Have you heard? The Hammond Street Senior Center is planning to open a new thrift shop.

Aunt Nellie’s Attic will be in the former World Traders site on Route 1A in Holden.

With the theme “From Minks to Sinks,” the new facility will include gift items, videotapes, furniture and selective clothing.

The opening is set for July 1, so the senior center is seeking senior volunteers to operate and staff the facility.

Donations will be solicited from individuals, companies and estates. All donations will be tax deductible, and everyone visiting the shop will be offered free popcorn from a donated popcorn machine.

Kathy Bernier, administrator of the senior center, reports that a meeting for prospective volunteers is planned for 1 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the center at 2 Hammond St.

Volunteers are being sought to serve on several committees: procurement, receiving and pricing, advertising and publicity, and merchandising and sales.

The procurement committee will be responsible for ensuring there is a continual flow of donated merchandise coming into the shop. The receiving and pricing committee will receive, sort, clean and price the merchandise.

Making sure the public is aware of Aunt Nellie’s will be the responsibility of the advertising and publicity committee, and the merchandising and sales committee will be responsible for shelf display, store assortment, sales schedule, staffing and training.

All profits will benefit the senior center, which is operated by the Couri Foundation and serves more than 1,500 members.

The only membership requirements are that you must be at least 60 and live within 25 miles of Bangor. There is no annual membership fee and no charge for activities, except for HSSC university classes.

If you would like to be involved with Aunt Nellie’s Attic, or learn more about the center, call Kathy Bernier at 262-0177.

The Ellsworth Garden Club and the Hancock County Master Gardener Program invite you to attend an educational program featuring Fred Davis of Johnny’s Selected Seeds at 7 o’clock tonight at Hancock County Cooperative Extension, 63 Boggy Brook Road, in the Ellsworth Industrial Park.

Davis is a master gardener, master composter trainer, and nursery owner-manager of Hill Gardens of Maine.

He will introduce you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and feature new varieties and products as well as discuss basic organic soil preparation and nutrition.

A question-and-answer period will follow his presentation.

The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor will be host of two orientation meetings for volunteers.

The first meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the new downtown Abbe, 26 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor.

The second meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, May 21, at the same site.

The museum needs volunteers for both its new museum and the historic seasonal Abbe at Sieur de Monts Spring.

Volunteer roles include greeting visitors, answering questions and ensuring guests enjoy their visit at either Abbe.

Volunteers are needed to serve as gallery docents and assist with educational programs at the downtown museum. At Sieur de Monts Spring, volunteers are needed to staff the admissions desk and the museum shop.

Volunteers receive extensive training about the museum and its collections, learn about Maine’s American Indian cultures, history and archaeology, and meet visitors from all over the world.

For information about volunteering, call Cynthia Crow, 288-3519, or e-mail her at abbecc@midmaine.com.

I was pleased to learn that two people and one organization whose contributions to the quality of life in Bangor and eastern Maine have been most remarkable will be honored during the seventh annual Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau Tourism Awards Reception and Silent Auction. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at Spectacular Events Center, 395 Griffin Road.

This year’s Bangor CVB Eagle Awards will be presented to John Rohman, Bill Zoidis and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.

Rohman, a partner at WBRC Architects and Engineers in Bangor, is being recognized for his individual achievement and commitment to fostering economic growth through the arts in Bangor.

Zoidis, owner of Pilots Grill restaurant, will receive a lifetime achievement award for his 42 years of promoting the Bangor region through his dedicated community service and tourism-related organizational involvement.

The orchestra will be recognized for its positive contribution to the economy of the Bangor region for 106 years. The orchestra is the oldest continuously operating community orchestra in the United States.

Additionally, one individual will be presented the Tourism Employee of the Year Award and another the Spirit of Hospitality Service Award.

The event is open to the public and tickets are still available.

For tickets, call the bureau at 947-5205 or visit www.geocities.com/bcvbauctin/index.html.

All YMCA volunteers and guests are invited to attend the Bangor YMCA’s volunteer recognition night, beginning with an ice cream social at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at the YMCA, 127 Hammond St.

After an invocation by the Rev. Bob Carlson, all YMCA volunteers will be commended for their commitments to community volunteer work, especially at the YWCA.

In addition, those who made unusual volunteer contributions to the YMCA this year will be recognized.

Awards to be presented include the G. Peirce Webber Volunteer of the Year Award, the Bernard “Doc” Mann Youth Service Award, the Annual Giving Volunteer Awards, the Annual Giving Chairman’s Award, the Lloyd E. Willey Board Award, the President’s Award for Employee of the Year, and Staff Service Awards.

The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Bangor YMCA Hall of Fame awards to G. Clifton Eames and William P. Lucy.

According to the YMCA’s Carrie Anderson-Paquette, “both Cliff Eames and Bill Lucy represent the meaning of this award,” which is “to honor outstanding service for the association and dedication to supporting the goals, mission and work of the Bangor YMCA.”

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.