Bangor

POETS/SPEAK!

Well-known and emerging poets, musicians, dancers, translators and a diverse community of students will join voices at the fourth annual POETS/SPEAK! 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at the Bangor Public Library. The event, sponsored by the library, is in celebration of Poetry Month.

Poet Kathleen Ellis of Orono, coordinator of the event, said the event celebrates the spirit of poet William Carlos Williams’ lines: “It is difficult/ to get the news from poems/ yet men die miserably every day/ for lack/ of what is found there.”

POETS/SPEAK! also seeks to be a showcase for talents of poets, both nationally known and emerging younger writers from eastern Maine. A highlight will be a salute to the editors of some of the area’s literary magazines, including Puckerbrush Press, edited by the late poet and publisher Constance Hunting of Orono; Sakana, edited by Johanne LePage; and the University of Maine’s Review, co-edited by Ann Mathieson.

Featured readers at the event will be Christian Barter of Mount Desert Island and Elizabeth Garber, poet laureate of Belfast. Linda Buckminster, Tony Brinkley, Troy Casa, Burt Hatlen, Annaliese Jakimides and others will read and sign books.

Joan McCracken and a Spanish reader will present McCracken’s newest work, “Trisba and Sula: a Miskitu Folktale from Nicaragua.”

Local dancers will perform at 5:30 p.m., and attendees may browse an exhibit of literary magazines and poetry books from the University Bookstore in Orono. Poetry readings will begin at 5:45 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 947-8336.

Keep Bangor Beautiful

Help make Bangor “Maine’s Cleanest City.” Keep Bangor Beautiful is looking for volunteers to help clean up the city.

All are welcome to meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at Java Joe’s on Central Street.

Organizers have identified problem litter areas so that volunteers can work on eliminating them.

All volunteers are welcome and needed. The event is sponsored by Dawson Bradford Realty. For information, contact Ann Marie Orr at 478-8165.

National Poetry Month

Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance will serve as the host for a traveling poet series featuring Maine’s new poet laureate, Betsy Sholl, in celebration of National Poetry Month. Sholl will read at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at Borders. The event is free.

Betsy Sholl is the author of five books, including “Late Psalm,” “The Red Line” and “Don’t Explain,” winner of the 1997 Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry. She teaches at the University of Southern Maine and in the master of fine arts program at Vermont College.

Funeral home records

“Funeral Home Records” will be the topic of the next meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in the Lecture Hall at the Bangor Public Library.

Gary Smith from Brookings-Smith will speak on what we can learn from funeral records and what records he has from past funeral homes.

Park clean-up

To celebrate Earth Day, U.S. Cellular associates will lead a park cleanup 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at Second Street Park. The public is invited to help remove litter, rake leaves and lay landscape fabric for spring flowers. To obtain more information, call 441-5624.

Pies for Easter

Manna, 629 Main St., needs at least 50 pies to feed 350 people at its annual Easter dinner 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 15. The dinner is open to anyone who would like to attend. Last year more than 400 attended.

This year a dining tent will be set up in the parking lot. A live band will provide music. Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and rolls have already been donated.

Those who wish may drop off pies from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. by April 14. Volunteers also are needed to serve the dinner. Call 990-2870 for information.

Submissions for art show

The Bangor Art Society invites artists to submit artwork for the 26th annual Open Juried Art Show. Artists may enter up to two works 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, May 6, at the Bangor Public Library. Cash prizes totaling $2,300 will be awarded.

For information or an application, call Becky Rivers at 338-4463, or e-mail legetch@adelphia.net.

Choir from Finland

The Sibelius School Choir of Helsinki, Finland, will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at All Souls Congregational Church, 10 Broadway. The cost is $7, $5 for students and seniors. For information, call 942-1474.

Scrapbooking day

Yesterday’s Scraps will hold a scrapbooking crop event to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day in two sessions, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. or 3-9 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Bangor Motor Inn. The cost of the crop for a half-day is $18, $30 for the whole day, and includes lunch and-or dinner. Call Barb at 992-2686 to register.

Rick Charette concert

The Abraham Lincoln Elementary School PTO will sponsor a Rick Charette and the Bubble Gum Band concert at 7 p.m. Friday, May 5, at Peakes Auditorium, Bangor High School.

Bangor elementary school pupils worked with Charette earlier this year. He helped them write songs and sang their songs with them at school assemblies.

The cost of the concert is $8. Tickets are available at the Briar Patch, the Grasshopper Shop or send a check and stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Abraham Lincoln School. 45 Forest Ave. Bangor 04401. Checks should be made payable to the Abraham Lincoln School PTO.

Bangor, Orono

Buddhist monk talks

Tibetan Buddhist Monk Geshe Lobzang Tsetan of the Gelug-pa lineage – the same as the Dalai Lama, with the highest degree obtainable in Tibetan Buddhist metaphysics and philosophy – will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at the Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St., Bangor. His topic will be “Finding Inner Peace in a Time of Conflict.”

