Facelift for First Parish Church

The First Parish Church Congregational, at 40 Main St., will soon have a fresh coat of paint. Painting the outside of the church will cost $14,000. To raise funds for the project, the church is “selling” paint sticks at $35 each, which covers the cost of one gallon of paint. Any gifts and contributions would be gratefully received. Contact Brenda Skillin at 865-3700.

Since 1789, many families have called First Parish their church, the church where they attended Sunday School as a youth, the same church where they met for Boy Scout meetings and the same church where they were married. First Parish continues its community service and world-wide missions. “With so many ongoing projects of outreach sometimes it’s hard to spend the money on the building,” says Skillin, church leadership member.

Grange hosting bean supper

A public baked bean supper will be held at the Harraseeket Grange Hall on 13 Elm Str. in Freeport on Saturday, July 26, from 5-6 p.m. The all-you-can-eat menu includes three kinds of home-baked beans – pea, yellow-eye and red kidney– hot dogs, biscuits, brown bread, potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, homemade pies and beverages. The cost for adults is $8, $4 for children under 10 and free for children 3 and under.

Arts and crafts on church lawn

The First Parish Church Congregational is holding an Arts and Crafts Market on the front lawn of the church, 40 Main St., Freeport, every second and last Saturday of the month from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The upcoming dates are July 26, Aug. 9 and 30, Sept. 13 and 27, Oct. 11 and 25. Vendor spaces are still available. For each market day, one space is available free of charge for nonprofit groups. For more information, see www.FirstParishMarket.org or call Patty Kennedy, 865-0848.

Open house set at Coastal Studies

for Girls

Coastal Studies for Girls will hold an on-campus open house Sunday, July 27, from noon-3 p.m., at 308 Wolfe’s Neck Road in Freeport. Tours of the school, led by the admissions team, will run every 20 minutes.

Coastal Studies for Girls is a semester school for girls in grade 10. Each semester, the school accepts 15 girls from across the country to study and live in the school’s farmhouse. The school features an integrated marine science and leadership curriculum based on field work and experiential place-based learning. In addition to producing original marine science research and completing the semester-long leadership training, the students earn high school credits in literature, history, math and foreign language.

Coastal Studies for Girls is now accepting applications. For more information visit www.coastalstudiesforgirls.org or call 865-9700.

Thriller author

to speak

In the thriller “Sniper,” when a lethal sniper kills four people on Boston Common, homicide detective Mike Houston and his partner, Anne Bouchard, are sent to investigate the case. Author Vaughn C. Hardacker, a Maine resident and U.S. Marine veteran who knows first hand the deadly and often heroic tactics of Marine forces, will be at Freeport Community Library to give a book talk/signing on Monday, Aug. 11. at 7 p.m.

Hardacker is a member of the New England Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. His short stories have been published in several anthologies. Copies of “Sniper” will be available to purchase for signing on Aug. 11. For more information, call 865-3307.

Lunch is served

All children 18 and under are welcome to a free, nutritious meal every Monday through Friday, through Aug. 29, from 11:30 a.m.-noon at the following sites: Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St.; Mast Landing School, 20 Mollymauk Lane; Village View Community Room, 26 Village View Lane; and Wildwood Acres, 12 Elm St.

The federal Summer Food Service Program is an equal opportunity provider. Meals will be provided to all children free of charge.

Roadside mowing

After this year’s wet spring and early summer, the town has received several complaints about the state of roadside growth. As a result, the Public Works Department has accelerated its normal schedule for roadside mowing from mid-August to now. The department plans to re-evaluate the situation later this year, and next year at budget time, to determine if roadside mowing should take place on major roadways twice per summer instead of once. The approximate cost to mow collector roads is $3,000-$5,000 per mowing. This activity is critical to maintain lines of sight for safety purposes at intersections and on corners.

Nomination papers ready Monday

Nomination papers will be available beginning Monday, July 28, in the Town Clerk’s office for persons interested in seeking available offices in Freeport. Nomination papers are due back to the Town Clerk’s office no later than 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

Single Town Council seats are open in districts 1, 2 and 3; two seats are available on the Regional School Unit 5 board; two seats for Sewer District trustees and one seat for Water District trustee.

For more information, call Freeport Town Clerk Tracey Stevens at 865-4743, ext. 123 or email tstevens@freeportmaine.com.

Park concert series under way

Concerts at Winslow Park are taking place Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Concerts are free with park admission. The remainder of the schedule includes:

July 24, N.E. Town, soul, folk, R & B, blues, swing, rock.

July 31, Maggie Coffin Trio.

Aug. 7, Kenya Hall, rhythm and soul.

Aug. 14, Cindy Bullens.

Rain dates are Aug. 21 and 28. For more information, call 865-4198.

Circus Smirkus returns to Merriconeag School

Circus Smirkus, Vermont’s award-winning international youth circus, will be at Merriconeag Waldorf School, 57 Desert Road in Freeport, Monday, Aug. 4, and Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 1 and 6 p.m. both days.

The traveling youth circus is performing 66 shows this summer, with stops in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, upstate New York and Maine. Thirty stars, ages 11 to 18, bring polished circus skills from all parts of the country and the world. This year’s troupe hails from nine states – California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Vermont and Mexico. The 2014 Big Top Tour takes to the road in late June and travels through mid-August.

The theme for this summer’s circus is “Anchors Away for Atlantis.” The troupe will explore the ocean in all of its beauty and mystery – both above and below the surface. Tickets range from $18-$21 and are available at Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport or online at http://smirkus.org/.

Music’s Quill concert at library

The Freeport Community Library will host a classical music concert Friday, July 25, at 7 p.m., with lutenist Timothy Burris and tenor Timothy Neill Johnson – a duo known as Music’s Quill. Music selections include works by Robert Jones, Francis Pilkington, Philip Rosseter, Robert de Visee and Charles Colman.

Johnson has performed and recorded with many ensembles here and abroad. These include the Los Angeles Baroque Ensemble, La Petite Bande, Collegium Vocale, Handel Society of Baltimore, Le Concert Spirituel of Paris and the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He is on the faculty of both Bowdoin College and the University of Maine in Augusta.

Burris has performed widely in Europe and the United States, including appearances with world-renowned early music vocalists Derek Lee Ragin and Jennifer Lane. His recordings include modern premieres of 18th-century works. He is on the faculty of Colby College.

Angela Moline as Dorothy and Gar Roper as Professor Marvel and The Wizard in the production of “The Wizard of Oz,” which continues this weekend at the Freeport Performing Arts Center with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.fcponline.org, at the Freeport Community Center Thrift Store or at the door. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.