Statewide

Large Print, Talking Books

Do you or someone you know have trouble reading regular print or getting to the library due to a disability?

If so, Maine State Library Outreach Services may be able to help with Large Print, Talking Books recordings or Homebound Books By Mail. For more information, call (800) 762-7106.

These services, which are provided free of charge to eligible Maine residents, are made possible through Federal LSTA funds, the National Library Service and the State of Maine.

Bangor

‘Time Machine’ for youths

The Bangor Public Library is celebrating 100 years of free service with a “Time Machine” theme for its children’s and teen summer programs.

Enjoy the historic photos of Bangor in the Children’s Department, and at 10 a.m. Monday, July 24, visit the Story Room and learn to take your own outdoor photos.

Tuesday, July 25, is the day for Mother Goose Time at 9:15 a.m., and Story Time at 10 a.m.

Enjoy the history of comic books at 10 a.m. in the Story Room, and photography at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 26.

Teenagers have been raising money for the New Orleans Public Library with their “Big Easy” projects. They will present a Readers’ Theater and Jazz at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 27, in the Lecture Hall.

The Maine Nutrition Council will present reading fun and nutrition activities at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 27, in the Story Room.

Zip Kellogg will offer a history of the Kenduskeag Canoe Race for children at 10 a.m. Friday, July 28, in the Story Room.

Space simulation missions

The Challenger Learning Center of Maine is offering space simulation missions to the general public.

Missions will be offered at 6 p.m. Fridays, July 21 and Aug 18. Participants will experience what’s required to complete a successful mission as they work on a team as astronauts, scientists and engineers to “Rendezvous with a Comet.”

The mission is open to adults and children age 10 and up. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is $18, $15 for children. Reservations are required. Call 990-2900 or visit www.clcofme.org/about/contact.

50th class reunion

The John Bapst High School class of 1956 celebrated its 50th reunion on June 24 at the school. The event included a tour of the building with current Bapst students as escorts, and a banquet.

This was probably the only time except graduation and semi-formal dances that class members had been able to socialize as an entire class, said Frances Dunning. From 1952-1956, it required devious means – such as putting on a nun’s habit – in order to invade the “other” side of the school – boys and girls did not take classes together. However, it was the girls who were determined to sneak through the library, gymnasium or auditorium to check things out. The faculty were determined that “never the twain shall meet” and instituted different times for classes on the boys’ and girls’ sides of the school, Dunning said.

After the reunion, class members attended Mass at St. John’ Catholic Church in memory of deceased classmates. After Mass, many class members attend brunch at a local restaurant.

The spirit of Father Richard Harvey hovered above us, Dunning said.

Dunning said the class was grateful to the committee that organized the reunion.

American Folk Festival

The American Folk Festival is right around the corner, and more than 350 volunteers are still needed to help out at the festival Aug. 25, 26 and 27. A wide variety of jobs are available to choose from.

The minimum time commitment is 3 1/2 hours. Volunteers receive an exclusive festival T-shirt and an invitation to a private party held for volunteers, artists and staff. To become a volunteer, call 992-2630.

International Film Festival

River City Cinema and Maine International Film Festival will present these films at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St.:

. “Top of the World” – World travelers and mountaineers are drawn to the Himalayan Mountains, some in search of adventure, others on a spiritual quest. One-man film crew, Bill Kern, embarks on a Himalayan trek carrying only what will fit on his back. Along the way, Buddhist monks share their art, and school children, their joy. Acadia Mountain Guides’ Jon Tierney will be on hand to discuss the film and mountain climbing. The film will be shown at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 15. Admission is $6.

. “I Shot Andy Warhol” -Based on the true story of feminist man-hater Valerie Solanas, who won her 15 minutes of fame after shooting pop artist Andy Warhol.

Set during the height of the New York City avant garde movement, “I Shot Andy Warhol” is a stirring glimpse into the life of a woman whose actions often teetered on the edge of insanity. Director Mary Harron will be on hand to talk about her work. The film will be shown at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15. Admission is $6.

For more information, visit www.rivercitycinema.com, or call 989-9494.

Brewer

School-based health

center

The City of Brewer School Department and Penobscot Community Health Care have announced the recent award of a grant for $50,000 from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to fund a school-based health center program.

The program will be developed this summer with two sites, one at Brewer High School and the second at Brewer Middle School on Somerset Street. The on-site clinics will open their doors in the fall.

Services will include general medical care, mental health services and dental hygiene. The project will supplement the care already provided by the Brewer School Department’s School Nurse Program.

The proposal was prepared jointly by the school nurses at Brewer schools and PCHC with the goal to ensure that all health care services are available to any student, at the request of the parent or guardian, without regard to a family’s ability to pay. A sliding fee scale will be available to families at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Participation in the program is voluntary. Information about sign-up will be sent to families of Brewer students before the start of the school year.

“Brewer is very fortunate to be able to offer this service to our students,” said Daniel M. Lee, superintendent of schools. “It is hard for students to concentrate on their studies when they are ill. Our school-based health centers will make it possible for students to immediately access medical treatment without significantly interrupting their educational program.”

Brewer is a “Community of Caring” school district serving some 2,000 students from Brewer and outlying areas. One of its goals is to provide a healthy, supportive environment that promotes learning, responsibility and self-worth in students. Working with Penobscot Community Health Services on the grant project will enhance this goal by providing Brewer students easier access to expanded health services.

