Bangor

New England Winds concert

The United States Air Force will send its chamber group, the New England Winds, to Maine for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, in the Bangor Public Library Lecture Hall. The group’s musicians are drawn from all over America and are known for presenting an inspiring and eclectic repertoire. The concert is free to music lovers of all ages.

Business Ownership 101

Penquis Community Action Program will offer Business Ownership 101 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Penquis CAP, 262 Harlow St. The class will provide an overview of the pros and cons of operating a small business, what a business plan is and why it is needed, and resources for business development assistance. The class is free, but registration is required. Call 973-3642 to obtain more information.

Heart support group

The Heart Support and Education Group scheduled to meet March 1 was canceled. The group will meet again April 5 in the Mason Auditorium at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Literacy Volunteers

Literacy Volunteers of Bangor recently received support from local, state and national foundations in an effort to help serve more adults who are functioning at the lowest literacy levels. These organizations have awarded Literacy Volunteers donations: Bangor Savings Bank Foundation, $5,000; Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, $2,500; Agnes M. Lindsay Trust, $2,500; Merrill Bank, $2,500 for the Teach One, Reach One Project; and the National Book Scholarship Fund, $2,450 in books and resources for tutors and students.

Literacy Volunteers of Bangor links trained volunteer tutors with adults who want to learn or improve reading and English-speaking skills. One in five adults in the Bangor area is operating at the lowest levels of literacy. To learn more, call 947-8451.

Chain of Concern

Nationwide, statewide and local actions will commemorate the second anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq and call for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In Bangor, a Chain of Concern will form near Cascade Park on Route 2. A send-off for car-poolers traveling to a rally in Augusta will be held from 9:30 to 10 a.m., with the Chain of Concern until 10:30 a.m. Then there will be a meeting and potluck meal at the Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St. For more information, call 942-9343.

Indian activist video

A video, “Arundhati Roy: Public Power in the Age of Empire,” will be shown at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at the Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St.

Arundhati Roy is the author of “The God of Small Things” and “An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire.” The presentation is part of Women’s History Month and will include a discussion. To obtain more information, call 942-9343.

Lenten Retreat

Susan Conroy of South Portland, who worked with Mother Teresa in India, will be the speaker at a Lenten Retreat 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, March 19, at St. John’s Church Parish Hall, 207 York St. Conroy will have copies of her book, “Mother Teresa’s Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity,” available for purchase and signing. The retreat is open to the public.

Covered bridge

A covered bridge is being built in the Bangor Museum and Center for History, 6 State St. The replica of the Morse Bridge is the centerpiece of the museum’s new exhibit, “Crossing the Bridge,” which opens April 16.

Members of the Bangor Area Rotary clubs have volunteered to construct the bridge and work is under way.

Changes in Medicare

Stacie Sparkman of the Eastern Agency on Aging will speak on “Changes in Medicare” during the meeting of the Downeast Chapter of the National Association of Retired and Active Federal Employees at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, March 16, at Miller’s Restaurant. For information, contact Dottie Laber at 843-7563.

Indoor Golf Tournament

Thaw out from winter’s chill, shine up your golf clubs and put a team together for the Affiliated Healthcare Systems Indoor Miniature Golf Tournament. Tee times are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at the Eastern Maine Healthcare Mall, 925 Union St.

For a $15 fee, teams of three will play a challenging 19-hole game of miniature golf. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine.

Participants will receive an official Affiliated Healthcare Systems golf ball and those who survive the course will receive 19th hole refreshments Other prizes also will be awarded.

Last year the tournament raised $2,000. To register or to obtain more information, call Anne Hannan, 973-7605.

Nonprofit leaders’ forum

Paddling the Rapids, a strategic collaboration for nonprofit leaders, is beginning a group in Bangor. An information session will be held 3-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at the offices of United Way of Eastern Maine, 24 Springer Drive. There is no charge for the meeting and no obligation to join the group.

The monthly four-hour program is designed to provide participants with a confidential environment where they get feedback, solve problems and receive support and coaching from peers using a case study model.

The forum will be lead by Carol Carriuolo and Deb Burwell, organizational consultants committed to supporting the contributions that nonprofits make to the social fabric of Maine communities.

To participate in a Paddling the Rapids forum group, attend an information session, start a group or inquire about the process, contact Carol Carriuolo at 236-0287 or clcarriuolo@adelphia.net, or Deb Burwell at 338-2162 or burwell@acadia.net.

Brewer

Girl Scout cookies

Girl Scout cookies have arrived in northern and eastern Maine and will be on sale through March 31. To obtain cookies or more information, call the Abnaki Girl Scout Council at 989-7474, or (800) 464-3858.

Brewer Hometown Band

The Brewer Hometown Band will hold its spring concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at the Brewer Auditorium. The program will include music from long ago and through the ages. Part of the program will be a tribute to long-time band member Buddy Chappelle. The concert is free, but donations are welcome. Refreshments, raffles and door prizes will be part of the event.

