MAINE — University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County 4-H Leaders Association will hold its annual fundraisers during the Cumberland Fair, open daily 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sunday, September 22 to Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 197 Blanchard Road, Cumberland. Funds raised support scholarships, camperships, activities, events and trips for 4-H members in Cumberland County.

Tickets, $1 each or $5 for six, are on sale now for the 4-H Pig Raffle and can be purchased at the Cumberland County Extension office, 75 Clearwater Dr., Ste 104 in Falmouth or during the Cumberland Fair at the Pig Raffle Booth located in front of the 4-H Exhibit Hall. The raffle winner will receive a freezer-ready pig donated by Connie Wood, Pat Stack and Ralph Clark, raised by Jacob Brown with grain donated by Windham Blue Seal, and processing donated by Windham Butcher Shop. The drawing will be held Saturday, September 28 at the fair but you do not need to be present to win.

The 4-H Kitchen, located at the back of the 4-H Exhibit Hall across from the Livestock Show Arena, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. It offers an affordable menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both the Pig Raffle Booth and 4-H Kitchen are staffed by 4-H members, volunteers, parents, and friends donating their time to support 4-H.

For more information visit the program webpage, call 207.781.6099 or email allison.pollock@maine.edu.

Photo courtesy University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

BUXTON, ME — You’re invited to join the West Buxton Library Writing Workshops.  There are no fees, no prerequisites and spelling doesn’t matter. These workshops are for adults   in Buxton and surrounding communities.  We are funded by the Narragansett Number One Foundation and sponsored by the West Buxton Public Library.

You are not required to share your writing, but if you do, you will find us a friendly, non-judgmental and encouraging group.  Our critiquing guidelines include: Positivity, Encouragement, Kindness.

We meet the second Wednesday of each month, via Zoom.  If you are not connected via Zoom, you may want to join our in house meeting in October:

 Two  tentative dates have been reserved at Buxton Town Hall

 Saturday 10/5 or Saturday 10/19

I’m looking for a speaker for either of these dates.  Do you know  someone who might be interested in being our guest? There is a small stipend available.

FMI and the Zoom link, contact Lorraine lindcabin@gmail.com

GORHAM, ME — If picking your own grown juicy tomato and crispy greens is on your bucket list, try gardening at Cressey Road Christian Church Community Garden in Bucket Step planters, ready for planting, no fees, and PFAS free.

Bucket Steps were built by Eagle Scout candidate Christopher Bolton with help from his troop, scout leader Kelly Deprez, and Rick Smart. Bucket Steps have 3 rows, with 4 buckets each. You may share a bucket step unit with someone. Bucket Steps are user friendly planters with minimal bending required. This is just a beginning as we continue building raised garden units offering planting boxes and vegtrugs. Bucket Steps are available now on a first come, first served basis. To use one of these planters, please contact Lorraine lindcabin@gmail.com for guidelines and an application.

NORTON, MA — Five different players scored to fuel a 5-1 victory for the Wheaton College (Mass.) men’s soccer team over visiting Saint Joseph’s College (Maine) this afternoon on Keefe Field in Norton, Mass. on the Wheaton campus.

The Lyons improve to 2-0 on the season for their best start after two matches since 2014 when they won their first five contests. Wheaton’s goal total marks the most in a home game since the Lyons defeated Emerson College, 6-1, on October 21, 2017.

The Monks fall to 0-1-1.

The game was called final with 2:26 left to play following a lightning strike.

Wheaton dominated play, outshooting Saint Joseph’s 24-3, while owning a 9-2 margin on corner kicks.

The Lyons scored within the first 10 minutes of the game and added one more score before the intermission. Wheaton added three insurance goals in the second stanza, while the Monks’ only marker came on a penalty kick.

First year forward Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) put the Lyons on the board in the 10th minute of play with his first collegiate goal. The rookie collected the ball, which had been popped into the air, and unfurled a shot from a step inside the top of the box that settled just inside the far left corner for a 1-0 Wheaton edge.

The Lyons tacked on another goal with a tick over 10 minutes to play in the half for a 2-0 lead. Junior midfielder Baden McLaughlin (Yarmouth, Maine) served a free kick from just outside the box into the goalmouth, where it was blocked in front, but sophomore midfielder Caleb Cassetta-Waxman (Denver, Colo.) redirected the ball with a header into the right corner of the net for his first collegiate score.

Wheaton took advantage of a free kick from 23 yards out for its third marker of the day. Senior forward Alasdair Ferrier (Concord, N.H.) curled a shot from behind a Saint Joseph’s wall that snuck just inside the far right post for his first tally of the season coming in the 53rd minute of the contest.

The Monks broke up the Lyons’ bid for a shutout in the 68th minute when senior midfielder Rion Dos Santos (São Paulo, Brazil) deposited a penalty kick into the right corner of the net to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Junior midfielder Baden McLaughlin (Yarmouth, Maine) created his own space after picking up a loose ball and was able to stop and fire a shot into the far left post for his first goal of the year in the 74th minute and provide the home team with a three-goal margin.

The Lyons manufactured their fifth goal of the afternoon when senior midfielder Max Strong (Littleton, Mass.) flicked the ball off his back foot from a crowd just outside the box, where first year forward Charlie Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) was able to carry the ball into the box. The rookie sent a short cross to sophomore midfielder Declan Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.), who ripped a shot that was deflected off a Monk defender, before finding the back of the net for his first collegiate goal with 8:30 left in regulation.

Junior keeper Michael O’Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) was untested in a scoreless first half, before yielding to Wheaton sophomore goalie Nick Phinney (Gorham, Maine), who stopped one of two shots in the second session. Senior netminder Liam Foley (Middleton, Mass.) turned away nine shots, including a penalty kick, in 87:34 of play for Saint Joseph’s.

GORHAM, ME — After two years of fostering our community’s appreciation for good books and good company, The North Gorham Public Library Director, Lea Sutton decided it was time to retire. She has quite a long list of mostly fun things she plans to dive into, including a stack of books she hasn’t had time to read. If you belong to our book club, you’ll get to visit with her every month, and we’re hoping that once she settles down a bit from the joy of no longer working, we can entice her to volunteer now and then. Thank you, Lea, for the many gifts you brought to our library and each one of us.

Lea’s last day was July 31st and since then, Diane Atwood has stepped into her shoes. Atwood wrote: “I knew from being the Assistant Librarian there were far more responsibilities than most people realize. I also knew that when the Board offered me the position, I would forever be disappointed if I didn’t accept. Since childhood, libraries have been sacred spaces for me, and when my daughters were young, I wondered if someday, I could become a librarian. So, here I am! I hope I can live up to the strong example of all the librarians in our community who have come before me.

Thankfully, it won’t be a solitary commitment. We have a devoted board, many wonderful volunteers, and a new Library Assistant — Debbie Ledoux from Standish. Recently retired from a career as a dental hygienist, Debbie was looking for a part-time job that brought her joy. Being surrounded by friendly people and books begging to be read fit the bill! Welcome, Debbie!               

We hope you’ll come in to visit us soon and often. As did Lea, we all have an appreciation for good books and good company!”

Lea Sutton (L) Diane Atwood (R)

GORHAM, ME — The University of Southern Maine Art Gallery is pleased to announce our 2024 fall exhibition, under/current. Featuring work by artist Stephanie Garon, this show uses video, sound, and mined rocks to transform our two-century-old building into an immersive artistic experience.

Stephanie Garon focuses on materials to investigate human collisions with the environment. She recently acquired a 20,000-rock core collection from a Gold Rush mining site from 1850. The site sits between two Passamaquoddy reservations and five towns in eastern Maine. Garon utilizes these rocks to create a new landscape within the Gallery. The resulting exhibition asks viewers to consider and respond to these material transformations, noting how such alchemizations prompt us to pay closer attention to our surroundings. In turn, our understanding is deepened regarding how natural resources are gathered, accumulated, and commodified. All are invited to join us for the exhibition and two major programmatic events:

An opening reception for under/current on Thursday, October 3 at 6 p.m. Location: University of Southern Maine Art Gallery 5 University Way, Gorham, Maine

A panel discussion on October 5 at 4 p.m. on issues around land claim, mining’s impact on the local economy, and how themes of economic and ecological intertwinement can be viewed as a microcosm of the concerns that face many communities throughout the ecoregion. Location: USM McGoldrick Center for Student Success, 35 Bedford Avenue, Portland, Maine 04101 & online via Zoom

Learn more at usm.maine.edu/gallery

Image courtesy of artist Stephanie Garon.

BRUNSWICK, ME — Jon Pousette-Dart, best known as leader of the classic 70’s folk rock group, the Pousette-Dart Band, will be performing with bandmate Jim Chapdelaine at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick on FRIDAY, September 20th, 2024 at 7:30 pm as part of the UUCB Concerts for a Cause. All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Brunswick Area Teen Center and Maine Family Planning.

The Pousette-Dart Band was a mainstay of album radio, a favorite on the college circuit and became one of the busiest touring groups in the US working with such acts as The Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, The Eagles, James Taylor, The J. Geils Band, and many more. They released 4 albums of harmony-filled, country-tinged folk-rock, and got plenty of radio play with songs including “Amnesia,” “What Can I Say,” and “Freezing Hot.”

Although the band formally broke up in 1981, Jon Pousette-Dart continued writing and producing and recording again on his own. He’s turned out five solo albums. The band members reunited in 1991 for a series of concerts, and a “Best Of” album was released in 1994. Since then, collaborations among various former personnel have continued,

Jon is back on the road with his longtime fellow bandmate, Jim Chapdelaine on guitar/vocals, who co-produced several of Jon’s records. As a Duo they perform decades of music from the Capitol years up to the latest solo releases. Jon Pousette-Dart DUO has become one of the top Country and Folk artists in the 2024 music scene. These long-touring musicians will perform the music known by heart by a whole generation. 

Please note that this concert is on a FRIDAY, which is a departure from most of the other Concerts for a Cause.

Tickets:  $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $10 Students/Children.  Available at the church office, Gulf of Maine Books, or online at https://ticketstripe.com/pousette.

STANDISH, ME — Standish Community Dog Park will be holding a Pups in the Park event to benefit the dog park. The event is free and fun for all, well-behaved dogs on a leash,  and will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2024 (rain date 9/15).  It will be at 670 Ossipee Trail West, Standish on the multi-purpose fields at Memorial Park.  The event is from 10 am-1 pm. The Fun Dog Show registration starts at 10 am and the show will start at 10:30 am.  Trooper Hinck and K9 Berry will do a demonstration at noon.  Raffle prize drawings will be at 1 pm.  We will have Sponsors and give-a-ways, vendors, non profits,  a chill zone, fun agility area and more! 

Standish Parks and Recreation operates the dog park with support from volunteers.  The money raised with help add benches and a shade structure. We hope to see you there!

STANDISH, ME — You are invited to celebrate the past year and get a glimpse into what is to come at Presumpscot Regional Land Trust’s Annual Meeting at Randall Orchards on Sunday, September 29th, starting at 5 pm.

5:00 pm: Socialize and enjoy snacks and cider

5:45 pm: Welcome and slideshow highlights from the last year

6:00 pm: Strategic Plan

6:15 pm: Annual meeting and member votes

6:25 pm: Wrap up and enjoy the sunset over the orchard

Come early and enjoy apple picking at Randall Orchards. The Randall family owns Randall Orchards, and the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust holds a 500-acre conservation and agricultural easement on the orchard and surrounding forest.

GORHAM, ME — You are invited to participate in an upcoming Community Book Talk! Please consider joining this opportunity to connect with others in our Gorham School community!