Book offers historic look at mayors

In commemoration of Westbrook’s incorporation bicentennial, the Westbrook Historical Society has published “Westbrook Mayors, A Brief History of the Village, the Town and the City.”

This is an updated version of a booklet published by the society in 1991 to commemorate Westbrook’s 100th anniversary of becoming a city.

“This latest book contains information on all of our mayors from 1891 to 2014,” Donna Conley, editor, said. “It also contains a brief history, maps and photographs pertaining to Westbrook’s past.”

The books will be on sale for $10 at Westbrook Together Days and at the bicentennial program on Monday, June 9. They will also be available at the society’s offices at 426 Bridge St.

Seniors to meet for meal

The Westbrook Senior Citizens group will be served a meal at noon on Monday, May 19, at Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St.

The menu includes pot roast with gravy, potatoes, carrots and strawberry shortcake. For entertainment, past presidents of the group will offer their advice.

The seniors on Aug. 2 will travel to Ogunquit for a production of “Mary Poppins” and dine at the Fisherman’s Catch. The group will visit Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire on Aug. 28 for a cruise, lunch, and visit to Castle in the Clouds.

Next year, the seniors are planning a trip from Jan. 23 to Feb.1 to New Orleans. The trip includes a Caribbean cruise. For more information, call 854-2705 or 883-5046.

‘Rejoicing Spirits” service at Trinity

Trinity Lutheran Church, 612 Main St., is holding its “Rejoicing Spirits” service at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 20. It’s a special worship service for persons with cognitive and/or developmental disabilities. The service includes music, singing, fellowship and supper. The church has wheelchair accessibility. An American Sign Language interpreter will be provided.

Hyacinth Place grand opening set

Avesta Housing will celebrate the opening of Hyacinth Place, 2 Walker St, in Westbrook, from 3-4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 16.

Formal remarks will be at 3:30 p.m. Officials attending include Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton; Earle Shettleworth, Maine state historian;

and Greg Payne of Avesta Housing.

Hyacinth Place is a 37-apartment community near downtown Westbrook. Through a combination of historic reuse and new construction, Avesta, along with Developers Collaborative, created new homes for Maine families and preserved the historically and culturally significant St. Hyacinth School and Convent buildings.

Avesta has added a jogging path, benches, soccer goals and a refurbished swing set to the adjacent Walker Field. In addition, Avesta is planning $3.2 million in renovations to 73 apartments at Steeple Square on Walker and Webb streets.

Walk to combat scleroderma

The fifth annual Portland Steeping Out to Cure Scleroderma Walk is set for 10 a.m. to noon at Riverbank Park on Main Street in Westbrook. The event will be held rain or shine.

Scleroderma is a chronic disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. For more information or to register to walk, visit www.scleroderma.org/steppingoutmaine.

Library friends to meet

The annual meeting of Friends of the Walker Memorial Library will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22.

“Our own Walker Memorial Library’s lending staff member Jane Elwell will be sharing with us her stories and pictures of some of her walks in England,” said Kelly Day, vice president of the friends.

The presentation will be from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Everyone is welcome, and visitors are encouraged to bring snacks to share.

Academy applications available

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree have announced that they will begin accepting applications from Maine high school students for appointments to the United States service academies operated by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Merchant Marine.

Students should apply for a nomination in the spring and summer of their junior year. The Maine delegation will begin accepting applications on Thursday, May 15, from students for admission in the summer of 2015.

For more information, Collins can be reached at 780-3575; King, 883-1588; Michaud, 782-3704; and Pingree, 774-5019.

Swift water rescue training coming to Presumpscot

Don’t be surprised to see rescue crews lowering rope lines into the Presumpscot River this weekend. It is only a drill. Multiple public safety and rescue agencies will be participating in a swift water rescue-training program in Westbrook on May 16 from 6-9 p.m. and May 18 from 8-11 a.m.

Rescue crews will be staged on the traffic island behind Portland Pie, and will drop rope lines over the embankment and lower personnel and equipment from there, while boats (non-motorized) will be deployed down river adjacent to the municipal parking lot.

There will be faculty representing public safety and rescue agencies from North Dakota, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Diane Dyer, Westbrook Historical Society board member, left, and Donna Conley, editor, compare old and new books about Westbrook mayors. Westbrook High School Art Director Carol Connor stands with sophomore Aymen Khaleel and his artwork during the school’s annual art exhibition last Tuesday. According to Connor, Khaleel wants to be an art teacher, and “is totally dedicated,” sometimes staying late after school to continue his work. Khaleel said he came to America from Iraq two years ago, and enjoys using a pen for his drawings. Connor said that the exhibition was a success. “It was a fabulous evening with loads of people, and the students were very excited,” she said.