That’s a-nice

Cub Scout Pack 86 will be having a spaghetti dinner featuring spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, beverage and homemade desserts on Saturday, Jan. 7, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Gray American Legion Hall on Route 100. The cost for this great meal is $6 per person or $20 for a family of four or more and everyone is welcome. You can email Boboic@mac.com for more information.

Give the ultimate gift

A Gray Community Blood Drive will be held on Jan. 11 from 1-6 p.m. at St. Gregory’s, 24 North Raymond Road.

New at Fiddlehead

Fiddlehead Arts and Science Center is now offering guitar, voice, piano, violin, fiddle, saxophone, drums and more for children, adults and teens in 2012. From yoga to clay to a variety of adult enrichment classes (hand drumming, Photoshop, fiber arts, cooking and more). FMI, www.fiddleheadcenter.org.

Make Christmas last

Christmas trees and wrapping paper are a recycling opportunity. In January, when it’s time to retire the Christmas tree, the Gray Transfer Station is making that job easy and charitable. There will be no charge to dispose of Christmas trees for the months of December, January, and February. However, monetary donations will be accepted in lieu of the disposal fee with all monies benefiting the Gray Food Pantry.

Please recycle your wrapping paper without foil, cards and envelopes without foil, gift boxes, cardboard, paperboard and paper bags.

You must trash or re-use: ribbon (of any kind), Styrofoam, tinsel and lights. These items cannot be recycled.

It’s budget time

The time has come again for Gray town administration and all the department heads to tackle budget season. Initial budget surveys have been distributed to each department head, and should have been completed and returned to the finance department last month for review.

Ultimately, the town manager will compile a draft budget from this information for presentation to the town council. The council is in the process of finalizing a schedule of budget review.

The budget review will begin with a presentation of the draft budget in February and continue with a series of workshops where each individual department budget will be fine-tuned.

The public is welcome to attend and observe budget workshops. The town’s website at: www.graymaine.org will bring you the departmental workshop schedule as soon as it’s finalized. Ultimately, the budget should be complete with multiple public hearings by mid-April.

New signs in Gray

If you’re driving into town you may notice that Gray has new town signs. The “gateway” signs you’ll see upon entering town limits were just completed and installed in November. The municipal signage was scheduled to be installed by mid-December. The signs outside Pennell and Public Safety Building will include an LED display for brief town information.

Help for Maine residents

Maine Residents Property Tax and Rent Refund “Circuit Breaker” Program provides a cash benefit to qualifying individuals for the purpose of helping them pay the property taxes or rent on their primary residence. Eligibility for this program is based on household income. Applications for this benefit program are available at www.maine.gov and must be submitted each year.

Do you need food?

The Gray Community Food Pantry is located in the basement of the Gray First Congregational Church Parish House, Brown Street, in Gray and open the first and third Fridays of the month from 2-4:30 p.m. The pantry is open to anyone in need from Gray or surrounding towns and there is a delivery service to homebound families. Monetary or food donations are accepted. For information call 657-4279 and leave a message in mailbox No. 3.

Thinking of baseball

The Gray Little League is looking for some financial wizards. Can you run a mean spreadsheet? Can you drive a hard bargain on jerseys and hats? The Gray Little League needs your help.

Even if you’re not interested in those positions, the league could always use more help with the various age levels in both baseball and softball.

The group meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Maine State Police Barracks on Route 26. If you’d like to join them, please send an email to graymainell@aol.com and to let them know you’re coming.

Crystal Lake Derby

The third annual Crystal Lake Ice Fishing Derby will be held on Jan. 28, 2012, at Camp Gregory, 24 North Raymond Road in Gray. The derby’s primary mission is to support our Maine military, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and local community schools.

There will be a Kittery Trading Post Kid’s Derby from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. with a ticket price of $5, a Liberty Family Foundation All-Ages Derby from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. offering the possibility of catching some of the largest trout in the state, over $10,000 in prizes including 25 lifetime fishing licenses and a $50,000 Liberty Family Foundation trout. Tagged fish will include huge 20-24-inch brookies and 20-25-inch rainbows. Ticket price: $10. Also an Ice Shanty competition and a Polar Plunge will be held, among other events.

Check out www.crystallakederby.com for more information and volunteer opportunities.

Become a ‘tax hero’

The Gray Public Library would like to be able to offer free tax income tax preparation to local residents. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. You do not need to be a “tax expert” as training in both tax law and tax software is provided in January. To learn more about volunteering, contact Darcel Devou, at the Gray Public Library or Joan Jagolinzer, Greater Portland District Coordinator, AARP Tax-Aide program at jagolinzer@gwi.net or 883-8415.

Gray has installed new “gateway” signs alongside major roadways
into town. (Photo by Marilyn Keating-Porcaro)