Community Services seeking volunteers

Freeport Community Services is in need of volunteers, including drivers, to offer rides to medical appointments on a flexible basis and helpers in the thrift shop and the estate furniture sale at the 2 Depot St. location. To volunteer, call Debbie at 865-3985.

Freeport Woman’s Club meeting

The Freeport Woman’s Club will meet Friday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m. at the Freeport Community Library. The guest speaker will be Kathy Harding of Park Row Interiors. Refreshments will follow the program and visitors are welcome.

Public peddler licenses available

The Freeport Town Clerk’s Office is accepting applications for public peddler licenses for residents from Jan. 16-23 and non-residents from Jan. 24-31. Applications are available during normal business hours. The town has three public peddler locations available for the 2013 licensing year. Licenses will be issued by the Town Council by lottery on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Non-refundable license application fees are $55 for residents and $110 for non-residents.

If awarded, resident licenses will be $500 and non-resident licenses will be $750. Questions regarding the process can be directed to the town clerk at tstevens@freeportmaine.com or 865-4743 ext. 123.

The Freeport Town Council will review a resident renewal application for a public peddler license for Therese Drapeau, 5 Guptil Ave. doing business as Hot Taco, at a meeting in the town hall council chambers on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Zoning ordinance public hearings

The Freeport Town Council will be holding public hearings on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Freeport town chambers to discuss four proposed amendments to Chapter 21 of the Freeport zoning ordinance. The proposed amendments are village parking requirements, site plan review, agriculture, and affordable housing.

Information concerning these hearings can be obtained at the town clerk’s office, the town manager’s office, the Freeport Community Library or at the town’s website at www.freeportmaine.com.

L’Ecole Francaise du Maine ribbon cutting

L’Ecole Francaise du Maine will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the new classroom and entrance to the school on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 2:30 p.m. Fabien Fieschi, consul general of France, will officiate the event and will issue the full accreditation certificate by the French Ministry of Education for pre-school through Grade 5. A reception planned by the school’s Parents’ Association will follow. Call 865-3308 to RSVP.

‘Lunch with Locals’ series

The Freeport Historical Society is hosting a series of lunchtime meetings to assess the strengths and weaknesses of its collections with input from the community. The “Lunch with Locals” series will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 22, Thursday, Feb. 21, Friday, March 22 and Tuesday, April 16 from noon-1:30 p.m. The meetings will be at the historical society’s headquarters at the Harrington House, 45 Main St. The public is invited to bring a brown bag lunch for informal discussions about particular aspects of the collection, as well as a rare close-up view of the society’s collections. The project is funded by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

For more information or to RSVP, contact the historical society at 865-3170 or info@freeporthistoricalsociety.org.

Freeport Players hosting potluck dinner

The Freeport Players will host their potluck all-cast party and annual meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the Freeport Community Center. The event, which will salute volunteers and feature a speech from Cole Tamminen, president of the Freeport Players board, is open to members of the Freeport Players, audience members, production participants and potential future participants.

Those who attend should bring a dish to share. The event is BYOB. RSVP at info@fcponline.org.

Renew those dog licenses

The town of Freeport reminds residents that all dog licenses expired on Dec. 31. Licenses are required for all dogs 6 months or older. A rabies certificate and proof of spaying or neutering are required when applying for a license. The cost is $6 per dog or $11 per dog that has not been spayed or neutered. A $25 late fee will be charged for dog license renewals after Jan. 31. Register at town hall or at www.freeportmaine.com.

Rabies clinic Jan. 26

There will be a rabies clinic at the Town Hall on Saturday, Jan. 26, for dogs and cats, from 9 a.m.-noon. The cost is $15 per animal. Residents can also license their dog at the clinic. The cost of registration is $6 for a spayed or neutered dog and $11 for a dog that hasn’t been spayed or neutered.

For more information, call the Freeport Town Clerk’s office at 865-4743, ext. 122.

Winter parking ban

The town of Freeport has announced its annual parking ban, which prohibits parking on all town streets from 11 p.m.-7 a.m., is in effect until April 15.

White Nights event ?on Jan. 26

Freeport Community Services is holding its biggest fundraiser of the year on Saturday, Jan. 26. The 2013 “White Nights – Keep the Light on All Year Long” event will run from 5:30-10 p.m. at the Freeport Community Center. The event will feature food, live music and community spirit. Tickets are $50.

For tickets or information, contact Kim Hudak at 865-3985.

Habitat for Humanity seeking applicants

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland is seeking applicants for two homes in Freeport targeted for construction in early 2013. The units will be constructed as part of a triplex in a new subdivision off West Street. Individuals and families seeking project and program information can call 772-2151.

Library news and notes

January’s Art in the Library artist is Julia Doughty. Her sculpture will be on display throughout the month of January. For more information about the artist and her work, go to juliamdoughty.com.

This month’s Tech Talk, Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 1 p.m., will discuss how to be an informed utility consumer. The guest speaker will be Wayne Jortner, senior counsel for the Public Advocate. He will speak about available providers and rates for local and long-distance telephone service, bundled plans, VOIP, cell phones and Internet.

The library will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 19 and Monday, Jan. 21 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. The library will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 9:30 a.m.

The Chewonki team will present “Turtles, Frogs and Newts, Oh My!” on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The evening of activities will take a closer look into the world of amphibians and reptiles with hands-on activities and live animals.

Family Laughter Yoga will take place on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. in the Children’s Room.

The GWC (Giving Children Warmth) program will be making blankets for children in Afghanistan by knitting squares and sewing them together. The group meets on Mondays from 2:45- 4 p.m. to teach volunteers from age 11 through adult to knit.

Storytime for toddlers and preschoolers takes place every Tuesday morning. There are two 15-minute story times at 9:30 and 9:45 for younger kids with shorter attention spans. At 10, there is a 30-minute story time for preschoolers. The morning features songs and a small snack.

Historical society ?to celebrate chocolate

Food historian and author Sandra Oliver will offer a look at chocolate and its evolution in American cookery, at a Freeport Historical Society program on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m., at the Old Town Hall on Park Street (on the grounds of the Hilton Garden Inn) in Freeport.

Oliver, who lives in Islesboro, will discuss how chocolate was gradually incorporated into American cookery. From chocolate’s start primarily as a beverage to the recent era of “chocolate decadence” and “death by chocolate,” Oliver will describe early chocolate creations.

Cakes, for example, were made chocolate by the use of chocolate filling or frosting in plain cake. Chocolate was to the batter later around the late 1800s and early 1900s, leading to the creation of the rich, dark devil’s food cake, the opposite of the popular white, fluffy angel cake.

Freeport candymaker Andy Wilbur from Wilbur’s of Maine will demonstrate how contemporary chocolates are made.

The audience will have the opportunity to taste a 19th-century chocolate drink, sample two cakes made from historic recipes, as well as sample contemporary chocolates from Wilbur’s of Maine.

The two historic cake recipes are posted on the Freeport Historical Society’s website at www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org.

Tickets are $10 per person. Reservations are recommended, as his event sold-out in 2012.

For more information, call 865-3170 or visit www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org.