Bangor

Holiday concert

The Bangor Community Chorus, under the direction of Josh Schmersal, will present its 37th annual holiday concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, at First United Methodist Church, 703 Essex St.

This is the second holiday concert for Schmersal, who joined the chorus as its conductor last year.

Accompanied by Naomi Hall, the chorus will sing a varied program that will include carols, and traditional and popular Christmas songs. The program will feature solos and duets.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. To obtain more information, visit www.mainguide.com/bangor/chorus/index.html.

Holiday time at the library

Bangor Public Library has scheduled a variety of holiday activities for and by children.

. A Children’s Holiday Bouquet Workshop will be held 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at the library. Susan Poole of the Bangor Garden Club will share the basics of creating a festive holiday arrangement. Participants will be provided with the materials and will take home their creations. Children of all ages are invited to meet in the Story Room for hands-on fun.

. The Bangor Area Children’s Choir and Youth Chorale will perform at 4:15p.m. Tuesday, Dec 6, in the Lecture Hall. Comprising 50 youths in grades four through 12, the youths have angel voices that are a perfect treat for young and old. The choir and chorale will perform upcoming concert and seasonal selections, as well as a sing-along.

. The Paper Snowflake Workshop takes place 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, in the Story Room. Learn to make lovely snowflakes – almost as nice as Mother Nature’s – for decorating or giving. Children and adults will be provided with paper and guidance to master the art. Those younger than 8 should be accompanied by an adult.

. Experience the first of the Second Saturday Stories at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Explore the world through multicultural stories, arts and crafts with Catherine Davis. Each monthly workshop will focus on a different theme offering children ages 4 to 9 a global tour. Parents must accompany their child. The program will be offered on the second Saturday of the month, December through May.

Holiday Family FunFest

Families can take a break in the busy holiday season and relax at the Junior League of Bangor’s Holiday Family FunFest 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, in the Society Ballroom, 193 Exchange St.

There is a $5 admission charge for children age 2 and older. Parents are admitted free.

This year the children’s activities are designed to let children have fun while the parents recharge their holiday spirit. Children may make various small holiday crafts and gifts, color a picture for the coloring contest, play games and win prizes, join in holiday songs, or relax and enjoy a story. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

A silent auction and raffles have been made possible by the support and donations from local businesses and individuals. Raffle tickets for $1 may be purchased the day of the event, and families may earn free raffle tickets by visiting participating downtown merchants. Instructions and a list of those merchants are on the back of the event flyer, available from Junior League members and at various locations throughout Bangor.

A signed copy of Stephen King’s pop-up edition of “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” will be the featured item in the silent auction. There is no admittance fee to participate in the auction, which also includes family entertainment packages for fun in Bangor this winter. For more information about the silent auction or the FunFest event, call 947-2093.

Lights of Hope

Eastern Maine Medical Center’s CancerCare of Maine invites the public to be a part of the continuing Lights of Hope tradition by honoring or remembering a loved one, purchasing a light to decorate the Lights of Hope tree located at EMMC. Each shining light on the tree represents someone whose life has been touched by cancer, and the tree symbolizes hope.

CancerCare of Maine will celebrate the person or people participants have chosen to pay tribute to by displaying their names at CancerCare of Maine, and providing them with a special Lights of Hope card to send to those honored.

The public is invited to a lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, outside the Webber West building at EMMC. During the ceremony, the Lights of Hope tree will be illuminated. A special individual who has shown exemplary support toward the fight against cancer will be honored with the Community Support Award.

A reception with refreshments and holiday music will be held afterward.

Last year, with support from community members, the Lights of Hope tribute to loved ones raised more than $16,000 for technology and support services at CancerCare of Maine.

To obtain information, or to request Lights of Hope forms, call Eastern Maine Charities at 973-5055.

Folktale talk

Pediatrician Dr. Joan MacCracken lives in Maine, but spends a great deal of time in Nicaragua, where she has been captivated by the region’s children. She is the author of “Trisba and Sula,” an adaptation of a Miskitu folktale. The book is illustrated by Managuan artist, Augusta Silva.

MacCracken will speak about her book and her experiences in Nicaragua at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Bangor Public Library.

‘A Sense of Summer’

Brownville artist Peggy Clark Lumpkins brings warm breezes and sunny days to the Bangor Public Library this month with her exhibit of oils and acrylics titled “A Sense of Summer.” The opening reception will be held 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Dec. 3, in the Lecture Hall.

Bangor artist Valerie Aponik offers a tour of Downeast Maine through landscapes in “Seasons’ Tides,” an exhibit on display in the Stairwell Gallery and extension.

Book on ‘Black Bangor’

Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee will present a lecture about the African-American community in Bangor in its heyday, based on her recently published book, “Black Bangor: African Americans in a Maine Community, 1880-1950.”

The program will take place 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, at the Bangor Museum and Center for History, 6 State St., Bangor. A book signing will be held as well.

The program is free due to the generosity of the museum’s business members. For information, call 942-1900.

Firefighters in Louisiana

Bangor firefighters Tim Campbell, Bruce Johnson and Andrew Willigar returned Nov. 20 after spending 26 days in Slidell, La., which was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. The three men were part of a 20-man contingent of firefighters from Portland, South Portland and Portland, Ore.

The 140 firefighters in Slidell suffered the same losses as other residents in the area, and 40 percent of them were left homeless after the hurricane. The presence of volunteers, such as those from Maine, allowed the Slidell firefighters time to begin the task of putting their lives back together.

