What a pear

Valerie Layton of Cherryfield loves pears. She puts them in her salads, eats them with breakfast, and just rinses one off and takes a bite. So when she spied an entry form next to the Red Anjou and Bosc pears at the Ellsworth Shaw’s Supermarket asking for recipes that include pears, she sent off her submission of sliced pears with mixed greens to the USA Pears’ “Perfect Pairs” contest. To her delight, she won the competition, winning a $3,000 cash prize. Layton and her husband plan to use the money to remodel their living room or take a cruise – and to possibly buy a few dozen pears. For information and recipes featuring pears, visit www.usapears.org.

Pop a cork for Pops

You can get Dad a cheesy Father’s Day gift – a tie, a hat, one of those robotic singing fishes that you put on the wall. Or you can get Dad a really cheesy Father’s Day gift by taking him to Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery and Savage Oakes Vineyard & Winery in Union for a day of fine wine and cheese. The wineries, along with the State of Maine Cheese Co., will let fathers and their broods sample their wares from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Father’s Day, June 15, surrounded by the scenic vineyards and farmlands. For information, call the State of Maine Cheese Co. at 236-8895. Sweetgrass Farm is located on 347 Carroll Road in Union; Savage Oakes is located at 174 Barrett Hill Road.

Someone’s in the kitchen

Never got rid of your avocado green fridge? Trying to pass off that wood paneling as “retro chic”? If your kitchen is in need of an extreme makeover, then enter it into Downeast Kitchens’ Ugly Kitchen Contest. The Brunswick kitchen supply and accessory store celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and in honor of that milestone it’s offering a contest to help those whose kitchens look a little dingy, a little boring, a little – well, a lot – ugly. To enter, submit two photos of your less than pretty kitchen, along with a 100-word essay and an entry form, available at the Downeast Kitchens showroom. The deadline to enter is July 7, and entrants must be present at the July 17 drawing at the store, which is located on 18 Spring St. The winner receives a brand new remodeled kitchen with a value of up to $10,000. The kitchen can include new countertops, sinks, cabinets and more. All entrants receive a $250 gift card. For information, visit Downeast Kitchens’ Web site at www.downeastkitchens.com.