Christmas Comes to Town

Recently, the Yuletide season kicked off with the annual lighting ceremony sponsored by the New Gloucester Historical Society starring Tiny Timber, the town’s Christmas tree standing in front of town hall.

More than 100 people gathered to hear the 20-member Gray-New Gloucester High School Chorus sing two selections, one of which was a Renaissance piece. Afterward, the younger set chimed in with additional traditional Christmas carols enhanced by animated embellishments. Both groups were energetically led by Chorus Director Jason Cassidy.

The master of ceremonies of the proceedings was Kevin Fowler wearing a Santa cap. When he held the bag of names for the lucky child who was to flip the switch to illuminate Tiny Timber, Morgan Reilly picked her own name. This occurrence was unprecedented according to New Gloucester Historical Society member Lenny Brooks. In the spirit of the season, no one objected to granting Morgan the tree-lighting honors.

After the ceremony, the crowd was invited by the Friends of the Library, staff and trustees to enjoy platefuls of wonderful treats covering the expansive table in the library’s Community Room. Although the weather wasn’t as cold as it had been in past years for this occasion, the hot chocolate topped with mini-marshmallows was a popular highlight.

Santa Preparing for Christmas Eve

The Emery household is abuzz with preparations for Santa’s annual visit on Christmas Eve. There are a couple changes to the program for this year. The first is the drop-off location. It has changed since last year from Kay Zachau’s house to Deb and Dean Emery’s house. The Emerys will be accepting the pre-arranged gifts at their home starting Dec. 19 and ending at noon on Dec. 24. Please list your child’s name and your location on the package. Labels will be on hand if you need them. The Emery’s home is located at 77 Intervale Road in New Gloucester. (It is the white house directly across from Memorial School, and there is a railroad caboose in the yard.)

The second change is the addition of stops at Wing’s Variety and Cloutier’s Store in the Upper Village. If you do not live along the route of travel, please come meet them at one of the four public stops: Thompson’s, Town Hall, Cloutier’s and Wing’s.

The route will start at Thompson’s Orchard at approximately 4:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. Santa and his helpers will leave directly after presents are handed out, and they will proceed down Gloucester Hill Road toward the Lower Village. After a stop at the Town Hall, they will continue up Intervale Road to the Upper Village via Bald Hill Road and Upper Gloucester Road. Next they will go up Peacock Hill Road and back to Gilmore Road. They will take a left onto Route 100 to behind Wing’s Variety. Then, they will swing by Cloutier’s Store, back down Upper Gloucester Road to Bald Hill Road, where they will proceed down the hill to Snow Hill Road. They will follow Snow Hill Road to the Turnpike Bridge, where the route ends.

Donation cans are available at the local stores. Alternatively, checks can be mailed to: New Gloucester Santa, PO Box 204, New Gloucester, Maine 04260. If you have any questions regarding this wonderful tradition for New Gloucester residents, please call the Emery’s at 926-4458.

As a special note, many thanks go to Kay Zachau for her years of service in helping Santa with his visit to town. She has dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort to this cause.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

The New Gloucester Bible Church, Lewiston Road, will hold its annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Monday, Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. Pastor Dan invites you to “join us as we celebrate the birth of Christ on this holy eve.” For questions, call him at 926-3140.

Christmas Pageant at the Congregational Church

On Sunday, Dec. 16, the annual Children’s Christmas Pageant will be held at the First Congregational Church, Gloucester Hill Road, at 9:30 a.m. The event will feature full costumes. For more information, call 926-3260.

December Vacation Camp at Pineland YMCA

Camp Pineland is in full swing for the upcoming December school vacation. This year’s camp will run Wednesday, Dec. 26 through Friday, Dec. 28, plus Monday, Dec. 31. Students, are you looking for some fun, structured activities to do while on vacation from school? If so, come to the YMCA for sports, games, arts & crafts, outdoor activities (weather permitting), swimming, bowling, and other fun winter activities.

Camp is for school-age children ages 5-12. Pre-Camp runs from 7:30-9 a.m., Camp 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Post-Camp 4-5:30 p.m. (Pre- and Post-Camp are included in the price.) Registrations are now being accepted up through the day of camp. You can register your child for one, two, three, or all four days of camp. For more information, call 688-2255, or just stop by the YMCA at 25 Campus Drive at Pineland.

Town Board and Committee Meetings

Dec. 17: Selectmen, 7 p.m., Meetinghouse

Dec. 18: Planning Board, 7 p.m., Meetinghouse

Dec. 19: School Board, 6:30 p.m., Meetinghouse

Dec. 20: CIP Committee, 7 p.m., Meetinghouse

Dec. 21: Story Time, 9:30 a.m., Library