EVENTS: Bean supper at VUMC

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Donna Dow and a friend from Albion, in the salad line at the June 21 public supper, at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church. (contributed photo)

A traditional baked bean public supper will be held at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC), at 614 Main Street/Rte. 32, on Saturday, July 19, 4:30 – 6 p.m. The supper is open to the public and the menu will include baked beans, hot dogs, casseroles and a variety of summer salads in addition to the traditional coleslaw, breads, beverages and pies. A donation of $10 per person is appreciated.

VUMC holds public suppers the third Saturday of every month through October. The menu varies from month to month but the people’s favorite baked beans and an array of pies is always included. The door prize drawing will be for two free tickets to the August 16 supper.

FMI contact Pastor Karen Merrill at (207) 873-5544 or info.vumc@gmail.com. Follow these and future special events and public meals on the Vassalboro United Methodist Church Facebook page.

Make the world brighter for patients by giving blood

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Type O blood donors especially urged to give

As the busy Fourth of July holiday week gets closer, the American Red Cross asks donors to celebrate by making a blood or platelet donation appointment to help power the blood supply through mid-summer. While all blood types are needed, donors with type O blood are most urgently needed.

Making and keeping donation appointments now is critical to ensuring blood products are available for all patients – including those in trauma situations that may require several lifesaving transfusions – in the weeks to come. Type O negative blood is often reached for in emergencies when there isn’t time to match a patient’s blood type. Type O positive is the most common blood type, so it’s important to keep type O blood and all blood types on hand at hospitals for people facing both chronic illness and sudden, life-threatening conditions.

Don’t wait – add a blood or platelet donation appointment to your summer calendar today by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

The Red Cross and goodr are joining forces in July to remind donors they’re just the type patients can count on. All who come to give July 1-14, 2025, will get an exclusive pair of Red Cross x goodr sunglasses, while supplies last. Donors can personalize their one-of-a-kind shades with a blood type sticker! For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/ goodr.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities June 24-July 14

Kennebec County:

Augusta

Friday, July 11: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., MaineGeneral Health, 35 Medical Center Parkway.
Friday, July 11: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., MaineGeneral Health, 35 Medical Center Parkwa.y
Monday, July 14: 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Augusta Elks, 397 Civic Center Drive, P.O. Box 2206.

Waterville

Friday, July 11: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., O’Brien’s Event Center, 375 Main St.,

Winslow

Wednesday, July 9: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Winslow VFW, 175 Veterans Drive.

EVENTS: Maine’s most alluring movie makes its Waterville premiere

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photo credit: A Peace of Forest website

A Peace of Forest, the first feature length wildlife movie filmed in Maine, has been screening to sell out audiences, and will make its Waterville premiere at The Playhouse at Waterville Station, from July 11 thru July 20, 2025.

Created in Whitefield, Maine, a Peace of Forest has been described by audience members as, “The most beautiful film I have ever seen, exhibiting our natural world,” and “This film is a gift; it is so rich.”

Touted as a quiet film, A Peace of Forest is a one-of-a-kind cinematic adventure, allowing viewers to experience a wild, peaceful and mysterious world that is filled with complex relationships and ways of wonder. The 87-minute film celebrates the beauty and intimacy of wildlife in Maine with surprising, tender and exquisite interactions of wildlife during undisturbed moments in Maine’s natural world.

The film makers and producers, Lee Ann Szelog and Thomas Mark Szelog, will host a post-screening discussion and audience Q&A after the July 12, 2025, 7 p.m., screening.

Purchase your tickets sooner than later….. over 1,060 tickets have been sold for the last four screenings!
Dates, times and tickets are available at theplayhouse.me.

For more information about the film, please visit apeaceofforest.com.

EVENTS: Chadwick Cemetery Association annual meeting in China

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The Chadwick Hill Cemetery Association will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 4 p.m., at the South China Community Church, 246 Village St., South China. New members are welcome. All interested parties are invited to attend. For more information contact Jeff Zimmerman at 445-4000.

