Vote

School Administrative District 15 will hold its public budget meeting Thursday, May 28, at 6 p.m. at the Gray-New Gloucester High School Cafetorium in Gray. Voter check-in begins at 5:15 p.m. Questions can be directed at Superintendent Victoria Burns at 657-3335 or vburns@msad15.org.

March

Former Navy serviceman Bill Greene, who heads up New Gloucester’s annual Memorial Day parade, invites all who would like to participate but haven’t signed up yet to give him a call at 998-5455 over the weekend. Please plan to arrive at the starting point, which is the Amvets Hall on Route 100 (across from Hodgman’s Custard stand), at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25, to line up. The parade steps off at 9.

The route is less than one mile in length, ending with a service at the Memorial School starting at about 9:30. To honor American casualties of all wars, past and present, let’s hope for a large turnout of parade entrants and spectators.

Hike

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester, will host its first guided monthly nature hikes on Saturday, May 23. The first hike is from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and the second is from 1:30-4 p.m. The hikes cover the fields and woods on the south end of the village leading to Sabbathday Lake and Aurelia’s Cascade. Come and see if you can spot the Shaker Village eagle! Fees: $5 for adults, $2 for children, under 6 free. Please note that no pets are allowed at Shaker Village. To reserve a spot, call 926-4597.

Dig

Participants will learn how to lay out a garden for herbs, vegetables and flowers using companion planting, layering, organic methods and raised beds at this workshop on Saturday, May 30, at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester. Preregistration is required, and enrollment is capped at 12 people. The $40 fee includes free catalogs, seeds, soil recipes, and herbs from the Shaker garden. To sign up, call 926-4597 or e-mail usshakers@aol.com.

Hang

Teen Night at Pineland YMCA on Saturday, May 30, will be the last one until September. Teen Nights give youth in grades 6, 7, 8 and 9 a safe and fun place to hang out on a Saturday night from 6 to 9 p.m. Activities will include Rock and Bowling with new DJ lights and stereo, plus open gym for basketball and volleyball. The pool will also be open for water volleyball. Pizza and healthy snacks will be available for purchase. Fees: $5 for YMCA members and $7 for non-members in advance; $10 for all on the day of the event.

Celebrate

Celebrate the completion of the new fire-rescue station by attending its Grand Open House from 1-4 p.m., Sunday, May 31. The station is located at 611 Lewiston Road (Route 100).

Sing

All are welcome to participate in a Sacred Harp singing on Saturday, June 6, from 1-4 p.m., at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Meetinghouse, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester. This is a participatory event, not a performance.

Also known as shape note singing, Sacred Harp music, which flourished in New England during the early 19th century, diminished in popularity in this region by the 1840s. It migrated southward and westward, where it has been continuously practiced ever since.

This four-part singing tradition, which can be heard in the 2003 movie “Cold Mountain,” is enjoying a nationwide resurgence resulting in strong Sacred Harp singing communities throughout the United States. Singers from Maine gather regularly to practice this tradition and are joined by singers from throughout New England and the Northeast.

For more information, e-mail singings@mainesacredharp.org.

Listen

The June 6 Village Coffee House will feature a New Gloucester-based band with boundless energy and talent. Local guys will play a jambalaya of blues, bluegrass, folk, rock and jazz, featuring Ben Detroy, Hal Philips, Todd Burrows, Tom Schipper and Ted McHugh playing guitar, mandolin, fiddle, rub board and drums.

This concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m., is the last New Gloucester Village Coffee House until September. It’s a benefit to help finish the huge rebuilding project at the First Congregational Church vestry, which needs a new floor.

The Village Coffee House is located at the church vestry at 19 Gloucester Hill Road. Tickets will be available at the door: $10 for adults, $5 for children and seniors. Contact Julie Fralich 926-3161 for more information.

Watch it

A mailbox with a horse design located on Morse Road in New Gloucester is being repeatedly smashed. Did you do it? The owners who operate Open Gates Equine Rescue have recently installed security cameras with night taping capabilities. Footage will be reviewed to identify the perpetrator, and the local authorities will be apprised. If you are the culprit, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The Gray-New Gloucester Lions Club contingent in last year