Kennebunk Land Trust announced that its annual Fall Social and Annual Meeting will be held Sept. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. near Parsons Beach.

At the meeting, Kennebunk Land Trust will review the past year’s highlights and special projects, announce next year’s goals, and celebrate its volunteers, supporters and community.

The evening will include appetizers and drinks from Kitchen Chicks Catering, views of the ocean, and organizational remarks. Kennebunk Land Trust will host Carey Kish, nature enthusiast, outdoor writer and author (Maine Sunday Telegram, “Beer Hiking New England,” and “Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast”). Kish will give a presentation on the value of land trusts and Kennebunk Land Trust from years exploring the Maine outdoors.

According to an Aug, 10 news release, the land trust invites people to, “join in on this yearly celebration of Kennebunk Land Trust’s mission and the community of dedicated individuals and organizations that make our work possible. Thank you so much to the event sponsors: Cole Harrison Insurance, Hancock Lumber (York Street), Hazelwood Handyman, HM Payson, Kitchen Chicks Catering, and Kennebunk Savings.”

There is no charge for tickets, but registration is required and in limited quantity. For more information or to register, kennebunklandtrust.org, or contact the office at 207-985-8734 or info@kennebunklandtrust.org.

Registration closes Aug. 30.

Kennebunk Land Trust’s mission is to permanently conserve and steward land to benefit natural and human communities. Kennebunk Land Trust was established in 1972. Since its inception, the trust has worked to protect over 3,400 acres of land through ownership, conservation easement and partnership. The properties include upland forest, coastal marsh and agricultural fields, and many of them are open for recreational enjoyment.

Library to host Death Cafe conversation

A Death Cafe is a safe and relaxed space to gather with people to discuss topics related to death and dying. The program will be hosted by Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 9 a.m.

According to a library news release, “the Death Cafe’s objective is to engage in interesting, thought-provoking, and life-affirming conversations.”

To register, call 207-967-2778. The event will be facilitated by Dr. Marilyn R. Gugliucci, professor and director of geriatric education and research at the University of New England.

For more information, call 967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

Friday is story time at Graves

Story time at the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library includes stories, finger plays, and songs. After story time, participants can take part in  activities such as Guessing Game, Scavenger Hunt, Bookmark Station, Kaleidoscope Creations, and I Spy Terrarium, stations are always open.

The session is held every Friday at 10 a.m. Graves Library is located at 18 Maine St., Kennebunkport. For more information, call 207-967-2778 and ask for the Junior Room or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

Legion Post 159 to host barbecue

American Legion Post 159 in Kennebunkport will host a free drive-thru barbecue on Friday, Aug. 18.

The barbecue, according to an Aug. 9 press release, will begin at 5 p.m. and “run until we run out of food.”

Legion Post 159 is located at 102 Main St. (across from the police station) in Kennebunkport.

The menu includes pulled pork, smoked chicken, bratwurst, beans, coleslaw, potato salad, jalapeno cornbread and desert. Donations are welcomed,

For more information, call 207-967-2400.

Conservation trust anniversary shirts available

Kennebunkport Conservation Trust 50th anniversary commemorative shirts come in many sizes. The shirts are sage green, unisex and and include a pocket trail map of all conservation trust properties.

The cost is $30 with all proceeds benefiting the trust. Shirts are available at Kennebunkport Conservation Trust headquarters, 57 Gravelly Brook Road, Kennebunkport, and will be offered the following Kennebunkport businesses:

Daytrip Society, www.daytripsociety.com/.

Kennebunk Outfitters https://kennebunkoutfitters.com/.

Schooner Eleanor, www.schoonereleanor.com/.

McClelland Music Foundation to host organist

The Keith McClelland Community Music Foundation will welcome James Kennerley back to its organ bench for an evening of patriotic marches, familiar classical tunes, and a finishing touch of his own improvisations on songs selected by the audience on Friday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.

A native of the United Kingdom, and Portland’s very own municipal organist,
Kennerley recently became a United States citizen. He and his wife Emily recently welcomed a baby girl, making their son Noah a new big brother on Aug. 10.

