Sweet Spot

Along with sump pumps, snowdrops and baby skunks frolicking in the compost pile, one of the surest signs of spring in the ’hood is my neighbor Dick Danis tapping his maple trees. His set-up is urban gardening at its finest, as he has a corner lot on a densely developed street yet maintains an orderly maze of tubing running from tree to tree to catch all of the sap.

I can smell spring when I walk my daily loop to Bridgton Books, as the sweet boiling steam wafts down Elm Street. These cold nights and sunny days have been great for tappers, and Danis expects to get many gallons from his maples this year.

Celebrate the sweet season with a trip to a local sugar shack on the 30th annual Maine Maple Sunday, which is March 24th. Farms around the state have open houses, pancake breakfasts, horse rides, and everything you could possibly dream of that is made with maple syrup. Check out www.mainemapleproducers.com for a listing of 70 participating farms, including several in Harrison, Waterford and Raymond.

Lift Your Voices

Whether you dream of storming the stage or just love to sing in the shower, the newly formed Lake Region Community Chorus wants you! Conductor Laurie Turley, assistant conductor Jan Jukkola and pianist Carolyn Stanhope invite you to join them for the first “sing” on April 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Bridgton Academy Chapel. They will meet every Monday and plan a Spring Concert for the public to attend. Call Linda May at 310-3234 for more information and to join.

Community Cafe?

The new courtyard at the Bridgton Library is a great summer addition to the town, but local musicians, poets and writers have long needed a year-round performance space in Bridgton.

If you are interested in volunteering to help create such a place, where artists can have a relaxed, informal space to get some stage time, please get involved. The first meeting will be at the Community Center on Friday, March 29, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Main Room. Everyone is invited to bring your ideas and vision for this great new project. Call Carmen Lone at 647-3116 for more information.

Student Show

Gallery 302 is kicking off their 10th season with the annual Lake Region High School student show, featuring the work of dozens of talented teens.

From photography and painting to three-dimensional sculptures, the artists have presented a diverse exhibit that will be open to the public every Tuesday through Sunday through March 28. The Gallery not only supports young artists through the free gallery space but they also offer an annual partial scholarship for attendance at an accredited art school. Applications are available at Gallery 302 and should be submitted by May 1. You can also download an application at gallery302/about/applications.

Spa Time

After being cooped up all winter in gloves and socks, it’s time to set your hands and feet free and get ready for flip-flop season! Womanspace, a drop-in support center for women working though personal and physical challenges, is hosting a Spa Night Spectacular at the Bridgton Community Center from 6-7:30 on Friday night, March 29.

Felicia McDonald, LMT, of Lotus Touch Massage, will be treating guests to a healing Aromatherapy Sugar Scrub for hands and feet. This event is open to all women, and everyone is invited to bring friends and make a girls’ night out of it. Womanspace also holds ongoing classes and special events, including yoga, meditation and hikes. For more info on Spa Night and other events call Linda 523-0700.

BCC Facelift

After making the best of its utilitarian de?cor for many years, the Bridgton Community Center is getting a fresh facelift for spring. Renovations begin on April 1 and the results will be unveiled on the 12th, and president Ken Murphy promises a pleasant, colorful palette to reflect modern tastes. Between this upgrade and the brand new commercial kitchen recently installed, the BCC has joined the 21st century.

Several programs will be relocated or postponed during renovations. Bridge and cribbage will be held at St. Peter’s Church on North High Street. Senior Lunch will be at the Methodist Church on Main Street, and the Community Kettle dinners have been postponed until mid-April.

IC Update

If spring seems to be taking its sweet time getting here this year, you aren’t alone. Unlike recent years when ice went out on Moose Pond in March, this has been a good old-fashioned winter. Weather watchers report that as of March 12 there was still 15 inches of ice under the Snowman on the Moose Pond Causeway, which means it isn’t too late to buy Ice Out tickets.

Ice Out is one of the BCC’s biggest annual fundraisers, with proceeds going to support community projects year-round. The ice is officially out when IC’s sensor falls into the pond, and whoever guesses the correct date wins half of the total 50/50. Tickets are available all over town at Hayes True Value, Black Horse Tavern, Campfire Grille, the Chamber of Commerce and the Community Center. The deadline for entries is April 1, and, by the looks of it, it’s going to take a lot longer than that for the ice to melt this year. Get your tickets soon though, because spring is fickle and a few hot days could spell the end of IC’s winter reign.

Silver Savers

Recycling saves money, encourages environmental awareness and keeps reuseable products out of the waste stream. Ecomaine, the statewide nonprofit recycling and waste disposal program, is holding a logo contest. Artists of all ages are invited to compete in the “silver bullet” recycling bin makeover, for a prize of $500 in painting supplies.

This is the third year for the contest, which uses imaginative, creative visuals to encourage recycling. Just create a design for a metal canvas measuring 22 feet, 6 inches by 6 feet, 10 inches and send it to www.ecomaine.org, where you will also find details about the contest and a downloadable entry form.

Cups and Cakes

…And cupcakes! On Eagles Wings, the local nonprofit wellness center for women going though breast cancer treatment, is holding their fundraising event, “Cakes for a Cause,” on Saturday, March 30, and there will be cake.

The cake-decorating contest is open to bakers of all ages; just make a cake or cupcakes and bring them to the Methodist Church at 214 Main Street between 12:30-2:30 p.m. where the public will vote on their favorites and place bids on them. Cakes will be auctioned off between 3:30-4:30 p.m. Call Ann Ruel at 415-9177 for more information.