Bangor

Harvest gathering

A country auction and harvest gathering will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 120 Park St. Activities include a silent auction, pizza and salad supper, a dessert table and make your own cider. Door prizes will be awarded. Music will be provided by Paul Riechmann, Seth Grondin and Payson Nichols of Bangor.

A live auction begins at 7 p.m. Auction items include a wood stove, two autographed books by Stephen King and a vintage bicycle.

To learn more about the event, call Vicki Blanchette, 944-2695.

Marine Corps League

The Marine Corps League, Greater Bangor Area Detachment 1151, meets at 1 p.m. the third Sunday of the month at the Maine Veterans Home, 44 Hogan Road.

Formed in 1937 by an Act of Congress, the league is made up of active, reserve and retired Marines and Navy corpsmen who served with the Fleet Marine Force. Veterans must be honorably discharged.

Detachment 1151 received its charter in December 2003.

Hurricane relief

Oriental Jade of Bangor, in partnership with area Curves stores, Van Syckle Lincoln Mercury Kia Suzuki and Dawson Bradford Co., is holding three dinner buffet fundraisers this week to benefit the American Red Cross hurricane relief fund. The final dinner is set for Thursday, Nov. 10. Members from each of the host companies are acting as servers.

Curves limited memberships, symphony tickets and other prizes will be given away at each event. As an incentive to purchase tickets, Oriental Jade will give a away a $10 gift certificate for every 12th ticket purchase – plus a chance to win a free dinner buffet for two, each month for six months.

Tickets for each fundraiser are $12 for adults, $6 for children. Fifty percent of ticket sales and 100 percent of tips to guest servers will generate an estimated $2,500 in donations each night.

To obtain more information or to purchase tickets, visit Curves in Bangor, Brewer, Bucksport, Hampden, Newport or Old Town; Van Syckle Lincoln Mercury Kia Suzuki; Dawson Bradford Co.; or call Oriental Jade at 947-6969. Tickets also are available at www.orientaljade.com.

New Year’s Eve party

The Bangor Public Library will be the host for a family party 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the library. Party-goers are encouraged to attend in costume. Activities will be dancing, games, and big band, jazz, rock and classical music. The live bands will perform on every floor of the library.

Craft stations, board games, karaoke and a planetarium show will be available for children.

At 11 p.m. the Bangor Center Corp. will introduce a lighting feature designed specifically for Pickering Square.

The ball drop from the building housing Smith Law Offices and Bywater Gallery will be repeated this year, but with more “bells and whistles.”

Those who live in the downtown area are encouraged to come up with activities for the evening, too.

‘Thanks to the Animals’

Passamaquoddy storyteller Allen Sockabasin will visit the Bangor Public Library at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25, in the Story Room. Sockabasin will read from his latest book, “Thanks to the Animals,” a tale about an infant who falls off the family sled and is rescued by animals, large and small.

The author also will talk about writing and telling the tales of the Passamaquoddy people. His books will be available for signing and purchase.

Book Buffet

In celebration of National Children’s Book Week 2005, the Bangor Public Library will present a Book Buffet at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov 16, in the Story Room. The librarians will prepare an assortment of yummy food featured in books.

There are rumors of alphabet soup and a surprise selection from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes. School-aged children are invited to sample the food and the books, and to broaden their tastes. Try a new after-school snack. Get in line for the Book Buffet.

Women, Work and Community

Thanks to a major grant from HP, Women, Work and Community will be able to make state-of-the-art notebook and desktop PCs along with printers, scanners and digital cameras available for use, by reservation, at its office. To celebrate, the organization will hold an open house 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 216 Texas Ave., Acadia Hall, University College of Bangor.

The grant is part of the HP Microenterprise Acceleration Program, which provides microenterprises in under-served communities access to technology and training to accelerate and sustain business growth and economic opportunity.

Entrepreneurs may use the equipment to create marketing materials, learn financial record-keeping systems and develop business plans. Women, Work and Community also will use notebook PCs in their training programs for new entrepreneurs.

Schedules for upcoming training are posted at www.womenworkandcommunity.org. The public is welcome to attend the open house. Call 262-7843 for directions.

Pet portraits

The Bangor Humane Society will offer pet holiday portraits 9 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Nov. 12 and 19, at Klyne Studio, 1186 Essex St. Appointments are required and may be made by calling the studio at 942-3190. Proceeds will be donated to the Bangor Humane Society.

Turkey donations

This year, Manna needs 4,500 turkeys to give to the needy throughout central Maine. Donations will be accepted through Thursday, Nov. 24.

