New Year’s auction set

New Year Gorham is sponsoring an auction 7-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Odd Fellows Building, 34 School St. The auction will feature a silent auction as well as a fun live auction with lots of items for sale, excellent food, and fabulous live entertainment, organizers report on its web site.

The silent and live auctions help support the New Years Gorham celebration.

For a list of items available, visit www.newyeargorham.org

Veterans Day ceremony

Navy veteran Carl and Marcena Phillips will speak at the Gorham Veterans Day ceremony at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, at Gorham Municipal Center, 75 South St.

The Civil War is the theme of this year’s observance in Gorham. The Gorham couple has participated in Wreaths Across America, delivering a trailer truck loaded with wreaths from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery.

The Centennial Brass Band will provide a musical prelude at 9:45 a.m. This year’s observance features a special presentation, “The Civil War-Gorham Connections.”

Several community organizations have banded together for the observance including Friends of Baxter Memorial Library, Gorham Arts Alliance, Gorham Girls Scouts, Gorham GoCat TV, Gorham Police Department, Gorham Recreation Department, Gorham VFW Post 10879, Local and Legendary-Maine in the Civil War, a grant from the Maine Humanities Council, and University of Southern Maine Gorham ROTC.

For more information, call the library at 222-1190.

Atwood is children’s alliance chairman

The Maine Children’s Alliance has announced that Rusty Atwood has been elected as the alliance chairman of the board. He and his wife, Sue, live in Gorham and have two adult children, a daughter, Chrissy and son, Tim.

For 18 years, Atwood was in secondary education in Maine at Cony in Augusta; Gorham and South Portland high schools as a teacher, basketball coach and administrator. He started his nonprofit development career 1994 with Spurwink Institute (then called Spurwink Foundation) and later in higher education/leadership giving with Colby College, University of Southern Maine, University of New England and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Atwood then helped create a major gifts office for MaineGeneral Health in Augusta/Waterville and the campaign to build the new Alfond Center for Health.

He is a consultant to Deerfield Associates, a retained executive search firm based in Wellesley, Mass.

Disc-throwing robots at expo

Forty-five youth participated in the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Robotics Expo on Oct.19 at the University of Southern Maine’s Gorham campus.

The event was designed to encourage youth ages 5-18 develop life skills and build math and engineering skills. At the expo, participants shared ideas and creations with judges in a science fair-type format, built robots and took part in a challenge, during which teams built robots with mechanical arms.

Volunteers, including 4-H members, parents, representatives of the University of Maine Brunswick Engineering Program, American Society of Civil Engineers, USM’s Department of Engineering, Portland Police Department and Robotics Institute of Maine, contributed more than 300 hours to the event.

Through its 4-H Positive Youth Development Programs, UMaine Extension works with robotics clubs across the state. More information about 4-H is available at extension.umaine.edu.

Boyle recognized

Sen. Jim Boyle, D-Gorham, has received a perfect score, a 100 percent rating from the Maine State Employees Union for his support of working families during the 126th Legislature.

“We must do everything we can to support Maine’s working men and women,” Boyle said in a statement the Senate Majority Office released. “As a small business owner, I know supporting Maine workers is key to a strong and growing middle class.”

Kicking off a fundraiser, the Civil Rights team at Gorham High School on Tuesday displays placards and an orange paper chain with messages denouncing behavior like school bullying. For four weeks, Cumberland Farms at 137 Main St. in Gorham will donate 20 cents from every brewed tea and coffee (iced or hot) or Chill Zone beverage purchased at the store to the school. High School Principal Chris Record said the goal is a chain that extends the length of the school. The school’s Civil Rights team adviser Rachael Grady said every student could make an inscribed link.