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AFS cultural exchange student Calvin Moisan plans to spend the second semester of his junior year in Chile.

Photo credit: Patti Mikkelsen

Chile-bound

High school junior Calvin Moisan is excited about the prospects of moving to a South American country to live with an AFS Intercultural Exchange Program host family for the second semester of the 2008-2009 school year. He doesn’t know the family with which he’ll be placed yet, but he does know the timeframe. Moisan will be flying to Chile in mid-to-late February and staying until July. This trip will be particularly adventuresome, as it will be the first one he has ever taken abroad without his family.

Moisan isn’t too concerned about communicating in Spanish since he’s been studying this language since the eighth grade. He rates his ability as being at a good conversational level, figuring that if he doesn’t completely understand what is being said, he’ll at least “get the gist.” He’s looking forward to attending school in a foreign country and immersing himself in the Chilean culture. In the future, he hopes to be an exchange student in Spain.

Two weeks ago Moisan set up a booth at a New Gloucester church’s holiday fair to display information on his planned excursion and to sell Mt. Coca day bags knitted using alpaca yarn displaying a traditional folk knit pattern from Chile. All proceeds from the sale of these bags will support his semester study in Chile. He needs to raise about $10,000 for airfare and personal expenses incurred during his stay.

AFS began as the American Field Service in 1914. During World Wars I and II, nearly 5,000 young men volunteered as AFS ambulance drivers. It has evolved into one of the world’s largest community-based volunteer organizations dedicated to building a more equitable and peaceful world through international student exchange. More than 13,000 students, young adults and teachers participate in AFS programs each year.

To order a Mt. Coca bag or obtain more information, e-mail 10moisanc@gmail.com.

Holiday assistance

Holiday assistance coordinators of New Gloucester and Gray work with area businesses, church groups, organizations and individuals in an effort to make the holiday season a little brighter for families in need. This program is organized and supported by volunteers and funded through donations from caring members of the community.

New Gloucester citizens who are in need of assistance with obtaining Christmas presents for their children or a holiday meal are urged to call Coky Wills at 926-4351 no later than Dec. 1. Those who would like to donate to the cause should contact her as soon as possible.

Christmas fairs

The annual Shaker Christmas Fair will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester. The Shaker Christmas Fair is a traditional holiday fair that is highlighted by Shaker homemade holiday foods, gifts of all types and for all ages, as well as a large white elephant room.

Sabbathday Lake Grange will be holding its annual Christmas craft fair and sale 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. Tables are available for $10 each. To rent a table, call 998-2586 or e-mail granger04071@aol.com. The grange hall is located on Sabbathday Road.

Frozen treats

Hodgman’s Frozen Custard stand, Route 100, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first two weekends of December. Only quarts will be sold during this time, and the flavors that will be available include vanilla, chocolate, pumpkin and black raspberry.

Guitars

The evening of Saturday, Dec. 6 will showcase Noah Harrison in the tradition of great coffeehouse folk singers and Lauryn Hottinger, an up-and-coming acoustic soloist. Based out of Portland, Harrison is a singer/songwriter with a penchant for the subtle, quiet and internal. Emotive, delicate and hypnotic finger style guitar weaved with poetic musings; his sound is simultaneously welcoming, calming and engaging. Hottinger shows a musical maturity beyond her years. She takes the artistry of the female acoustic soloist to a different place. The fluidity and determination of her guitar is accompanied by the crisp emotion in her voice, and her delicate musical arrangements guide the listener through a memorable experience.

Tickets for the New Gloucester Coffee House are available at the door. Suggested donations are $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors and children under 12. The concert takes place at the First Congregational Church, located on the corner of Gloucester Hill Road and Church Road in the Lower Village. For more information, contact Julie or Michael Fralich at 926-3161 or the church office at 926-3260.