York County Audubon announced that it will host Dr. James Paruk, “one of the world’s experts on loons” for a Zoom program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21.

According to a Feb. 3 news release from York County Audubon, “Paruk, professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s College, is considered one of the world’s experts on this species. Understanding the breeding and non-breeding ecology of the Common Loon has been one a life-long passion of his for decades. He has studied breeding loons in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Saskatchewan and Maine and non-breeding loons in California, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Maine. He spent seven years monitoring the health of a population of loons off the Louisiana coast in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.”

Paruk is also the author of “Loon Lessons: Encounters with the Great Northern Diver.” In the Feb. 21 program, he’ll present the most current detailed account of what is known about loons, from their plumage and migration routes to how old they live and how long a pair stays together.

There’s no charge for the Zoom program, but advance registration is required at www.yorkcountyaudubon.org. After registering, a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting will be sent.

Former intelligence announce meeting date

The next meeting of Association of Former Intelligence Officers will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Kennebunk High School’s Economos Lecture Hall. The high school is located at 89 Fletcher St. in Kennebunk.

The meeting will feature Josh Gentry, who was a former intelligence analyst with the CIA and has written a book that concentrates on political activity of U.S. intelligence officers since 2016.

Gentry will address questions that relate directly to the changing political atmosphere within the intelligence agencies. The discussion will include present and long term implications of senior national decision makers including the president, the intelligence community, and the country.

For more information, email bobfiredome123@aol.com.

Graves Library announces upcoming programs

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library will present an afternoon of opera with art, chocolates, and bubbles on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m.

The library will host Death Cafe – Community, Conversation, Cake, and Coffee on Feb. 15. A Death Cafe is a place to gather and discuss topics related to death and dying. The objective is to engage in interesting, thought-provoking, and life-affirming conversations. Participants should call the library to register.

The event is planned for Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. and space is limited. The program will be facilitated by Marilyn R. Gugliucci, professor and director of geriatric education and research at the University of New England and hosted by Kennebunkport Public Health Department and Louis T Graves Memorial Public Library.

The library is located at 18 Maine St. in Kennebunkport. For more information, call 967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

Kennebunk Land Trust schedules Snow Stroll

Kennebunk Land Trust is partnering with Boulangerie to offer the Snow Stroll event in conjunction with the Chamber of Comerce’s Paint the Town Red events. The stroll is scheduled for 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Participants are encouraged to wear bright red outdoor clothes for a nature walk at Mousam River Wildlife Sanctuary. Attendees will receive a coupon to Boulangerie.

Participants meet at the trailhead of Mousam River Wildlife Sanctuary at the end of Water Street in Kennebunk and stroll over to Boulangerie afterward for a warm drink and snack.

For more information, visit www.kennebunklandtrust.org or register at https://snowstroll.eventbrite.com.

Concert features Four-hands piano

Three musicians hailing from Juilliard School of Music will bring songs and dances from faraway lands to Kennebunk. The concert will take place at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, and opens the 250th anniversary year of the historic building.

Chris Staknys, pianist and music director of First Parish, invited pianist Anna Han and cellist Leland Ko. The program includes songs and dances from Georgia, Turkey and Japan played by Han and Ko. The show will feature the four-hands piano Sonata by Mozart, played by Han and Staknys.

“Our guest musicians have full schedules this year,” Staknys said in a Feb. 6 news release. “We are so lucky to have them in Kennebunk.”

The concert will be seen both in-person and online. To register, visit uukennebunk.org/events. A donation of $15 is suggested.

Han is a laureate of many international competitions. She has performed with orchestras across the United States and England and has recorded on the Steinway and Sons label. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she won the Sterndale Bennett Prize. Currently living in Berlin, she is pursuing an artist diploma under the tutelage of Sir András Schiff and will perform this year in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Han is also producing a documentary about the effect that COVID had on a handful of classical musicians from around the world.

Ko has won many awards, including first prize at the 2021 Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition. Before earning a master’s at Juilliard, he directed Opus 21, a chamber music collective at Princeton. He has performed in many orchestras and venues across America’s East Coast and Europe.

