The Wells Chamber of Commerce will host its eighth annual Veterans Day 5K on Saturday, Nov. 13.

Proceeds from the Wells Chamber of Commerce Vets Day 5K benefit Honor Flight Maine. This year’s event is scheduled for Nov. 13. Courtesy photo

The run-walk begins at 10 a.m. It starts and ends at the Wells Elks Lodge,  356 Bald Hill Road in Wells. Proceeds from the event benefit Honor Flight Maine. Sevigney-Lyons Insurance Agency is the primary event sponsor and People’s United Bank is the Gold sponsor.

The cost for adults is $20 in advance and $25 after Nov. 11; students, age 11 to 17 are $15 in advance and $20 after Nov. 11; and there’s no charge for children 10 and younger.

The first 100 registrants will receive a free long-sleeve T-shirt. The Wells Elks will have food and beverage for sale after the race. Participants are asked to bring identification.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Overall (male/female), Under 20 (male/female), 20-29 (male/female), 30-39 (male/female), 40-49 (male/female), 50-59 (male/female), 60-69 (male/female) and 70-plus (male/female).

For registration information, visit www.wellschamber.org, call 207-646-2451 or register online at RunSignUp.com/Race/ME/Wells/VD5k.

Final bean supper of season at First Congregational

First Congregational Church is hosting a take-out baked bean supper on Saturday, Oct. 30, the last one for 2021. The bean supper is from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the church, 141 North St., Kennebunkport.

Church volunteers will offer two types of home baked beans, American chop suey, hot dogs, rolls and coleslaw, topped off with a slice of homemade pie. Exact change is required. For adults and children age 12 and older, the cost is $8 per person; children younger than 12, $5 per child.

In addition to the take-out supper hosted by church members, the congregation welcomes the public to attend Sunday worship service in the sanctuary which begins at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome. As a courtesy, masks are to be worn.

For more information or directions, call the church office on Tuesdays at 207-967-3897 or visit www.firstchurchkport.org. The church’s Facebook page can be found at First Congregational Church Of Kennebunkport.

Newcomers meeting set for Nov. 4

Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel Newcomers and Neighbors invites the public to attend the upcoming November meeting on Nov. 4. The meeting will feature special guests Paula Keeney and Ann Whetstone, proprietors of Mainely Murders, an independent, specialty mystery bookstore in Kennebunk.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. with social time. The speakers will start at 7 p.m. The meeting takes place in the Community House, 8 Temple St. in Kennebunkport.

Farmers’ market hosts Halloween celebration

The Kennebunk Farmers’ Market will host a kid-friendly Halloween Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 30, filled with fun activities and live storytelling.

The event will feature a costume contest for kids, a craft table for girls and boys to make a variety of Halloween-inspired creatures from simple household materials, ghostly stories read aloud by a member of the Portside Readers, and spooky music by Eric Mauriello. Plus, all the fresh produce and products local shoppers come to the market for every week.

The farmers’ market, located behind Garden Street Bowl on Main Street in Kennebunk, is open to the public on Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will run through Nov. 20. Two more special events are planned for the season: Halloween (Oct 30) and Harvest Festival (Nov. 20).

The Kennebunk Farmers’ Market accepts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards. SNAP helps low-income individuals and families to have a healthy, nutritious diet through the purchase of eligible foods.

For market news, photos and updates, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KennebunkFarmersMarket/.

Arundel Masonic Lodge 76 donates to inclusive playground project

Arundel Masonic Lodge 76 recently donated $5,000 to the Kennebunk Elementary School Parent Teacher Association for its inclusive
playground project. The donation was made on behalf of the Wyatt Frost Foundation, and was made possible with the use of matching grants from the Grand Lodge of Maine Charitable Foundation Community Matching Grants program.

Arundel Masonic Lodge 76 recently donated $5,000 to KEPTA’s inclusive playground project. From left, at Kennebunk Elementary School are Jessica Winters, KEPTA volunteer and KES teacher, Stedman Seavey, junior warden at Arundel Masonic Lodge 76, KEPTA volunteer Erin O’Reilly Jakan, Peter Shaw, worshipful master with Arundel Masonic Lodge 76, John Nompleggi, past master and secretary with Arundel Masonic Lodge #76; Brian MacDonald, Junior Steward with Arundel Masonic Lodge 76 and Jonathan Rosen, district deputy grand master of the 19th District of the Grand Lodge of Maine, past master of Arundel Lodge and current treasurer with Arundel Masonic Lodge 76. Courtesy photo

“The Kennebunk Elementary School PTA would like to extend our gratitude to the Arundel Masonic Lodge for recognizing the need for the children of our community to have access to inclusive play,” said volunteer Erin O’Reilly-Jakan in an Oct. 21 news release. “We are happy
to accept this donation on behalf of the Wyatt Frost Memorial Foundation and look forward to a continued partnership with both organizations.”

Jonathan Rosen, district deputy grand master of the 19th District of the Grand Lodge of Maine, past master of Arundel Lodge and current treasurer for Arundel Masonic Lodge 76, said the group has supported the Wyatt Frost Foundation for several years as well as many educational and youth activities in the community.

“After the last few years, it was an easy decision for us to support the efforts to get all of our kids outside and enjoying themselves,” said Rosen in the email.

The donation will also be matched by the Tommy McNamara Foundation for $5,000.

“This incredible donation will support KEPTA and the KES community in building a playground that we believe could become the standard for
what all public school playgrounds should be built like,”  Principal Ryan Quinn said in the email. “When it comes to something as developmentally critical to learning and growth as play is, it will be amazing to see all students and adults have the ability to access the structure and join in the fun. We are deeply grateful to the Arundel Masonic Lodge of Kennebunkport for their generosity.”

Children in the district’s pre-K program housed at KES will benefit from having an inclusive playground, along with kids in older grades at the school as well as students throughout the district and visitors from other areas in southern Maine. KEPTA has raised $117,000 for the project, which currently has a cost of $183,000.

Donations can be made through Venmo @KEPTA2021 or at www.kbkplayground.org.

According to the press release, when KES was built in 2004, a new playground was not installed. Instead, portions of equipment from Cousens School and Park Street School were relocated to KES. There are elements on the current playground that are more than 20 years old. With the introduction of pre-K in RSU 21, the playground is no longer age-appropriate for the student body it serves. There are also students, those with
adaptive needs, who cannot play on the structures at KES.

For more information, follow KEPTA on Facebook.

In 2006, Kennebunkport Conservation Trust acquired the grist mill property on Mill Lane in Kennebunkport. The property includes public access to Mast Cove and the site of Perkins Grist Mill and Clement Clarke Boathouse. The mill was built in 1749 and operated until 1939. It was destroyed by an arson fire in 1994. Dan King photo