SPRINGVALE

Springvale Public Library, at 443 Main St., will host its Annual Holiday Tea from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The staff also welcomes donations of homemade cookies to serve attendees. Those wishing to help should call 324-4624.

UNITY

Unity College freshmen have organized a concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. The fundraiser, featuring a performance by the Maine-based bluegrass band The Coloradas, will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts, 42 Depot St. Tickets are $10 and available at the door. To reserve tickets, call 948-SHOW or e-mail jzavodny@unity.edu.

Unity College will host its 18th Annual Empty Bowls community meal fundraiser from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts at 42 Depot St., off Route 202. Cost is a suggested donation of $10 per diner. The fundraiser will benefit the Volunteer Regional Food Pantry and Veggies for All. Both programs serve families in Waldo County. For more details, call Jennifer Olin at 948-9273 or e-mail jolin@unity.edu.

PORTLAND

The Lincoln Middle School PTFO will hold a fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Flatbread Pizza at 72 Commercial St. A portion of the proceeds from all large and small pizzas purchased will be donated to support school programs like Ferry Beach Ecology School, an environmental education program. For more details, email phenckel@maine.rr.com.

Writers Jaed Coffin and Susan Conley will head a workshop tailored to active and aspiring adult writers as part of The Telling Room’s 2012-13 Night Owl Writers Series, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at 225 Commercial St., Suite 201. The authors will discuss how to create resonating narratives out of the mundane and often dormant details of ordinary experiences. Class fee is $35 for Telling Room volunteers and $50 for all others. All proceeds will benefit free writing programs for kids. For more details, call Andrew Griswold at 774-6064 or email andrew@tellingroom.org.

CASCO

A Health on the Move event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at the Crooked River Adult and Community Education Center, 1437 Poland Spring Road. A healthy lunch will be available at no cost to participants from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hosted by the Cumberland County Public Health Council, in collaboration with Crosswalk Community Outreach and Healthy Lakes, Healthy Maine Partnership, the free event will feature health screenings, health care information, preventive care and wellness resources. For more details, call Zoe Miller at 553-5939.

BATH

The Bath Area Family YMCA will host its 18th Annual Festival of Trees Tuesday and Wednesday at the Winter Street Center, at 880 Washington St. Come view Christmas trees decorated by 22 area businesses and nonprofits. The theme of this year’s event is “A Black & White Christmas.” This event includes a silent auction of gift baskets and trimmed trees, donated by area businesses. A “Tots & Trees” event will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, including children’s cookie decorating, seasonal refreshments, a book reading by Mrs. Claus and a visit from Santa. From 4 to 5:30 p.m., the whole family is welcome to come view the trees and enjoy some seasonal refreshments. On Wednesday, a Holiday Gala will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. including a performance by the Oratorio Chorale along with refreshments of sparkling cider, champagne and hors d’oerves. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Springer’s Jewelers, Now You’re Cooking and the YMCA. For more details, call the YMCA at 443-4112 or go to www.bathymca.org.

Patten Free Library, at 33 Summer St., will host a hands-on information session from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the best on-line sources of free downloadable eBooks. The presentation is free, open to the public, and will be held in the library’s second floor community room. The session will provide an overview of the expansive collections accessible through several different web sites, as well as a live demo on how to download titles from them. Also, the library is once again offering its Food for Fines program through Saturday. For each item turned in to benefit the Bath Area Food Bank, the library will wave $1 in fines from the library account. For more details, call 443-5141, Extension 25.

Classical Guitarist Brian Cullen will perform a concert of will perform Brazilian, Spanish and contemporary classical guitar music at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Patten Free Library. For more details, call 443-8330.

KENNEBUNK

Duffy’s Tavern on Route 1, Main Street, will host a fundraising pizza and photos with Santa event from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday. Parents should bring their own cameras for the photo opportunity. Charge for the pizza is $5 for children and $10 for adults. Proceeds will benefit Kids Free to Grow, the child abuse prevention council of York County.

“Paper Cuts,” a facilitated writers’ group for prose and poetry writers of all levels of experience, has begun at the Kennebunk Free Library, with the first session meeting from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hank’s Room, at 112 Main St. Participants may choose to read their work, with or without group critique, or simply come to listen and observe. Sign-up is not required. For more details, call Sarah Perkins at 207/251-5991 or alternativediva30@hotmail.com

TOPSHAM

Applications are now available for the Topsham Public Library’s annual juried art exhibit The Joy of Art. The display will feature original artwork by year-round Maine residents, both amateur and professional. Prizes will be awarded in categories including mixed media, oil/acrylic, other media, pastels, and watercolor. Applications are available at the library or online at www.topshamlibrary.org. Submission deadline is Dec. 21. The exhibit is planned from Jan. 5 to Feb.16, 2013 at the library, located at 25 Foreside Road. All entries must be available for the entire show. For more details, call 725-1727.

