Inside New Gloucester: April 24

This year’s public opening of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Store has been pushed back to July 3 due to coronavirus health concerns. Photo by Patti Mikkelsen

Shaker Village calendar updates

Michael Graham, director of the Shaker Museum and Library, reports changes to their summer season as a result of the ongoing pandemic and public health concerns. Accordingly, Shaker Village will not open to the public until July 3.

In chronological order:

Sunday worship services will remain closed to the public while Maine’s stay-at-home executive order remains in effect.
The Men’s retreat “Learning from a Latter Day Elder” scheduled for May 5-8 is canceled.
Volunteer Work Day on May 9 is canceled.
The opening of the Shaker Museum and Shaker Store is postponed until July 3.
Birdwatching at the Shaker Bog on May 23 is canceled.
Shape Note Singing will not be held on June 6. They will attempt to reschedule this gathering at a later point in the season.
Nature’s Outdoor Classroom events on June 6 and 13 are canceled.
Craft workshops originally scheduled for June 6 and 13 will not be held on those dates. The staff will work with the instructors and attendees to reschedule those classes at a later point in the season.
The Women’s Retreat “Shaker Spirituality” will not take place June 13-16. An attempt will be made to reschedule this program at a later time in the season.
The Maine Festival of American Music will not be held June 24-27. The staff will work with the musicians to determine if the event can be rescheduled at a later point in the season.

Office manager Jamie Ribisi-Braley will contact individuals enrolled in retreats and workshops to coordinate full refunds for any canceled programs.

Historical society cancellations

The New Gloucester Historical Society has canceled the following public activities for the months of May and June:

May 2: History Barn/Meetinghouse Archives Open House
May 21: Monthly Program at the Meetinghouse
June 4: Annual Field Trip for three second grade classes from the Memorial School, including the Blockhouse site, the public library, the History Barn and “Then and Now” in the Meetinghouse.

Food pantry open

New Gloucester’s food pantry, located behind the First Congregational Church, 19 Gloucester Hill Road, is open for distributions from 8-9:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Methods have been devised to eliminate contact among volunteers and clients. New strategies have involved additional volunteers, masks and much toting of tables and boxes.

The food pantry is open to New Gloucester residents who may also use the Gray food pantry.

Donations of nonperishable foods and cleaning supplies are welcome during the week, when the church office is open (most mornings, Tuesday to Friday). To make a monetary gift, go to ngucc.org and click on the Donate menu, or send a check with Food Pantry noted on the memo line to Treasurer, First Congregational Church, P.O. Box 114, New Gloucester, ME 04260.