Golfing for girls, moms

HERMON – Hermon Meadow Golf Club will offer free green fees to young girls accompanied by a paying adult July 7-13 as part of Take Your Daughter to the Course Week, a national player development program spearheaded by the National Golf Course Owners Association and promoted in coordination with The PGA of America.

Hermon Meadow Golf Club will be open to moms at $12 per nine holes or $17 for 18 holes while the daughter plays free of charge Monday through Sunday.

The offer is not available Friday, July 11, or Saturday and Sunday before noon.

In addition to free greens fees, Hermon Meadow Golf Club will offer a free clinic for girls and mothers 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, July 8. Participants will golf with members of the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program of Greater Bangor. Meet at the driving range at Hermon Meadow Golf Club.

The LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program is the only national initiative of its kind just for girls. The local site began in 2002 under the sponsorship of the Girl Scouts of Maine (formerly the Abnaki Girl Scout Council, Brewer).

Nationally, more than 74,000 individuals participated in 2007, and this year participation is expected to hit record levels.

“Take Your Daughter to the Course Week is a great way for parents to involve the rest of the family and we are pleased to provide them this opportunity,” said Thea Davis, golf professional at Herman Meadow Golf Club and co-director of the Girls Golf program.

For more information, visit www.hermonmeadow.com or call 848-3741.

For information about Girl Scouts of Maine, visit www.girlscoutsofmaine.org or call 888-922-GSME (4763).

Alewife Run Paddle

ORLAND – Take the scenic route to the Orland River Day festivities on Saturday, July 5, and join the annual Alewife Run Paddle from Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery to Orland Village.

Canoers and kayakers will leave the Alamoosook Lake boat launch at 8 a.m. for a leisurely 31/2-mile paddle that will take less than two hours, down the lovely Narramissic River, arriving in the village in time for the parade.

Bring binoculars for birdwatching. One short portage around a dam is involved. For those wishing to leave a vehicle in Orland Village, shuttle service from the village to the hatchery will be available, leaving from the F.L. Davis parking lot on Route 175, next to the post office, at 7:30 a.m.

A kayak safety demo courtesy of Castine Kayak will be available at the hatchery beach before the canoe excursion.

Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery is located 1.3 miles off Route 1 on Hatchery Road in East Orland. To obtain more information or to reserve a rental kayak from Castine Kayak Adventures, call Cheri at 469-2008 or e-mail cdomina

@midmaine.com.

Bike to the Breakwater

Bike MS

The Maine Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is seeking volunteers to help with the 24th annual Saint Joseph’s Bike to the Breakwater Bike MS. Some 600 cyclists are expected to ride and help raise the goal of $420,000 Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3, beginning in Standish. Funds raised will support direct services for the more than 3,000 people with MS and their families in Maine, and national MS research to find a cure for this chronic disease of the central nervous system.

“Volunteers are the backbone of this event,” said Michelle Zichella, director of special events. “Volunteers can help with planning starting months before the ride, setting up at various locations throughout the weekend, registering cyclists, monitoring the route, managing snack stations, cleaning up or cheering on the cyclists. There is a place for everyone’s time and talents.”

Volunteers have a variety of motivations for involvement. Maggie McPhersun volunteers because severe MS symptoms, including fatigue and balance difficulties, make it impossible for her to participate in Bike MS. Others are involved because they have a special tie to someone who has the disease. Bob Irvine of Standish is involved this year because he has made a resolution to become more involved in his community.

“It is so rewarding to see the event come together. I know that I am part of the movement dedicated to creating a world free of MS,” said Sam Chamberlain of Brunswick, who at age 14 volunteers for many Maine Chapter events.

The ride begins at Saint Joseph’s College, 278 Whites Bridge Road, Standish.

For information, visit www.sjcme.edu/visit/directions.htm.