Staknys, of Falmouth, also a Juilliard graduate, has appeared in major American and European cities including venues such as Carnegie Hall. He has won numerous competitions including first prize at the Steinway Society of Massachusetts Piano Competition. He has also been a vocal coach and has played for Opera Maine and the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory.

Pianist Anna Han and cellist Leland Ko will perform Friday, Feb. 24 at First Parish Church in Kennebunk.

York County Audubon announces 2023 Hog Island Educator’s Scholarship

York County Audubon  is seeking an educator or community leader to participate in a one-week program on Hog Island off mid-coast Maine in July 2023. York County Audubon will sponsor one participant who can benefit from the Hog Island experience and use it to teach others.

Complete information is available at www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/scholarships and applications are due by March 15.

The program is titled “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” and will run from July 16-21. Program details and descriptions are available at http://hogisland.audubon.org/sharing-nature-educator-s-week. The Audubon scholarship will pay 70 percent of the recipient’s cost for program tuition, room and board.

Since 1936, some of the world’s most well-known and highly-respected naturalists have come to Hog Island and inspired thousands to learn about and protect birds and the environment. Roger Tory Peterson was among the first teachers on the 335-acre island. Rachel Carson described her visit to Hog Island in her landmark book, “Silent Spring.” Kenn Kaufman, only 9 years old when he read Peterson’s account of Hog lsland, is now an international authority on birds and nature.

York County Audubon fosters understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the natural world through the education of present and future generations. The Hog Island scholarship is dedicated to June Ficker, bird bander extraordinaire, who shared her love for birds with thousands of York County residents and visitors. York County Audubon is a chapter of Maine Audubon.

Planeteers to host Seed Swap and Sow party

The Planeteers of Southern Maine announced it will host a Seed Swap and Sow party on Saturday, Feb. 11. The event is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. at the School Around Us in Arundel.

The School Around Us will have a bon fire and crock of hot cider on. Participants are encouraged to bring a mug. Planting containers, native plant seeds and potting soil will be on hand for those who need them. Participants may bring their own containers. The containers should be clear plastic to hold at least 3 inches of potting soil (gallon milk jugs work).

In addition to core members of the Planeteers and School Around Us, participants will have the chance to interact with three facilitators, and benefit from seed sharing courtesy of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and Native Haunts and Consulting in Alfred. The facilitators:

Lisa Pagano – High school science teacher and environmentalist who became interested in native plants after attending a Winter Seed Sowing workshop in 2019 at Wells Reserve. She used her quarantine time during the pandemic to learn more about native plants. She will discuss the roles native plants play in mitigating the effects of climate change and how incorporating them into backyard gardens can support local wildlife.

Lee Sullivan – A lifelong gardener who got hooked on native plant gardening in 2021 after watching YouTube videos by entomologist Doug Tallamy. She created a Facebook group, Kennebunk Area Native Plants, to connect people in the area who want to transform their yards into habitats that promote biodiversity.

Colin McKevitt – Biological Technician at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. McKevitt has been focusing on invasive plants, shrubland habitat management, and native plant propagation. He has held an array of natural resource positions working with everything from alligators and seabirds to pollinators and plants. He has “homegrown” seed varieties to share with workshop participants.

The event is free and open to all. Children younger than 12 need to attend with a guardian. For reservations, visit www.schoolaroundus.org/saushop. For more information, email someplaneteers@yahoo.com.

Brick Store Museum welcomes volunteers

Volunteering at the Brick Store Museum in downtown Kennebunk helps to illustrate the history, art and cultures of the region for all ages. Current volunteer roles include (but are not limited to): welcoming visitors and admission processing; cataloging artifacts and data entry; leading tours or supporting educational programs; carpentry and handyman services; sewing costumes for museum programs; gardening in the Victory Garden; hanging exhibitions; and supporting outreach initiatives.

The museum also seeks members for its supporting committees, which include the Collections Committee, Facilities Committee, Events Committee, and its board of trustees. Volunteers are invited to work on a routine weekly schedule, or be “on call” for special events. Trainings and special gatherings and events are offered for the Museum Volunteer Team year-round.

Volunteer positions are open to students, adults and seniors. To volunteer, visit www.brickstoremuseum.org and fill out the museum’s online Volunteer Form; or stop in to the museum at 117 Main St. in Kennebunk.

Museum seeks 2023 artist-in-residence

The Brick Store Museum announced the Bauman Artist-in-Residency for 2023, an initiative funded through the Bauman Family Foundation. This fund allows the museum to sponsor a guest artist for the summer months to spend time with the museum’s collections and create new works.

The museum is seeking an artist to create a work of art that reflects the diverse history and cultures of Kennebunk through any art medium. The selected artist will earn a residency stipend for their contributions to forwarding the community’s arts and humanities learning.

Applicants can learn more about the opportunity and find the application at www.brickstoremuseum.org.

The artist-in-residence will hold the position for three months and is expected to produce a final project (work of art, play, piece of music, etc.) to be accepted into the museum’s collection and offer at least one public program (i.e. workshop or program based on specialty). During the residency, the artist will contribute to the Artist Blog on the museum’s website.

Artists in all media (painting, illustration, writing, poetry, sculpture, performance, music, etc.) are eligible to apply. Candidates are asked to apply to the residency program by April 30 by using the application form on the museum’s website at www.brickstoremuseum.org/education/artistinresidence.

For more information, contact Museum Educator Mary Delehanty at mdelehanty@brickstoremuseum.org or 207-985-4802.

Featured exhibit announced at Speers Gallery

The Speers Gallery at Kennebunk Free Library will present “Inspiring the Love of Art,” an exhibition of artwork created by students from The New School and School Around Us. It is the fifth year the library has hosted an exhibit by the young artists.

The exhibit will run through Feb. 27.

This year’s exhibit will include puppetry, digital art, pottery and drawing from The New School and drawings and paintings from the School Around Us. Students have created, collected and prepared work, and will see their voice and diligence celebrated on the wall of the Speers Gallery.

The public is invited to view the exhibit in the library’s Speers Gallery from Feb. 2- 27 during regular library hours when the gallery is not in use for library programs. For hours and gallery access, visit  www.kennebunklibrary.org.

Oldies Benefit Dance set for April 15

The next Rock n’ Roll Oldies Benefit Dance is scheduled for 7 p.m. to midnight, April 15 at the Biddeford Eagles Hall at 57 Birch St. Tickets are $10 and seating is limited.

For more information, purchase tickets or volunteer, call Bruce Martin at 207-284-4692.

Land trust releases Nature Walk schedule

Kennebunk Land Trust recently announced its 2023 Nature Walk schedule. The land trust invites participants to learn about nature and get outside. The first Saturday of each month, Kennebunk Land Trust will host a nature walk on a different preserve following a different theme. Patrons can visit a local preserve and enjoy nature in all seasons.

The walks are led by Maine Guide, Master Naturalist, and environmental educator at Wells Reserve at Laudholm, Linda Littlefield Grenfell.

Littlefield Grenfell will take participants on a walk while sharing her knowledge and asking questions about the flora, fauna, and general wonderment of nature.

The walks are held from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and are free of charge. Donations are accepted. The yearly walk schedule is subject to change with notice.

· March 4 – For All Forever Preserve. Theme: Birds

· April 1 – Oxbow Preserve. Theme: Trees

· May 6 – Mousam River Wildlife Sanctuary. Theme: Vernal Pools

· June 3 – Butler Preserve. Theme: Water

· July 1 – For All Forever Preserve. Theme: Wildflowers

· Aug. 5 – Hope Cemetery and Woods. Theme: Trees in Summer

· Sept. 2 – Sea Road Preserve. Theme: Bugs/Ferns

· Oct. 7 – Mousam River Wildlife Sanctuary

· Nov. 4 – Butler Preserve. Theme: Geology

· Dec. 2 – For All Forever Preserve. Theme: Winter Weeds

For more information, email sandy@kennebunklandtrust.org or call 207-985-8734.

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