EVENTS: Sew for a Cause plans Mothers-to-be Tea in Vassalboro

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Rachel Kilbride display some of the items prepared by the Sew for a Cause group, in Vassalboro. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

by Eric W. Austin

A special Mothers-to-be Tea is planned for Saturday, May 6, by the Sew for a Cause ladies, at St. Bridget Center, in Vassalboro. The event is free and open to all new mothers or soon-to-be mothers in central Maine, but because space is limited, attendees are encouraged to register by April 15. Owner of St. Bridget Center, Rachel Kilbride, says they are expecting about 50 new mothers to attend along with a guest.

Kilbride says the event is an effort to bring women together face-to-face and help new mothers connect with one another.

“Mothers today don’t have that same community we grew up in,” says Kilbride. “This [event] will give them the opportunity to meet other mothers and celebrate the fact that they’re new mothers.”

Shirley McQuarrie sorts through baby items prepared for the event. (photo by Rachel Kilbride)

The ladies of the Sew for a Cause group have been working furiously for months to create a bevy of handmade baby items to give out at the event. Totes filled with freshly made bibs, blankets, hats, cute stuffed animals and nursing quilts will be given out to attendees at the door, along with other assorted items that every new mother needs. And, of course, homemade baked treats and tea will be served.

Raffles are also planned, with items donated by local business sponsors of the event.

The Mothers-to-be Tea is being held on Saturday, May 6, the weekend before Mother’s Day, from 1 – 3 p.m.

“I was a Mother’s Day baby,” Kilbride says, explaining that they planned the event so it wouldn’t interfere with anyone’s plans to spend Mother’s Day with their own mothers.

Sew for a Cause is a group of over 50 volunteers from all over central Maine who meet on the first and third Thursday of every month at St. Bridget Center to socialize and sew homemade items to donate to local charities, including Catholic Charities, Newborns in Need, Sweet Dream Bags, the Ronald MacDonald House, Maine Children’s Home and area nursing and veterans’ homes.

The St. Bridget Center, at 864 Main St., in Vassalboro, is owned and operated by Rachel Kilbride and her husband, Jim, who have spent several years renovating the space. Aside from hosting free community events like community cribbage on Thursday evenings, Sew for a Cause, and this event for mothers-to-be, they keep the lights on by making the venue available to rent for birthdays, wedding receptions and other events.

To register for the free Mothers-to-be Tea by April 15, please send an email to motherstobetea2023@gmail.com or call 616-3148. To find out more about the St. Bridget Center or the Sew for a Cause group, email StBridgetCenter@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook.

EVENTS: ShineOnCass Animal Baby Shower & PJ Party planned May 7, in Albion

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The annual, free event is held in memory of Cassidy Charette, a longtime summer camper at Hart-to-Hart Farm. Pre-registration is required to attend one of two sessions, which is limited to 80 children per session. Visit shineoncass.org or hart2hartfarm.org to register. (photo by Monica Charette)

Children dressed in their pajamas will welcome baby lambs, goats, calves and other newborn animals also wearing pajamas, on May 7, at the ShineOnCass Animal Baby Shower & PJ Party, at Hart-to-Hart Farm & Education Center, in Albion.

Linnea Burke-Maya snuggles a chicken at Hart-to-Hart Farm, in Albion, as part of last year’s ShineOnCass Animal Baby Shower & PJ Party. The 2023 event will be held May 7. Children dressed in their pajamas will welcome baby lambs, goats, calves, and other newborn animals also wearing pajamas! (photos by Monica Charette)

The annual event features educational stations that include learning how to milk a cow, fetching eggs from the chicken coop, spinning lamb’s wool, and participation in goat yoga! Children will be able to hold, and have photos taken with, the newborn baby animals.

Hart-to-Hart Farm & Education Center is a family-owned and operated organic dairy farm that offers a variety of educational programs for children, adults and families. The ShineOnCass Animal Baby Shower is held each year in honor of Cassidy Charette, an Oakland teen who died in a hayride accident in 2014, and was a summer camper at Hart-to-Hart Farm.

