Strawberry festival

The 2011 annual New Gloucester Strawberry Festival will be held on Thursday, June 23 from 6-8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church community room, 19 Gloucester Hill Road. The festival features native New Gloucester berries with homemade biscuits and Hodgman’s Frozen Custard.

The Berry, Berry Good Band will play musical favorites. Baked goods will be available for purchase, and historical memorabilia will be for sale. Join your friends, neighbors and family for this long-established community gathering.

Public water forum

An informational forum for the proposed Upper Village public water system will be held Wednesday, June 29, 6-8 p.m., at the New Gloucester Fire Station, located at 611 Lewiston Road. Town Planner Paul First, Matt Reynolds from Drumlin Environmental and Chris Swain from MDEP will be on hand to discuss the project and answer questions. Enjoy a supper of applewood smoked Maine hotdogs and other refreshments with your friends and neighbors. This event is sponsored by New Gloucester’s Land Management Planning Committee. FMI, call the Town Planning Department, 926-4126, ext. 4.

Activities at Shaker Village

The monthly nature hikes at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester will be held on Saturday, June 18. The morning hike begins at 10 a.m. and the afternoon hike begins at 1:30 p.m. Carol Beyna, a trained naturalist, will guide participants through the Shaker farm fields, the woods down to Sabbathday Lake and Loon’s Point and then back over the footbridge at Aurelia’s Cascade. Reservations are recommended. Fees are $5 for adults and $2 for children, under 6 are free.

Chris Becksvoort, noted Maine craftsman, will be the teacher for a hands-on class about how to do basic hand-dovetailed drawer construction. The workshop will be held on Saturday, June 18, and morning or afternoon sessions are offered. The fee is $35.

A floor-cloth workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 2. Participants will make a 2-foot-by-3-foot canvas floor-cloth using traditional designs or designs of their own making. Betsy Grecoe who sells her floor-cloths at the Shaker Store will be the instructor. The $55 fee includes all materials, and pre-registration is required.

Contact the Shaker Museum to register for any of these activities at 926-4597 or see www.shaker.lib.me.us for more information.

Summer reading program

The sign-up period for the New Gloucester Public Library’s summer reading program has recently gotten under way and extends through Saturday, July 2. Participants sign a contract to read or listen to any number of books; they set the number. Those over 18 sign up to read and designate the number of books toward the final count. For more information, call 926-4840.

Journey for Sight

On Saturday, June 11, the Gray-New Gloucester Lions completed the 2011 five-mile Journey for Sight just before rain set in. Some of the participants included Matt, Christina, Josh and John Kuchinski, Dr. Dave Guiseley, Irene and Joe Murray, Pat Elliot and Moe Ellis.

Money raised by this walk helps provide eye exams and glasses for children and adults in the Gray and New Gloucester communities who cannot afford to purchase them. The Lions wish to express their sincere appreciation to the many community businesses whose generous contributions make life (and sight) a little better for local citizens.

21 Reasons tip

Got a line on an underage drinking party? Text-A-Tip is a quick, anonymous way to keep your family, friends and community safe this summer. Text GOTCHA and your tip to 274637. For more tips on keeping kids safe this summer, check out: www.21reasons.org/parents.php

What’s on ?Channel 3?

Watch “Our Barns, a History of the Barns of Maine” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 17-19 and June 24-26 on local access Channel 3. Expert Don Perkins is the presenter at a talk sponsored by the New Gloucester Historical Society in April.

You’ll recognize many of the barns featured in this program; you may even own one of them! DVD copies are available at the New Gloucester Public Library for those who are not cable customers.

Road closure

Reconstruction of the Morse Road has begun. The road will be closed beginning Saturday, June 20 and reopened Monday, Aug. 29. The road will be open only to residents living in the construction area during this time. For more information, contact Taylor Engineering at 344-6038 or Public Works Director Ted Shane at 650-0286.

New Gloucester Troop 135 Boy Scouts Michael Berard and Devon Plummer, who is assistant Patrol Leader, hoist the American flag at the Memorial Day ceremony in New Gloucester May 30. (Photo by Patti Mikkelsen)