GORHAM, ME (September 1, 2023)—After living and photographing scenes in Maine for over 23 years, John Tiedje is having a one-man show at the Stier Gallery in the Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth during the month of September.

Details: Thomas Memorial Library, 6 Scott Dyer Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107, (207) 799-1720

The show will feature of local scenes: snow scenes, coastal, old barns, landscapes and more. John has exhibited in local, state and national shows. He has won Photographer’s Forum, Best of Photography, Award of Excellence. He is a member of the Photograhpers Society of America and the Maine Union of Visual Artists.

PORTLAND, ME (September 1, 2023) — Local non-profit dance company, Vivid Motion, will hold auditions for its annual winter burlesque show:

What: “’Twas The Night Before…Burlesque”

When: Sat 9/9 – 9:30-11am (ages 18+ and not in high school)

Where: Scarborough Dance Center, 26 Oak Hill Terrace, Scarborough ME

Join us for this year’s hot-hot-HOTTEST winter burlesque show, co-directed by Brigitte Paulus and MJ Emerson. In true innovative and quirky Vivid Motion Dance style, we’ve taken the classic holiday poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and turned it into a sizzling and sensual dance performance, complete with a live band onstage. Dancers of all styles, levels, sizes, genders, races, and ethnicities who are at least 18 and not in high school are encouraged to audition!

Auditions are held in a class format: a warm up followed by several combinations at center. Please wear clothes you can move in and have your hair out of your face. Pre-registration is necessary and is now open at vividmotion.org/auditions. Registration closes at 9:00am on Saturday, September 9th.

Rehearsals will be Saturdays & Sundays, September 16 – December 7 from 9:30am-2:30pm at Scarborough Dance Center. (NO rehearsals Thanksgiving weekend.) Time spent in rehearsals is dependent on casting. Performances: Dec 8-10 & Dec 13-16, 2023 at The Hill Arts (formerly St Lawrence Arts) at 7:30pm.

More information, including a complete list of roles (descriptions of pieces and dance levels) and registration is available at vividmotion.org 

AUGUSTA, ME (August 24, 2023) – The Efficiency Maine Green Bank today congratulated the Town of Cumberland, the City of Augusta, and the City of Westbrook for being the first municipalities in the state to adopt an ordinance authorizing the use of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) loans in their communities. The ordinance was passed in Cumberland on July 10, in Augusta on July 20, and in Westbrook on August 21. The Efficiency Maine Green Bank also announced it recently has added the first registered capital providers to its new C-PACE program and is keen to see more Maine municipalities and lending institutions participate. 

A C-PACE program provides access to loans for commercial property owners interested in undertaking energy efficiency and clean energy improvements on their buildings. The investment is recovered through savings on the consumers’ energy bills. In 2021, the Maine Legislature enacted L.D. 340, An Act to Allow for the Establishment of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs (The “C-PACE Act”). The C-PACE Act authorizes the Efficiency Maine Trust to establish a C-PACE program. 

“We congratulate Cumberland, Augusta, and Westbrook for making C-PACE loans available in their communities,” said Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine. “This provides a very attractive pathway for businesses to finance energy improvements, such as upgrading to heat pump systems for heating and cooling in their buildings. We strongly encourage more of Maine’s municipalities to adopt this ordinance so their local businesses can also take advantage of this initiative. Municipalities and lenders interested in joining the program can find more information at the Efficiency Maine website.” 

“Energy costs have been rising and energy efficiency investments can be prohibitively expensive for commercial property owners,” said Keith Luke, economic development director for the City of Augusta. “By using the C-PACE program, commercial property owners can access financing at typically lower rates and over a longer term than with conventional business loans.” 

Three capital providers have registered for the program, including Nuveen Green Capital and Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate. 

“We are thrilled to be able to provide C-PACE financing for commercial real estate projects in Augusta, Westbrook, and Cumberland,” said Mike Doty, senior originations director for Nuveen Green Capital. “We believe that the continued expansion of this cost-efficient financing mechanism in the great state of Maine will lead to the increased inclusion of sustainability measures in CRE projects – which will not only benefit local economies – but also the environment.” 

“CounterpointeSRE looks forward to serving Mainers by providing C-PACE capital toward energy savings improvement projects that benefit the common good,” said Michele Pitale, managing director of PACE Finance at Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate. 

Maine’s C-PACE program was launched in the spring of 2023. A C-PACE mechanism uses a loan from a capital provider to pay for the upfront costs associated with energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements. The loan is secured by a property tax assessment with an associated lien on the subject property, allowing financing for a longer term and the ability to transfer the repayment obligations to a subsequent owner of the property. The consumer-friendly terms of C-PACE financing are intended to enable more extensive building retrofits beyond what may be possible with traditional financing. 

Before the Efficiency Maine C-PACE Program can accept loan applications, Maine law requires that interested municipalities and capital providers must opt in to participate in the program. In the meantime, developers, contractors, and commercial property owners who are interested in pursuing a C-PACE project can review the program documents and reach out to their municipalities to inquire about the status of a C-PACE ordinance in their towns. More details about Efficiency Maine’s C-PACE Program can be found at https://www.efficiencymaine.com/c-pace/. Interested parties also can email C-PACE@efficiencymaine.com or call 866-376-2463. 

Efficiency Maine’s C-PACE Program is part of the Efficiency Maine Green Bank, which offers a suite of financing initiatives to support energy projects to help Maine’s homes and businesses lower their energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions. These financing initiatives are designed to drive private capital into market gaps for energy efficiency and clean energy equipment and services. They are an important complement to the Efficiency Maine’s other incentives for residents and businesses. Information about the Efficiency Maine Green Bank can be found at https://www.efficiencymaine.com/green-bank/.  

FALMOUTH, MAINE – Maine State Ballet holds open auditions on September 8-9 at its Falmouth studio for its annual Nutcracker performance. Dancers at least 8 years old are invited to participate. More information is at mainestateballet.org. 

Staging and choreography is by New York City Ballet Alumni and Artistic Director Linda MacArthur Miele. Sets and costumes by Costume Designer Gail Csoboth. Robert Lehmann conducts the Maine State Ballet Orchestra.

Performances run two weekends at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium November 24-December 3, 2023.

FALMOUTH, ME (August 25, 2023) — University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County will host an Open House and Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 5 to 7 p.m., at the UMaine Gardens at Tidewater Farm, 200 Presumpscot Point Road.

The public is invited to learn about Extension’s work, explore the gardens, hear a short presentation by local beekeeper Peter Richardson and participate in a King Arthur’s Flour Pie Bake-Off. Presentations begin at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments and locally-made ice cream will be provided. No registration required.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, visit our website or contact Sarah Davenport, extension.cumberland@maine.edu, 207.781.6099.

Photo courtesy University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Run Like A Dog, LLC | sprintbreatherest.com is working with Giving Tree of Maine as they host their Annual Fundraiser on Saturday, SEPTEMBER 2, 2023, at The Galilee Baptist Church, located at 317 Main St., Gorham, ME, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.

The Fundraiser will include vendors, Crafts & Yard Sale, as well as a 50/50 raffles & silent auction. Breakfast & lunch will be available for purchase.

Run Like A Dog, LLC | sprintbreatherest.com is donating “furry friends” gift baskets for the silent auction, dog products & accessories to the ARLGP, as well as donating 5% of All in-person Sales on the day of the event to the Giving Tree of Maine.

Giving Tree of Maine was founded by Julia Swett, Class of 2019 graduate of Bonny Eagle High School, and daughter to Melissa Swett. Julia started this organization to benefit those in need in the communities throughout Maine by “Raising Awareness One Box at A Time.” Julia is now an R.N. at Orlando Healthcare in Florida and her younger sister, Braedyn Swett, is learning the ropes to run the organization.

Founder & CEO of Run Like A Dog, LLC | sprintbreatherest.com, Mary Sauschuck, was contacted by Melissa Swett to donate to the event. After learning about the Giving Tree of Maine, Sauschuck decided to not only donate to this worthy organization but promote the event as well.

GORHAM, ME (August 18, 2023) — A State Referendum and the Town’s Annual Municipal Election will take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 in which voters will have an opportunity to vote on People’s Veto Referenda, Direct Initiatives of Legislation (i.e. Citizen Initiatives) Bond Issues, other referenda proposed by the Legislature, and Constitutional Amendments, as well as appointments to the Gorham Town Council and Gorham School Committee.

The State will have eight referendum questions on the ballot, which can be viewed on the Town’s website.

The Town has two seats open on the Town Council, and three seats open for the three-year School Committee seat, and one seat open for a one-year School Committee seat.

You can request an absentee ballot by visiting the Town’s website.  Your ballot will be mailed to you once we receive them in early October.

Voter Registration

Unenrolled voters can enroll in a party at any time, including Election Day, since the State of Maine offers Election Day voter registration.

Absentee Voting

Absentee ballot requests are now available. You can request an absentee ballot by calling the Clerks office or by going to the Town’s website. Ballots will be mailed out the first week of October once the Town Clerk’s Office receives them.

Absentee voting will be available in the Council Chambers at the Gorham Municipal Center (75 South Street, Suite 1) between Monday, October 23 and Thursday, October 26, as well as Monday, October 30 and Thursday, November 2. The last day to obtain an absentee ballot will be Thursday, November 2 at 5pm.

