Bangor

Spring Fashion Show

The buddy2buddy Spring Fashion Show will be held 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at the Spectacular Event Center.

The show, hosted by WLBZ News Center 2 anchors Donna Gormley and Matt Friedman, will benefit Caring Connections to provide breast health education, outreach, screening, diagnostic and treatment services for uninsured and under-insured women.

On display will be the latest spring fashions from local retailers, including Talbots, TJ Maxx, Terra Cotta, Pretty Woman and the Grasshopper Shop. The Junior League of Bangor is providing additional support for this event.

Tickets must be purchased in advance; no tickets will be sold at the door. To reserve a seat, call Eastern Maine Medical Center Healthcare Charities at 973-5055.

The buddy2buddy Spring Fashion Show is sponsored by the Breast and Osteoporosis Center at EMMC, the Junior League of Bangor and WLBZ 2. It is the kickoff event to Women’s Week, a series of events from April 2 to April 9 emphasizing women’s health.

Symphony auditions

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions Sunday, April 23, for the 2006-2007 season. Positions available are second clarinet, principal viola, principal bassoon and section strings. Substitutes are needed for all instruments.

Contracted musicians are paid on a per-service basis, with mileage and housing arrangements included. The 2006-2007 season includes six classical concerts, three youth concerts, three performances of “The Nutcracker Ballet” and summer POPS events.

For audition requirements, location and information, call Surya Mitchell, personnel manager, at 942-5555, or (800) 639-3221, or e-mail surya@bangorsymphony.com.

Book talk

Hermon author Ann Purdy will talk about her book, “Sing A New Song” at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at Bangor Public Library. The novel is set in Prince Edward Island. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Call the library at 947-8336 for information about upcoming book talks.

Area film premiere

“The Future of Food,” a film by Deborah Koons Garcia, will have its area premiere at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at Bangor Public Library. The Lily Film production is an in-depth investigation of genetically modified food and its impact on consumers and American agriculture. A discussion with nutritionist Katherine Musgrave, organic gardening expert Claire Ackroyd and a representative from the University of Maine Department of Agriculture will follow the screening. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call the library at 947-8336.

Art exhibit

Those who grew up in Bangor remember the glass floors that held the closed stacks in the public library before its 1997 renovation. Bangor Public Library was not the only library in the country with that configuration. Former Bangor resident David Smith inherited a piece of Boston Public Library’s glass floor and is using it as the focal point of a traveling exhibit that opens at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 3, at Bangor Public Library. His mission is to make others aware of those suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Amyotrophic lateral sclersosis affects one in 10,000 people and there is no cure. Smith knew two people with the disease. It was while Smith was installing the shelving that Doug Skillins had sold the Bangor Public Library that he learned of his friend’s battle with the disease. Skillins is now in a hospice in Exeter, N.H. Smith’s sister, Robin Mayo, also had ALS.

The glass panel from the floor of the Boston Public Library came into Smith’s hands from his grandparents. He thought the floor – where the light shines through – would be a fitting tribute to the courage of his friend and his sister, and a way to get others to learn about the disease. An opening reception will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, April 3, in the library’s Stairwell Gallery. For more information, call the library at 947-8336.

Garden club meeting

Orchids will be the topic at the meeting of the Bangor Garden Club at 1 p.m. Monday, April 3, at Hannaford Training Center, 208 Maine Ave. The speaker will be Denis Roessiger of Penobscot, a grower and wholesaler and member of the American Orchid Society.

The local chapter of the American Orchid Society will have an exhibit at the Bangor Garden Show April 6-9. The public is invited to attend the meeting. For more information, call 945-3807.

Camera club meeting

Eastern Maine Camera Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at Bangor Parks and Recreation, 647 Main St. Guest speaker will be Boston photographer Christopher Churchill, whose images are exhibited at the Addison Gallery, Boston Public Library and at the Fidelity company. The public is invited to attend. To obtain more information, call 942-9469.

Art at the library

The Bangor Public Library will pay homage to the late J. Palmer Libby this month in the Lecture Hall. “Through My Eyes: A Life in Art” will be on exhibit, with an opening reception 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the library.

Also in April, artist Liz Grandmaison’s work depicting Monhegan Island will be on display in the Stairwell Gallery.

School-to-life transition

“‘You can’t get there from here,’ is more than just a colloquialism for youth with disabilities – it’s a very real problem,” said Cindy Tuck, coordinator of Region 3’s Maine Transition Network’s school to life program. “Maine is a rural state, and unless you live in Portland or Bangor, which have public transportation systems, getting from point A to point B can be a difficult task, especially if you have a disability.”

That’s why Tuck’s transportation program, sponsored by the Maine Transition Network, and funded through the Maine Department of Education, is the place to be 3-5 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, at Alpha One, 1048 Union St.

Lori Linscott will represent Bangor’s public transportation system, BAT; Marcia Larkin, of Penquis CAP will talk about The Lynx program; Steven Davis, a driving examiner for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, will explain how to ask for a “special tester;” Randy Rudge of the Northeast Driving School will share how he assists drivers with special needs; and Wes Smith, an independent living specialist, will talk about Alpha One’s Adaptive Driver Evaluation Program.

“The program is free and open to the public, but due to increased popularity of the program, preregistration is a must,” Tuck said. To register, call Tuck at 992-2270 or e-mail Schooltolife@midmaine.com and indicate which session you would like to attend.

