Bangor

Octoberfest

Downtown Bangor will be host to the 4th annual Octoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 19. Children’s activities, balloons, musicians, a beer tent and food vendors are features of the celebration, which takes place in West Market Square, Pickering Square and Broad Street.

At 4 p.m. judges will rely heavily on audience participation to select winners in the Hansel and Gretel costumes contest. Judges include Bangor’s “burgermeister,” Mike Crowley.

A traditional German band will be on hand to play lively tunes. Food choices include bratwurst and brownies.

Sponsors of Octoberfest are the Whig & Courier Pub, the Grasshopper Shop, Cadillac Mountain Sports, Bangor Center Corporation, Sephone Internet Solutions, New Moon, Maine Discovery Museum, Bangor YMCA, Art Studios of Bangor and Bangor Parks and Recreation.

“Little Women”

Louisa May Alcott’s classic, “Little Women,” will be the subject of discussion 7-9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, at Bangor Public Library to observe the 170th anniversary of the book’s publication.

Cynthia Dean, English instructor at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast and world literature teacher at Erskine Academy in China, will lead the discussion. Dean wrote her master’s thesis on Louisa May Alcott.

Limited copies of “Little Women” are available at the adult circulation desk.

For information, call 947-8336, Ext. 139.

Microchips for pets

Bangor Humane Society is offering microchip identification for pets.

Animals adopted from the shelter may be “chipped” for a $15 fee at the time of adoption. Other animals may be chipped for $20.

A small microchip will be inserted between the shoulder blades of the pet. Animal and owner information will be registered in an international database. The microchip is so small that it is administered with a hypodermic needle. It can be scanned by most shelters and veterinarian clinics and relays pet and owner information to the scanner.

The Bangor Humane Society is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. For information, call 942-8902.

Peace march and rally

Reservations are being taken for seats on a Peace Bus to Augusta. The bus will join a statewide “Stop the War and Reclaim Peace and Justice” march and rally set for Saturday, Oct. 26. The march and rally will be held in conjunction with national rallies in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles on the anniversary of the creation of the Patriot Act.

The statewide rally is endorsed by Peace Action Maine, the Maine Council of Churches, the National Organization of Women, the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Peninsula Peace & Justice, Peace through Interamerican Community Action, and others.

A caravan of cars and buses will leave Bangor after a send-off rally at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Bangor Theological Seminary. Cars, vans and buses from Hancock and Washington counties will join the Bangor buses to travel to the Augusta march, which begins at noon at the Buker School parking lot, opposite the National Guard Armory on Western Avenue.

Marchers will gather at the Samantha Smith statue in front of the State Library. The rally will begin at 1:30 p.m.

It is anticipated that buses will return to the Bangor Theological Seminary at 6 p.m.

A $10 donation will reserve a seat on the Peace Bus. Reservation deadline is Oct. 16. Scholarships are available for those unable to make a donation. Checks may be made out to the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park St., Bangor. For info, call 942-9343.

New business headquarters

Signet has moved its Bangor operations to 890 Hammond St. The Bangor location is headquarters for Signet’s Maine operations.

Norm Taylor has led the Maine division of Signet for the last year. Officials said the company is a leading Verizon agent in New England, achieving its objectives and earning platinum status with Mitel and Comdial phone system dealerships.

Currently, Signet employs 26 people in three offices in Bangor, Portland and Presque Isle.

Signet offers a variety of phone and voicemail systems, data equipment, and call accounting and Internet access.

For information, call 945-4800.

Poinsettia sale

The Bangor Museum and Center for History invites the public to think ahead to the holiday season and support its poinsettia sale.

Plants range in size from 6 to 10 inches, and prices are $13.50-$31.50 until Oct. 31. After that date, prices increase 10 percent. Business orders will be delivered Dec. 3. Home delivery is available for orders of three or more plants. Plants may be picked up at the museum at 6 State St., Dec. 4.

For information about ordering, call 942-5766.

“Anne Frank” programs

The Bangor Public Library will offer two opportunities to discuss “Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl.” The discussions have been scheduled in conjunction with the Penobscot Theatre’s “Beyond Tolerance,” a community outreach project to accompany its production of “Anne Frank.”

Family Discussion Night is planned for 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the library. Pat Shulman, a seventh-grade accelerated language arts teacher at William Cohen School, will lead the discussion on the original “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Yong Girl.”

