Speaking about propaganda, John F. Kennedy, while speaking in East Boston in 1947, reportedly said, “No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as truth.”

The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk opened its new exhibition, Who Controls the Present: The Art of Propaganda, on Sept. 13. The exhibit, according to a press release, explores the historic and current-day propaganda posters and imagery, including posters from its World Wars poster collection that is one of the largest in New England. The exhibition will be on view through Nov. 15

Visitors to the exhibition will explore types of propaganda and how to recognize it; and view dozens of World War I and World War II posters created by the US government in the first half of the 20th century. Links to today’s form of propaganda, like memes and social media posts, will be made across the exhibit and will invite participants to take part in advancing the civic dialogue around propaganda and false information.

In addition to the exhibition, museum educators have produced curriculum modules and learning activities for area educators and homeschoolers to use in conjunction with the exhibition, in addition to hosting class field trips to the museum to explore the exhibition’s primary source materials.

The exhibition will be on view through Nov. 15 at the Brick Store Museum. For more information about the exhibition and related educational activities and resources, visit www.brickstoremuseum.org.

 

Changes in Medicare

information session

Graves Library will host Karen Vachon for a session on the new regulations and changes in Medicare for 2025. The discussion is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26, at 9 a.m. in the Community Room.

According to a news release, the session will focus on understanding the annual notice of change and making informed decisions about the best options for personal budgets. Vachon, a licensed health insurance agent in southern Maine, has been assisting individuals navigating the world of Medicare since 2009.

With the upcoming Medicare season approaching, wrote event organizers, Vachon aims to help individuals comprehend the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act alongside the significant price increases for Medicare supplement plans. The changes may deliver negative news to Medicare beneficiaries when they receive their annual notice of change in September.

“This is not the year to ignore your annual notice of change,” said Vachon in an email, “it may be dry reading, but it is very important.”

The informal program will provide insights and answer questions in a welcoming environment. “Changes in Medicare are always concerning, but learning and preparing will make the changes easier,” Vachon wrote. Sessions are informational only and Medicare beneficiaries will not be marketed to, she said.

Vachon will provide information, tips, and resources to help those on Medicare prepare for the annual enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2024. No registration or RSVP is necessary to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

Louis T. Graves Library is located at 18 Maine St., Kennebunkport.

 

SMAA announces

financial workshops

Southern Maine Agency on Aging’s Money Minders program is partnering with New Ventures Maine and other community members to provide one-hour financial skills workshops via Zoom for adults 60 and older who are looking to increase their financial literacy and boost their financial wellness.

The workshops will cover an array of financial topics, including budgeting, holiday financial planning, fraud and scam prevention, tax information, consolidating credit card debt, SNAP benefits, online banking, managing financial concerns for folks with dementia, and more.

The first workshop is Thursday, Sept. 26, 10 to 11 a.m. and is titled, Budgeting Basics.

Topics include: Money management attitudes and styles, setting goals and steps for creating a spending plan.

Money Minders Financial Skills Workshops will occur on the last Thursday of each month from 10 to 11 a.m. via Zoom.

To register, visit www.smaaa.org/events.html. For more information, contact Susan Bergeron, Money Minders coordinator, at 207-396-6515 or sbergeron@smaaa.org.

 

Planeteers host

clothing drive

The Planeteers of Southern Maine, in collaboration with Helpsy, will host a clothing drive 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. Collections will take place in the parking lot at Quest Fitness Center in Kennebunk.

The event will raise funds for The Planeteers of Southern Maine’s mission. The Planeteers will accept bags of used clothing/textiles at the drive. In 2023 alone, according to a press release, Helpsy collected 31 million pounds of clothing. The Planeteers of Southern Maine and the Kennebunk area have contributed nearly 40,000 pounds to the cause.

Helpsy accepts clean, dry, and bagged clothing of all kinds as well as fashion accessories, wallets, purses, backpacks, totes, shoes, towels, bedding, costumes, curtains, placemats, tablecloths. Stuffed animals and pillows are allowed, but must be separate from other items. No hard-shelled suitcases, rugs, laminate, mats, tarps, or fabric.

For more information, visit www.helpsy.com.

 

Homecoming parade

scheduled for Oct. 5

The Kennebunk High School homecoming parade is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5. The parade begins at 12:30 p.m. and starts at the Fletcher Street roundabout on the way to the high school. Following the parade, Kennebunk High School will host Deering in the homecoming football game at 2 p.m.

 

Senate candidate

at Bentley’s

Demi Kouzounas, candidate for US Senate, will be at Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel on Monday, Sept. 30, for a luncheon. According to a press release, those attending are encouraged to purchase lunch at Bentley’s, which is  celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Kouzounas, according to the press release, is the daughter of immigrants from Greece. Running to represent Maine in Washington, D.C., she will inform attendees about her plans to help small businesses and improve the lives of Mainers. Kouzounas was raised working in her family’s restaurant business.

The event begins at 11:15 a.m. and provides an opportunity for people to mingle with friends and neighbors.

