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Bangor

Americorps*VISTA members

Bangor area residents Judith Brosmer and Carrie Jeskanen were sworn in recently as members of Americorps*VISTA, a national service program dedicated to reducing poverty in the United States by helping individuals and low income communities make positive changes.

Both women have joined the Senior $ense Program at the University of Maine Center on Aging. Brosmer has been assigned to work directly with Eastern Agency on Aging, and Jeskanen has been assigned to the UMaine Cooperative Extension Senior Companion Program.

Before beginning VISTA service, Brosmer was employed as an administrative assistant at a local business. Jeskanen, a graduate of Plattsburgh State University, recently returned to the United States after living with her husband and family in Finland.

Brosmer and Jeskanen will spend the next year with Americorps*VISTA. In exchange for their full-time service, they will receive a modest monthly living allowance, health benefits, training, travel opportunities and a year-end stipend or education award.

Since 1964, VISTA has helped to bring communities and individuals out of poverty. More than 6,000 Americorps*VISTA members serve in hundreds of nonprofit organizations and public agencies working to fight illiteracy, improve health services and increase housing opportunities.

In Maine approximately 100 VISTA members are assigned to a variety of sites.

To obtain more information about $enior Sense and the UMaine Center on Aging, call 581-3444.

Health and welfare director

City Manager Ed Barrett has appointed Shawn Yardley as director of health and welfare, with the appointment confirmed Sept. 13 by the City Council.

Yardley had been the director of the River Coalition in Old Town since 2001. He previously served as director of adoption for Maine Adoption Placement Service and in a variety of positions with the Maine Department of Human Services, including regional program manager of the Bureau of Child and Family Services.

Yardley holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social welfare from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in business from Husson College. A longtime resident of Bangor, he is a member of the boards of directors Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine, Catholic Charities of Maine, Maine Mentoring Partnership, Maine Children’s Trust, the United Way of Eastern Maine and others.

In announcing the appointment, Barrett said, “Shawn will bring to this position extensive knowledge and contacts throughout the statewide and local social service network. His knowledge of the Bangor region and our community’s needs and his ability to form coalitions to address problems will be essential to the future of the Health and Welfare Department. I am pleased that he has accepted this position and look forward to working closely with him.”

Yardley commented on his appointment, “I am excited by the opportunity to serve the citizens of Bangor, particularly those most in need of health and welfare services. I look forward to working closely with the City Council, its management and employees of the department to build on and improve the quality of the services that are offered.”

Yardley will fill the position vacated by the untimely death of Mary-Anne Chalila, the city’s longtime director of health and welfare. He will begin work with the city on or about Oct. 1.

Bangor Public Library news

Maine author Trudy Chambers Price will discuss her book, “The Cows are Out,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18. Price and her husband raised two children and hundreds of cows on their Maine farm. The never-ending work and pleasures of farm life is portrayed in her memoir.

Author Beth Harpaz, a travel editor for the Associated Press, first attracted national attention with her first-person account of covering Hillary Clinton’s senate campaign, “The Girls on the Bus.”

Harpaz’ latest book, “Finding Annie Farrell: A Family Memoir,” part of which is set in Maine, is receiving critical acclaim nationally.

Harpaz will speak about her work at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Maine author and journalist Ed Rice has a mission – to see that Louis Sockalexis gets the recognition he deserves. Sockalexis was an extraordinary turn-of-the-century athlete from Maine, whose fame led to the Cleveland team being named “The Indians.”

Rice will talk about his book, “Baseball’s First Indian,” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26.

To learn more about book-related events at Bangor Public Library, call 947-8336.

Support for grieving children

Pathfinders: Support for Grieving Children will hold its fall session 6-7:30 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 20-Dec. 6, at Bangor Christian Schools.

Pathfinders is for children ages 3 through 18 and their families who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

For information, call 973-8269.

Family Connections

Families and Children Together is offering Family Connections, a support group for grandparents, aunts and uncles who find themselves raising their grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Such relatives often face financial, legal, educational and family issues. Family Connections is a statewide program offering these relatives the chance to talk with others who are in similar situations, learn about resources and discover new ways to solve problems.

The program offers information for legal, educational and financial decisions; group meetings for mutual support; ongoing support for families looking for resources to help manage challenges; training for people working with kinship families; a library of books and videos; and family activities.

Refreshments will be served, and there is limited reimbursement for mileage and childcare.

For more information, call Kim or Barbara at (866) 298-0896.

Home cooking school

Home economist Kate Gabriele will “Spice Up Your Life with a Taste of Home Cooking School” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Bangor Auditorium. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

Gabriele conducts some 40 cooking schools each year throughout New England and the eastern states.

She is a graduate of Baltimore International Culinary College in Baltimore and of Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. She has a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences.

In addition to her experience with Taste of Home Cooking School, Gabriele has taught at Luzerne County Community College in Pennsylvania and has been first cook on the American Queen Steamboat in New Orleans.

This season Gabriele will demonstrate ways to spice up everyday meals with various seasonings. She will introduce several new grocery products, offer unique serving techniques and demonstrate 12 featured recipes.