SACO

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution will partner with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the Saco Bay Rotary Club collect toys for children in need this Christmas as part of the 2012 Toys for Tots campaign. Individuals can drop off new, unwrapped toys or donations of money at all six of the bank’s branches through Dec. 7. Those locales include at 252 Main St., Saco; the Shops at Biddeford Crossing on Route 111, Biddeford; 2 Portland Ave., Old Orchard Beach; 41 Gorham Road, Scarborough; 601 Broadway (Millcreek) South Portland; and 2 Hannaford Drive, Westbrook. To apply for the Toys for Tots program, parents of children in need should go online to www.sacome.toysfortots.org.

SANFORD

Goodall Hospital is gearing up for the second annual Tree of Life program, offering purchases of lights to decorate the hospital’s tree to pay tribute to someone special in life. “Lights” can be purchased for $5 and will be displayed on the Tree of Life in the main lobby of the hospital. Proceeds raised will fund the purchase new window treatments for the dining room at the Newton Center as a component of the room renovations that are already under way. A Tree Lighting Ceremony is planned for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the hospital, at 25 June St., including a performance of holiday music by Singer Terri Collins. Immediately following the tree lighting, the names from the ‘lights’ will be read and refreshments will be shared. To purchase a light or to request a donation form, call Joanne Livingston at 490-7027 or email jlivingston@goodallhospital.org.

STANDISH

Dr. Johan Erikson, an author and assistant professor of Environmental Sciences at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, will head a lecture on South America’s Andes Mountains at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Viola George Auditorium in Harold Alfond Hall at Saint Joseph’s Standish campus at 278 Whites Bridge Road. The 30-minute presentation will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience. The event is free and open to the public. For more details, call David Svenson at 893-7723 or e-mail dsvenson@sjcme.edu.

UNION

Nick Buck of Newcastle will give an illustrated presentation at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Union Historical Society meeting at the Robbins House on Union Common. Buck will detail his experiences of recreating a journey along the Oregon Trail in 2011, a four-month journey via mule-drawn covered wagon from St. Joseph, Mo., to Baker City, Ore. Refreshments will be served. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more details, call 785-5444 and leave a message, or go to www.unionhistoricalsociety.org.

WELLS

A Holiday Fair and Raffle to benefit York County Shelter Programs will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Hampton Inn, 900 Post Road. Donations of new, unwrapped toys would be greatly appreciated. For more details, call Linda at 646-9733.

WALDOBORO

The Knox-Lincoln USDA Local Working Group will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday at the Knox-Lincoln Extension Office at 377 Manktown Road. Local Working Groups provide recommendations to the District Conservationist of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on local natural resource priorities and criteria for conservation activities and programs. It is at these meetings that priorities are set for distribution of USDA funding in our region including agricultural waste, forestry, cropland, pasture, and blueberry land. Other issues and areas of concern may be discussed as well. The meeting is open to the public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend. For more details, call 596-2040 or email info@knox-lincoln.org.

WEST KENNEBUNK

The Animal Welfare Society has planned four seasonal events in York County this week. The AWS crew will be at PetSmart at Biddeford Crossing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for pet portraits sessions with “Santa Claws.” A Christmas Open House will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Animal Welfare Society on Holland Road, offering pet photos taken with Santa, a bake sale and shopping in the AWS Gift Shop. The Animal Welfare Society Elves will appear at Christmas By the Sea in Ogunquit on Saturday to hand out biscuits and collect donations for shelter pets. And, on Sunday, the visit the AWS Crafters under the tent and watch AWS Adoptable Dogs in the Second Annual Pooch Parade in Kennebunkport. All donations and proceeds generated will benefit the shelter. For more details, call Animal Welfare Society (www.animalwelfaresociety.org) at 985-3244.

CAMDEN

Photographer Brian Vanden Brink will give an illustrated talk on his new book, “Iconic,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Camden Public Library at 55 Main St. For more details, call Ken Gross at 236-3440.

SCARBOROUGH

The monthly meeting of the Scarborough Historical Society will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the society’s museum and meeting room located at 647 Route 1, adjacent to the Dunstan Fire Station. The meetings are free and open to the public. The evening will conclude with some carol singing and refreshments. For more details, call Dr. Bruce Thurlow at 883-5445.