Blues Fest request

The third annual Naples Blues Fest, set for Saturday, June 14, will surely be a highlight of our summer. With over 40 bands and dozens of venues participating, and music lovers coming up from all over New England, this is a prime opportunity for us to show off all that we love about the Lakes Region.

And now you have the option to not only go to it, but to be a part of it.

Festival organizers are asking for volunteer help, and offering a sweet deal in return. For two to four hours of service on the day

of the festival, they will give you an official Blues Fest t-shirt and two all-day wristbands good for free entry to any of the performances.

As the Lakes Region Chamber mounts this ambitious event, there are many volunteer positions that need to be filled. You can help out in the children’s play area, as a crossing guard along the Naples’ Causeway, at the Shuttle Bus stations or the information center.

There is also a need for clean-up crews on Sunday. If you are part of a service organization or have a group of friends who want to pitch in together, this is a wonderful event. Many hands make for light work, and you will feel great about helping out.

To volunteer, or for more information, contact Jill Steinman at

steinmanmoody@aol.com or call the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce at 647-3472.

More free t-shirts …

… if you hurry. It is time to lace up the Asics and hit the road! There

is now less than one month before Four On the Fourth, and if you have yet to send in your registration you risk missing out on the free t-shirt that guarantees you bragging rights for the rest of the summer.

My friends and I in “Team Black Horse” milked the glory of our heroic sprint to the finish line for months last year, and we cannot believe that it is almost upon us again.

The annual roadrace is the single largest fundraiser for the Bridgton

Library, which received a check for almost $20,000 last year. The proceeds from the race allow the library to offer additional services, programs and resources for the community, including regular children’s programs and special guest performers and entertainers.

Other local non-profits also benefit from the race, including Lakes Environmental Association, Lakes Region Senior Transportation

Program and Pondicherry Park. Plus, it is simply a great way to start the day, running four miles before you fire up the grill and crack a PBR. Entry forms are $16 and are available at the Cool Moose, the Bridgton Library, True Value and Norway Savings Bank. Only the first 500 registrants get the free t-shirt, and this year’s design is going to be a classic. See you there!

Hot Rods on the Mountain

The Maine Obsolete Automobile League is sponsoring an Antique Car Show on June 7 and 8 at Shawnee Peak. If restored car are your thing, you will love this parade of hotrods, hardtops, chrome and

convertibles as they cruise through town.

Gas up your Gremlin and head to the hills, because the weekend kicks off with a two-hour touring ride along the back roads of Bridgton at 5 p.m.Saturday, with stops at local eateries to be announced. Car registration is Sunday morning from 8 to 10 a.m. There will be door prizes and a 50/50 drawing, and a special trophy

for Best In Show. The event is open to the public and everyone is welcome to come see the cars and chat with owners, but pre-registration is requested for participants. Call 647-4033 for more information.

Trash or treasure?

The 9 Lives Thrift Shop at Harvest Hills has always been a fun place to poke around if you are a bargain hunter. The store carries all kinds of donated items from, clothes to art and furniture, with proceeds going to the animal shelter next door. Next Saturday, June 14, the Thrift Shop is offering an exciting appraisal opportunity.

Do you have an old vase you inherited from your mother? An heirloom ring from an old flame? Maybe a painting that always caught your eye? Get up in the attic and have a look around because from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. George Forney, appraiser and antiques dealer, will be in the store to tell you the value of your favorite things.

Even if your treasure turns out to be trash, the cost of appraisal is only $5 for every two items. At least you will know what your

“antiques” are worth … and if you do not want to haul them back home you can just donate them right there to the Thrift Shop, and help support the dogs and cats at Harvest Hills. The 9 Lives Thrift Shop is located on Rt. 302 by the Fryeburg line. For more information, call 935-4358.

Music On Main

This is a hot weekend to catch some live music in town. The Tannery Pub at the Magic Lantern has a free show with Joel Cage Friday night, 8-11 p.m.

Cage is an acclaimed singer and player, and has paid his dues in Nashville performing at both the Bluebird Cafe and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, which means a lot to a girl who spent plenty of time herself down in Music City. His Nashville Diary, and links to his songs, are on www.JoelCage.com.

Also in town, at the Big Kahuna is Michael Jerome Brown. Brown has played at Carnegie Hall with Kate and Anna McGarrigle and done

studio work with Taj Mahal, both of which give him serious cred in the chops department. Call Tom at the Kahuna at 647-9031 for showtime and cover.