Miss Maine USA

Erica Commeau, 20, Miss Maine USA and a student at Eastern Maine Community College, will represent Maine at the 54th annual Miss USA competition, which will be broadcast live from Baltimore, Md. on NBC television at 9 p.m. Monday, April 11.

Commeau, a Brewer High School graduate, was the Maine State High Jump Champion in 2003. Her community volunteer projects include Community of Caring, the Race for the Cure, American Red Cross, Special Olympics, tsunami relief fund-raising, Salvation Army Coats and Toys for Kids campaign, Manna soup kitchen, and the Buddies program.

Carmel

Alumni association

The Carmel High School Alumni Association will meet at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at the Carmel Town Office.

Corinth

Lamb and goat auction

A lamb and goat auction will be held at noon Saturday, March 19, at Tilton’s Auction facility, Puddledock Road. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will participate with educational displays and printed materials about goat and lamb production.

A team of UMaine personnel has been working with the U.S. and Maine Departments of Agriculture to strengthen the marketing of Maine-raised goats and lambs, said Richard Brzozowski.

To learn more about the auction, call (800) 287-1471.

Eddington

Annual town report

In an effort to save the town money, the annual town report will not be mailed to residents this year.

Instead, residents will be sent a flyer that announces they are available and may be picked up at the town office.

The annual town meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Eddington School gymnasium, 440 Main Road.

If for some reason a resident cannot pick up the report, other arraignments will be made, Town Manager Dexter Johnson has said. For more information, call the town office at 843-5233.

Glenburn

Civilian Community Corps

On Feb. 28, David Simmons of Glenburn began work on his first service project with the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program. He arrived in Denver and began training in January for 10 months of full-time service with the organization, which works to improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, address unmet human needs and to assist with disaster relief.

Before joining the corps, Simmons attended Bangor Christian Schools and graduated from the University of Maine in 2004 with a degree in business administration. He is the son of Thayne and Kathy Reeves of Glenburn.

Levant

Anthem at Legislature

When the first regular session of the 122nd Maine Legislature convened Feb. 24, State Rep. Chris Greeley rose to the occasion. He sang the National Anthem, becoming the first male Maine state legislator to do so.

Old Town

Art at the library

Artists Charlene Sirois and Rita Haunert will display their art until May 2 at Old Town Public Library.

Sirois has been a painter for 30 years. She is a member of the Old Town Art Society and the Bangor Art Society. Each summer she travels to Monhegan Island with a group of artist friends, the Plein Air Heads, to paint outdoors. She is a member of the Heart of Maine Chorus and 6 Basin Street Dixieland Band.

Haunert has been painting in watercolors for four years. She is a member of the Old Town Art Society, the Bangor Art Society and the Plein Air Heads. She is a member of the Heart of Maine Chorus and does theater with Family Life Improvisational Theater Educators. She is a full-time writing instructor at Eastern Maine Community College. Three of her tropical plants are among the subjects of paintings in the Old Town Library show.

To obtain more information, call the library at 827-3972.

Bowl-For-Wishes

The sisters of the University of Maine chapter of Chi Omega will host their fourth annual Bowl-For-Wishes charity event to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the sorority’s national philanthropic group.

The event is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the Old Town Bowling Center, 185 Center St. Those who wish may register a team of four people for $25.

The sorority sisters also will sell snacks, Make-A-Wish bracelets and raffled tickets for door prizes. Private donations are always welcome.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was established in 1980 and strives to grant the personal wishes of children who suffer from life-threatening illnesses. The average cost of a child’s wish is $5,000.

To obtain more information about Bowl-For-Wishes, call Laura Crosby at 866-4215.

Orono

‘Kiss Me Kate’ auditions

Auditions for “Kiss Me Kate,” to be presented by Bangor Community Theater, will be held 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, March 15-16, at the Maine Center for the Arts, University of Maine.

Participants should prepare 16 to 32 measures of any song in the musical comedy literature, although the songs of Cole Porter are especially encouraged.

Those wishing to audition for specific roles in the play should prepare songs from “Kiss Me Kate” appropriate to those characters. Bring sheet music, and wear appropriate clothing to dance. An accompanist will be provided.

Maple sugaring

Backyard maple sugaring is the focus of a University of Maine brown bag lunch talk from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, at the Page Farm and Home Museum on campus.

Kathy Hopkins, an educator in the university’s Somerset County Extension Office in Skowhegan, is the scheduled speaker. Hopkins is an authority on back yard and commercial maple syrup operations, and runs a small farm with her husband in Norridgewock.

She will discuss necessary equipment and the sugaring process, from maple tree-tapping to boiling sap down to maple syrup, said Patricia Henner, Page Farm and Home Museum director.

The public is welcome at the free event. Visitors are invited to bring a bag lunch. Additional information is available by calling the Page Farm and Home Museum at 581-3756. The talk comes less than two weeks before March 27, Maine Maple Sunday.