Maine Maple Sunday at Norumbega Farm

Celebrate Maine Maple Sunday locally. Norumbega Farm, the Fralich’s home at 402 Woodman Road, New Gloucester, will be open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday, March 24.

This is third year that Noah Fralich has been tapping trees and producing syrup. The farm will be open for tours of the classic sugar shack, built by hand in the winter of 2011, and sampling fresh syrup over waffles, with ice cream, or with baked apples. Bottles of maple syrup will be available for sale.

Located in the woods of New Gloucester, the farm is surrounded by miles of walking trails, and syrup will be served beside a campfire, weather permitting. For those who want an old-fashioned maple syrup experience, please visit. This is not the usual tourist stop, but rather Maine at its finest. For more information, contact Noah Fralich at nmfralich@gmail.com, or 232-1304.

Welcome, Neighbor Promotes Local Businesses to Newcomers

Business owners and local organizations in New Gloucester can obtain free publicity by participating in “Welcome, Neighbor,” a grassroots community volunteer project. It was developed to welcome new residents to our town by providing information that may assist in their transition.

Only New Gloucester businesses, organizations and community groups will have the opportunity to include items, such as business cards, brochures, or other promotional materials, in the packets. There’s no charge or obligation to participate.

Volunteers are collecting 100 of each item, and the deadline to drop off your materials to the town office is Friday, March 29. For more information, or to volunteer to help assemble the packets, call Beth at 650-5228.

New Gloucester Resident to

Compete in National Science Bowl

On Saturday, March 2, the Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) competed in the 13th Annual Maine Regional Science Bowl competition held at the University of Southern Maine, Gorham campus. The school’s Team A placed first, followed by Bangor High School, and Waynflete High School in Portland.

MSSM Team A members included Lucy Wilcox, of New Gloucester, William Popov, of Presque Isle, Belle O’Bryon, of Hallowell, Rachel Olugbemi, of Presque Isle, and Roger Van Peski, team captain, of Northport. They will compete at the National Science Bowl finals to be held April 25-29 in Washington, D.C. In addition to the all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition in Washington, covered by the U.S. Department of Energy, sponsor of the Science Bowl, the winning team members each received a Nook eReader.

For more information on the National Science Bowl competition, visit http://science.energy.gov/wdts/nsb.

Holy Week Services

Holy Week services at the First Congregational-Christian Church, 19 Gloucester Hill Road, New Gloucester have been announced: Palm and Passion Sunday service, March 24, 9:30 a.m.; Good Friday service (shared with Gray Congregational Church and held there), Friday, March 29, noon; Easter Sunrise service at The Community School at Opportunity Farm, Sunday, March 31, 6:15 a.m.; Easter Sunday service in the church sanctuary, March 31, 9:30 a.m. More information is available at www.ngucc.org.

Holy Week services at the New Gloucester Bible Church, 218 Lewiston Road are as follows: Good Friday service on Friday, March 29, 7:30 p.m.; Easter sunrise service on Sunday, March 31, 6:30 a.m., followed by an Easter breakfast at 7:30 a.m. For more information, call 926-3140.

Nomination Papers for Town Election

Nomination papers for the Tuesday, June 11, town election are now available at the town office. There are two openings on the New Gloucester Board of Selectmen and two openings on the SAD 15 Board of Directors. All terms are for three years.

Nomination papers must be signed by at least 25 registered New Gloucester voters, but not more than 100. Signed papers must be returned by Friday, April 26, before 2 p.m. for certification.

The town election will take place on Tuesday, June 11, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Memorial School, 86 Intervale Road.

21 Reasons Tip

of the Month

It takes a whole lot more than luck to raise a drug-free kid. While there are no easy answers, there are five things you can do today to get your family on the drug-free track: 1.) Wait up for them to come home; 2.) Set and enforce the clear rules; 3.) Check in to know where they are going and who they will be with; 4.) Call other parents; 5.) Limit access to your liquor supply – it is often their easiest source of alcohol.

Maine School of Science and Mathematics Team A, which included New Gloucester resident Lucy Wilcox, at left, placed first in the 13th Annual Maine Regional Science Bowl competition March 2. Each team member won an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national competition to take place in late April.Courtesy photo by Jan Wilcox