The festive season is in full swing – trees are lit up, streets are a-twinkle, Christmas music is playing and loads of holiday events are scheduled all over the Lakes Region. Before I mention some of them I would like to congratulate the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club on its 25th anniversary and the Bridgton Lions Club on its 90th anniversary, making it the third oldest Lions Club in Maine. I hope both organizations will continue their exemplary community service efforts for many more years to come.

Christmas fun for kids

The Women’s Initiative Group from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church is sponsoring a Children’s Christmas Day on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bridgton Community Center, 15 Depot St.  This free event is open to all children and their parents to enjoy a fun day of community holiday spirit with sing- a-longs, arts and crafts, ornament making and special treats. All participants are encouraged to dress up in their favorite festive outfit or costume. For more information call St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 647-8549.

Breakfast with Santa

Santa will make an appearance at a breakfast hosted by the Masons at Oriental Lodge 13, 166 Harrison Road, on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Pancakes, eggs and omelets to order, home fries, bacon, sausage, French toast, biscuits and gravy will be served along with coffee, tea and juice. The meal costs $7 per adult and children under 12 eat for free. Come along and fill up on a delicious breakfast while enjoying a bit of festive spirit.

Channeling Charlie Brown in style

The Heather Pierson Jazz Trio, featuring Shawn Nadeau on bass, will present music from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at the Noble House Inn, 81 Highland Road, on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m. Bolster your holiday spirit while enjoying a unique performance of this classic holiday music in the intimate setting of the Noble House. Admission is $15, payable at the door. For further details call 237-4880.

In the eye of the beholder …

Whether you love them or loathe them, there are lots of ugly Christmas sweaters being worn this time of year. Why not “don your gay apparel” and head on over to the Central Fire Station, 7 Gibbs Ave., for the Ugly Sweater Family Game Night on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. Participants will also play Fire Prevention Charades and prizes will be awarded for the ugliest Christmas sweaters. Sign up for the party on Facebook @Bridgton Fire Department Fire Prevention or email fireprevention@bridgtonmaine.org

Rotary Club celebrates 25 years

The Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club celebrated its 25th anniversary on Nov.  18 at Bridgton Academy’s Goldsmith Dining Hall. More than 60 Rotarians joined friends and family for a festive evening that included a performance of folk, Delta blues, country and jazz by guitarist Denny Breau.

Ben Tucker, regional representative for U.S. Sen. Angus King, gave the keynote speech and read a congratulatory letter from King recognizing the club and its work. Club President David Barker showed a short video on the history of Rotary International and displayed a series of articles describing many of the clubs’ achievements over the past 25 years. The president also presented Rotary District Governor Marge Barker with a check for $3,000 raised from the END-POLIO-NOW bridge walk in Naples on Oct. 22. The pledges and donations were matched by thec lub and also matched 2-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, resulting in a total of $9,000 that will go towards ending polio. To date, The Bridgton-Lake Legion Club has raised more than $90,000 for local, regional and international humanitarian efforts.

The Bridgton-Lake region Rotary meets weekly on Thursdays at the Bridgton Community Center. Anyone interested in more information or attending a meeting should go to http://lakeregionrotary.com

Historical society digital outreach

Imagine taking a virtual tour of the museum or the Narramissic farm; having a guided walk to the quarry on your cell phone; or searching collections for items and information related to your house, your family or local historical topics from anywhere in the world. The Bridgton Historical Society’s Digital Outreach Initiative for 2017 aims to enable you to do all of that.

The three main components of the initiative include:

• Providing online access to a searchable collections catalog.

• Developing a downloadable smart phone app of Pondicherry Park Historic Landscape Hike.

• Creating a digital version of the award-winning history, Bridgton, Maine, 1768-1994, by 2018 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the town’s settlement.

If just $5,000 is raised by the end of the year for one-time development costs and the first year of hosting fees, the Bridgton Historical Society will be able to move ahead with this project immediately and have it up and running by the start of the busy 2017 summer season.

Consider making a special year-end donation to the digital outreach initiative of $50, $100 or whatever you can afford. Make it easy with a monthly donation; even as little as $5 a month will make a big difference. With a special seasonal offer, non-members who donate $50 or more will receive a free historical society household membership good through December 2017,  a $25 value.

For more information visit www.bridgtonhistory.org

Blood donors needed

Donors of all blood types are needed this holiday season to help ensure a sufficient supply for hospital patients.

The American Red Cross will be at the Masonic Hall on Harrison Road from 8 a.m.-1p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24. Each donor will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.

To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS. Donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to save time when donating.

Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club President David Barker presents a $3,000 check to Rotary District Governor Marge Barker at the club’s recent 25th anniversary dinner.