GORHAM, ME (March 10, 2023) — Women in sports journalism have faced an uphill battle. They faced colleagues who ignored them, athletes who tried to humiliate them, fans who ridiculed them, and executives who kept them from doing their jobs—challenges many still face today. In Who Let Them In? Pathbreaking Women in Sports Journalism, local author Joanne Lannin recounts the stories of the female sportscasters and writers who paved the way for those that followed.

GORHAM, ME (March 10, 2023) — Osher School of Music faculty members Robert Lehmann, violin, and Thomas Parchman, clarinet, present an evening of collaborative contrasts. Unusual instrumental combinations are at the center of a program filled with dazzling colors and textures. The program includes Sea of Grass, Ocean of Sky, for violin, clarinet and piano by American composer Edward Knight (b. 1961); Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945); and a concerto for violin, piano, and string quartet by French composer Ernest Chausson (1855-1899).  

Professors Lehmann and Parchman will be joined by pianist Chiharu Naruse, violinists Mia Bella D’Augelli and Tracey Jasas-Hardel, violist Kimberly Lehmann and cellist William Rounds.

Tickets are $15 general, $10 students, seniors, USM employees and alumni. This live performance takes place at Corthell Concert Hall on our Gorham campus on Friday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. 

For those needing special accommodations to participate fully in this program, contact the Music Box Office at (207) 780-5555. Hearing impaired: call USM’s telex / TDD number (207) 780-5646.

Curbside Composting to Serve Gorham

GORHAM, ME (March 2, 2023) — Gorham, Windham, and Sanford can now pre-enroll for Curbside Composting beginning in April!

So tell all your friends and share your referral code: Each time a new account signs up with your referral code, you will both earn a free month of service

Not sure where to find your referral code?

1. Log into your GtG account

2. Click ‘Get Involved’

3. Click ‘Referrals’

4. …and share away!

Limited time promotion for Sanford: The City of Sanford is providing a free curbside bucket and free trial month to the first 1,000 sign ups!

PORTLAND, ME (January 17, 2023) — The University of Southern Maine’s Promise Scholarship program has entered into a new partnership with the Aspirations Incubator, which includes five youth-serving organizations from around the state of Maine. The partnership broadens access to higher education by providing eligible students with a multi-year, “top-off” scholarship that ensures 100% of their need is met in covering tuition, fees, and on-campus living expenses.

A program with statewide impact, USM’s unique Promise Scholarship program supports up to 100 scholars every year – 25 new students annually – and pairs targeted financial aid with comprehensive wrap-around services that support the success of limited-income, first-generation Maine students who are referred by youth-serving organizations throughout the state. Since the program began in 2018, Promise has awarded more than $1 million in direct student aid to 108 students representing 42 high schools in each of Maine’s 16 counties. The scholarship is designed to enable students to graduate in four years with minimal to no debt and engage in high-impact experiences that are key to successfully navigating a college degree and developing critical skills essential to career success.

“The partnership between the Promise Scholarship and Aspirations Incubator not only removes financial barriers for deserving students, but also establishes continuity of support for rural Maine students as they transition into college,” said Daniel Barton, director of the Promise Scholarship program. “We are thrilled to partner with Aspirations Incubator and expand our reach across the state. Strategic partnerships strengthen the university’s ties to the community and enhance our mutual efforts to retain students here in Maine.”

Aspirations Incubator (AI) is a six-year pilot initiative launched in 2017 by the Rural Futures Fund that provides long-term, comprehensive mentoring programs in rural Maine communities to increase resiliency, build aspirations, and introduce young people to new opportunities. The Rural Futures Fund decided to focus exclusively on this effort and committed more than $8 million — the entirety of its endowment — to the Aspirations Incubator pilot programs. 

More than 280 youths at five partner sites currently participate in AI programs, which start in 7th grade and continue through high school. At each AI site, a local youth-serving organization is paired with a nearby school district: EDGE Program of the Maine Seacoast Mission and SAD 37 in Cherryfield; Old Town/Orono YMCA and RSU 34 in Old Town; Game Loft and RSU 3 in Thorndike; Chewonki and RSU 1 in Bath; and University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Center at Bryant Pond and SAD 44 in Bethel.

The first cohort of more than 60 Aspirations Incubator participants will be graduating from high school in the spring of 2023, having been immersed for six years in mentoring, experiential learning, social and emotional development, and college and career readiness program activities. The Promise Scholarship program has been following the evolution of the Aspirations Incubator and now that the first AI students are graduating, the timing couldn’t be better to build a solid partnership with AI and its members. 

“The way the Promise Scholarship is structured fully aligns with the uniqueness of how the AI model is designed,” said Don Carpenter, executive director of the Rural Futures Fund. “Each of our AI students have been surrounded by caring adult and peer mentors throughout their six-year educational experience while in the program. If our students get accepted into the Promise Scholarship program, not only will they have 100% of their financial needs met, but they also will receive another four years of continuous support from caring adult mentors on campus who will look out for them, walk alongside them, and guide them throughout their college experience. We would be honored to pass the relational baton of support over to the Promise Scholarship team to continue what we started.” 

Prospective students considering attending the University of Southern Maine in fall 2023, should apply for the Promise Scholarship by March 15. Twenty-five scholarships are awarded to applicants statewide each year.

GORHAM, ME (February 28, 2023) — The following events will be held in March at Baxter Memorial Library:

Book Club! 

Thursday, March 9^th: The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd; Thursday, March 23^rd: South to Americaby Imani Perry

We will meet in person at 10:15am in the Schneider Great Room – Masks optional, No registration necessary. All are welcome!

Creative Rice Maps

Wednesday, March 15th 12:30-1:30pm. Visit the library to learn how to use rice to create your own fantasy map.  All you need to bring is your imagination and we will provide the rest! Ages 8 and up.

