Nature Hikes

Shaker Village nature hikes are offered Saturdays, June 16, July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 15, Oct. 6 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on each date.

Explore with family and friends the Shaker fields and forests from the hayfields and pastures through the woods to Loon’s Point on Sabbathday Lake to Aurelia’s Cascade, finishing up an old county road. Your guides will be Carol Beyna and Margie Huber, trained naturalists. Come every month and see the phenomenal seasonal changes. Hikes, flavored with tidbits of Shaker lore, traverse a 3-mile loop. Please come dressed with rugged footwear and clothing for a hike through the woods, mud, bugs, rain or shine.

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is located just off Route 26 in New Gloucester. The cost is $5 for adults, $2 for children, free for those under 6. To make reservations, call 926-4597 or email usshakers@aol.com.

Craft Fair and Sale

On Saturday, June 16, Sabbathday Lake Grange in New Gloucester will be holding a craft fair and sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Light lunch fare will be for sale. There will be a limited number of tables available for rent, and 6-foot tables are $10. The grange hall is located at 370 Sabbathday Road and is handicapped accessible. For more information, or to rent a table, please call Norma at 998-2586 or email Steven at Granger04071@aol.com.

Little League Groundbreaking

New Gloucester Little League will host a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate the successful approval and permitting of its 25-acre baseball and softball field construction project. The ceremony, taking place at Penney Road Field located at 159 Penney Road, will occur on Saturday, June 16 at 1:30 p.m. It will serve as its fundraising kickoff.

Annual Strawberry Festival

The 2012 Annual New Gloucester Strawberry Festival, sponsored by members and friends of the New Gloucester Historical Society, will be held on Thursday, June 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Congregational Church Vestry, 19 Gloucester Hill Road, New Gloucester. Local berries, homemade biscuits and Hodgman’s Frozen Custard will be featured. Other highlights of the festival are the Berry, Berry Good Band, a home-baked goods table and a local history display featuring the proposed new veterans’ memorial.

Shaker Workshops

June herb workshops will be held at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester starting with “Planning an Herb Garden: Year One” on Saturday, June 23. This workshop offers hands-on planning, leaving participants with a written garden plan based on site, climate, soil and plants. The second herb workshop, ‘Cooking with Lavender,’ will be held on Saturday, June 30. Recipes galore using this flavorful herb will be available, and a lavender meal will be created. Recipe books and plant samples will be provided. Betsey-Ann Golon, Shaker Village herbalist, will be the instructor for both herb workshops. The fee for each is $40.

A Beginners’ Woodcarving workshop will be held on Saturday, June 23. Award-winning crafter Norm Devonshire will instruct participants on the use of the knife, how to make the cuts, and how to sharpen the knife for the carving of a Scottie dog. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the fee is $25.

Pre-registration is required for these workshops. Call 926-4597 or see www.shaker.lib.me.us for more information.

Shaker Music Festival

The Seventh Annual Maine Festival of American Music will be held from June 27-30, at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester. This year’s festival will feature three evening concerts and a workshop/master class. Guest artists featured in varied American musical and classical performances are state historian Earle Shettleworth, the Portland String Quartet, pianist Virginia Eskin, fiddler Greg Boardman, violinist Dean Stein and Brother Arnold Hadd. For a complimentary festival brochure, visit www.shaker.lib.me.us or call 926-4597.

Taiji/Qigong ?for Peace….

….takes place on the lawn at the Pineland Campus in New Gloucester on Saturdays during June-September, beginning Saturday, June 23, from 8 to 9 a.m. Taiji/Qigong is an ancient movement practice developed in China by Taoist monks. It consists of slow, flowing movements, which invite the body to experience the peaceful relaxation and nurturing energy of being in nature.

Facilitated by Caroline Loupe, these classes will emphasize exploring and cultivating different types of energies, not learning long sequences of movement. No previous experience is required, and drop-ins are welcome any time. Invite your friends. There is no charge except a free-will donation of food for the food pantry is requested for each class.

After turning into Pineland’s main gate off Route 231, take the first road to the left and, immediately, take a right into a large parking area and park there. Look for the group outdoors under the trees. If the weather is a drizzle or more, the class will be canceled. For more information, contact Caroline Loupe at 926-5983 or cmloupe@maine.rr.com.

David Johnston of Gorham was the keynote speaker at the “Made in New Gloucester: Warming up to Energy Efficient Homes” fair held June 9. Johnston has been building energy efficient homes for the past 33 years.