Visit Japan with the Freeport Players

The Freeport Performing Arts Center on Holbrook Street will soon have a Japanese flavor as the Freeport Players will be presenting “The Mikado,” from July 19 through Aug. 5.

“The Mikado” is a comic opera by the legendary Gilbert and Sullivan, which features plot twists, puns and silliness appropriate for all audiences.

The show is set in the fictional village of Titipu, Japan, where Ko-Ko (Jake Junkins) has been sentenced to death for the capital crime of flirting. The problem is that Ko-Ko is the village’s executioner.

Also, Nanki-Poo (Jonathan Libby), a wandering minstrel, is in love with Yum-Yum (Laura Collard), but Yum-Yum is engaged to Ko-Ko. In his despair, Nanki-Poo agrees to stand in for Ko-Ko and be beheaded to satisfy the Mikado’s demand that an execution take place.

While we can’t go any further than that without revealing the final plot twist, audiences should be reassured that after a lot of singing, everyone ends up happy – including the audience.

“The Mikado” opens with a special “pay-what-you-want” preview on Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. and then will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 5. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

For more information, or to order tickets, visit www.fcponline.org.

Baseball camp coming to high school

Maine Baseball Hall of Famer Mort Soule and his experienced staff are running a week of baseball camp sponsored by Regional School Unit 5 Recreation and Community Education. This camp, for kids from ages 8-12, has a long history of developing skills in hitting, defense, pitching, catching, baserunning, and learning the game. Players will be grouped and divided by age.

The camp runs from July 30 through Aug. 3 daily from 9 a.m.-noon, at the Freeport High School baseball field. The cost is $75 for Freeport residents and $85 for non-residents.

Parents are invited to attend the entire session, on the last day of camp and hear Soule perform the legendary baseball poem, “Casey at the Bat.” Participants should bring a water bottle, glove, and sneakers for gym in case of rain.

For more information, or to sign up, visit www.rsu5-rce.org.

Looking for budding architects

Regional School Unit 5 Recreation and Community Education is holding a camp for kids in grades 5-8 who are interested in learning architecture.

This camp will give participants the opportunity to use their imagination to design their dream home and see it come to life. Campers will create an original home design using Google Sketchup, a 3D modeling program. Campers will then create a 3D tour of their house to show off to all. Participants should pack a snack.

The camp runs daily from Aug. 20-24 from 9 a.m.-noon at Freeport High School. The cost is $100 for residents and $110 for non-residents. For more information, or to sign up, visit www.rsu5-rce.org.

Winslow Park summer music series kicks off

On Thursday nights in July and August, Winslow Park on Staples Point Road will be hosting its annual summer concert series.

Throughout the summer, local bands will be playing on the lawn near the playground. All concerts start at 6:30 p.m. Upcoming concerts are: Ann Sparling Family Sing-a-long, July 19; The Delta Knights, July 26; Zulu Leprechauns, Aug. 2; The Jason Spooner Trio, Aug. 9; and Not to Shaap, Aug. 16.

The cost to enter the park is $2 for Freeport residents and $3 for non-residents. Campers and season pass holders can attend the concerts for free.

For more information, call the park at 865-4198.

Freeport TV 3 off the air

Due to a server problem, Freeport Cable TV 3 will not be cablecasting meetings or have a message board for approximately one to two weeks. The problem was in the audio control circuit and there were no other options for repair except to send it back to the manufacturer.

Video on demand will still be available for the meetings currently on file, and any meetings taking place at town hall while the equipment is being repaired will be recorded and made available at a later date.

Looking for writer

The Tri-Town Weekly is looking for a Freeport resident interested in community news to write the weekly Freeport Notes column for the newspaper. Previous journalism experience is not necessary, but a good, strong knowledge of the town and what’s going on is important. Anyone interested in this opportunity can email tritown@keepmecurrent.com for more information.