Internationally known as a performer, composer, arranger, and choral director, Kennerley has performed recitals across England, Europe, and the United States. As the municipal organist for the city of Portland, he performs a full season of concerts on the Kotzschmar organ in Merrill Auditorium.

He has served as music director for three Episcopal churches in New York and Connecticut, and most recently at St. Paul’s Choir School and Parish in Harvard Square. Kennerley assumes an additional role as music minister at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary in Falmouth, Maine, beginning in August 2023.

According to a McClelland Music Foundation news release, Kennerley’s “fascination with music started at the family piano at a very young age. He began piano lessons and became a chorister at Chelmsford Cathedral, and immediately became fascinated with the pipe organ. Eager to learn to play the organ with its thundering low notes and trumpet-like high notes, he learned he would have to grow taller first so that his feet would reach the pedal board below.

“He began his organ studies as a teenager at Harrow, which led to his being organ scholar at Jesus College Cambridge, and then sub-organist at St Paul’s Cathedral in London before he moved to US. Kennerley graduated from The Juilliard School with a degree in historical performance in 2015 and Baroque performance is a core component of his repertoire.
His solo pipe organ performances are inspiring, rousing, and impressive.

The McClelland Music Foundation suggests a $20 donation to help defray costs for continuing concerts.

Newcomers club schedules first meeting of year

The Newcomers and Neighbors Club of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel invites people to attend the first meeting of the year. The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Community House in Kennebunkport. The Community House is located at 8 Temple St.

The meeting will feature artist Diane Lent, who will create a painting for patrons. While she is painting, she will speak about her art and what motivates her to paint. The presentation begins at 7:15 p.m.

For more information, visit www.kptanewcomers.org.

 

Chili-Fest set for Aug. 26

The Wells Chamber of Commerce will host its 22nd annual Chili-Fest on Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Wells Junior High School campus on Route 1 in Wells. The event will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Joe Harvey Invitational Cookoff, sanctioned by the International Chili Society, is among the events available for “chiliheads” to qualify to compete in the World Championship that will be held this year in September in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Entrants for the cook-off have come from as far away as Florida, Nevada and Illinois.

The cook-off will feature cooks in four categories: Red chili made with beef and red ripened chili peppers; Green chili (verde) made with either chicken or pork and green chili peppers; homestyle (traditional chili with beans); along with a youth homestyle division and salsa. Cash prizes and plaques are given to the winners along with bragging rights.

The chili cooks will bring their chili to be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the People’s Choice competition with a $250 first prize. Ballots for People’s Choice are included in the tasting kits available for sale.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Wells Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund. Kennebunk Savings is the Primary Event Sponsor and DF Richard Energy is the Gold Sponsor

Vendors and crafters are featured at the annual event that also features free parking and free admission. For more information, visit www.wellschilifest.com.

Lobster roll dinner scheduled

Atlantic Hall will host a lobster roll dinner and viewing of historic area photos on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. Atlantic Hall is located at 173 Main St. in Cape Porpoise. All proceeds from the event will benefit Atlantic Hall.

Rally Day is Aug. 20 at Church on the Cape

Sunday School Rally Day is an annual event at Church on the Cape where children ages 4 and older are introduced to the 2023-24 Sunday School program for the school year. This year, the theme for Sunday School is Hooked on Jesus.

On Aug. 20, during the 10 a.m. worship after the children’s moment, all interested children and their parents/guardians are invited to visit the Sunday School rooms with Pastor Sue Ellery to learn about the songs, crafts, Bible stories, and special projects planned. All are welcome to attend.

For more information, call 207-967-5787.

Arundel Fall Trail Fest is Sept. 23

Arundel Conservation Trust will host its third annual Fall Trail Fest Run & Walk on Saturday, Sept. 23. The event features 5K, 10K and half marathon distances. For more information or to register, visit www.arundeltrust.org/act-trail-fest.

The ACT Fall Trail Fest half marathon race starts at 9 a.m., the 10K race starts at 10 a.m. and the 5K race starts at 10:30 a.m. The courses are set on the Arundel Conservation Trust multi-purpose trail and the Eastern Trail that and feature woodland and stream views.

