Seashore Trolley Museum will join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.

The 2021 program began on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 15, and end on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6. For a list of participating museums, visit arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Seashore Trolley Museum will offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer. Courtesy photo

Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and participating museums nationwide.

“We’re honored to be a participating Blue Star Museum,” said Seashore Executive Director Katie Orlando in a news release. “We recognize the sacrifices of our active service members and their families and are proud to provide this opportunity for the betterment of our community.”

Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps and up to five family members.

Located at 195 Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport, Seashore Trolley Museum is the world’s first and largest electric railway and transit museum. For more information, hours, and the museum’s COVID-19 policies, visit www.trolleymuseum.org or call 207-967-2800, ext. 111.

Arundel Historical Society announces Memorial Day weekend schedule

The Arundel Historical Society will host two events Memorial Day weekend.

The weekend will include a yard sale 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 29. The sale will take place at Greenbrook Farm, Alfred Road (Route 111, near Hill Road). No early birds allowed and benefits the historical society.

A Memorial Day observance is scheduled for 11 a.m. on May 30 at the Veterans’ Memorial. The memorial is located at the Arundel Fire Station on Limerick Road.

The program includes a reading of the Arundel veterans’ honor roll, words of remembrance and concludes with a wreath-laying and Taps.

Hope Woods walks scheduled

The Friends of Hope Cemetery and Woods will host guided walks through Hope Woods on May 22 and June 13. The May 22 walk begins at 10 a.m., the June 13 event at 1 p.m.

The Friends of Hope Cemetery and Woods will host guided walks through Hope Woods on May 22 and June 13. Dan King photo

Gordon Collins, Maine Master Naturalist (and Friends of Hope Cemetery and Woods vice president and trail project manager), will serve as guide.

The walks will be socially distanced and group sizes will be limited to allow for a safe enjoyable experience for all. To sign up, email friendsofhcw@gmail.com or call 207-985-0990. Parking is available at the trailhead, which is located behind Hope Cemetery in downtown Kennebunk with street access at 2-12 Barnard Lane.

Hope Woods, 72 acres of forest and meadows, features two miles of nature trails for public use year-round. In 2019, a conservation easement (held by Kennebunk Land Trust) was placed on Hope Woods, preserving the Woods for future generations.

For more information, visit the Hope Cemetery website at www.hopecemeterykennebunk.com and the Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods Facebook page.

Kennebunk Free Library eliminates overdue fines

In a May 17 news release, Kennebunk Free Library announced it no longer would collect overdue fines.

According to the library, “Most can agree that a public library belongs to the community it serves and that everyone deserves equal access to it. In our years of experience working with this community, KFL staff has seen over and over again how library fines work against the goal of equal access.”

“All of our patrons accrue fines at the same rates – occasional overdue library items are a universal experience. The difference is the effect of those fines. Many patrons can hand over $5 or $10 without thinking twice about it and resume borrowing. Some have to wait weeks for another paycheck before paying their fines.

“Others give up on using the library altogether because they simply cannot afford the fines. That library fines are equal for everyone does not mean that they are fair or equitable.”

The American Library Association and other professional organizations are urging as many libraries as possible to go fine free. Recognizing that fines have the effect of barring access to our most vulnerable populations, many libraries around Maine and around the country have followed that advice.

According to the news release, “Kennebunk Free Library staff unanimously believes that it is time for us to do the same. Eliminating fines will truly enable everyone in our communities to discover, learn, and connect.”

The library voted on a change to its lending policy permanently removing fines for overdue materials. This means that the library will no longer charge a daily fine for overdue materials. Patrons will still be responsible for bringing materials back on time and will be charged the replacement cost for any lost or damaged materials or for materials that are 20 days overdue.

The library had an opportunity to test-drive the format and found the majority of patrons still returned materials on time without the threat of fines. The experience, along with increasing evidence (the library added resources to its website that details about going fine free) surrounding the fine-free movement leaves staff confident that library access and access to materials will increase.

According to the email from the library, “Overall fines accounted for less than 1 percent of our revenue and of this amount, more than half went toward resources and staff time collecting those fines.”

For more information, call 207-985-2173 or visit www.kennebunklibrary.org.

A rainbow appears over Government Wharf in Kennebunkport on Sunday, May 16. Cynthia Fitzmorris photo