Tickets to the Taste of Home Cooking School are $12 each. To purchase tickets, call 942-6588 or visit www.bridal-network.com.

BSO benefit days

Meet the conductor of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at Borders Books and Music.

Maestro Xiao-Lu Li will talk about the coming season to help listeners “Be Inspired!” to experience the sounds of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and many others. During the afternoon’s event, hear more about the symphony premiere on Oct. 23 at Bangor Auditorium, and meet some of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra musicians.

For afternoon activities, guests will be entertained by BSO musician ensembles, No Frowns Clowns, an instrument petting zoo and face painting. ClearChannel’s WKSQ will broadcast live at the event.

Borders invites visitors to participate in Benefit Days Saturday and Sunday Oct. 2 and 3 to benefit the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. Pick up a coupon at the BSO box office to use toward a Borders purchase on those dates. Fifteen percent of a pre-tax purchase total on Oct. 2 and 3 will be donated to the BSO.

The event is free and open to the public. More information is available at www.bangorsymphony.com, or call 942-5555.

Fall bulb sale

The Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District is taking orders for its fall bulb sale. This fall the district is offering tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, iris, lilies and other bulbs.

Orders must be received by Sept. 17.

The Penobscot SWCD is a nonprofit organization. Funds from the sale will be used to promote conservation and the wise use of soil, water and other natural resources.

For more information on the bulb sale or district programs, call the district at 990-3676 or visit www.penobscotswcd.org. Or write the district at 28 Gilman Plaza, Suite 2, Bangor, ME 04401.

Annual fashion show

The St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary will hold its 29th annual fashion show and luncheon at noon Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Bangor Civic Center.

Attendees will spend the afternoon enjoying the latest fall fashions, some modeled by local celebrity models, and a delicious lunch. In addition, guests will be able to bid on numerous silent auction items during the event.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for $25 at Patrick’s Hallmark in the Broadway Shopping Center or by calling the St. Joseph Healthcare development office at 262-1720. Tickets purchased the day of the show will be $30.

The auxiliary hosts several fund-raising activities throughout the year, in addition to overseeing the operation of Helen’s Gift Shop in the hospital’s Broadway lobby. Proceeds received from the auxiliary’s efforts benefit St. Joseph Healthcare.

Child care training

Penquis Community Action Program Resource Development Center will offer 30 hours of training, Inclusive Child Care. Classes will be held 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 19, Nov. 2 and Nov. 16; and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 16, Oct. 30, and Nov. 13, at UCP, 700 Hope Ave., Suite 320, Bangor.

The cost of the training is $15. Current child care providers may apply for reimbursement of the fee. Lunch is not included. To register, call Amy Ludwig, 973-3533.

Head Start program

Penquis Community Action Head Start, a preschool program for children ages 3 to 5, is registering children for the 2004-2005 school year. The program is free to income-eligible families.

Head Start operates four hours a day, four days a week, September-May. Centers are located in Old Town, Bangor, Brewer and other sites throughout Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

The program provides children with a variety of activities to help them develop mentally, socially, emotionally and physically. It also offers medical and dental exams and necessary immunizations, developmental screening and nutritional services.

Space in the program is limited. To obtain more information or to apply for services, call 973-3537.

Exeter

Scottish Rite Masons

Raymond Sanborn of Exeter, a Thirty-second Degree Scottish Rite Mason, was elevated to the Thirty-third Degree in a special ceremony Sept. 21 in Milwaukee at the annual meeting of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

More than 2,000 Masons and their wives attended the event. Sanborn was one of three men from Maine to be honored. The others were John Caldwell of Portland and Raymond McLellan of Yarmouth. The Thirty-third Degree is awarded for outstanding achievement within the fraternity or for contributions to others reflecting credit on Freemasonry.

A major topic of discussion at the meeting in Milwaukee was the continuing expansion of the Northern Jurisdiction’s newest endeavor, the establishment of learning centers for children designed to provide free one-on-one tutoring for children with dyslexia. Bangor already has a Masonic Learning Center.

Hampden

Deaf Culture Week

Gov. John E. Baldacci has issued a proclamation designating Sept. 19-25 as Deaf Culture Week, a week filled with activities that reflect the culture and the heritage of American Sign Language, literature, art and folklore.

Those honored at a Sept. 15 reception for their contributions to Deaf Culture in Maine included Carrie Pierce of Hampden. Pierce received a Special Commendation Award for establishing a summer camp, “Sign-N-Kids,” in Kenduskeag.

Orono

Free computer classes

The Orono Public Library offers free computer instruction classes “perfect for beginners” on Saturday, Sept. 18, and Wednesday, Sept. 22. Learn to use the Internet, word processing, e-mail, or whatever you wish to learn.

Both classes will be held 10 a.m.-noon. Preregister by calling the library at 866-5060.

A special class for job hunters, “What Color is Your Laptop?”, is a free computer class that will cover how to use the computer to conduct a job search. The class will be held 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Sept. 25. Preregister by calling the library at 866-5060.