Campbell, Johnson and Willigar, four Portland firefighters, and three South Portland firefighters volunteered to help out the Slidell Fire Department. The city of Bangor paid the Bangor firefighters for their work in Slidell. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the city for the expense.

Bangor Fire Chief Jeffrey Cammack, the fire chiefs of Portland and South Portland and other firefighters met the returning Bangor firefighters at the airport on Nov. 20 to thank them for their service.

Choral music for Advent

The Chamber Choir of St. John’s Catholic Church, 207 York St., invites the public to an evening of sacred choral music at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.

The choir, directed by Kevin Birch, will sing works by Andriessen, Hallock, Monteverdi and Purcell. The choir will be joined by Anatole Wieck, violin; Sarah Judkins, violin; Lisa Nielson, gamba; and Steve Burgess, organ.

Live Nativity

Christ Covenant Church will present a Live Nativity, with animals, at 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at 57 Court St. The event will include hot cocoa, cookies and Christmas caroling.

“Our live nativity is a very simple and slow-moving play,” said Pastor Ben Canaan, “with donkey, sheep, goats, hay, shepherds and an angel (as best we can do), a heavenly host singing glory to God and – though not in the narrative of Scripture to have come the same night as Christ’s birth – some kings or wise men just might show up.”

Rather than the glitz and frills that the Christmas season has become for many, Canaan said the event, which focuses on the holy day, will offer “just gathering to let our hearts be taken to Bethlehem.”

For more information, call 990-3618 or 848-2367.

Elks leader visit

In early November, the Grand Exalted Ruler [national president] of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks made his official visit to the state of Maine, hosted by the Maine Elks Association.

Luis James Grillo and his wife Lucia arrived at the Bangor International Airport, and were greeted by Past Grand Exalted Ruler Amos McCallum, Maine Elks Association State President Elmer Berry and several other Grand Lodge and state dignitaries.

The Grillos are from Linden, Calif., and are traveling across the country to meet with local officials and to promote the charitable works of the Elks.

The University of Maine, the Hudson Museum, the Cole Land Transportation Museum and Acadia National Park were among the sites the couple visited.

The Grillos also visited Elks lodges in Bangor, Augusta and Sebasticook Valley, including a banquet in their honor at Bangor Elks Lodge No. 244.

Noting the museums the couple had enjoyed visiting, Luis James Grillo said that “no one would ever build a museum about the Elks, because the lives we touch and the people we help are our museums,” referring to the many charitable works of the Elks.

The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks is a fraternal organization of more than 1 million men and women in 2,200 communities nationwide. Here in Maine, the Maine Elks Association has more than 12,000 members in 22 lodges throughout the state.

The organization provides programs that support youth and veterans, as well as promote patriotism and charity. For more information on the Elks, visit www.elks.org or the Maine Elks Association at www.maineelks.org.

Keep Bangor Beautiful

Katherine Guerin of Bangor was recently appointed executive director of Keep Bangor Beautiful, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate.

Guerin has been involved with the organization since it was formed in 1992 as a board member and as president for four of the past 16 years.

She has an extensive background in solid waste and recycling at Sawyer Environmental in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when she assisted local schools and businesses in starting recycling efforts.

In 1992, she was instrumental in forming a marketing cooperative for Maine municipalities through which Maine towns sell recyclables. By 2000, the cooperative was marketing nearly 30,000 tons of materials from Maine annually.

Guerin served for eight years as the executive director for Maine Resource Recovery Association, the group that manages the cooperative. She also served as the executive director for the Carolina Recycling Association from 2000 to 2002.

She has served on the Bangor Recycling Committee and as co-chairman of the Rural Recycling Council of the National Recycling Coalition.

Guerin began work for Keep Bangor Beautiful on Nov. 7.

Keep Bangor Beautiful is the organizer and sponsor of the annual Bangor Garden Show, coordinators of adopt-a-spot, adopt-a-planter and neighborhood cleanups. It coordinates community cleanups and partners with the city of Bangor’s regional recycling program in its educational efforts.

Brewer

Library grant

The Brewer Public Library recently received an $800 grant from the Sam and Rose Rudman Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The money will be used to purchase new books for the children’s nonfiction section of the library.

Garden Club honors

The Brewer Garden and Bird Club honored Jean Thompson Lyford and Ellen Thompson Hayes with 50-year certificates at its last meeting.

Membership Chairman Jan Cox presented each of the women with a yellow rose in honor of their longtime membership. In addition, Susan Xirinachs presented a dozen roses to Lyford, her mother; and Peggy Legasse presented a dozen roses to Hayes, her mother.

Old Town

Wreath making workshop

The Old Town Parks and Recreation Department will hold its annual wreath making workshop 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Herbert Sargent Community Center, Bennoch Road. The cost is $7.

Balsam tips, rings, wire and some decorations are included in the cost. Participants may also bring their own items to decorate a wreath. Call 827-3961 to register. Class size is limited.

Tree lighting

The public is invited to attend an Old Fashioned Tree Lighting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Riverfront Park. Area choral groups will entertain with traditional Christmas carols, guest speakers and Santa will arrive in all his bright red finery.

A visit with Santa

Boys and girls under age 8 are invited to visit Santa at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, at the Herbert Sargent Community Center. Youngsters may decorate gingerbread people, make a holiday craft and enjoy hot cocoa and cookies. There is no charge for the occasion, which is organized by the Old Town Parks and Recreation Department. More information is available at 827-3961.

Kringle Jingle

Parents who would like their children ages 4 to 9 to receive a phone call from Santa may call the Old Town Parks and Recreation Department for an application. The phone calls will take place 6-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Dec. 12-15. For more information or an application, call 827-3961.