​Runners will start at the Arundel Municipal Building parking lot at 257 Limerick Road in Arundel. All races return and finish at the Arundel Municipal Building parking lot. Winners in each age group will be awarded a prize. Prizes range from fresh Maine lobsters to local honey.

Each participant will receive a race day T-shirt. Details for the after-race party will be announced.

​The event is held in partnership with the trust’s sister organization, the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, that is hosting its annual Trail Fest on Oct. 15.

​All proceeds from the event support local conservation efforts.

For more information, visit www.arundeltrust.org.

Spurling Charity 5K benefits Center for Grieving Children

Spurling Fitness announced it will host its eighth annual Spurling Charity 5K on Oct. 7. The family-friendly event invites participants to “walk, run or dance” across the finish line. The event, designed for all ages and abilities, is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at 1 Alewive Park Road in West Kennebunk.

Each year, a new beneficiary is chosen. This year’s event will benefit The Center for Grieving Children, Maine.

Registration costs $25 and the first 100 to sign up are guaranteed a race T-shirt. To register, visit https://racewire.com/register.php?id=13534.

Amateur Radio Society announces meetings

The New England Radio Discussion Society meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. throughout the year at The New School in Kennebunk. The club informally gathers to support and promote amateur (ham) radio.

Discussion topics include: early and contemporary equipment, digital technology, internet integration, and striving for international contacts. Most meetings include a tech talk by society members. Those interested in amateur radio are encouraged to join the Amateur Radio Society.

Upcoming meetings will be held Aug. 22, Sept. 5 and Sept. 19. The New School is located at 38 York St. For more information, contact Alex at 967-8812.

Outdoor story times set at Kennebunk Free Library

Kennebunk Free Library will host stories and songs with Miss Maria on Mondays in August at 10 a.m..  Story times will be held outside the library near the faerie garden. Participants are asked to bring a blanket or towel to sit on, and don’t forget sunscreen. In the event of rain or inclement weather, story time will be held indoors.

Upcoming story time dates:

· Aug. 21 and 28.

Climate change art exhibit opens

The Brick Store Museum announced the opening of its summer contemporary art exhibition, Earthly Observations: Artist Perspectives of Our Climate, in the Bauman Gallery, the museum’s contemporary exhibition space, through Sept. 3.

This show features eight Maine artists displaying 2D and 3D artworks illustrating perspectives of climate change. Maine citizens and those living in other coastal areas have a front row seat to see the changes during their lifetimes. The show is paired with the museum’s first gallery exhibition, Wrapped in Blue, which features costume designs created from hospital sterilization paper saved from landfills by Portland-based Partners for World Health.

Artists in the Earthly Observations exhibition include prominent climate change artist-activists Cole Caswell (Maine Arts Commission Fellow), Kate Cheney Chappell, Anna Dibble, Liz Hunter, Elizabeth Kelley, Andrea Roth Kimmich, Bill Presby and Rhonda Smith. The show boasts painting and sculpture, with pieces from the exhibition also installed in the museum’s courtyard, including Cheney Chappell’s steel Tumblestars and Presby’s Tunny the Tuna.

The exhibition is sponsored by Saco & Biddeford Savings.

Seaglass Chorale puts out call for singers

Seaglass Chorale is about to start rehearsals for its upcoming winter concert that will mark the start of its 30th season. The chorale is planning two Celtic Christmas concerts, on Friday Dec. 1 and Saturday Dec. 2. The group will rehearse be from 6 to 7 p.m. every Thursday beginning on Sept. 7 at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Route 1, Kennebunk.

The concert will feature the full Seaglass Chorale, as well as our select choir the Seatones, an Irish step dancing group, and Irish poetry.

Founded in 1993 by Artistic Director Jean Strazdes, Seaglass Chorale is a non-auditioned adult choral group of 46 voices. The chorale represents some 20 southern Maine communities and regularly performs throughout the area, with concerts in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Wells, Sanford, Saco, and other regional venues.

For more information on Seaglass Chorale, to join the group, or to make a donation, visit www.seaglasschorale.org.

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