Trick or Treat at Maine Mall

The Maine Mall, in South Portland, will host a trick-or-treat event, 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. Children of all ages are welcome to attend. Participating retailers will have a pumpkin in their store window and will distribute sweet treats while supplies last. As always, no toy weapons are allowed.

College professor to read from new book

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m., Bill McClaran, a professor at Southern Maine Community College and a former longtime law enforcement officer, will read from his newly published autobiography.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the learning commons on the college’s South Portland campus. The book, entitled, “Sonny Days: The Dark Side Journey of an Undercover Narc into the Light of Community Policing,” recalls McClaren’s days as a federal agent and police chief.

A Dracula comedy fundraiser

On Halloween, Friday, Oct. 31, the Made Horse Theatre in South Portland will hold a special staged reading of the play, “Dracula: Down for the Count.”

This comic rendition of the classic horror tale was written by Mary Lynn Dobson and will be directed by James Herrera. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the reading at 7:30 p.m. The event also includes a costume contest and more.

Tickets for the show, which is appropriate for ages 14 and up, are $20 per person. Call 747-4148 or go online to www.madhorsetheatre.com to order tickets or for more information. The theater is located at 24 Mosher St.

For those who can’t make it on Halloween, another reading of the show will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. For this event attendees will be admitted on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Upcoming events at South Portland library

This month the South Portland Public Library is hosting a variety of fun events, from a fall fest to a book reading with true crime author Kate Flora.

All events are free and open to the public. Call 767-7660, ext. 3 or go online to http://southportlandlibrary.com for more information.

• Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2-4 p.m.

Celebrate apples, pumpkins and the autumn season with the South Portland Public Library. The library’s annual Fall Festival includes fall-themed games, crafts, snacks and activities for the whole family. This all-ages event will be held outside, weather permitting.

• Mad Science “Spook-tacular,” Wednesday, Oct. 29, 6-7 p.m.

Science tricks and treats are the name of the game as Mad Science presents its most “spook-tacular” program. Marvel at the foaming jack o’lantern, watch cauldrons bubble with frothing witches brews, release ghosts from bottles and more.

• Author visit with Kate Flora, Thursday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.

Meet Maine’s own award-winning mystery and true crime author Kate Flora, who will read from her two latest books. The first is “Death Dealer,” which tells the true story of a police investigation in Miramichi, New Brunswick. The second book is entitled, “And Grant You Peace,” the fourth book in Flora’s Joe Burgess police procedural mystery series.

Yard work fundraiser

This fall athletes from South Portland High School are offering to provide a yard work session for local residents. Students from the football and soccer programs will show up on Nov. 8 to help clean up any average-size lawn. Anyone wishing to sign up for the service, which is $100 for each property, should contact Bob Mezzanotte at 409-4731. Rain date is Nov. 9.

Children’s hospital craft fair

On Saturday, Oct. 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. the 15th annual Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Craft Fair will be held on the Scarborough campus of the Maine Medical Center.

This fundraising event will include a variety of vendors offering handmade quilts, jewelry, knits, accessories and much more, including holiday specials. Call 622-4173 for more information.

Tea & Talk with historical society

Sign up now for a Tea & Talk event with the Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation Society being hosted by the town’s Community Services Department on Friday, Nov. 7, 1-2:30 p.m.

Join in a lively group discussion and slideshow pertaining to life in Cape Elizabeth through the years. The event will focus on transportation, such as horse drawn carriages and ferry boats, as well as various recreational activities, including jumping rope and hula hooping. Coffee or tea and cookies will be provided.

Pre-registration is required. Call 799-2868 or go online to www.capecommunityservices.org/programs/senior

Knitting group hosts open house

On Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m.-noon, the knitting group at the Scarborough Public Library will hold an open house. Come discover project ideas for holiday gifts and get great advice from people who are passionate about knitting.

In addition, light refreshments will be served, including the new Library Blend coffee. Call 883-4723 or go online to www.scarboroughlibrary.org for more information.

Recycling grant available

Ecomaine, southern Maine’s waste-to-energy and recycling plant, is seeking applicants from area schools to receive up to $5,000 in grants to advance recycling and environmentally-friendly practices by students and staff.

The deadline to apply for the funding, which must be used to either begin or grow existing recycling or sustainability efforts, is Friday, Oct. 31. Last year, Dyer Elementary School in South Portland, received $700 for recycling bins and instructional materials.

Any school located within or serving students within ecomaine’s service area is eligible to apply. The grant rules and an application form can be downloaded from ecomaine’s website at www.ecomaine.org.

“This is a way for us to advance recycling efforts in our schools and help teach students about recycling and why it’s important,” said Kevin Roche, ecomaine’s general manager. “These grants represent a means of encouraging recycling and sustainability within our communities. This isn’t just about being green this is about the bottom line. Every resource we can reduce, reuse or recycle is a resource we don’t have to buy. That’s just common sense.”

Ecomaine is a nonprofit serving 20 communities in southern Maine, including Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and South Portland.

Students take part in mock election

Students at more than 125 schools across the state, including those at the Greater Portland Christian School and Memorial Middle School in South Portland, will take part this week in the annual mock election sponsored by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.

The students will cast ballots for governor, the U.S. House of Representatives and the seven statewide referendum questions. The voting will culminate on Wednesday, after the Current’s deadline, with a “Rally and Tally” event in Augusta.

The event provides students the opportunity to collect election results by phone and via the Internet and then report the statewide results to the national mock election program.

During the “Rally and Tally” First Lady Ann LePage, gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud, and Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap will all make appearances. Political commentators Phil Harriman and Ethan Strimling will also be on hand to emcee the event.

The mock election program is designed to engage students in election-related activities to reinforce the importance of participation in the democratic process, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

– Kate Irish Collins

On Oct. 13, the Gym Dandies Children’s Circus from Scarborough received rave reviews from spectators and made history as the first unicycle formation ever to appear in the 70-year history of New York City’s annual Columbus Day Parade. The Gym Dandies, who also appeared briefly on WABC 7, a news station in the city, performed for more than a half-million people along the two-hour, 1.5-mile parade route. The troupe began its regular practice schedule at Wentworth Intermediate School this week.  Gym Dandies Children’s CircusKate Flora