Manna will collect turkeys, accept gift cards and receive cash donations with which to purchase a bird for the table.

Those in need of a turkey will sign up for turkeys with local food providers and soup kitchens, which will distribute the turkeys.

Last year, 4,000 turkeys were donated. To obtain more information, call 990-2970.

Brewer

Zonta Holiday Marketplace

Zonta Club of Bangor will hold its 27th annual Holiday Marketplace 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Brewer Auditorium, Wilson Street.

The marketplace will feature the best of previous years and some new additions. The highlight of the event, as always, is an array of crafts and products. Back by popular demand will be several antiques dealers.

The cafe will be open to serve coffee and pastries, a variety of soups, sandwiches, home-baked goods, soda, water, popcorn and much more throughout the day.

“At this time we are already looking at a 25-percent increase in the number of vendors registered, and we are working on a few more,” said Sharon Leavitt, chairwoman of the event again this year. “The vendors love this event as much as the shoppers do, and so they like to come back. But we also are very excited about our new vendors who are bringing dolls, pottery and crystal jewelry, to name just a few items.”

A special feature will be door prizes awarded each day, including a weekend get-away to Portland, gift certificates to Bangor- area restaurants, a special package from Maine Discovery Museum, Lego gift sets and many more.

While the Zonta Club of Bangor is part of Zonta International, the proceeds from the Holiday Marketplace are used to support local scholarships and service projects. Projects focus on education and literacy, leadership and youth development and preventing violence against women. The club also provides assistance to local families during the holidays.

Zonta International of Bangor is observing its 75th year of service to community endeavors such as Good Samaritan Agency, the Maine Discovery Museum, Bangor Public Library, Spruce Run, Bangor Homeless Shelter and Abnaki Girl Scout Council. Nationwide, Zonta was established in 1919 in New York and Michigan.

Castine

Exhibit of watercolors, felt

The Castine Art Association is sponsoring an exhibit of watercolor paintings and handmade felt by Lyn Weisman Mayewski at the Trinity Episcopal Church gallery, Perkins Street in Castine, through November. An artist’s reception will be held on 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17.

Mayewski works in various art media. For this exhibit about shadows and reflections, she has chosen to concentrate on watercolors and on handmade felt. She also makes silver jewelry and paints in several media such as gouache, pastels and acrylics. She is a juried member of the New Hampshire Art Association for her watercolors and of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen for her silverwork.

She has served on the board of the Maine Crafts Association and as a juror for Exeter Fine Crafts in New Hampshire. She is currently chairwoman of the visual arts committee of the Castine Arts Association. She has received several awards for both her watercolors and jewelry. Her painting was used on the jacket of her husband’s book, “The Ice Chronicles.”

She became interested in felting when a friend decided to raise sheep and has enjoyed learning the versatility of this medium. At the Castine Art Association’s Fibers Day events, she has demonstrated felting techniques and will do so at the Bangor Public Library’s fibers day on Feb. 25.

The Trinity Episcopal Church Gallery is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, after the service on Sundays, or by appointment by calling 326-8433. Entry is through the children’s day-care center.

Eddington

Genetics and family history

The Eddington Historical Society will host a lecture concerning the role of modern DNA technology in genealogy on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Dr. Thomas Roderick, a retired Jackson Laboratory geneticist, will present “Genetics and Family History” at 2:30 p.m. at Comins Hall in East Eddington. All regional historical societies have been invited, and members of the general public also are welcome.

The Eddington Historical Society will hold a brief meeting beforehand at 2 p.m. to discuss regular business. Questions? Call the society’s president, Richard Bowden, at 989-5792.

Hermon

Trip to Disney World

OHI friends and family members were on hand to send off 53 travelers for a six-day dream vacation to Walt Disney World. Twenty-eight adults with mental retardation and-or mental illness and their staff left the OHI business office, 25 Freedom Parkway, Hermon, at midnight Nov. 2 for a trip by bus and plane to Florida.

“This trip has been almost six years in the making,” said Duane Hall, OHI’s community inclusion coordinator. The group began fundraising in December 1999, shortly after a staff member proposed the trip to Bonnie Brooks, CEO.

“That staff member told me that he’d like to take a couple of people he supported to Walt Disney World. I thought we all should go,” Brooks said.

The group spent six days in Florida at the Walt Disney World facilities. The trip was made possible through the contributions of many individuals and businesses. John Graham, owner of Automatic Distributors, not only made several large monetary donations but also provided each of the travelers with luggage for the trip.