EVENTS – Step Back in Time: Historic Walking Tour of South China Village

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Site of original F. W. Hawes and the Spearin’s Store

The China Historical Society invites the community to explore the rich history of downtown South China during a special walking tour this Sunday, June 22nd, at 5:00 p.m. Participants will meet in the South China Community Church parking lot, located across from the old South China Library, for an engaging journey through the village’s past.

Local historians Barbara Poulin, Neil Farrington, and Joann Austin – all longtime South China residents – will serve as guides, sharing fascinating stories about the historic places that once defined downtown South China during their childhoods and earlier eras. The Historical Society will provide handouts containing valuable historical information about South China Village, offering attendees a lasting reference of the area’s heritage.

The tour, lasting approximately one hour, will feature an open discussion format where participants are encouraged to ask questions and share their own memories of the community. All are welcome to attend this free event. Those interested can find more information and sign up through the Facebook event posted on the China Historical Society’s Facebook page. Come discover the stories that shaped South China Village and connect with fellow community members who share a passion for local history!

Hawes, Woods, Carl’s, and Reeds Stores, now apartments

Dowes Diner – moved to new Route 3, now Greg’s Diner

EVENTS: Summer blood and platelet donations vital to avoid blood supply impact

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Receive $15 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, also entered to win $7K gift card for blood donation in June

Disasters like hurricanes and severe summer weather can disrupt blood drives for several days and impact the momentum of a growing blood supply. Help the American Red Cross plan for the unexpected by making an appointment to give blood or platelets.

Even when hospitals are fully stocked with blood products, sudden events can cause a rapid drop in the availability of lifesaving transfusions. The Red Cross asks people to continue making and keeping donation appointments a part of their June plans.

Blood has a shelf life of 42 days, which means ongoing donations are key to ensure medical needs are met. Type O blood donors and those giving platelets are especially needed as the summer season continues.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities will take place in Waterville on Friday, June 20, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at O’Brien’s Event Center, 375 Main St., and in Augusta, on Monday, June 23, 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Augusta Elks, 397 Civic Center Drive, P.O. Box 2206.

EVENTS: Maine residents invited to free Alzheimer’s conference

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The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) will host a free Alzheimer’s & Caregiving Educational Conference, in Portland, on Wednesday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (20 Milk Street). The free conference is open to everyone and will allow participants to learn from experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, brain health, caregiving, and aging. Register by visiting www.alzfdn.org/tour. Advance registration is highly recommended.

“Knowledge is a useful and powerful tool that can help make any situation easier to navigate, especially something as challenging as caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., AFA’s President & CEO. “Connecting families with useful, practical information and support that can help them now and be better prepared for the future is what this conference is all about. Whether Alzheimer’s is affecting your family, you are a caregiver or just want to learn more about brain health, we invite you to join us on June 11.”

Sessions during the AFA conference will include: Alzheimer’s Disease: What’s Good for the Body is Good for the Brain; Breaking Barriers: Creating Better Care and More Choices for Families with Dementia; Building Community Supports for Caregivers; and Safeguarding Your Home After a Dementia Diagnosis

Free, confidential memory screenings will be conducted throughout the day.

For more information or to register for the June 11 conference in Portland, visit www.alzfdn.org/tour. Those who cannot participate in the conference or have immediate questions about Alzheimer’s disease can connect with licensed social workers seven days a week through AFA’s National Toll-Free Helpline by calling 866-232-8484, texting 646-586-5283, or web chatting at www.alzfdn.org by clicking the blue and white chat icon in the right-hand corner of the page. The web chat and text message features are available in more than 90 languages.

EVENTS: Lincoln County Dems to meet May 22

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The Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) will host Alison Smith, Board Member of League of Women Voters of Maine at its next meeting on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. Smith will be presenting on the Requiring Voter Photo ID and Changing Absentee Ballot and Dropbox Rules Initiative. The hybrid meeting will be held in person at the Newcastle Fire Station, 86 River Rd., or via Zoom.