Shulman has taught the book and hopes the discussion will involve parents, middle school and older students.

“The Real Anne Frank?” will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the library. Kathleen Ellis, a University of Maine English instructor, will lead a discussion of the 1947 publication of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,” and the 1995 Definitive Edition, and how they compare to the newly revised play by Wendy Kesselman.

Limited copies of the book are available at the circulation desk.

For information about the discussions, call 947-8336, Ext. 139. For information about the “Beyond Tolerance” program and the production of “Anne Frank,” call the Penobscot Theatre at 942-3333.

Tree of Hope

The Eastern Maine AIDS Network once again has a fully lit, frosted tree donated by The Fenix of Hallowell to raffle during the upcoming Holiday season.

The fifth annual Tree of Hope is decorated with more than over 100 beautiful ornaments from designers such as Christopher Radko, MIA, Patricia Breen, Birgit, and Christina’s World, and has a value of over $3,000.

Many of the ornaments are retired and the original molds have been destroyed, adding to their collectibility. The drawing will be held Dec. 22. Tickets $2 each, 3 for $5, or a block of 50 for $70 at the EMAN office, or by calling 990-3626. All proceeds will benefit the children and families served by EMAN throughout eastern and northern Maine.

Bangor-Halifax flight

Bangor International Airport has announced that Boston-Maine Airways, a subsidiary of Pan American Airlines, will offer connecting air service between Bangor International Airport and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The service is scheduled to start on Nov. 4.

The service start marks the expansion of international air service between Maine and Canada. The flight will make a brief stop enroute in Saint John, New Brunswick. All passengers will clear U.S. Customs, Immigration and Agriculture at Bangor International Airport. The Canadian service will be flown on 19 seat J-31 Jetstream aircraft. Pan Am will offer continuing jet service to Baltimore Washington International, Orlando Sanford International and Portsmouth Pease.

Bangor Mayor Michael Crowley welcomed the announcement: “We are very pleased that Boston-Maine Airways will offer service to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Air service to Canada is critical to our economic development efforts and will certainly strengthen the City of Bangor’s role in the international marketplace. Expanding air service to additional Canadian destinations has been a top priority of the Bangor City Council and our Congressional Delegation and we are delighted that our efforts have met with success.”

Brewer

Brewer Brick Award

Brewer resident Jan Cox said she was “totally surprised” to receive the Brewer Brick Award recognizing her as Citizen of the Year. The recognition of community volunteers was among the highlights of Brewer Day on Oct. 5 at the Brewer Auditorium.

Brewer Day returned to the city after a decade-long absence, thanks to Mayor Michael Celli, who wanted the community to set aside some time for an old-fashioned, hometown celebration.

The Brewer Brick Award was presented to Jan Cox for outstanding community service, according to city officials. An engraved plaque was given to Cox during an intermission of a performance of the Brewer Hometown Band, which Cox directs.

Cox said a message about the nomination had been left on her answering machine on Thursday, but she didn’t know she would receive the award.

“I knew Thursday my name was in the box, but I did not know who the nominees were,” she explained.

In addition to leading the community band, Cox is active in the Brewer Garden Club and for many years taught music in the Brewer schools. Cox also gave the city a set of state law books once used by her late husband, David Cox, who was a judge, county prosecutor and state legislator.

Citizen of the year nominees who received plaques of appreciation were:

. Brian Higgins, a force behind the development of Chamberlain Freedom Park and a Brewer Historical Society leader who frequently portrays Gen. Joshua Chamberlain at public events.

. Wilma Thompson-Anders, a historical society leader, who portrays the general’s mother, Sarah Chamberlain.

. Julie Sanborn, who has served as president of the local parent-teacher’s group and as a volunteer in the one-on-one reading program at Capri Street School.

According to Michael Martin, the city’s recreation supervisor and staffs member were responsible for pulling together much of the Brewer Day lineup, Brewer Day drew a crowd of 500 throughout the day. City councilors fed more than 100 people during the pancake breakfast.

Stetson

Halloween party

A scare-free Halloween party will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the basement at the Stetson Meetinghouse. Activities include a mummy wrap game, painting pumpkins, a costume parade, a pumpkin beanbag toss and paper scarecrow decorating. “Boo-licious” snacks will be served and each child will receive a bag of Halloween treats. For information, call Jen at 296-3548, or Tammy at 296-2253.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin