Your community news from Gray.

Traditional Bean Suppers

A public supper will be held at the Gray Congregational Church on Brown Street in Gray on Saturday, July 25, at 5 p.m. On the menu will be baked beans, casseroles, salads, homemade breads, desserts and beverages. The fee is $7 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Call 657-4279 or, on the day of the event, 657-3279 for more information. The supper is held downstairs and it is handicapped accessible.

The American Legion Auxiliary will hold its monthly public supper Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Post #86 American Legion Hall, 15 Lewiston Rd. (Rt. 100), 5-6 p.m. The meal costs $7 for adults, $2.50 for children under 12, and free for children under 5. The menu will include: baked beans, chop suey, coleslaw, hot dogs, breads, desserts and beverages.

Aye Matey

The Third Annual Pirate Parade is July 25, 3 – 5 p.m., on the lower end of Little Sebago Lake. The event is a slow cruise around Little Sebago. The parade begins in the lower lake and some boaters join later in the cruise, and some trail off as it heads to the upper lake. The costumes are getting more creative, and the boat decor is becoming more elaborate, so come join the fun!

The mission of the Little Sebago Lake Association, which sponsors the parade, is to improve, protect, and preserve the lake’s water quality and fragile ecosystem. For more information, go to www.littlesebagolake.com

Beach Ride

The Barn to Beach 2009 ride is scheduled for Aug. 8 at Spurwink Farm to benefit Riding To The Top. Megan LaFontaine of Gray is looking for sponsorship donations for her ride. These donations will make a difference for the disabled people that she volunteers for during the summer and school breaks. They are in dire need of help with the economy the way it is, so please help them to continue their therapeutic riding. Go to HYPERLINK “http://www.firstgiving.com/meganlafontaine”www.firstgiving.com/meganlafontaine for more information.

Riding To The Top (RTT) provides therapeutic riding services to children and adults with physical, emotional and/or learning disabilities. RTT is a nationally accredited program and the largest therapeutic riding center in Maine. They are a volunteer intensive program with over 6,000 hours donated to us every year.

What to do this Summer

Fiddlehead’s Summer Programs 2009 includes programs such as: summer drama camps, yoga, clay and much more! They offer a wide array of programs with something for everyone, from toddlers to teens to adults. Classes begin in July and continue throughout summer. Tuition is on a per-class basis. See classes in their Gray location now online at www.fiddleheadcenter.org

Through creativity, discovery and pure fun, Fiddlehead Center provides access to quality enrichment programs, helping us each to grow in art, science and cultural exploration.

Be creative

“Be Creative” is the theme for this year’s summer reading program and the Gray Public Library will continue “being creative” by learning sign language on Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m., and again with the famous “Fish Painting” on the following Friday, July 31, at 10 a.m.

Please note: on Thursday, July 30, the library will not open until 10 a.m.

The Gray Public Library hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Call 657-4110 or go to www.gray.lib.me.us for more information.

Summer at Gray Recreation

New Lungs for George: 3 vs. 3 Basketball Tournament at the Newbegin Outdoor Court, Saturday, Aug. 1, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (rain date Sunday). – H.S. Division (male & female) – Ages 18 to 30 Division (M & F) – ages 30 and over ( M & F). Trophies awarded in each division, cost per team: $40. Roster is limited to five players and follows the double elimination format. Call Roger at 657-2323 for more information.

Patriots Boys Soccer Camp: July 27 – 31 at Gray-New Gloucester Middle School for boys currently in grades 3 – 8. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Fee is $100 (includes camp shirt).

Cabbage Island Clambake: Sunday, Aug. 9. Departs Newbegin at 8 a.m. and returns at 5:30 p.m. Fee: $87 pp. Minimum of 27 people, maximum of 47. Includes: charter bus transportation, scenic tour of Boothbay Harbor on the Argo out to Cabbage Island. Meal includes: two lobsters, clams, corn, potatoes, cup of fish chowder, blueberry cake and beverage. Deadline to register is July 27.

For more information call Dean at 657-2323

Plant walk

Come to the Whitney Memorial Forest, 99 Whitney Road, Gray, on Saturday July 25, at 9 a.m. Roger Monthey, a naturalist and biologist, will lead a general nature walk on the 34-acre Land Trust Property. The walk will focus on how to develop a species list for the biodiversity that occurs on a property. A variety of small plants including wildflowers, shrubs, lichens, ferns, and mushrooms occur on the woodlot. Some of the plants go back to the early agriculture history.

Further information on the woodlot can be found at www.SWOAM.org/Land Trust. Off road parking is available; just follow the SWOAM sign . Please contact Gordon Stuart 854-4944 if you plan to attend or have questions.

At the Wildlife Park

Saturday, July 25: Maine’s Native Turtles, 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. Join wildlife park staff to see and learn more about Maine’s seven species of native turtles. Individual turtles will be on hand to view and photograph up close.

On Saturday, Aug. 1, Chainsaw Art with Ron Carlson: A lifelong hobby became a business; now thousands of pieces later, Ron specializes in carving bears. He’s carved almost every animal, along with requests to create airplanes, the Seven Dwarfs, and giant gorillas on safari. He’s shipped his work to a dozen countries worldwide and will have a variety of carvings on exhibit and for sale.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Maine Wildlife Park. For more information, please call 657-4977, ext. 0.