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Bangor

Winter Festival

A lawn full of snowmen will be the special guests at Bangor Public Library’s first annual Winter Festival. Children 14 or younger are invited to create happy snowpeople Thursday-Saturday morning Feb. 12-14. Participants in the Creative Snowman Contest are asked to submit a contest entry form by Tuesday Feb. 10 describing two plans for a snowman – one with real snow and one of alternative materials in case there is no snow. Contestants are responsible for providing their own alternative snow materials. Judging will be at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, and prizes will be awarded. Registration forms are available at the Children’s Desk at the library.

Relay races will take place 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. Try running with a spoonful of birdseed, or jumping while wrapped in abominable snowman-sized clothing or stringing marshmallows while wearing mittens.

Hot chocolate, compliments of Garelick Farms, will be served 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, February 14. Call the library at 947-8336, Ext. 111, for more information.

February vacation activities

Bangor Public Library will have special events each day during February vacation.

. Ron Goddard will introduce you to the wonderful world of stamp collecting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17. Goddard buys for Downeast Coins and Collectibles. Besides learning about philately, each participant will receive a commemorative stamp from the late 1800s.

. Boy Scout Troop 10 will provide Kick It Up a Notch at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18. To celebrate scout founder Lord Baden-Powell’s birthday, the scouts will create mini-pizzas, decorate cupcakes, enjoy games and stories and eat gourmet food creations.

. Stitches for Kids will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. Girls and boys are invited to participate. Liza Burgoyne of Cityside Yarn will bring in the jazziest yarns and display the sort of wild combinations that show what knitters have known for a very long time – people are only limited by their imaginations when making fun-to-wear creations.

. A special Meet the Author will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20, when 8-year-old Jacob Cunningham of Hampden, author of “Little Owl Boy,” visits Bangor Public Library. Drawing on his Penobscot heritage, Cunningham tells the story of how Owl Boy met Turtle Woman. Participants may make a brown ash and sweetgrass bookmark with Cunningham’s mom. “Little Owl Boy” will be available for purchase, and Cunningham will give autographs.

. Bill Miller, local businessman, percussion maestro and member of the Bangor Band and Bangor Symphony will demonstrate his percussion skills on drums and household items at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.

Bangor Public Library will be closed Feb. 16 in honor of President’s Day.

Fireman’s Valentine’s Ball

Bangor Fire Department’s Hose 5 Fire Museum now has tickets available for its annual Fireman’s Valentine’s Ball planned for 6 p.m.-midnight Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Bangor Banquet and Conference Center on Hogan Road. Tickets are $60 per couple and include dinner.

Proper dress is required and the public is invited. Proceeds from the soiree benefit the Hose 5 Fire Museum. To learn more, call Central Fire Station at 942-6335, or stop by the station to purchase tickets.

Dean for America

The Dean for America organization opened an office at 34 Main St. in Bangor on Jan. 14. The office will be the public face of the Howard Dean for President campaign in the area.

Spinal cord injury group

The Spinal Cord Injury Group will hold its first meeting 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, at Alpha One, Suite 2, 1048 Union St.

The mission of the group is to provide a firm footing of information, compassion, support and a shared bond of understanding for those with SCI.

The group welcomes individuals with spinal-cord injury and their spouses, parents and children.

To obtain information, call Wes Smith at Alpha One, (800) 300-6016 V/TTY, or Gaelen at 942-6720; or e-mail peer@alphaonenow.com.

Group for stutterers

The National Stuttering Association, Eastern Maine Chapter, will meet 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, in the middle parlor at Ross Manor, 758 Broadway.

The group, which will meet monthly, welcomes those who stutter, as well as family and friends, and speech and language pathologists who want to know more. For information, call Marybeth Allen at 866-2401, or e-mail mbslp@midmaine.com.

Year of the Monkey

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will welcome the Year of the Monkey with a Chinese New Year celebration at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at the Bangor Civic Center.

The Civic Center will be adorned with bamboo arrangements and Chinese decorations as revelers settle in for an evening of various live entertainment. Area restaurants will provide authentic Chinese New Year hors d’oeuvres for the occasion.

Members of the Robinson Ballet will perform a Chinese Dragon Dance. Bangor High School students who are studying the Chinese language will present a dramatic performance of Tale of the Monkey King, a traditional Chinese folk tale. The evening will conclude with a dance, featuring the Brian Nadeau Swing Band.

Cost for the evening’s entertainment to benefit BSO is $35 per person. Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 942-5555. More information is available at bangorsymphony.com.

This fund-raiser is made possible due to the sponsorship of UnitedKingfield Bank.

Brewer

Dance for seniors

Well Forms will continue its free series of dances for senior citizens 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at 611 Wilson St. Twin Spin will provide the DJ, and refreshments will be available. For more information, call 989-9730.

Eddington

Super Bowl sandwiches

The Eddington Fire Department Auxiliary will hold a Super Bowl Sandwich fund-raiser. Orders must be placed by Wednesday, Jan. 28. The sandwiches will be 1-foot long; those who order may choose ham or salami. The cost is $4 per sandwich. Proceeds from the sandwich sale will go toward the purchase of life-saving equipment for Eddington firefighters.