To RSVP, email jack@demiforsenate.com.

 

School district plans

collaboration committee

The RSU 21 School Board of Directors, in a Sept. 13 news release, announced the formation of the Educational Collaboration Ad Hoc Committee in an effort to improve communication and collaboration in the district community.

The committee’s first meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Board Room (A103) at Kennebunk Elementary School.

“The work of this committee is crucial for fostering a positive and productive educational environment that benefits students, staff, and the community at large,” said RSU 21 School Board Chair Lesley Stoeffler in an email. “The committee’s role is advisory, providing valuable insights and suggestions to inform the board’s decision-making process.”

According to the news release, the committee is made up of representatives from all six district schools and a wide array of professions within the district, including teachers, education technicians, transportation, central office staff, and school board members. Participation in all meetings will be in-person only; no online attendance will be allowed. Meetings will not be recorded as commentary and discussion are considered confidential.

The committee will meet four times over the school year. The three remaining meetings will be scheduled during the first meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting schedule, the committee will present a final report to the school board.

The committee will be moderated by Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions. Freshley, who set the committee rules, is not affiliated with RSU 21 and is being paid for his time.

The Educational Collaboration Ad Hoc Committee was formed during a special school board meeting in late May as the result of a discussion about fostering open dialogue to strengthen community unity.

 

Pianist Schwab plays

Kennebunk concert

Pianist Jacqueline Schwab, heard on Ken Burns’ Civil War and numerous other documentaries, will perform in concert at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Kennebunk, on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 4:30 p.m. According to a news release, Schwab will feature pieces from her Burns soundtrack performances and will also from her own work celebrating cultural diversity, inspired by her work with Burns.

Patrons will hear Irish and Scottish airs and dance tunes, spirituals, ragtime and other vintage American music, and vintage Latin and other pieces connected with American immigrants. Schwab will share stories about the tunes and speak about Burns’ unusual way of working with music — how he elicits emotive performances and uses music to amplify his messages and shed historical light on our lives today.

Schwab is featured in over a dozen of Ken Burns’ documentaries, including his Grammy-winning Civil War, Baseball, Lewis and Clark, Mark Twain, The War and his recently-released Benjamin Franklin, as well as in other PBS documentaries, such as The Irish in America — The Long Journey Home. She has performed at the White House for President Clinton and (twice) on national PBS with the American Pops Orchestra, and she has accompanied Scottish singer Jean Redpath on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion and on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman.

Schwab graduated from New England Conservatory, majoring in piano improvisation. She grew up in Pittsburgh and has since lived in Boston and on Cape Cod.

The concert is part of the Concerts in West K! series, produced by Mousam River Music in its new collaboration with the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk. Admission to the concert is $20 per person at the door. There is open seating for the concert on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not required, but may be made via email at paul.wells@mousamrivermusic.net.

 

Legion Post 159

meeting schedule

Monthly meetings of American Legion Post 159 are held on the first Thursday of the month. Upcoming meeting dates: Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5. Dates for 2025 are Jan. 2, Feb. 6, March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.

All veterans and Sons of the American Legion are welcomed to attend. Legion Post 169 is located at 102 Main St. (across from the police station) in Kennebunkport. For more information, call 207-967-2400.

 

More Hendrix at

the school house

Mid-Week Music continues Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. with Jimi Volume 2.

Mark Gunter (keyboards/vocal), Dylan Kumnick (drums), John Kumnick (bass/vocal), and Dana Pearson (guitar/vocal) will perform their second annual batch of songs from Seattle’s favorite son, Jimi Hendrix. Likely tunes on their setlist include “Foxey Lady,” “If 6 Was 9,” and “Bold as Love.”

For tickets, visit kporths.com/buy-tickets, email info@kporths.com, or call 207-967-2751.

The monthly concert series takes place at the Kennebunkport Historical Society’s Town House School at 135 North St.

The next entry will be, Covering John Denver, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, when Pearson will be joined by singer/guitarist Jen Comeau. The year will close with Mid-Week Music’s fourth annual Christmas Show on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 5 p.m.

 

Italian supper

at St. David’s

St. David’s Episcopal Church in Kennebunk will host its second annual Rollie’s Famous Italian Supper on Saturday, Sept. 28, 5 to 6:30 p.m.

According to event organizers, “Summer residents Roland and Patty Gagne would work for weeks preparing a feast of six or seven courses for the community: chicken piccata, eggplant and chicken parmesan, meatballs, sausage, peppers and onions, and plenty of pasta. Volunteers and guests brought salads and desserts. When the pandemic halted the Gagnes’ annual offering, they’d hoped to resume it once it was safe to gather again. Sadly, Roland died in February 2023, before the dinner could be restarted. As a tribute to a great man who loved a good meal, his children and beloved wife Patty have stepped up to serve Rollie’s Famous Italian Supper this fall.”

All are welcome to enjoy the meal in his honor. St. David’s is located at 138 York St. in Kennebunk. Donations are welcomed.