One February event I really look forward to reminding readers about is United Way of Eastern Maine’s camp fair, which will be held 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Bangor Civic Center.

Co-hosted by the city of Bangor, Camp Bangor Camp Fair is one event I believe no parent or guardian of children enrolled in Bangor school grades three to six should miss.

That is because Camp Bangor offers Bangor public school pupils a $1,000 scholarship to attend the Maine summer camp, or camps, of their choice.

The only requirement for obtaining this wonderful scholarship is meeting good citizenship guidelines and volunteering in the community.

United Way of Eastern Maine administers the Libra summer camp scholarship program, which this year features more than 145 camps throughout Maine.

Perhaps because during my college years I was a swim instructor at a wilderness camp in western Maine, I feel very strongly about young people having the opportunity to participate in this truly marvelous summer activity.

I have very fond memories of teaching young girls to swim, listening to them giggle as they fell asleep beside the lake to the melodious songs of the loons, helping them learn to paddle a canoe, and climbing the White Mountains with them.

I am sure they share many of those same memories, which, I promise you, really do last a lifetime – as do the life skills you learn “at camp.”

Summer camp directories will be distributed in Bangor classrooms for grades three through six beginning Monday, Feb. 7, and additional copies will be available to the public after that date at the United Way office, 24 Springer Drive in Bangor, and in the children’s department of the Bangor Public Library.

The online directory is at www.unitedwayem.org.

The variety of camps is amazing, and offers everything from wilderness camping to arts, environmental, faith-based and sports opportunities.

I hope every Bangor child in grades three through six is able to attend camp this summer.

It would be a shame if they didn’t, because there is nothing like it.

For more information about your child attending summer camp, call United Way of Eastern Maine at 941-2800, or visit the above Web site.

On behalf of East Orrington Congregational Church, Mona Spain invites you to a public baked bean supper at 4:30 p.m. today at the church, 38 Johnson Mill Road in Orrington.

Dinner is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12.

A concert, featuring In Our Midst, follows at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary.

An Antique Show and Box Social Auction will be held from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday Feb. 13, in the Orono High School cafeteria, one of a series of fund-raisers to help defray expenses for up to 50 students who will travel to New York City in March.

Debe Averill reports that organizers invite “any antique dealers who would like to set up a table, for $15 each,” to be part of the event.

Organizers are also “looking for anybody to make up those old-fashioned box lunches” we’ve all heard about, read about, or seen in movies or on television.

The daylong fund-raiser will kick off with the antique sale, and then, starting about 2 p.m., Averill said, “We will auction off a variety of wonderful box lunches made by local cooks and local restaurants. Folks will be able to bid on the lunches and either eat them right there or take them home.”

At 3 p.m., Averill said, various groups of young people “will be providing a variety of entertainment” that everyone will enjoy.

The event is sponsored by the Orono Music Department Fund-raising Committee. “The more we raise the less it costs each student” to make the trip, and that the group would like “to raise at least $100 per student,” Averill said.

Antique dealers or volunteer box-lunch makers are asked to call Averill, 478-5762, to make plans to participate in this fund-raiser.

Chinda and Wirawan “Dang” Rustanavibul of Bangor, their family members and staff of the Thai Siam Restaurant in Bangor and Thai Orchid Restaurant in Orono, contacted the news to publicly express their “sincere thanks to all the wonderful people who donated to the Thai Red Cross Relief Fund.”

People visiting the restaurants and dropping money into boxes contributed $11,000 to assist victims of the recent Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

“On behalf of the Thai people,” they “thank you for all your assistance.”

“It is greatly appreciated.”

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