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Bangor

African Children’s Choir

The acclaimed African Children’s Choir that has been wowing audiences around the world for more than 23 years will return to Maine to raise awareness of the plight of Africa’s most vulnerable and to show the beauty, dignity and potential of each African child.

See the choir at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at Messiah Baptist Church, 985 Union St.; and at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug, 24, at Neighborhood Church, 263 Texas Ave.

Many of the children in the choir have lost one or both parents to poverty and disease, yet the children radiate hope. They demonstrate the potential for a better life for themselves and the millions of other children on a continent in turmoil.

Founder Ray Barnett said, “The needs among African children are so great because of war and the AIDS pandemic sweeping across that continent, yet these children are so full of joy. They truly are ambassadors of hope to the nations.”

A mixture of traditional African songs and dances, well-loved children’s favorites and familiar gospel songs will have the audience clapping, cheering and singing along. There is no admission charge, but a freewill offering will be accepted.

The African Children’s Choir provides care and education for several thousand underprivileged children throughout Africa. For more information on the African Children’s Choir and tour itinerary, visit www.africanchildrenschoir.com or e-mail info@africanchildrenschoir.com.

Prophetic Conference

Glad Tidings Church will hold a Prophetic Conference Friday through Sunday, Aug. 22-24, at the church, 1033 Broadway. Fred Shmidt, Jewish evangelist and Middle East expert, will be the guest speaker at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22.

A ministers’ meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. An evening service takes place at 6:30 p.m.

Services are set for 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24. Nursery care is provided at the morning service.

A Children’s Crusade is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22-23; and at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24.

For more information, call 947-0324 or visit www.gladtidingsbangor.com.

Adoption information

The Bangor office of the Department of Health and Human Services will hold a public informational meeting about adoption and foster care 1-3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, in Bangor. To learn the location of the meeting, call A Family For ME at 877-505-0545.

Those considering adoption or foster care through the Maine Department of Health and Human Services are encouraged to attend the meeting.

Brewer

Kiwanis news

At a recent meeting of the Brewer Kiwanis Club, treasurer Cathy Maher, program chairwoman for the month, introduced Arthur Comstock as the featured speaker. Comstock has given more than 50 years of service in more than 25 different organizations. He said that “professionalism is his goal and community service is his soul.”

Comstock said that more involvement in community organizations makes for better understanding of what is going on and expands community knowledge. He mentioned that many people over 65 are working or are volunteering in many organizations. He said that approximately 350 people volunteer at local hospitals and 500 to 600 volunteer at the Eastern Agency on Aging.

Comstock was instrumental in raising $2.5 million to start the Challenger Learning Center, a scientific institution that serves middle schools across Maine. He has been a recipient of many awards, including the To Those Who Care Award.

Brewer Kiwanis meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Muddy Rudder Restaurant in Brewer.

Castine

Legislative visit to MMA

Students, staff and faculty of Maine Maritime Academy welcomed 20 members of the 123rd Maine Legislature to campus on July 15. The visit was arranged to provide the state’s leadership with an opportunity to learn more about the educational opportunities available at the public college.

Legislators and their guests toured the campus and training ship, participated in demonstrations and tours of some of the academy’s state-of-the-art simulators and applied learning laboratories, and learned about current academic programming.

“While our remote location, relatively small enrollment by comparison to other Maine public colleges, and our strong traditions and ties to merchant seafaring distinguish us from other colleges in very positive ways, these very features may have made us the best-kept secret in Maine higher education,” said Leonard Tyler, president of MMA.

Tyler said the legislative visit was as much about showing appreciation to legislators for their ongoing support to higher education as it was to provide information.

“Our legislative leaders are true public servants. They have demonstrated a strong commitment to education in Maine and, in large part, we owe our ongoing success to their vision and leadership,” he said.

Needed renovations and upgrades to the college’s primary academic facility, Dismukes Hall, were underscored by the historic significance of the buildings. Dismukes Hall is one of three original structures on the campus from the Eastern State Normal School, a former public college for teachers that closed in the early 1940s.

Legislators also saw the challenges that Homeland Security requirements have imposed on the college in order to ensure the safety of its waterfront facility and 500-foot training ship.

The Harold Alfond Student Center provided an example of a modern public building financed primarily by private donations.

The college’s navigation and ship-handling simulator demonstrated the high-tech, sophisticated training tools behind the college’s reputation for competent seafaring graduates.

Maine legislators attending were Sens. Paula Benoit, Peter Bowman, Dennis Damon and Joe Perry; and Reps. Bernard Ayotte, Chris Babbidge, David Cota, Margaret Craven, Jane Eberle, Donna Finley, Dusty Fisher, Stacey Fitts, Ted Koffman, Donald Marean, Ed Mazurek, Janet Mills, Wesley Richardson, Deborah Simpson, Richard Sykes and Linda Valentino.

Holden

Blueberry Festival

A Blueberry Festival and craft fair will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Holden Congregational Church on Church Road. Activities of the day include a blueberry pancake breakfast, soup and salad lunch, blueberry desserts, family games and the blueberry “jamm” open mike and karaoke.

A Soles4Souls shoe drive also will be conducted. Festival patrons are invited to drop off a pair of new or lightly worn shoes, which will be donated to those in need.

Proceeds from the festival will go to help a mission group in New Orleans build homes for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Those who wish to rent space at the craft fair or obtain more information about the festival, may call Jenn at 843-6013, or Zita at 989-6094.

Writing, drawing workshop

Maine Audubon Naturalist Holly Twining will lead a two-day writing and drawing workshop at Field’s Pond Audubon Center, 216 Fields Pond Road, for participants age 8 or older. Adults also are welcome to attend.

Learn to see and enjoy nature in a creative way through writing and drawing. Craft a journal and listen to nature-inspired writing selections. Then move outdoors to write and draw by the marsh, pond and forest. Search for the creatures that inhabit the grounds of Fields Pond. A different guest will arrive each day to assist in imaginative drawing exercises. Bring a bag lunch and be ready to explore nature in a fresh and exciting way.

Twining writes Zane’s Wild Life, a biweekly nature column, for the Bangor Daily News, received an interdisciplinary master’s degree at New York University and has had her work published in several newsletters and small press compilations.

Fun with Writing and Drawing for ages 8 and up will be offered 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 12-13. Participants do not have to attend both days. The cost is $40 Audubon members, for one day; $45 others, for one day; $75 members, two days, $80 others, two days. Advance registration is required by calling 989-2591 or e-mailing htwining@maineaudubon.org.

Indian Island

National Night Out

The Penobscot Nation Tribal Youth Council will celebrate National Night Out 3-9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the community building on Indian Island. The event will be sponsored and hosted by the Penobscot Nation Tribal Youth Council, Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club, Target, Maine Savings Federal Credit Union, Penobscot Nation Police Department and Penobscot Nation Tribal Court.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police and community partnerships.

The youth council urges residents of Indian Island and surrounding communities to come out and spend the evening with their neighbors. There will be many activities taking place through the afternoon and into the night, including a basketball tournament, softball game, guest speaker, a barbecue and entertainment. The event will feature a carnival-like atmosphere with plenty of activities and games for the entire family. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is one of many taking place on Indian Island this summer, promoting overall community health and family cohesiveness. For information, call Jose J. Alicea-Santiago, club program director, at 817-7357.

Orland

Blood drive

The Orland Fire Department will sponsor a blood drive 2-7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, at the fire station on Schoolhouse Road.

Old Town

Antarctica geology

Dr. Harold W. Borns will talk about his experiences in the Antarctic as a geologist at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Old Town Museum. Borns is a University of Maine professor emeritus and founder of the Climate Change Institute. The event is free and open to the public.

Museum hours are 1-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. For more information, call 827-7256.

Orono

Vendor registrations

Orono Parks and Recreation Department is accepting vendor registrations for the annual Orono Village Festival to be held Saturday, Sept. 6, in downtown Orono. The daylong event includes arts and crafts booths, children’s games, food, fun and music. Vendors who wish to receive a registration packet many call the recreation department at 866-5065.

Areawide

Home Energy Loan Program

MaineStream Finance now offers Maine Housing’s Home Energy Loan Program, or HELP. This is an opportunity for income-eligible homeowners to apply for a loan of up to $30,000 to complete energy related improvements. Loans are repaid over a term of up to 15 years at a fixed interest rate of 3.95 percent. The monthly payment is $7.37 per month for each $1,000 borrowed over 15 years.

Homeowners will be required to have an energy audit performed by a licensed auditor and may use loan proceeds only for those items identified by the auditor. If the audit shows that your home needs air sealing and-or insulation, you must make these improvements.

Homeowners choose all other energy efficiency improvements they wish to make, as long as the energy audit confirms that the expected value of the energy savings over the “lifetime” of improvements is more than the cost of the improvements themselves.

HELP loans may be used to finance home energy audits, insulation, air sealing, and weather stripping, heating system modifications and replacements, storm doors and storm windows, Energy Star rated windows and appliances, ventilation and moisture controls, and roof repairs if the attic is insulated to R-38.

Within Penobscot, Piscataquis, Knox and Waldo counties, income limits for a one- to two-person household range from $55,400 to $58,100 per year. Income limits in these counties for households of three or more people range from $63,710 to $66,815 per year.

For more information, call MaineStream loan officer, Farrah Perry at 800-215-4942, ext. 605, or 973-3605 or e-mail fperry@penquis.org.