OHI is committed to supporting children and adults with disabilities in establishing productive, rewarding lives in their communities. The organization extends individual and practical solutions to the people they support as they confront hurdles related to housing, healthcare, employment, social interactions and discrimination. OHI supports children and adults with mental retardation, mental illness, autism and behavioral or emotional disabilities by assisting them with lifestyles of their own design.

Newburgh

Boat building

Justin Crouse of Newburgh is attending the Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design, enrolled in the Small Boats Program. The Landing School, entering its third decade of operation, is internationally recognized in the marine trades industry for its rigorous programs and top-notch post-secondary education.

The Small Boats Program in which Crouse has enrolled is a 10-month, intensive course of study focused on contemporary, modern and leading edge practices in vessel design and construction.

To learn more about The Landing School and its yacht design, boat-building or marine systems courses, or boats built by students at the school, write the school at P.O. Box 1490, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046; e-mail info@landingschool.edu; or visit www.landingschool.edu.

Orono

Katrina perspective

The Orono Public Library invites the public to attend a presentation by Meg Haskell of Orono, a Bangor Daily News reporter. Her topic will be “From Bangor to Baton Rouge: A Maine Journalist’s Perspective on the Louisiana Gulf Coast After Katrina.”

She will discuss and show slides from her three-week assignment to the Gulf Coast, where she wrote about Mainers hard at work in hurricane-afflicted Louisiana.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, Penobscot Media Room, Dirigo Pines Inn. For more information, call the library at 866-5060.

Orrington

Hurricane relief concert

A youth hurricane relief concert set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at East Orrington Congregational Church will feature 32 area youth musicians. The concert, arranged by 15-year-old Kristyn Murphy with help from Teen Grace Music and others, encourages area youth to share their musical talents with the community.

The bands and groups participating are: Modern Day Jeremiah, Center Drive Singers, Sound Bender, The Cosmo Krammers and The Red 40.

Soloists include Kille Branson, Katie Burt, Allie Gormley, Courtney Graves, Ryan Guillow, Emily Guillow, Erin Keim, Justin Murphy, Kristyn Murphy, Ashley Schmidt, Kristen Thibodeau, Vanus Vandine and Shawn Williams.

“I’m really excited at the number of youth that have signed up,” Murphy said, “There are a lot of youth out there that want to perform but just don’t have many opportunities. This concert is a great way to give everybody a chance and have two hours of pure fun.”

Some of the performers in the variety show have an impressive career start. Modern Day Jeremiah, a contemporary praise and worship band, released its debut CD, “Carry The Light,” in October.

Two years ago the Center Drive Singers released their first CD, “Sweet Freedom.” Sound Bender, a band that has been together for five years, frequently tours New England and has played at Hard Rock Cafe.

Soloist Courtney Graves was crowned the Central Maine Egg Festival Scholarship Pageant Princess winner in 2003. John Bapst Memorial High School sophomore Kristyn Murphy claimed the title this year.

“I encourage everybody to come,” Murphy said, “It is important for youth to be able to show their community the good things they do. It should be a grand time and it is a fundraiser for Hurricane victims.”

Admission to the Youth Hurricane Relief Concert is free. A donation will be collected.

Veazie

Smoke alarm maintenance

The Veazie Fire Department reminds residents to change the batteries in their smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms provide an early warning and critical seconds to escape when faced with a fire.

Changing smoke alarm batteries is the easiest way to reduce tragic fires and fire deaths. The most common cause of nonworking smoke alarms is missing or worn-out batteries.

Veazie Fire Department Capt. Pete Metcalf recommends that families take time to test smoke alarms in their homes and to practice a home escape plan.

“A home escape plan,” he said, ” should show two escape routes out of the room – a door and a window. The plan also should include a place outside where the family will meet.”

Winterport

Nativity Pageant

The process of choosing actors for the annual Winterport Nativity Pageant will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Winterport Apostolic Church. The pageant has been a fixture of the local holiday season for 37 years. It is held on the Union Meeting House grounds and is attended by more than 100 people each of the two nights it is presented.

Young adults interested in portraying Mary and Joseph should be comfortable around a pony. It is not necessary to have acting experience. There are no speaking parts.

Only three practices are scheduled. It is important to attend the first practice.

Pageant organizers also need adults or high school students to assist with lighting the pageant.

Those who cannot attend practice, or who wish to volunteer to help with the lighting, should call Mrs. Thieme at 223-4088.