Volunteer award

Kevin Gilgan of Bangor was one of eight Mainers honored with the Out Front Award for outstanding volunteer leadership at the 22nd annual awards banquet of the EqualityMaine Foundation in Portland.

City personnel news

New employees with the city of Bangor are Stephen Hatch, transit driver, BAT; Paul Price, Stanley Grass and Ryan Matson, heavy equipment operators, public works; Christine McCoy and James Morrill, dispatchers, Bangor Police Department; and Kimberly Quigley, secretary, city manager’s office.

Ann Jones and Marlene Libby retired as bus drivers for BAT Community Connector on Dec. 31. Jones worked for BAT for 13 years and Libby 10 years. They drove the Capehart run.

Brewer

Class reunion

The Class of 1986, Brewer High School, will hold its 20th reunion this year. Class members are asked to call Todd Cray at 862-3376.

Drawing class

The Brewer Parks and Recreation Department will offer a new adult introduction to pencil drawing class 10:30-11:30 a.m. beginning Tuesday, April 4, at the Brewer Auditorium. The class will meet for four weeks. Carolyn Wallace-Zani, local artist and owner of the Main Street Studio, will be the instructor.

The fee is $40 for Brewer residents, $45 for others. Call 989-5199 for more information.

Carmel

Alumni association

The Carmel High School Alumni Association will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at the Municipal Building to plan for the 42nd Alumni Banquet and Scholarship Awards Night.

Hampden

Children’s Day meeting

A Children’s Day meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the Hampden Municipal Building.

Tax reminder

Town officials remind residents that the second half of the annual tax bill is due April 5. Interest will be charged on unpaid bills beginning April 6. No reminders will be mailed.

Governor’s appointment

Gov. John E. Baldacci has appointed Eric McVay of Hampden as a new member of the Developmental Disabilities Council. McVay is active in several disability-related organizations and served as a page in the House of Representatives in the late 1990s.

The appointees were introduced at the State House in Disability Awareness Day, March 20.

Hermon

Fire warning

Chief Larry Willis of the Hermon Fire Department reports a recent incident that was serious, but could have been a lot worse. A young man used “fire gel” to light the pellet stove in his home. The fire did not burn very quickly so he sprayed more gel into the stove. The gel exploded in the boy’s hand, igniting a chair, curtains and other items in the room. The boy escaped with relatively minor injuries.

As a result of the incident, Senior Fire Investigator Stewart Jacobs and Chief Willis have reported the gel product to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for possible listing as an unsafe product, even though the gel is sold to be sprayed into stoves. The gel’s label, Willis said, states that the spray is “very flammable.”

Jacobs and Willis recommend that solid fire-making products be used instead of the spray. They added that most fire departments will inspect stoves, chimneys and furnaces to ensure that they are safe. to obtain more information, call Willis at 848-5910.

Holden

Poetry evening

Read a favorite poem about nature, written by yourself or someone else, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 3, Fields Pond Audubon Center. For information and directions, call 989-2591 or 941-1670.

Old Town

Scrapbooking

A Super Scrapbook Saturday will be held April 1 at the Old Town Elks Lodge. The cost is $25. Door prizes, raffle, lunch are included in the fee. RSVP to Julie at (800) 371-3227, Ext. 3923. The event benefits American Cancer Society.

Benefit concert

A benefit concert will be held 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Old Town Methodist Church, Stillwater Avenue. A variety of talent will be showcased, including Solution FM talent winner Tom Polly.

A freewill offering will be taken to benefit the McCullagh family. Call 827-3559 for more information.

Orland

Great Pond Mountain

Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust has announced the appointment of a new administrator, the second professional staff member to join the organization. Longtime trust member and friend Cheri Domina of East Orland assumed the position of administrative director.

Domina has been with the trust since its inception, serving six years as board secretary, and more recently as a contract employee coordinating various projects. She will work half-time for the trust, overseeing administration, serving as community liaison and supporting trust committees and the board.

Domina most recently served as underwriting manager at WERU-FM Community Radio, and spent nine years in public relations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery.

Domina joins Marcia Gronewold Sly of Brooklin, who began work with the trust last fall as part-time wildlands campaign coordinator. She is working closely with the trust volunteer campaign committee and board in concert with fundraising counsel, Caroline Pryor of Gary Friedmann Associates, on a $2.86 million campaign to complete the acquisition of 4,200 acres on and around Great Pond Mountain.

Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization founded in 1993 by the late Stuart Gross. Its mission is to preserve lands of scenic, ecological, recreational, agricultural and historic significance in the Orland River watershed. For information, call 469-7190 or e-mail greatpond@midmaine.com.

Orono

Shows at the planetarium

The University of Maine Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium in Wingate Hall will feature “Ring World,” an up-close look at Saturn in all its complex beauty, at 7 p.m. Fridays, April 7 and April 21.

“Zubenelgenubi’s Magical Sky,” geared to children age 4 to 7, will introduce little ones to the day and night sky and will be shown at 2 p.m. Sundays, April 9 and 23.

The planetarium will hold a free telescope clinic 2-6 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at Wingate Hall with the Penobscot Valley Star Gazers astronomy club.

Those who want to learn more about telescopes, how to shop for telescopes and binoculars, or who seek help with their own instruments are welcome.

The cost of admission for the planetarium shows is $3. For information or reservations, call 581-1348, or visit www.umainesky.com.