Massage clinic gets license

A new business offering massage and wellness therapies that is moving to Westbrook has secured its license from city officials.

In a meeting Monday night, the municipal officers, which includes the City Council and the mayor, voted unanimously to approve a massage therapy license to Soma Massage & Wellness at 863 Main St. Soma Massage & Wellness is moving into the space formerly occupied by Northeast Apparel. The new location is an expansion of the company’s existing business in South Portland, according to Julie Wright, owner and founder.

Also on Monday, liquor license renewals were approved for Portland Pie Company and Fajita Grill, both on Main Street in the downtown area. The officers also voted to set hours for voter registration at City Hall, and polling hours on Election Day. Registration is from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30; Wednesday, Oct. 31; Friday, Nov. 2; and Monday, Nov. 5; and from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, all at Westbrook City Hall.

Locations for voting, all taking place from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, are:

Ward 1: Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St.

Wards 2, 3, and 4: Westbrook Armory on Stroudwater Street.

Ward 5: Prides Corner Church, 235 Pride St.

Marching band to host event

Westbrook High School will host a weekly marching band competition and exhibition show on Saturday, Oct. 13, welcoming 10 different bands from around the state, including a special appearance by the band from the University of Maine.

“They usually come to one a year,” said Kyle Smith, the marching band’s director.

The event is the Maine Band Director’s Association Marching Band Competition. Most of the bands are based in southern Maine, but some are coming from New Hampshire and Connecticut. Smith said the association holds similar events across the state weekly during the school year, and Westbrook often takes part in events in other communities.

Smith said 70 Westbrook band members will perform Oct. 13. While it is technically called a competition, Smith said, the criteria for winning has been altered to make the event less competitive and more about the performances. Now, he said, the members are free to concentrate on bettering themselves, as opposed to beating someone else.

The event will be held at the high school football field from 6-8:30 p.m., and will be moved into the gym in the case of rain. Each band, Smith said, produces a 6-10-minute show, with three or four pieces all on a theme. Smith said the Westbrook band will call its theme “The Hour,” and center its performances on clocks and the passage of time.

The local band boosters will be putting on the show. Smith said the host school typically uses the event as a fundraiser. Tickets are $3 for students and seniors, and $5 for everyone else.

Students from Cosmotech School of Cosmetology School in Westbrook pose outside King’s Farm in Gorham, which donated 15 pumpkins to the students. Their plan is to decorate the pumpkins and donate them to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, and the Dyslexic Learning Center, also in Portland.