Historians to hear Irish heritage program

Greater Portland’s Irish heritage will be discussed by Maureen Coyne Norris and Margaret Fenney Lacombe when the Westbrook Historical Society meets at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St.

Norris will discuss Greater Portland’s Irish Heritage, as discovered through her extensive DNA research regarding Irish in Portland and Galway in Ireland.? She is a graduate of St Dominic’s grammar school, Cathedral High School, and University of Maine (Portland).

Norris has been interested in family history all of her life and heavily involved with various activities within the Portland Irish community. Norris is a Maine Irish Heritage Center founding board chairwoman, as well as an ambassador to the Emigration and Diaspora Centre in Carna, Galway, Ireland. She is a team member of the Genealogy Department at the Maine Irish Heritage Center, and a member of the Maine Gaeltacht DNA project.

Lacombe? is a graduate of Cathedral High School in Portland and University of Maine. She has for more than 20 years researched the Irish in Maine and their descendants and cousins all over the United States.

Through research, she created the genealogy database used at the Maine Irish Heritage Center to help patrons make connections and expand family trees. Lacombe focused on genetic genealogy and DNA testing and is the administrator of the Maine Gaeltacht project.

Raconteur to entertain seniors

Vernon Cox, a storyteller, will entertain when Westbrook Senior Citizens meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, in Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St.

The seniors are planning two trips. The group will travel to Massachusetts to see the Irish Cabaret at Venus de Milo on Wednesday, March 11.

The last day to register for the seniors’ spring trip abroad to Ireland is on Thursday, Feb. 12. They will visit Ireland May 2-9. For more information about trips, call 854-2577 or 8873-5046.

Woman’s club luncheon

Westbrook Woman’s Club will hold its mid-winter luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, 810 Main St.

A smothered beef meal will be served at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $12. City Councilor Mike Foley will speak about his trip to Archangel, Russia.

Guests are welcome and the deadline for reservations is Thursday, Jan. 29, by calling Vicki Doughty at 854-5350.

Tips for charity tally a record

Roberta Dutton Morrill, organizer of the Tips For Charity luncheon during the Festival of Trees celebration in December, reported recently that the luncheon raised a total of $4,414.68.

“Our best ever,” Morrill reported in a recent letter to those who participated.

The total amount included ticket sales of $1,310 and tips, $3,104.68. The luncheon proceeds benefited the Westbrook Food Pantry and the Westbrook Good Samaritan Fund.

“It is interesting to note that since the Festival of Trees began in 2001, this event has donated $61,000 to the charities in our Westbrook community,” Morrill said.

Little League sign up

Westbrook Little League will be holding registration for the upcoming 2015 season starting this week.

Registration dates and times are:

Saturday, Jan 31, 9 a.m.-noon; Friday, Feb 13, 5:30-8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb 14, 9 a.m.-noon; Friday, Feb 27, 5:30-8 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb 28, 9 a.m.-noon.

Registrations will be held at the Westbrook Little League complex located on Bridge Street. Westbrook Little League is for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 12. For more information visit the league website http://www.westbrookmelittleleague.com.

Chinese New Year celebration

The Chinese and American Friendship Association of Maine (CAFAM) will ring in the Year of the Ram on Saturday, Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St., in Westbrook.

The event is in its 25th year and features Chinese dance performances by the children of the CAFAM Chinese School in the morning.The celebration will open with a lion dance by Steve Wong of Bangor, who will also perform throughout the day. The Chinese School students will also perform a dragon dance at noon. Members of the University of Southern Maine’s Confucius Institute will perform in the afternoon.

Throughout the day, children can make ram-themed crafts. Vendors will be selling books, Chinese teas, and Chinese crafts and products.

There will be Chinese food and the Chinese School’s “Dumpling Dads” will be selling Chinese dumplings.

Featured events include talks on selecting, brewing, and serving Chinese teas and Chinese painting.

Parking is free and admission is $6; $4 for children under 12; and families of five, $20. The event is ponsored by CAFAM, the Chinese And American Friendship Association of Maine.

The Chinese New Year celebration continues in the evening with a showing of the award-winning film “The Search for General Tso,” a documentary about Chinese food in America at The Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland at 7 p.m.

For more information. go to www.cafammaine.org.

From left, singer-songwriters Don Campbell, Dan Merrill and David Good perform at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center last weekend. Called “Songwriters in the Round,” the show was a benefit for Westbrook’s My Place Teen Center. On Tuesday, teen center Director Donna Dwyer said the show “was a grand success despite the weather” and that the benefit took in almost $5,000 after expenses. Dwyer said the organization is planning on a bigger “Songwriters in the Round” event for the fall. Courtesy photo