Families attending the free event are asked to bring pet food and items to donate to Humane Society Waterville Area in memory of Cassidy, who was a longtime shelter volunteer.

There will be two sessions offered, 10 to 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 to 2 p.m., with limited capacity of 80 children per session. Pre-registration is required at shineoncass.org or hart2hartfarm.org. For more information, email shineoncass@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVENTS: Reps. to provide update to Lincoln County Dems

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The Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) will hold its next meeting at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 23, via Zoom. The agenda will feature State Sen. Cameron Reny (SD #13) and State Rep. Lydia Crafts (HD #46), who will provide updates on their priority bills and how people can get involved in helping to pass the legislation.

All Lincoln County Democrats and unenrolled progressives are welcome to attend LCDC meetings.

Pre-registration is required for non-voting members to receive Zoom log on and/or phone in details. Register at https://lincolncountydemocrats.com/meet before noon the day of the meeting to ensure access.

EVENTS: Battle of Maine slated for March 25, 2023

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Spectators and competitors gather for the National Anthem during last year’s 40th anniversary of the Battle of Maine. (photo by Mark Huard)

The 41st Battle of Maine Martial Arts Championships will be taking place at Champions Fitness Club, in Waterville, on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

The competition and demonstrations kickoff at 8 a.m., and will last throughout the day until about 5 p.m. There will be competitions and demos of forms, weapons, and fighting. All ages are welcome to attend this event! Spectator tickets are $10 each and $1 of each go to help the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

Gibbs Library presents: Art Teacher as Creator

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The Gibbs Library presents Art Teacher As Creator, an exhibit of works of art by six area art educators. This is a special show, as it reflects the artistic expression of the professionals who give our children opportunity, encouragement, and guidance in their own creative outpourings. Art teachers introduce materials, techniques, and structure, but even more, they inspire students to experience creativity as an exploration and to convey meaning through objects and images.

The show will run through the months of March and April. Please take time to stop by and read the statements of each teacher and appreciate their own artwork and the inspiration they offer to our children and community.

A reception will be held on Monday, April 3, 6 – 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

The teachers are Sherry Casas, Prescott Memorial Elementary School, Union Elementary School, Friendship Village School, Rivers Alternative Middle School; Brooke Holland, Medomak Valley High School, Photography; Anthony Lufkin, Miller School; Crystal Priestley, Warren Community School; Libbie Winslow, Medomak Middle School; Krisanne Baker, Medomak Valley High School.

The artwork can be viewed at the Gibbs Library, 40 Old Union Road, Washington, Maine. Library hours are Mondays, 4 – 7 p.m., Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – noon and 4 – 7 p.m., Wednesdays, 3 – 6 p.m., Thursdays, 9 a.m. -noon, and Saturdays, 9 a.m. – noon. For more information, call (207) 845-2663 or see www.gibbslibrary.org.

Golf Fore Kids Sake to be held at Samoset Resort in May

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Photo by Monica Charette

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine’s 2023 Golf Fore Kids’ Sake, at Samoset Resort, presented by Dover Ford and Union Fair Auto, welcomes teams to participate in its May 26 tournament to support one-to-one youth mentoring.

The annual spring golf tournament is expected to raise over $50,000 for community and school-based mentoring programs across seven counties served by BBBS of Mid-Maine.

“We are excited to welcome a full course of supporters back on the green this spring to help raise critical funding for local youth,” said BBBSMM Interim Executive Director Mae Slevinsky. The tournament is limited to the first 28 teams to register.

In addition to Dover Ford and Union Fair Auto, Golf Fore Kids’ Sake is supported by Colby & Gale and Machias Savings Bank (Major Sponsor); Austin Associates, P.A. (Lunch Sponsor) and Scoreboard Sponsors: PDQ Door, Maine Coast Orthodontics, Rockland Hannaford, and Cape Air.