Sandwiches may be picked up at the Eddington Fire Station 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1. Local delivery can be arranged. To place a sandwich order or obtain more information, call Stephanie at 843-7388.

Hermon

New Republican voters

Betty Bowers, president of the Hermon Republican Committee, invites Republicans to join members of the committee at a reception, 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at the town hall to welcome newly registered Republican voters.

State Sen. Tom Sawyer, House candidate David Richardson and a representative from the Bush campaign will be guests. Refreshments will be served.

Hermon Republican Committee members meet at 7 p.m. the fourth Thursday of each month in the Hermon town hall.

For more information, call Mrs. Harold Mailman, 848-5184.

Milford

Preschool screening

Child Development Services-Penobscot County and Union 90 School Department – Milford, Bradley, Alton, Olamon, Costigan, Greenfield and Greenbush – will co-sponsor a free developmental screening 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Lewis S. Libby Elementary School, 8 County Road. The screening will check each child’s overall development and is for area 3- and 4-year-old children, and for 5-year-olds not yet eligible for kindergarten.

Snow date will be 9 a.m.-noon Friday, Jan. 30.

To schedule an appointment, call 947-8493, Ext. 10 or Ext. 17.

Orono

Come on down!

“Come on down!” That well-known “The Price is Right” invitation was directed at University of Maine senior Laci Whitney recently. When she spent a semester studying at Fresno State College in California, she visited “The Price is Right” show in Los Angeles. She stood in line at 5 a.m. in order to be interviewed for an appearance on the show. She did not know until she heard those words that she had been chosen.

Whitney won a washer and dryer, but lost her chance to continue the game when she spun the Wheel of Fortune.

The show was taped and will be aired at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 26, on WABI-TV Channel 5.

The Bog in Winter

A program on the Orono Bog Boardwalk, “The Bog in Winter,” will be held 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.

The estimated 1-mile walk will emphasize winter natural history and will provide an opportunity to experience the beauty of the bog in winter.

The walk will be led by Ron Davis, boardwalk director. He will demonstrate the identification of plants in their winter condition and how to recognize animal tracks if there is snow.

Winter resident birds such as ravens may be seen, but can’t be guaranteed. The condition of the East Trail and the boardwalk, as well as the weather, will determine preparations, footwear and dress for the trip.

If snow is deeper than a few inches, snowshoes will be needed, but only snowshoes without cleats because cleats can damage the boardwalk. No skis or ski poles will be permitted on the boardwalk, as maneuvering room is inadequate. Also, ski poles can damage the boardwalk.

Advance registration is required, with a limit of 12 people accepted for the walk. To register, call Ron Davis at 866-4785 or 866-4786 before 8:30 p.m., or e-mail ronalddavis@umit.maine.edu.

Winterport

Community supper

The public is invited to attend a community spaghetti supper to benefit the Brandon Johnson Educational Trust Fund, 4:30-7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at Samuel Wagner Middle School. The supper also will honor Johnson’s mother, Paula Johnson, who died Nov. 23, 2003.

The cost for the supper is $5, $3 for children, or $15 for a family. The snow date is Feb. 7.

For information about the supper or how to make contributions to the fund, call Joan Bowman at 223-8879, or Maureen Dillane, 223-5099.

Statewide

Maine Garden Day

ORONO – The 11th annual Maine Garden Day will feature 35 workshops with horticulturists Saturday, April 10, at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. Other highlights will include educational displays, book signings and a gardening trade show.

Featured speakers will be Eric Grissell, research entomologist, and Judith Sumner, author of “Insects and Gardens,” who will present “Understanding Botanical Names.”

Barbara Murphy, University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator, will present “Ecological Integrity in Your Own Backyard.”

More than 500 people are expected to attend. A brochure with Maine Garden Day details and a registration form is available from Cooperative Extension and can be requested by calling (800) 287-1482. The cost of the daylong conference is $37 and includes lunch and all workshops. Brochures will be mailed Feb. 1.

Artists in Maine Communities

The Maine Arts Commission has announced 22 grants totaling more than $150,000 to Maine arts organizations, communities and artists via its Artists in Maine Communities program.

The program, funded partially by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America program, is designed to assist arts organizations, schools and other community groups to develop collaborative projects that employ Maine artists to benefit Maine communities, schools or families.

Funds from the agency’s four major programs Contemporary Artists, Arts in Education, and Community Arts and Public Art are combined to provide monies for collaborative projects across the state.

Funded organizations, projects and communities in this area are:

. Bangor Region Area Arts and Cultural Council, partner: Bangor Center Corp., Bangor High School/Art in the Heart of Maine, Bangor’s “Arts on the Green,” $7,500.

. Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, partner: Cultural Resources, Inc., Next Generation: Basketmakers Presentations, Old Town, $7,200.

The Maine Arts Commission is a state agency, building Maine communities through the arts. Its mission is to encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state, expand the state’s cultural resources, and encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state. For more information, visit MaineArts.com.

The Maine Arts Commission conducts all of its programs in accessible spaces.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin