GORHAM, ME — A concern for the increasing scourge of gun violence in America brought together nine authors to write American Roulette. Most are award winners. All are standouts in their field. They write for every genre: novels, non-fiction, kids’ lit, academic publications, journalism, broadcast, and blogs.

American Roulette is a blockbuster novel full of tension, dread, and anguish. One unremarkable Friday in April, a stream of ordinary people make their way to Liberty Mall in Anywhere, USA. American Roulette tells the story of eight of those people. At 5:17 PM, one of these characters’ actions will change the lives of all the others.

Join authors Pat LaMarche and Andy Carey at Gorham’s Baxter Memorial Library on Wednesday, March 27^th at 6pm in a discussion about gun violence and the impacts on responders, average citizens, and children, as well as the importance of dialogue about this issue if we hope to find a solution.

GORHAM, ME – On Saturday, March 16, long-time Gorham resident Ellie Sato announced that she will be a candidate for the Maine House of Representatives. If elected, Ellie Sato would become the first Japanese-American to serve in the Maine State Legislature.

Sato will be seeking the Democratic nomination to run in House District 109, an area consisting of east and north Gorham. Currently, House District 109 is being served by Rep. Jim Boyle, D-Gorham, who is not seeking re-election this year. 

“Gorham is my hometown, and I want to ensure that the needs of our community are addressed in Augusta,” said Sato. “As a former bartender and professional dancer, I know firsthand how hard it is to live paycheck to paycheck. That’s why it’s important to have an ally at the State House who not only understands the issues that face our town, but who also knows how much work it takes to make ends meet. As a State Representative, I will address the issues that affect our community most with the knowledge and connections I gained when I was a legislative aide at the State House. I have the passion, experience, and capacity to safeguard the future for our town and our state.”

If elected to the Maine State Legislature, Sato aims to offset the burden of property taxes, protect and expand access to health care services, address the effects of the climate crisis by building on land conservation efforts, and continue to fully fund public education at 55%. She supports policies that make housing more affordable for homeowners and renters, safeguard access to affordable abortion care, and fund legal services that support survivors of sexual and domestic violence. 

Sato currently serves as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee of the Maine Democratic Party. She has been working to promote better representation in the state party for those in marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Particularly, she is working to remove barriers of participation to political activism. As the daughter of the founders of Yosaku Restaurant in Portland, she is continuing the work and legacy of her family, who were instrumental in bringing high-quality Japanese cuisine to Maine.

Most recently, Sato served as a legislative aide for multiple Democratic lawmakers in the Maine Senate before leaving to run for office. In her capacity as an Aide, she directly supported Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, by listening to Gorham constituents and guiding them through state government. She helped Sen. Brenner advance legislation to address the PFAS crisis, work towards Maine’s climate goals, and close gaps in health care insurance.

“Ellie is a hard working and committed individual, whom I had the pleasure of working with,” Sen. Brenner said. “She is a fast-learner with a strong capacity to understand the complexity of an issue and knows how to move it forward. In supporting the Senate through its work towards reproductive justice, she was prepared, eloquent, and showed a propensity for leadership.” 

Prior to her work in Maine politics, Sato worked as a professional dancer, paying the bills through her work in food service as a bartender, caterer, and waiter. She received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Dance from Fordham University and the School of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with a minor in political science.

The Democratic Primary for state elections will be held on June 11, 2024. The General Election will be on November 5, 2024. Absentee ballots can be requested starting March 13, 2024, and will start being sent out May 13, 2024. 

Ellie Sato at her home in Gorham. Courtesy of Savanna Pettengill.

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A team of high school students from Yarmouth, Maine won their regional competition for the 2024 National Science Bowl® (NSB) this past weekend and will compete in the NSB National Finals this spring, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), who sponsors the NSB. 

“Every year this ‘competition like no other’ brings together some of the most remarkable and inspiring students from across America.,” said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, DOE Office of Science Director, “and I would like to congratulate the Yarmouth High School team as they advance to the National Finals! Good luck to you – our future scientists, visionaries, and leaders!” 

The NSB brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in a fast-paced question-and-answer format where they solve technical problems and answer questions on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth and space sciences, physics, and math.

 The top two middle and high school teams will win $5000 for their schools’ math and science departments. Other schools placing in the top 16 in the National Finals will win $1,000 for their schools’ science departments. For press inquiries, please contact the NSB media outreach manager, Nathan Clark, at nathan.clark@science.doe.gov.

The winning team from each qualifying regional competition will be eligible to compete in the National Finals held in Washington, D.C., from April 25 – 29, 2024, with all expenses paid. The national event consists of several days of science activities and sightseeing, along with the competitions.

The NSB annually draws more than 10,000 middle and high school competitors. Since the first competition in 1991, approximately 344,000 students have faced off in the National Science Bowl® Finals. The knowledge that former competitors have acquired and, more importantly, the collaborative skills and study habits that they learned along the way have led them to successes in a variety of fields. Many have become researchers; others are science and math professors. 

The 2024 competitors will follow in the footsteps of previous National Science Bowl® contestants and will blaze a trail for students in science, math, and engineering.

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https://www.energy.gov/science.

BRUNSWICK, ME — The Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick and the Midcoast Indigenous Awareness Group are co-sponsoring a free poetry reading and discussion at the UU Church at 1 Middle Street on Saturday March 23rd, 6:30 to 8 pm

Poetry deepens understanding and lends both strength and solace in this time of increasing pressure and challenge. Wolastoqey poet and activist Mihku Paul and poet and scholar Claire Millikin gather to read poetry and invite discussion of what it means to enter the narrows. Through the lens of poetry, we return to a place of hope.

