Farewell, Sue

Sue Hawkins, left, is feted at a gathering to celebrate her retirement after serving as the town’s librarian for 38 years. Other attendees pictured include, from left, Carol Gillis, Friends of the Library vice president; Julie Fralich; Colleen Strickler, library trustee; Dustin Ward, selectman liaison to the library; and CeCe Rohrbach, chair of the board of trustees. Patti Mikkelsen / For Lakes Region Weekly

Virtual Friends’ Weekend coming up

The public is invited to join the Shakers’ second Virtual Friends’ Weekend and 47th Annual Friends’ Weekend from 1-5 p.m. Aug. 14. Featured offerings include Shaker educational programming, singing and plenty of laughter. Your admission “ticket” will gain access for you and your household to the live Zoom event. Your private Zoom link will be emailed.

The program timeline consists of:

• 1-1:45 p.m.: Friends of the Shakers annual meeting. No fee is required for this portion; members may simply email organizers for the link.
• 1:45-2:15 p.m.: Round table discussion with Brother Arnold on “The Sayings of Mother Lucy,” honoring 200 years since her passing.
• 2:15-2:45 p.m.: Genealogy of Mother Lucy with Steve Paterwic.
• 2:45-3:15 p.m.: Tour and discussion of the Sisters’ Shop with Michael Graham, Shaker museum and library director, celebrating 200-year anniversary.
• 3:15-4 p.m.: Highlighting recent museum acquisitions with Michael Graham.
• 4-4:30 p.m.: Auction items final viewing and bidding (closes online at 5 p.m., details below).
• 4:30-5 p.m.: Shaker music sing-along.

The registration fee is $40 for Friends of the Shakers members and $65 for non-members. Non-member tickets are limited. You can become a member online now and immediately select the discounted ticket option. Add membership to your cart by visiting maineshakers.com/product/fos-membership.

For more virtual event details, go to maineshakers.com/product/friends-weekend, call 926-4597 or email info@friendsoftheshakers.org.

Online charity auction

The Friends of the Shakers are hosting an online charity auction to benefit Shaker Village, now through 5 p.m. Aug. 14. View all of the items up for bid at biddingowl.com/friendsoftheshakers. Check back often since new items are added daily.

Your registration fee, membership renewal, auction bids and additional donations to the Friends of the Shakers through the donate link on their Biddingowl page enables them to provide consistent funds to the Shakers, particularly at this critical time of COVID-19 closures.

AMVETS Auxiliary yard sale

Browse more than a dozen tables of treasures at the AMVETS Auxiliary yard sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 31, at Post 6, 1095 Lewiston Road. Table rental proceeds will go toward the upkeep and maintenance of the Post 6 AMVETS Hall.

Pickle ball, anyone?

Two newly resurfaced pickle ball courts at Rowe Station Park beckon those who are interested in playing this popular game. These courts are available to the public to use on a first-come, first-served basis. The Parks & Recreation Department offers free pickle ball equipment available for checkout at the New Gloucester Public Library, 379 Intervale Road.

A summer pick-up league occurs from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursdays through Sept. 23. This is a casual pick-up league; there is no schedule of games each week. The competitors play as doubles or singles, depending on the number of players in attendance that week. Individuals/teams rotate the play, giving everyone a chance to play on either of the two courts available. Although the program is free, all participants must sign in each week. Contact Sarah Rodriguez at recdirector@newgloucester.com.

Patti Mikkelsen can be contacted at mikks@maine.rr.com.