Energy efficiency grants

The town of New Gloucester was awarded a $10,000 grant from Efficiency Maine to conduct energy auditing of municipal buildings and to develop a municipal energy efficiency plan. Funded by electricity consumers, Efficiency Maine is a statewide effort to promote the more efficient use of electricity, help Maine residents and businesses reduce energy costs, and improve Maine’s environment.

According to Paul First, town planner, the local effort is spearheaded by a committee of volunteer residents assisted by planning department staff. The group’s mission is to cut town energy costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They are seeking to reduce municipal energy use in town buildings by 25 percent and streetlights by 20 percent by the year 2015. According to First, the specific energy saving strategies in the plan will be based on energy audits currently being conducted of the Town Hall, Meetinghouse, town garage, library and community building.

As one result of the planning efforts to-date, Efficiency Maine has granted preliminary approval to fund $36,000 of energy efficiency improvements to New Gloucester municipal buildings based on the energy audit recommendations.

New Gloucester resident committee members include Carl Wilcox, Jim Fitch, Abby Lumsden, Cliff Andrews, Phoebe Hardesty, and Dalton Myers. Library director Suzan Hawkins and Public Works director Ted Shane are also providing project assistance.

Welcome to TV land

Have you ever wanted to produce a TV show? Here’s your chance.

New Gloucester’s community access television station – NGTV Channel 3 – is now public access. Instead of being restricted to telecasting only town and school government meetings, the channel has been opened to include more diverse programming.

Town residents are encouraged to take an active role in producing shows, as long as they comply with the newly adopted NGTV Policy and Procedures Manual. The manual is available on the Cable TV Committee page at www.newgloucester.com. For more information, contact Bob MacGregor at 926-4441.

Who’s on first?

New Lungs for George is hosting its 6th annual Coed Softball Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 2, with a rain date of Oct. 9. The cost is $300 per team, and pre-registration is recommended. You can sign up and get the rules by calling Jamie Simpson at 577-2593, or by leaving a voicemail at 926-6160.

Root cellars

When you visit the New Gloucester Community Market on Sunday, Sept. 12, please bring along a non-perishable food donation to benefit the local pantry. At the Sept. 19 market, information on root cellars will be provided at 1 p.m. The Community Market is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Amvet Hall parking lot on Route 100 every Sunday through Oct. 31.

Historical society meeting

The New Gloucester Historical Society will meet on Thursday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester. The meeting will begin at the Shaker Library followed by a viewing of the new exhibit “Creating Chosen Land: Our Home 1783-2010,” the most comprehensive architectural history display ever done on a single Shaker village. For more information, call 926-3188.

Shaker Village happenings

Classic Quilters Group will demonstrate their quilting skills and craftsmanship on Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Route 26, New Gloucester.

Other upcoming Shaker Village events include a knitting workshop of cable swatches from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The workshop is geared for advanced beginners and up. The $50 fee includes yarn, pattern and instruction. Call 926-4597 to pre-register.

A series of fall events called Apple Saturdays will be held over the coming weeks, kicking off with free cider pressing on Saturday, Sept. 25. Bring your own apples or buy Shaker orchard apples at the Shaker Store. Provide your own containers, too.

Fittingly, the annual New Gloucester Apple Pie Sale sponsored by the New Gloucester Historical Society also will be held during the Sept. 25 Apple Saturday, 10 a.m., at the Shaker Museum. The pies are baked with apples from New Gloucester’s Thompson’s Orchard and are all made by a volunteer crew of New Gloucester’s finest cooks. To pre-order pies, call event chair Avis Ford at 926-4561.

A toast to autumn!

Celebrate the fall wine harvest of the Pacific Northwest at The Pineland Farms Market to toast wonderful autumn wines with a tasting of select reds and whites from Washington and Oregon. This is a complimentary event open from 3-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16. The Market is located at the Welcome Center, 15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester. For more information, call 688-4539.

Fall Festival of Books

The Friends of the New Gloucester Library will be holding their Fall Festival of Books sale the first weekend in October at the New Gloucester Public Library (379 Intervale Road)!! The sale starts with First Dibs for Kids on Friday, Oct. 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Only children’s items are on sale and adults must be accompanied by a child Friday evening to purchase items. On Saturday, Oct. 2, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., all books, CDs/DVDs/videos/audio tapes, audio books, and delicious baked goods will be on sale. Mark your calendars for these wonderful sales and plan to attend. The Friends are always looking for donations of gently used books, audio visual items, games, and puzzles. Please leave your donations at the New Gloucester Library during regular library hours. For more information, contact the library at 926-4840.

Energy auditor Greg Bowden of Greenbridge Energy Consortium explains energy efficient lighting alternatives for the New Gloucester Library to library director Suzan Hawkins and assistant planner Jessa Berna. (Photo contributed by Paul First)