Scary Halloween

The weather was the scariest thing this Halloween in Naples. I can’t recall it ever raining that hard, although I do remember just a few years back there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, so I guess it could have been worse. Surprisingly, the rain did not put a damper on the traditional festivities. Lake Region High School’s Trunk or Treat, where volunteers hand out candy to trick-or-treaters from the trunks of their vehicles in an effort to make the experience a bit easier in rural areas where perhaps the houses are a little too far apart. Those who participated are to be commended as the rain came down the hardest during their hours of operation, from 4-6 p.m.

Holiday Fair

Don’t miss the Ho Ho Ho Craft and Bake Sale put on by the Edes Falls Sewing Circle this Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The event, held at the Edes Falls Community Center, is always a hit, offering locally made crafts and goodies that are second to none.

Project Graduation Fundraiser

Come enlighten yourself on the finer points of wine appreciation and help out the senior graduating class of Lake Region High School in the process. Bridgton Academy’s Goldsmith’s Dining hall is the setting for this fun and interactive evening hosted by the Project Graduation 2014 committee on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are just $25 and includes a wine tasting, wine appreciation class, and light hors d’oeuvres. For tickets, contact Committee Chairperson Sara-Sue Schreiber at 4schreibers@roadrunner.com or 329-8254. Tickets are also available at The Umbrella Factory Supermarket in Naples.

Toys for Tots

Help needy kids this season with your donation to the Toys For Tots program. A donation box has been set up at the Naples Town Office where you can drop off unwrapped toys for kids newborn to 14 years. Donations can be dropped off any time during business hours through mid-November.

Christmas Cheer for Troops

This year, as in years past, CrossWalk Community Outreach is working with the Marine’s Toys for Tots program to provide local military families with Holiday food baskets and gifts for the children. Retired veterans will also be eligible for a holiday basket and a gift. Please help CrossWalk make this program a success by honoring and referring a military hero. Contact them by their deadline of Dec. 7. For more information contact them at crosswalkoutreach@yahoo.com or call 615-3226.

Thanksgiving Dinners

For the last three years, Crossroads Community Outreach has been hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner at the Naples Town Hall for upwards of 70 people each year.

This year due to volunteer’s other commitments they cannot do this. They hope to return to this tradition next Thanksgiving to join the community in celebrating this wonderful holiday. Community Outreach would like to thank you all for your understanding this year.

Thanks to The Umbrella Factory and the American Legion, you still may have a chance to enjoy a complimentary Thanksgiving Feast. There is still time to enter for the Free Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dinner being offered on Nov. 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. Fill out an entry blank at The Umbrella Factory up to Nov. 16 to be eligible. A total of 225 people will be selected to break bread at this wonderful feast. Winners will be announced in the local newspapers as well as posted in the store at the Umbrella Factory. For further information, call 693-3988 or the American Legion Post 155 at 693-6016 and ask for Curtis or Marian.

Library Fundraisers

The Naples Public Library holds its Annual Mini-Art Sale on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the library’s Gathering Room on the Lower Level. More than 100 small, original matted watercolor paintings donated by talented local artists will be displayed. The artwork includes landscapes, lighthouses, animals, flowers, birch trees and loons. All of the small matted paintings are priced at just $10. Those who buy two paintings will be able to get the third one at half price, giving the buyer an opportunity to have a nice grouping of three paintings. There are also several very affordable larger paintings for this sale, all priced from $20-$35. This year’s sale again features donated prints by Richard Anzele, a prolific painter whose work is always very popular. There are more than 100 prints for sale including local scenes, beautiful lighthouses and sailing ships. The 5×7-inch matted prints are $10 and are included in the special deal, which is Buy two and get one at half price.

While you are in the library, roam the shelves of their Book Barn and stock up for your winter reading enjoyment. There will be special pricing for the day on the thousands of gently used books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs. On your way out, don’t miss their annual Cookie Walk. With a $5 donation to the library, you can fill a bag with yummy holiday cookies donated by local bakers. Bakers may drop off their cookies before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 9-11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, or after 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The library is located at 940 Roosevelt Trail in Naples. For more information, call 693-6841 or check www.naples.lib.me.us.

Tax Prep Volunteer Needed

The AARP Tax-Aide program, which provides free federal and state income tax preparation for low to middle income taxpayers, is seeking a volunteer to help prepare income tax applications. In our area, this service is provided at the Bridgton Community Center and the Fryeburg Library.

Individuals who are comfortable with numbers, with following written directions, with dealing with people one-on-one and with basic computer skills are ideal candidates to be a volunteer income tax preparer (counselor). Having prepared your own tax return in the past also helps. Since return preparation is done from Feb. 1 through April 15, volunteering with the AARP Tax-Aid program gives one a meaningful, challenging volunteer activity that only requires a time commitment in the winter months. Tax counselors are provided training in both tax law and the use of tax software. Training is scheduled for Jan. 6-10. The actual time commitment during the filing season is approximately four to eight hours per week or a total of 40 hours during the 10-week filing season. Volunteers are reimbursed for mileage. Also, it is not necessary to be an AARP member or of a “certain age” to volunteer. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Frances at lod839@gwi.net, as plans are being made now for the upcoming tax season.

Andrea Dacko and Paul Charpentier, longtime Naples residents, celebrated 25 years of marriage at a party in their honor.Trunk or Treaters volunteers and Lake Region High School students, from left, Meghan Skarbinski, Devynn Turner, Jordan Turner and Katherine Clavette serve up candy with a smile despite the soaking weather this Halloween at a Project Graduation fundraiser.Sam Merriam, Emily Bridge, and Elaina Merriam sell their handcrafted wares (metal candle holders and bath salts and scrubs) at the well-attended Holly Berry Fair hosted by Project Graduation at Lake Region High School on Nov. 2.