PCHC, a nonprofit agency founded in 1997, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Greater Bangor. Its mission is to ensure access to a wide range of integrated out-patient health care services to those on MaineCare, Medicare and those with and without insurance – regardless of their ability to pay. It will provide about 150,000 patient visits in 2006 for some 35,000 people.

Clinics in Bangor and Old Town are designed to offer patients family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, mental health counseling, lab and pharmacy services. PCHC operates a large public health dental clinic in Bangor.

Additionally, PCHC has a team of medical specialists who deliver podiatry, ear-nose-throat, pain management, pediatric dermatology and urology evaluation and treatment. PCHC also provides healthcare by offering services in Bangor for youth and adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The agency also operates Miles for Smiles, a mobile dental clinic serving low-income children in rural areas of northern and western Maine, with generous funding from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine.

Bucksport

Downeast Center Ring

Circus Band concert

The annual Downeast Center Ring Circus Band concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 21, in the spacious and air conditioned auditorium at Bucksport Middle School, Miles Lane. A family-friendly, fun-filled event, the Circus Band concert serves as a benefit to raise money for music scholarships given to worthy students in Hancock, Penobscot and Washington counties.

Those who attend the concert are treated to a festive evening of rousing circus band music performed by musicians who play the way circuses have presented music for generations. Often during the evening, the conductor will pause between selections and give brief explanations describing the circus activities that a particular piece of music would accompany.

The concert is free. A bucket is passed for donations – $5 is suggested – which will be used to fund the scholarship awards.

The program has grown from awarding two $100 scholarships to last year’s awards of 18 scholarships. Since its inception, 55 scholarships have been awarded. Requests for the scholarships are increasing.

Prof. Gene Nichols, associate professor of music, University of Maine Machias, will again conduct the more than 40-piece circus band in selections of marches, specialty numbers, an overture, featured solos and other selections. Nichols is a former director of music and band director for the Clyde Beatty Circus and Wild West Show. He performs regularly with the Arcady Music Festival series.

The producer of the event, retired educator Don Blodgett of Orland, has gathered musicians from New Brunswick, Washington, Florida, Connecticut, New Hampshire other New England states, and many parts of Maine from Portland to Machias.

Several professional musicians, music educators and retired military band musicians are among the members of the band. With the exception of the conductor, the musicians volunteer their time and efforts, which include two rehearsals and the performance.

A special attraction of the event will be clowns in person.

Special support for the concert is provided by the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bangor Band and the Brewer Hometown Band. Pat Edgecomb, Circus Band secretary and treasurer, will make the scholarship award announcements.

Students interested in applying for 2007 scholarships should call Pat Edgecomb at 469-2252 for application criteria.

Corinth

Historical society museum

The Corinth Historical Society has announced new hours for its museum at 306 Main St. in Corinth. The museum is open 2-7 p.m. Wednesdays.

Great Pond

Joshua Williams family

The 71st reunion for the Descendants of Joshua Williams will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at the Great Pond Town Hall, Hancock County.

The family reunion meeting will begin at noon, and at 1 p.m. there will be an organizational meeting to form a nonprofit organization to support the efforts of acquiring, repairing and preserving the old church building at Great Pond to make it accessible for community use. All are welcome to attend.

Guests are asked to bring chairs, lunch, a small gift for auction and pictures of early settlers.

For information and directions, call Margaret McKenney at 843-5838, Joni Archer at 584-5004, or e-mail cybergirl@techie.com.

Hermon

Class reunion

The Hermon High School Class of 1996 will hold a reunion 6-11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at the Sea Dog Banquet and Conference Center. For more information, call Heather at 848-3985, or visit www.classmates.com.

Holden

Whales, seals and dolphins

An exhibit by wildlife photographer John C. Fuller will be on view from July 7 through Aug. 31 at the Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden.

Photographs of humpback whales, seals and dolphins taken in the Gulf of Maine, as well as many of the birds to be seen over the ocean’s waters, comprise the exhibit.

John Fuller is an award-winning photographer who has exhibited nationally and internationally for more than 30 years.

He is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association and of the Photographic Society of America. Although he has traveled extensively from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from the American tropics to Africa in search of wildlife to photograph, his first love is the seabirds and mammals of Maine as he goes on the water from his home base in Brooklin.

For more information about the photo exhibit, call 989-2591.

Maine Audubon has scheduled whale and bird boat trips this summer from Bar Harbor. For more information, call 781-2330, Ext. 215.

Orono

‘Writing Your Life’

The Orono Public Library is offering a free course on how to write a memoir, “Writing Your Life.” The class will meet 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesdays, July 19-Aug. 23, at the Birch Street School.

“Writing Your Life” will take a systematic approach, breaking down the sometimes overwhelming task of setting one’s life experience down on paper in a step-by-step process. It will incorporate group lessons and one-on-one help from the instructor. The goal is to complete the first chapter of the memoir within the six sessions of the course.

Author and instructor Sandra Hutchison of Orono, who will conduct the class, is a teacher of life writing and the winner of numerous awards for creative writing and poetry and for her own memoir, “Chinese Brushstrokes: Stories of China.”

The class is a service of the Orono Public Library and funded by Maine Reads. For information and registration, call 866-5060.

Orrington

Bowdon Reunion

The annual Bowden Reunion will be held at noon Sunday, July 16, at 1330 Center Drive.

For information, contact Maguerite Eckert at 825-3722.