To be counted, absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk’s Office by 8pm on Election Day – November 7, 2023 by you or an immediate family member.

If you have further questions about absentee voting, please stop by the Town Clerk’s Office, call 222-1670, or see the Town’s website.

GORHAM, ME (August 18, 2023)—As the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary took place last Tuesday, dozens of people, including Bishop Robert Deeley, participated in a Rosary procession and rally in the town of Gorham on Saturday, August 12.

“This is a beautiful devotion to the Blessed Mother. It is important at times to be public with our faith,” the bishop said. “The procession and that manifestation of faith is a testament to the knowledge that God is with us.”

The procession began at Gorham High School, continued down South Street to the intersection with Main Street, and then concluded at St. Anne Church, where the rally was held. The group sang and carried a statue of Our Lady of Fatima as they walked the one-and-a-half-mile route.

“It’s to honor Our Lady, especially in advance of her feast day, the Feast of the Assumption [August 15]. It’s a wonderful public witness,” said S. R. Clark from Gorham, who participated in the procession and rally. “It seemed as though there were many bystanders or homeowners peeking out and showing interest, and so we trust Our Lady will help bring them closer to Jesus.”

“I have children, and the world is changing so fast in the wrong direction, and Our Lady of Fatima warned us about that,” said Mary Fallon of Durham. “There is no way out of it except through Our Lady’s help. That is the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the reason I’m here. I want to be part of that.”

“Maine and the country need Fatima. We need prayer, so we wanted to come to be part of it,” said Mary Landry of Westbrook.

“People will see something, and they’ll toot. A lot of people will do that, but they don’t have the courage to come out. In numbers, you are strong. You have to show up. You just have got to do it,” said Donald Landry, Mary’s husband.

Once at St. Anne Church in Gorham, a rally was held outside on the church lawn. The bishop led the opening prayer, after which a number of prayer intentions were raised up, including for the people of Maui impacted by the devastating wildfires, for the protection of all vulnerable children, for those suffering from cancer and other ailments, and for an end to abortion.

After singing “Immaculate Mary,” those present then joined in praying the Angelus, the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Divine Praises, and other prayers.

Rosary rallies are held monthly at St. Anne Church in Gorham from May to October to commemorate the six appearances of the Blessed Mother to three children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. The rallies were started by the group Maine Needs Fatima back in 2017, the 100th anniversary of the apparitions.

Maine Needs Fatima is working to bring Our Lady of Fatima’s message to more parish communities around Maine. Rallies are planned for both Gorham and Gray on September 16, and in October, the Month of the Holy Rosary, rallies are scheduled in Cape Elizabeth, Gorham, and Gray on October 14, with more expected to take place. Maine Needs Fatima also offers home visitations with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. For more information, visit www.maineneedsfatima.org.

GORHAM, ME (August 18, 2023) — As all Gorham grades return to school the week of August 28th, we want to remind citizens to be aware and stop for school buses. Please remember cars must stop a safe distance away and not start again until a school bus’s red lights stop flashing, the stop sign has been folded back, and the bus begins to continue on its way.

A great visual reminder and PSA on distracted driving and School Bus Safety, created by 3 Gorham Community Access Media (GoCAM) and Gorham PD, can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/303121561

GORHAM, ME (August 18, 2023) — A documentary, produced by Saco River Community Media’s Executive Director Patrick Bonsant (former Gorham Community Access Media Specialist) and Gorham Community Access Media (GoCAM) Manager Georgia Humphrey, will reveal the little known, but consequential story of the Towns of Gorham and Windham’s history. Gunpowder mills once served as a major employer and an integral contributor to the Union troops during the U.S. Civil War.

In The Gunpowder Mills of Gorham & Windham, Maine, Patrick and Georgia take viewers on a journey back in time. Not long after Maine was incorporated as a state in 1820, the mills were established along the banks of the Presumpscot River. Based on late author and University of Southern Maine chemistry professor Dr. Maurice Whitten’s book The Gunpowder Mills of Maine, the story emphasizes the process of making gunpowder and the people who worked in the mills under dangerous conditions for 81 years.

Of the collaboration, Patrick shared that Georgia “conducted the most essential documentary interview featured in the film in the GoCAM studio. Georgia was also instrumental in gathering valuable footage and archival materials, including a critical scene of the late Dr. Maurice Whitten, the respected author of the book, adapted into a documentary. Georgia also “lent her smooth narrative voice to the documentary.”

The Gunpowder Mills of Gorham and Windham, Maine will air on Maine Public Television on Thursday, August 31 at 9pm and Saturday, September 2 at 2pm. Congratulations to Patrick and Georgia on this achievement!

Maine Historical Society/Https://Www.Mainememory.Net/Record/99132