Author Event

Joanne Lannin on Women in Sports Journalism on Wednesday, March 22nd 6pm. Women in sports journalism have faced an uphill battle. They faced colleagues who ignored them, athletes who tried to humiliate them, fans who ridiculed them, and executives who tried to keep them from doing their jobs—challenges many still face today. In Who Let Them In? Pathbreaking Women in Sports Journalism, local author Joanne Lannin recounts the stories of the female sportscasters and writers who paved the way for those that followed. 

Sustainable Fishing: Explore the science of fishing w/ UMaine Cooperative Extension 4-H

Wednesdays March 22nd, 29th & April 5th, 12^th, 3:30-4:30pm. In this series of engaging activities, participants will learn the difference between sustainable and unsustainable fishing practices. Through games, simulations and experiments participants will get to know what species are fished for in Maine, how to find them, and the challenges of maintaining both thriving fisheries and healthy ecosystems. Call the library 222-1190 to sign up.

GORHAM, ME (March 2, 2023) – Gorham Middle School will be presenting Beauty and the Beast! Dates are Friday, March 10th at 7pm; Saturday, March 11th at 2pm and 7pm; Sunday, March 12th at 2pm. Performances will be held at Gorham Middle School’s Auditorium, and tickets are $5 at the door.

GORHAM, ME (February 24, 2023) — Please join Gorham School Department for an “Eat and Learn” event coming up on March 14!

Join fellow community members as we eat and learn about the ongoing efforts to enhance equity in all of Gorham’s schools within the district!

Check out the flyer for more information AND RSVP via the link provided TODAY!

GORHAM, ME (February 20, 2023) — As we head into Lent (Feb 22), Food Pantry Friends encourages you to consider taking part in “40 cans for Lent” to support your neighbors using the Pantry. You can drop items off in the bin at the pantry as you collect them, or you can drop them all off on April 8th. Here are a few ideas: Mac & Cheese in boxes; Cereal cold & hot (packets of oatmeal); Ramen noodles (not cups); Pasta Sauce 20-24 oz; Baked Beans; Chef Boyardee canned pasta; Cans of tuna or chicken; Soups.

Thank you for your support, and for helping to feed your neighbors here in Gorham!

WESTBROOK, ME (February 17, 2023) — WinterFest is back! We’re adding some fun new activities and surprises.

The 30 foot inflatable slides, petting zoo, horse and wagon rides, bounce houses, face painting, S’mores station, music and many other scheduled performances are also back this year. Updated information will be added to the website in early February including the schedule of events.

Join us March 4th at Riverbank Park from 8AM to Noon!

Discover Downtown Westbrook is seeking sponsors and volunteers for this event. Please email abby@downtownwestbrook.com to volunteer or for more information on sponsorship.

GORHAM, ME (February 23, 2023) — The USM Department of Theatre, in collaboration with the Osher School of Music, brings Sondheim’s & Lapine’s modern classic Into the Woods to life in this lavish & enchanting production.

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weave together everyone’s favorite storybook characters in this Tony Award-winning modern classic. The Baker and his wife wish to have a child, Cinderella wishes to attend the King’s Festival, and Jack wishes his cow would give milk. The Baker and his wife launch a journey into the woods that sets everyone on the path to getting their wish. But the consequences of their actions return to haunt them with disastrous results. Everyone must band together to survive and create a new world for themselves.

For director Elizabeth Carlson, what makes Into the Woods compelling is its focus on community. “It’s about how we live together and what we owe to each other and all the impossible decisions and inevitable mistakes we make in our relationships to one another. This play refuses to offer the easy answers we want from a fairy tale, and that is what makes it a rich landscape for exploration; we see these characters wrestle with the consequences of their decisions and actions and it allows us to see a complexity that we recognize in our own world.”

For musical director Edward Reichert, his love of Into the Woods runs deep, “It is one of my favorite Sondheim musicals because it resonates with me in so many ways. Themes of family, community, life, love, and loss will be brought to life. Into the Woods has become a timeless classic and we look forward to sharing this fantastical tale with a new generation.”

This production will feature the talents of more than 20 musical performance and theatre majors on stage. Behind the scenes, the props, costumes, lighting, and set are all constructed by students and recent alumni under the direction of USM Theatre’s skilled faculty. 

This kind of community is just what director Elizabeth Carlson feels the play is about, “It’s been gratifying to see the way that all the students involved from actors to designers to stage managers have taken responsibility for this show enthusiastically and collectively. I believe that learning to work in community is how we can enact a more just world, which is an idea that lives at the core of this show. You’ll see some incredible work, onstage and off, from a group of immensely talented USM students.” 

Into the Woods runs March 3-10th. All performances take place on the USM Gorham campus at Russell Hall. Appropriate for ages 12 and up. Content advisory: This show contains mild violence, comedic gore, and brief allusion to sex.

Into the Woods — Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by James Lapine; Directed by Elizabeth Carlson; Musical Direction by Ed Reichert; Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI); Sponsored by Norway Savings Bank.

March 3-10. March 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 at 7:00 PM. March 5 at 2:00PM. March 10 at 10:00AM.

Ticket Prices: $22 for Adults; $16 for Seniors, USM employees and Alumni; $10 for Students/Youth

Special group pricing available. See below for contact information.

To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit USM Theatre online at https://usm.maine.edu/department-theatre/, or call the USM Theatre Box Office at (207) 780-5151. 

Those needing special accommodations to participate fully in this program, contact Janice Gardner at (207)780-5289 or janice.gardner@maine.edu. Hearing impaired: call USM’s telex / TDD number (207)780-5646

Molly Scott (Cinderella) and cast in rehearsal. Picture by Noli French @FrenchsFotos.