To sponsor, or to donate to the Golf For Kids’ Sake auction, email info@bbbsmidmaine.org or call 207.236-BBBS (2227). For more information about Golf Fore Kids’ Sake, visit www.bbbsmidmaine.org.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine will hold a second Golf Fore Kids’ Sake tournament on Friday, September 1, at Belgrade Lakes Golf Club, presented by Kennebec Savings Bank. Team space is limited. To register, or sponsor, please call 207.236-BBBS (2227).

Big Brother’s Big Sister’s long-standing, successful mentoring programs pair children, ages 5-16 (Littles) with caring, responsible role models (Bigs) in one-to-one friendships in Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Somerset, and Waldo counties. By partnering with parents, volunteers and local organizations, children in the program have higher aspirations, greater confidence, develop better relationships, avoid risky behaviors, and achieve educational success.

For information about enrolling a child in our mentoring programs, or becoming a volunteer or mentor, please call 236-BBBS (2227) email info@bbbsmidmaine.org, or visit www.bbbsmidmaine.org.

Erskine Academy announces school calendar change

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Parents and students should be advised of a change to Erskine Academy’s school calendar. Due to excessive snow days, Friday, March 17, will now be an Early Release Day for all Erskine Academy students. Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.

EVENTS: Maine Film Center announces 2023 Oscar Party

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Dress to impress or come as you are to the Maine Film Center’s 2023 Oscar Party, on Sunday, March 12, 2023. Attendees can walk the red carpet and enjoy catered refreshments at a gala reception prior to a live broadcast of the 95th Academy Awards, celebrating the best films of 2022.

“We’ve shown seven out of 10 Best Picture nominees this year, and while we have our own predictions about winners, we’re curious what our community thinks!” said Julia Dunlavey, assistant executive director of the Maine Film Center. “Will it be Everything Everywhere All At Once (with a recent sold-out encore screening at MFC) or The Banshees of Inisherin (the highest-grossing film at MFC this year)? We’ll be watching with bated breath all night.”

Prior to the Oscars, cinema patrons are encouraged to fill out ballots with their predicted winners. The person with the most correct predictions will win one dozen free movie passes to the Maine Film Center, as well as free popcorn.

The gala reception will begin at 7:30 p.m., while the Oscar ceremonies broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets for the reception are $15 for the general public and free for members of Waterville Creates; admission to the broadcast is free. For tickets and more information, please visit MaineFilmCenter.org.

Gaslight Theater announces audition dates for Black Comedy

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Gaslight Theater announces audition dates for their upcoming show, Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy, directed by Lucille Rioux. Auditions will be held 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, and Tuesday, March 14, at Hallowell City Hall, located at 1 Winthrop Street, in Hallowell.

Black Comedy is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1965. The premise of the piece is that light and dark are transposed, so that when the stage is lit the cast are supposed to be in darkness and only when the stage is dark are they supposed to be able to see each other and their surroundings. A young sculptor and his fiancée have borrowed some expensive antique furniture from a neighbor’s flat without his permission to impress an elderly millionaire art collector. When the power fails, the neighbor returns early, other people also arrive….

Show dates are the weekends of April 28, 29, 30 and May 5, 6, 7. All shows take place at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium.

Please bring proof of Covid-19 vaccination to auditions. This is a one-act play with parts for three women and five men. Auditions are cold readings.

Details on the parts:

BRINDSLEY MILLER – a young sculptor, mid-twenties, intelligent and attractive, but nervous and uncertain of himself.

CAROL MELKETT – Brindsley’s fiancee. A young debutante; very pretty, very spoiled, very silly.

MISS FURNIVAL – a middle-aged lady. Prissy and refined. Clad in the blouse and sack skirt of her gentility, her hair in a bun, she reveals only the repressed gestures of the middle-class spinster — until alcohol undoes her.

