Crabapple Jam sweetens First Friday

The Freeport First Fridays concert on March 4 at the Freeport Community Center features Crabapple Jam, a string band that performs original songs and instrumentals, old-time jazz, folk, rock and alternative music to enjoy with the evening’s assortment of desserts and coffee. The four musicians, Eric Bryant, Meg and John Albright and Shari Broder, play a variety of instruments and styles.

First Friday Concerts are held at the Freeport Community Center at 53 Depot St. Freeport. Entrance fee is $5 at the door, no reservations required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the concert beginning at 6:45 p.m. Donations will be accepted for the musicians during the program. Admission includes the concert, desserts and coffee donated by Starbucks. All proceeds are donated to Freeport Community Services.

Freeport First Fridays are a joint project of MASISTA (Maryellen and Sam In Support of The Arts) and the Freeport Community Services. For more information, contact Kim Hudak, 865-3985, ext. 202.

Adult coloring group

A new adult coloring group will begin at Freeport Community Library on Wednesday, March 2, at 10:30 a.m. The popularity of coloring for adults is evident by the number of coloring books on display in bookstores. In January, coloring books took the top spots on the New York Times best-selling list of games and activities, and adults across the country are meeting at local libraries to enjoy creative, relaxing coloring activities together.

Research indicates that coloring de-stresses and lessens anxiety in adults, providing a healthy break from our highly scheduled, technology-dependent lives.

The Freeport Community Library will provide a dedicated space every Wednesday for anyone 18 and older who would like to drop-in and color for an hour or so. The library will provide an assortment of materials or participants can bring their own coloring book pages to copy and share with the group.

Talk focuses on

Benedict Arnold march

Colby College Professor Bruce Reuger,will be the speaker at the next L.L. Bean lecture on Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m., in the camping department atrium of the L.L. Bean store. The lecture is titled, “Geologic and Topographic Challenges Encountered on Benedict Arnold’s March to Quebec, 1775.” Arnold’s ill-fated march to Quebec passed through Maine in the fall of 1775. The expedition’s purpose was to secretly travel up the Kennebec, Dead and Chaudiere rivers, capture the city of Quebec from the British and convince the populace of Quebec to throw in with the American cause. Even today, this region is recognized as a wild, untamed area, but in 1775, its natural vegetation and geology made travel all but impossible.

FHS previews

one-act play

The Freeport High School Drama Department will preview the one-act festival entry for the 2016 Maine Principal’s Association Drama Festival, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-27, at 7 p.m., at the Freeport Performing Arts Center at Freeport High School, 30 Holbrook St. This year’s original play, “Out of the Machinery,” written by senior Max Greenwood and co-directed by students Ethan Pierce and Simon Handelman, tells the story of a boy named Ed who is trapped in the machinery of life in school and at his job. The show has a cast and crew of some 50 students.

Feedback from the audience will be used to fine-tune the presentation for competition. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.

Andrea Bryant wins

Merit Scholarship

Andrea Bryant of Freeport, daughter of Eric Bryant and Shari Broder, was chosen as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. She is one of only 15,000 students nationwide and the only finalist in Freeport. She is a senior at Greely High School and was previously named as a semifinalist in September, 2015.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists have to fulfill requirements to advance to finalist standing. By the conclusion of the competition, a select group of finalists are chosen to receive prestigious National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $35 million. Winners are the finalist candidates judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous university studies. Scholarship winners represent fewer than 1 percent of the initial pool of student entrants, based on official statistics released by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

‘Armchair Travel’ series is back

Freeport Community Library is again hosting the “Armchair Travel” series in March, allowing participants to enjoy vicarious sightseeing with local residents and neighbors who serve as tour guides, sharing photos and brief travelogues of their adventures abroad. The itinerary includes:

Monday, March 7, 6:30 p.m., Sorrento and ancient sites of southern Italy with Polly Brann.

Monday, March 14, 6:30 p.m., Traveling abroad as volunteers with Ed and Jane Bradley.

Monday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m., Iceland, land of fire and ice, with Jack Montgomery.

Monday, March 28, 6:30 p.m., Tantalizing Turkey with Sally Walsh.

Community Meeting Room doors open at 6 p.m.

Parkinson’s is topic at YMCA

Dr. William Stamey, a neurologist specializing in treatment of Parkinson’s disease, will be speaking at the YMCA of Southern Maine, Casco Bay branch on Wednesday, March 2, from 10-11 a.m. He will be speaking on the value of exercise for Parkinson’s and research news. There will also be a question-and-answer time.

