The EMCC Library Gallery schedules four public exhibits per year in the following 2-month time slots: September-October, November-December, January-February and May-June.

“Artists of all medias and art forms are encouraged to apply.”

For applications and exhibit criteria, call 974-4604 or visit www.emcc.edu and “navigate to the library tab on the main menu.”

Although most of the ground is covered in a blanket of white, volunteers and staff of Phillips-Strickland House in Bangor want you to be thinking green.

They are asking potential golfers and sponsors to “Save the Date” for the Phillips-Strickland House 11th annual golf tournament, which is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8, at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono.

The tournament raises funds to benefit residents of Phillips-Strickland House located at 21 Boyd St., and which is the only nonprofit residential facility for seniors in our area.

I was saddened to read this week of the death of 81-year-old Ruth Reed Mraz of Fort Fairfield.

Since I began writing this column – 13 years ago this month – Ruth has become one of my favorite connections to The County.

A well-respected and recognized retired journalist, Ruth continued to share that gift of communication as a volunteer with many organizations on all levels.

Ruth and I shared many wonderful pieces of correspondence and many delightful telephone conversations over the years during which this native western-Mainer learned a great deal about Ruth’s very special part of our state.

I will forever be grateful to Ruth for helping educate me about the grand history of Aroostook County, and I extend my sincerest condolences to her family and friends.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; javerill@bangordailynews.net; 990-8288.