Mid-Mine Chamber of Commerce, located in Waterville, welcomes Cindy Stevens as its new program director. Cindy has been named Chamber Program Director, replacing Kelly Smith who is leaving October 16 to pursue employment at the Snow Pond Center for the Arts, following two and a half years in her position.

Stevens, who retired October 1, had served 41 years in various sales, marketing, human resources, finance and management roles with the Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal, part of the Masthead Maine newspaper group. Her most recent position was regional advertising director for both papers, serving in that role since 2013. She was responsible for all advertising print and digital revenue, events, and internal promotions. Stevens was a former member of the founding board of directors of Waterville Main Street.

A graduate of Mt. Blue High School, in Farmington, Stevens graduated from Kennebec Valley Community College, in Fairfield, with a degree in marketing, and from the University of Maine at Augusta with bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees in business and marketing. She holds a masters degree in management/marketing from Thomas College, in Waterville, and earned her real estate broker’s license while employed with Century 21 Surette Real Estate.

Included in her new duties as program director will be oversight of dozens of the Chamber’s signature events, working with multiple volunteer committees, as well as marketing and communications of these events. Mid-Maine Chamber President and CEO Kimberly Lindlof said of Stevens, “I have known Cindy since my days in ad sales when she was steering the ship of my competition. I have great admiration for Cindy, the wealth of experience she has compiled, and the relationships that she has built over the years with the regional business community. The Chamber is hoping to capitalize on that connectivity as well as Cindy’s vast understanding of the market in the mid-Maine area. Our team is pleased to welcome her aboard.”

Stevens resides in Winslow with her husband, Gary, and son, Jonathan.

Come away to a private island where the plants, stones, and water are alive. Considered one of Shakespeare’s best fairytales, The Tempest is a magical journey through love, loyalty, and power. Recycled Shakespeare Company, now in it’s sixth season, will be performing at 7 p.m., on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, at Skills Inc. Ervin Center, 46 Front Street, Waterville.

With original music and direction by Emily Rowden Fournier, of Fairfield, co-director Helena Page, of Clinton, and stage manager Debra Achorn, of Waterville, the scene comes alive as the exiled Prospero, (Raymond “Wingnut” Wing, of Waterville) creates a magical storm in order to shipwreck the queen and her courtiers. Prospero’s daughter, Miranda (Omm Stilwell, of Vassalboro) does not realize her father’s plan to introduce her to Prince Ferdinand (Cody Curtis, of Bath), but soon learns how she and her father came to be exiled on this island which is inhabited only by them, the monster Caliban (Aaron Blaschke Rowden and Joe Rowden, both of Fairfield) and Ariel, the musical spirit of the island played by nine singers and dancers. With would-be assassins afoot, can Ariel protect the queen and Prospero and still be freed from enslavement? Live accompaniment will be by Fournier on flute and Mia Fairman, of Waterville, on violin.

Recycled Shakespeare Company was founded with the mission of making theater accessible to all while using recycled and repurposed materials. The nonprofit group is Northern New England’s only grassroots Shakespearean community theater and has been featured at the Shakespeare Theater Association’s annual conference in Prague, Czech Republic, for their efforts in creating ecological theater.

This family-friendly production will be presented in the round, with the audience getting a 360 degree view of the stage, and is free to the public. Best view seats can be reserved with a $10 donation. Themed refreshments will be sold.

For more information or to reserve seats call 207-314-8607 or email RecycledShakespeare@gmail.com.

Northern Light Inland Hospital is once again offering an amazing evening of musical entertainment at its annual Fall Pops Concert on Friday, October 25, at the Waterville Opera House.

The hospital welcomes the Portland Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Erin Freeman, who was a recent finalist for Performer Today’s Classical Woman of the Year. Freeman serves in multiple capacities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and maintains a national presence through guest conducting engagements. She holds a joint position as director of the Richmond Symphony Chorus and director of choral activities at Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she is the artistic director of Wintergreen Music and resident conductor of the Richmond Ballet.

She will be joined by guest soloist, soprano Alyson Cambridge, who is currently performing in Broadway’s Rocktopia, and has extensive experience as a singer, model, actor, and host. Cambridge has been hailed by critics as “radiant, vocally assured, dramatically subtle and compelling, and artistically imaginative,” by the Washington Post.

John Dalton, Inland Hospital president, says, “We are excited to share this special night of music and talent with the greater Waterville community. We know how much people look forward to this event, almost as much as we do! We want to thank our community for its support of the Pops concert and Inland Hospital.”

Proceeds from this year’s event will help Inland purchase upgrades to its cardiac monitoring system that have the latest patient safety technology for patients.

Tickets are available at www.OperaHouse.org or 207-873-7000. The cost to attend the concert and a special pre-event reception at Amici’s Cucina is $50; concert tickets without the reception are $25.

Alfond Youth & Community Center provides meals in three locations

The Alfond Youth & Community Center (AYCC) is participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program to make evening meals available at no separate charge to children ages birth through 18 years without regard to race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department.

Meals are being served at the following facilities:

Alfond Youth & Community Center, 126 North Street in Waterville. Mon. – Fri. Evening Meals starting at 3 p.m.;

North End Boys & Girls Club, 16 Hillside Ave in Waterville. Mon.– Fri. Evening Meals starting at 3 p.m.;

South End Teen Center, 5 Libby Court in Waterville. Mon.– Fri. Evening Meals starting at 3 p.m.;

Boys & Girls Club of Oakland at Ralph M. Atwood Primary School, 19 Heath St in Oakland. Mon. – Fri. Evening Meals starting at p.m.;

Common Street Arts, in the Hathaway Creative Building, 10 Water Street, Suite 106 in Waterville.

 FMI AYCC: Kitchen Manager Shawn Forkey, kitchen@alfondyouthcenter.org; Grants Manager Jared McCannell, jmccannell@alfondyouthcenter.org.