Save the date for Adaptive Services Auction

The YMCA of Southern Maine will hold its 14th annual Adaptive Services Auction on Thursday, April 7, from 6-9 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport. All proceeds go toward providing one-on-one support and helping participants move beyond illnesses, injuries and disabilities through the Adaptive Services and Livestrong at YMCA programs.

For more information on purchasing tickets or donating an item, contact Robin Bosse, membership director, rbosse@ymcaofsouthernmaine.org, or 865-9600.

Studying abroad

Alexis Heldenbrand of Freeport is studying abroad this semester as part of the European Short Term. Heldenbrand is a member of class of 2017 at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, N.H., majoring in child development.

‘Meet Millie’ at Harrington House

The Freeport Historical Society, at 45 Main St., will be the setting for the play, “Meet Millie,” on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. Tricia Scott of Falmouth stars in the short play, written by Elizabeth Guffey, about Mildred Pettengill, the last resident to live at Pettengill Farm, a homestead on the Harraseeket River that never had running water, electricity or central heat. The farm is the property of the Freeport Historical Society.

The event will feature a dramatic portrayal of Millie, who lived alone at the farm into her late 80s. Scott will talk about Mildred’s interests, her family, life on the farm, and the homestead’s early history, with the aid of historic images and artifacts.

“Meet Millie” will occur in the exhibit space of Freeport Historical Society’s current exhibit “Logging in Maine, 1915-1928.” Admission is $5 for the general public and $3 for FHS members and children 12 and under.

Skating clinics

for kids offered

RSU 5 Community Programs will hold skating clinics for kids ages 5-12 at North Yarmouth Academy Ice Arena in Yarmouth. Beginner Figure Skating and Beginner Hockey Skating clinics will run simultaneously and split the ice. Both programs will be led by experienced instructors who focus on learning and having fun. Figure skating lessons will teach marching, gliding, dipping, forward/backward skating and stopping. Hockey skating lessons will work on skating skills only (no puck or stick work), and work to improve upon edgework, deep cuts and quick stop-and-go movements. Both clinics will incorporate games and activities on the ice.

Parents are encouraged to join their children during the second half of each clinic for the “free skate.” The program will meet on Tuesdays, March 1-29, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and the cost is $105 per person. To register or for more information, see www.rsu5cp.org.

Educator-author

to talk on bullying

The Maine Coast Waldorf School will offer a public talk by author and educator Kim John Payne, called “Social Inclusion: Breaking the Patterns of Bullying & Exclusion,” on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m., at the school, 57 Desert Road, Freeport. Payne’s so-called Social Inclusion Approach offers a method to overcome the anti-social behavior causing the exclusion and isolation that is a growing part of the experience of many children today. Implemented in communities worldwide on both child and adult levels, this approach gives practical playground, classroom and home-based tools as a way of combating the problem.

Payne is the founder and director of the Center for Social Sustainability and is the author of “Simplicity Parenting.” He has been featured in national magazines and in television and radio programs. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Northampton, Mass.

Donations will be accepted at the door. The snow date is March 3.

Coffee house on Feb. 27

The next Open Stage Coffee House is set for Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m., in the Freeport Community Library meeting room. The coffee house is a relaxed performance opportunity for budding artists and established entertainers, featuring music, poetry, skits and comedy. Just show up and sign up to perform or just plan to be in the audience. Admission is free and refreshments are served.

For more information, contact Andrea Bryant, andreabryant73@gmail.com, or call 939-5399.

Solarize Freeport Phase 2

The kickoff event of Phase 2 of Solarize Freeport is set for Saturday, Feb. 27, from 9 a.m.-noon, at the Town Hall in Freeport. Participants will learn how to reduce energy costs in homes or businesses. Sessions will include information on solar, heat pumps, weatherization, pellet boilers, financing options and incentives from Efficiency Maine. For more information, contact Town Planner Donna Larson at 865-4743, ext.103, or dlarson@freeportmaine.

Free tax prep assistance

AARP will conduct free tax preparation assistance Wednesday mornings the rest of the month at the Freeport Community Center. Assistance is for low- to moderate-income households, with special attention to those 60 years and older. For an appointment, call 865-4743, ext. 100 and leave a message. Calls will be returned by Freeport Community Center volunteers once a week on Thursday mornings.

Upcoming meetings

Active Living Committee, Thursday, Feb. 25, 7:30 a.m.,Town Council Chambers.

Ordinance Committee, Thursday, Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Town Council/RSU 5 joint workshop, Monday, Feb. 29, 6:30 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

Planning Board, Wednesday, March 2, 6 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Crabapple Jam members, from left, are Eric Bryant, Shari Broder, and Meg and John Albright.