COLONEL MELKETT – Carol’s commanding father. Brisk, barky, yet given to sudden vocal calms which suggest a deep alarming instability. It is not only the constant darkness which gives him his look of wide-eyed suspicion.

HAROLD GORRINGE – the bachelor owner of an antique-china shop, and Brindsley’s neighbor, Harold comes from the North of England. His friendship is highly conditional and possessive: sooner or later, payment for it will be asked. A specialist in emotional blackmail, he can become hysterical when slighted, or (as inevitably happens) rejected. He is older than Brindsley by several years.

SCHUPPANZIGH – a German refugee, chubby, cultivated, and effervescent. He is an entirely happy man, delighted to be in England, even if it means being employed full time by the London Electricity Board.

CLEA – Brindsley’s ex-mistress. Mid-twenties; dazzling, emotional, bright, and mischievous. The challenge to her is to create a dramatic situation out of the darkness is ultimately irresistible.

GEORG SAMBERGER – an elderly millionaire art collector, easily identifiable as such. Like Schuppanzigh, he is German.

For more information check www.gaslighttheater.org or call 207-626-3698.

Waterville Creates announces youth art month exhibition

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A landscape painting by Uliana Fournier, Winslow High School, grade 10. (contributed photo)

Ticonic Gallery, a division of Waterville Creates, is delighted to partner with Greene Block + Studios to celebrate Youth Art Month (YAM) with a spectacular, multi-site exhibition of artwork by local students in grades K–12. The 9th annual YAM exhibition will be on view at both locations March 3 – 31, with an opening reception on March 3 from 4­­ – 7 p.m., in conjunction with downtown Waterville’s First Friday event. Sponsored by the Colby College Museum of Art, Kennebec Savings Bank, Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal, and PRO Moving Service, this year’s YAM exhibition will include the work of youth artists from 25 participating area schools.

Established in 1961, YAM is a national initiative designed to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs. Featuring works in a variety of media, including painting, digital art, pottery, and photography, YAM is an opportunity for students to showcase their work in a gallery setting and share their achievements with their families and their community. This year’s YAM theme is “Your Art, Your Story.”

In conjunction with YAM, Waterville Creates is conducting a special awareness campaign and fundraising drive for its Youth Arts Access Fund (YAAF). Established in March 2022 with the belief that all youth, regardless of income, ability, or background, should have access to outstanding arts programming and arts education opportunities, YAAF provides free admission for youth ages 18 and under to the full range of programming offered by Waterville Creates and its divisions, including art classes and camps, community theatre productions, live music, and film programming. Initially established as a pilot program with a $15,000 grant from the Raymond J. and Mary C. Reisert Foundation, YAAF has received additional support from a variety of foundations, businesses, and individuals. Since March 2022, the Youth Arts Access Fund has been accessed nearly 1,000 times, allowing youth to attend events and programs across all divisions of Waterville Creates, including Ticonic Gallery + Studios, Maine Film Center, and Waterville Opera House.

Located at 93 Main Street in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Ticonic Gallery is free and open to the public Wednesdays – Mondays, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Greene Block + Studios, located at 18 Main Street, is free and open to the public Tuesdays – Fridays, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturdays, noon – 5 p.m. For more information on YAM, please visit the Ticonic Gallery exhibitions page; for information about the Youth Arts Access Fund, including a link to donate, visit the Waterville Creates’ website.

YAM 2023 participating schools: Albert S. Hall School, Canaan Elementary School, Clinton Elementary School, George J. Mitchell School, Sylvio J. Gilbert Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Madison Elementary School, Madison Junior High School, Maine Arts Academy, Maranacook Community Middle School, Messalonskee High School, Messalonskee Middle School, Mount Merici Academy, Mt. Vernon Elementary School, Palermo Consolidated School, Readfield Elementary School, Warsaw Middle School, Waterville Alternative High School, Waterville Senior High School, Waterville Junior High School, Wayne Elementary School, Whitefield Elementary School, Winslow High School, Winslow Junior High School.