He also will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at 110 Little Hall, University of Maine, Orono. His topic will be “An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy: Overcoming Anger and Cultivating Patience.”

Geshe Lobzang Tsetan began his monastic life at age 7. He left Tibet in 1960 after the Chinese occupation made it impossible for him to continue his studies there. In the late 1970s he was invited to the United States where he learned English and taught classes at the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center in New Jersey, Smith College, Bates College, Hampshire College, Wesleyan University, and conferences at Harvard and Princeton.

In 1995, Geshe Tsetan founded The Siddhartha School in his native home in Ladakh, Tibet. H.H. Dalai Lama appointed Geshe Tsetan the Khenchen, or head abbot, of the new Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in India. His new title is Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobzang Tsetan. For information, visit www.tashilhunpo.org.

Brewer

Bake sale

The Joshua MacKay Family Team and the Brewer High School Key Club will hold a bake sale at 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at Marden’s in Brewer. The sale will benefit the March of Dimes.

Chairwoman of the board

Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn and Brewer announced recently that Diane Dunton was named chairwoman of its board of directors.

Dunton is the president of Potential Released of Windham. She has more than 25 years of business and human resource experience. She holds a master’s degree in counseling and has experience in organizational development.

Bucksport

Mt. View Singers

The Franklin Street United Methodist Church will be the host for the Mt. View Singers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at the church. An offering will be taken and refreshments will be served after the performance. To learn more about this and other programs the church offers, call the church office at 469-3622.

Easter egg hunt

An Easter egg hunt for children ages 1 to 8, sponsored by the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held at noon Saturday, April 15, at the gazebo. Collection bags will be handed out and the rules explained. The cost of the event is $1. An opportunity to have a child’s photo taken with the Easter Bunny will be available.

Children must be supervised by an adult. Organizers request that dogs be left at home. Call 469-6818 for more information.

Carmel

Basket bingo

The Carmel Firemen’s Auxiliary will host a Basket Bingo at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Carmel Elementary School.

Admission is $10 for 15 – 12 card/game. There also will be two blackouts for $5 each. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

For tickets, call Donna Stanhope at 848-3969 or Rhonda Crowley at 848-3541. E-mail Stanhope at msdonnas14@aol.com.

Proceeds will be applied to a matching grant to purchase a thermal imaging camera for the department’s lead engine.

Book sale

A book sale will be held 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, May 12, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Simpson Memorial Library in Carmel. A large selection of hardcover and paperback books will be available.

Old Town

Auction

The Holy Family Parish will sponsor an auction at 6 p.m. April 22, at the Parish Hall, 320 Brunswick St. Registration and preview is at 5 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Parish Step-Up Program. Refreshments will be available. To obtain more information, call 827-5336 or 827-5790.

Orland

Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust

Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust is seeking nature lovers skilled at identifying local flora and fauna by sight and song to participate in an ecological inventory of the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands. Talented birders, herpetologists and botany buffs – amateur or professional – are especially needed.

Recently, the trust hired Dr. Alison C. Dibble of Stewards LLC and ecologist Catherine Rees, both of Brooklin, to conduct a yearlong natural resource inventory of the 4,200-acre wildlands property in East Orland.

The Great Pond Mountain Wildlands encompasses a vast forested valley, several low-elevation bald summits, three-mile-long Hothole Brook, two miles of shoreline on Dead River and Hothole Pond, and many acres of wetlands. Wildlife abounds, from moose and bear to wood ducks and warblers, and unusual plants wait to be discovered.

“A natural resource inventory will tell us what wildlife and plants currently call the wildlands home,” said Carolyn Bennatti of North Orland, a volunteer serving on the trust’s natural resources committee. “Volunteers can play a vital role in this project, as they can collect information about the plants and animals throughout the year and may cover areas of the property that may be missed by the consultants. This information will help us develop a management plan for the property, protect sensitive habitats and unusual species, and allow us to monitor changes in the property over time.”

Dibble and Rees will survey and map plant communities throughout the wildlands and search for rare species. They also will train volunteers in basic sampling methods to help find and document vernal pools where wood frogs, spring peepers and spotted salamanders breed; creating a bird list; and keeping an eye out for plant populations.

Volunteers will be assigned a sampling location of their own choosing within the wildlands and asked to visit as often as possible through the fall and submit data on what they see and hear. Sampling locations may be reached on foot, by bicycle, horse or boat. Classes and groups also are welcome to participate in the inventory with the supervision of a skilled teacher or leader.

For those with an inclination to help, but not a lot of time, the trust will organize Saturday morning bird counts on June 3 and 10. Teams or individuals are encouraged to sign up for one or both mornings and contribute to the bird list.

Those interested in helping document the flora and fauna of the new natural area are encouraged to call Cheri Domina, trust administrative director, at 469-2008, or e-mail

cdomina@midmaine.com.