The evening will also offer a special screening of the four-minute film Putep Qotatokot-te Elewestaq (The Whale Was Speaking), produced by Mihku Paul and Professor Dawn Nye of University of Maine Farmington

For more information, contact claire.raymond@me.edu   

Saturday, March 23, 6:30-8 pm

Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick

1 Middle Street

Brunswick

GORHAM, ME — If you are interested in volunteering or working for GYBSA as an umpire for our softball and baseball 2024 seasons, this is a great way to get your feet under you.  We will pay the registration for anyone who wants to help us out in 2024!  Email us at president.gybsa@gmail.com for more information.

MAINE — The NH Fiddle Ensemble, a local nonprofit,  announce concerts for their 2024 season:

Friday, May 3, 2024, 6:30 pm Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St, Rochester, NH

Saturday, May 4, 2024, 6:30 pm Star Theatre, 120 Rogers Road, Kittery, ME

Saturday, May 11, 2024, 6:30 pm Interlakes High School Auditorium, 1 Laker Lane, Meredith, NH 

Saturday, May 18, 2024, 6:30 pm Exeter Town Hall, 9 Front Street, Exeter, NH

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 2:00pm Derryfield School, 2108 River Rd, Manchester, NH

Sunday, June 2, 2024,  2:00pm Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St, Westbrook, ME

 The 15th year for the ensemble brings together another dedicated group of over 140 people ages 9 – 89.  This community orchestra of fiddles, guitars, banjos, mandolins, basses, harps, cellos and even some horns are backed by professionals delivering a heartwarming and energetic performance.  As one concert goer said as they left a show, “I come back every year because this whole show and purpose behind it makes me smile and feel all the good there is in the world.  Kids playing with their grandparents, people from all different backgrounds coming together. AND it’s good music!”  This show is more than fiddle tunes.  You will hear some hot picking on a bluegrass tune, the sweet harp on a waltz, upbeat fiddling on Irish reels, women belting out a blues song, gutsy country singing, grooving rock and ages from 9 to 89 ripping up solos.   It’s a lively show with a dose of humor! 

 The NH Fiddle Ensemble is a nonprofit whose mission is to bring community together through music.  Rehearsals start in November and go through April.  Music is taught by ear so you won’t see any music stands on stage, just performers smiling and looking at the audience and each other.   After rehearsing in seven smaller groups throughout New Hampshire and Maine, the groups then come together for 2 large rehearsals and 6 concerts.  Some concerts are in partnership with other nonprofits to help raise awareness of community organizations. 

For tickets, go to:  https://www.nhfiddleensemble.org/concerts/

Do you enjoy stretching your mind and discussing interesting topics with other adults? Last month at Walker Memorial Library’s Big Conversation, we discussed things like “what might extraterrestrial life be like,” “what unites us,” “do the benefits of social media outweigh the negatives,” and “is a hot dog a sandwich.” Sound fun? Then join us for our next Big Conversations in 10 Short Minutes on March 16th from 10-11am!

Here’s how it works: We’ll give you a couple of conversation prompts. One is simple. One leans more toward the philosophical. You’ll be paired with someone to have a short, 10-minute conversation about the prompt of your choice. When you’re done, you’ll be paired with someone else for a new conversation with new prompts. We like to think of it as a little pocket of meaning at the end of a long day.

Offered in partnership with these Maine public libraries: Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Camden Public Library, Curtis Memorial Library, Falmouth Memorial Library, Kennebunk Free Library, Lubec Memorial Library, Merrill Memorial Library, Prince Memorial Library, Scarborough Public Library, Thomas Memorial Library, Walker Memorial Library, and Windham Public Library.

This is a virtual event offered via Zoom. Registration is required. We will send you a link to this meeting the day before the event.

GORHAM, ME — Middle School Rock Climbing Club at Salt Pump Climbing Co. starts in a few weeks and has a few spots left! For more info and to register check out the Gorham Recreation Department’s website.

FALMOUTH, ME – Applications are available starting March 1 for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Food Preserver Volunteer program. The program trains volunteers to extend UMaine Extension’s education programs in food preservation to adults and youth in the community.

The program consists of nine hands-on kitchen labs, held Tuesdays from 5:30-8:30 p.m., June 18 to Aug. 27. The first and last class will be held at the Cumberland County Extension office in Falmouth, 75 Clearwater Drive. The remaining classes will be held at Brunswick High School in Brunswick, 71 Dragon Drive. Participants will learn various food preservation techniques, including canning, drying, freezing, freeze drying, fermenting, and winter storage, as well as important food safety information.

The Master Food Preserver Volunteer Program is open to any Maine resident 18 years or older. Upon successful completion of the program, volunteers will serve as valuable resources in the community, providing research-based information from UMaine Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  

Class size is limited, and interested individuals are required to fill out an application. The application deadline is 4:30 p.m. May 3. Participants will be informed of their selection status during the last week of May. 

The fee for the Master Food Preserver Volunteer Program is $300, due upon acceptance into the program. Limited financial assistance is available. Requests for a hard copy of the application form can be made by contacting extension.rlreception@maine.edu or 207.781.6099. 

For more information and to access the application form, please visit the program webpage. 

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Kathy Savoie, ksavoie@maine.edu, 207.781.6099 or 1.800.287.1471 (in Maine).

Photo courtesy University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

GORHAM, ME — Robert lives in southern Oxford County Maine among the foothills of the White Mountains. His three-title Lizzie Millett Series is set in this rural area of rivers, lakes and forests. His writing brings to life the people and life in small town, rural Maine between the years of 1860 and 1910, a time of wide-spread modernization. While these three titles are well-researched historical fiction, he refers to them as novels about relationships in a historic setting.

Author Event: Robert W. Spencer

Wednesday, March 13th 6pm