Guest artists to exhibit art at Saccarappa

The Saccarappa Art Collective, 861 Main St., will host guest artists Nathaniel Meyer in the Main Gallery, and Jan ter Weele on the Riverside Wall from Friday, April 12, through Wednesday, May 22.

An opening reception featuring wine and hors d’oeuvres will run from 5- 8 p.m, on Friday, April 12.

Meyer’s oil paintings in the Main Gallery are rooted in the rugged natural beauty of the Maine landscape.

On the Riverside Wall are ter Weele’s bright, contemporary compositions.

Member artists Andy Curran, Sherry Ballou, Mary Brooking, Jody Dube, Jeremy Greene, Caren-Marie Michel, Lucy Ellen Smith, Frank Valliere and Julie Vohs will also be exhibiting new work in the gallery.

Saccarappa Art Collective is committed to presenting the authentic vision of local and regional professional artists to the greater community.

Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m.

Spring Harbor, Olympia Sports team up

To celebrate Autism Awareness Month, Olympia Sports, which is based in Westbrook, will give customers the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10 during the entire month of April to further autism research.

Donations will advance research conducted by the Autism Inpatient Research Collaborative founded by Dr. Matthew Siegel, director of the developmental disorders program at Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook.

Autism is a development disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is estimated that one in 88 children are diagnosed with autism.

Spring Harbor’s state-of- the-art developmental disorders program is one of only nine psychiatric hospital units in the country that specializes in serving children with autism.

Funds raised through the Olympia Sports Autism Awareness campaign will directly support autism research through the collaborative.

The collaborative is a network of specialized child psychiatry units throughout the country, including one at Spring Harbor Hospital, that serve children and adolescents with autism and developmental disorders. These units have formed a collaborative in order to leverage their expertise and high number of patients to develop a platform for clinical research.

Fashion show

at WHS

Students from business and marketing classes at Westbrook Regional Vocational Center are gearing up for the annual Red Carpet Fashion Show at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, in the auditorium at Westbrook High School.

High school and vocational students will be modeling every type of clothing including prom wear. Westbrook students from around the world will model clothing from their home countries and vocational students will model trade clothes.

Sarah Hopkins, a student in project management and a member of Future Business Leaders of America, is assisting with coordinating the event.

Admission is $5, which benefits Future Business Leaders of America and Distribute Education Clubs of America. A 50/50 raffle will benefit the high school’s class of 2013.

Poetry, author series at library

Walker Memorial Library, 800 Main St., celebrates National Poetry Month on Saturday, April 6, from 11 a.m. -noon. Poets from Westbrook’s Moon Pie Press will read.

In a separate program next week, the library’s Author Speaks Series continues at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 11.

Maine author Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte will read from her book, “Nowhere, A Story of Exile.”

The book is based on her childhood diaries as a refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan. After fleeing Baku, she and her family spent three difficult years in Armenia before coming to the United States in 1992.

Copies of her book will be available for purchase and light refreshments will be served.

Karaoke at Post 62

American Legion Post 62, 17 Dunn St., will host karaoke from 7-11 p.m., on Friday, April 12, and continuing each Friday with Barbara Libby as DJ.

The post kitchen will be open 6:30-8 p.m. with pizza, meatball sandwiches and hot dogs.

A painting by Nathaniel Meyer titled “Thanksgiving (Schoodic V1).” Meyer is the visiting artist in the Main Gallery of the Saccarappa Art Collective. Courtesy photo