Alison has been a League member since the 1980s, and it was through the LWVME that she first got involved in Clean Elections. She was one of 1,100 Mainers who volunteered to collect signatures in 1995 to put the question on the ballot and has worked on Clean Elections in either a volunteer or professional capacity ever since.

All Lincoln County Democrats and unenrolled progressives are welcome to attend the meeting. LCDC voting members will automatically receive the Zoom log on information and reminders by email. Those interested in becoming a voting member must be a registered Democrat in Lincoln County and make their interest known by indicating so at the in-person meeting, on the meeting registration form at https://lincolncountydemocrats.com/meet, or by emailing info@lincolncountydemocrats.com.

Pre-registration for the meeting is required for non-voting members who want to receive Zoom log on and/or phone-in details. Register before noon the day of the meeting to ensure access. However, LCDC will do its best to accommodate last-minute registrations.

More information about LCDC, its meetings, and other activities can be found at https://lincolncountydemocrats.com. Questions can be emailed to info@lincolncountydemocrats.com.

ShineOnCass hosts annual baby shower

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Goat yoga instructors Shawna Lachance, left, and Chelsey Oliver are assisted by Holly Lachance, Quinn Easler, and a newborn baby goat at the ShineOnCass Animal Baby Shower & PJ Party. (contributed photo)

More than 100 children dressed in pajamas came to Hart-to-Hart Farm & Education Center, in Albion, on Sunday, May 4, to welcome newborn farm animals (also in jammies), give back to their community, and honor the legacy of Cassidy Charette at the annual ShineOnCass Animal Baby Shower & PJ Party.

The event featured hands-on educational sessions, including teaching kids how to milk a cow, fetch eggs from chickens, card lamb’s wool, and stretch out at goat yoga. Children were able to hold the newborn babies, learn how to care for them, and experience a working, organic farm.

Hart-to-Hart Farm is a family-owned and operated organic dairy farm that offers a variety of summer educational programs for children, adults and families. The event is held each year in memory of Cassidy Charette, an Oakland teen who died in a hayride accident in 2014. Cassidy, known for her kindness as an active community volunteer, was also passionate about caring for animals as a long-time summer camper at Hart-to-Hart Farm.

Families attending the event donated money and a truckload of food and pet items gifted to Humane Society Waterville Area in honor of Cassidy, who was also a shelter volunteer.

For information about Hart-to-Hart Farm & Education Center, visit hart2hartfarm.org. To learn more about the ShineOnCass Foundation, visit shineoncass.org.

EVENTS: Vassalboro Methodist Church to hold yard and plant sale

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A yard and plant sale will be held at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church, at 614 Main Street, on Saturday, June 7. Two antique church pews like the ones pictured here will be among the items for sale. (contributed photo)

The Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC) is holding a “Yard and Plants Sale” on Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., on the same day as the Vassalboro town-wide yard sales. Good quality items of all kinds will be available, including two church pews removed from the sanctuary earlier this year. The antique pews were moved in 1988 from the old East Vassalboro Methodist Church, on Bog Road, to the VUMC Methodist church, at 614 Main Street.

There will be indoor and outdoor/garden plants for sale as well as some gardening items and more! Donations of perennials and annuals for the plant sale would be appreciated, as would yard sale items except no clothing is needed. PLEASE do not drop off anything at the VUMC without pre-arranging by calling (207) 873-5564 or email info.vumc@gmail.com. Lunches including a grilled hot dog, chips and a drink will be available for as long as supplies last for a suggested donation of $5.

Guided tours of the church sanctuary will also be available, which holds many historic items from the 19th century North and East Vassalboro churches – including the pews in use and seven stained glass windows. This is also an opportunity to see the newly installed VUMC lift/elevator.

Follow this and other services and events on the Vassalboro United Methodist Church Facebook page.