Dinner theater

The social event of the season took place behind the New Gloucester Public Library Aug. 19. The al fresco gala consisted of a one-act play performed in the Bob Leighton Memorial Gazebo by young actors who were disguised as insects. The audience was asked to bring their own meal, hence the evening’s entertainment was deemed to be New Gloucester’s version of dinner theater.

“The Ugly Bug Ball” featured a cast consisting of 20 talented children of various ages. The stars of the show listed on the playbill were Katie Durgan, Nikki Michaud, Sam Shampine, Karen-Marie Patterson, Isaac Ellingson, Sara Wilkinson, Chloe Hedrich, Morgan Reilly, Maiya Schwartz, Killian Berry, Emily Terranova, Samantha Fortin, Bo Shampine, Emily Berry, Mykenzie Cotiaux, Amber Fortin, Kaitlyn Patterson, Traedon Schwartz, Al Shampine and Jobin Terranova.

The playwright was library trustee Tim Terranova who co-directed with library director Suzan Hawkins. The prompter was Anne Berry, and the official photographer was Annemarie Salzberg.

The plot involved a fracas within the bug community caused by one of them yelling “bird” during a grand celebration, which caused instant panic and a mass fleeing from the ball. Ms. Butterfly was accused of being the instigator, and a trial ensued. After a swarm of witnesses whose statements seemed to condemn the defendant finished testifying, Mr. Moth came forward with a convoluted explanation exonerating Ms. Butterfly. To everyone’s delight, the ball resumed.

Although chilled by the evening’s nippy temperatures, the audience warmly received the performance. In the words of Terranova, the acting company is “taking it on the road” for an encore performance at Stonehedge in Gray in mid-October.

Endowment fund

The New Gloucester Library Endowment Fund was started in 1910 with the idea of using only the interest earned from the fund to purchase special library books. The current trustees have started a campaign to increase that fund, so more books and video materials could be purchased to add to the library’s collection in the future.

The trustees’ goal is to receive donations of $10 or more from 100 patrons. The proceeds would commemorate the library having been located at its current site for 10 years.

The library will post a ‘brick’ on the wall, which is labeled with the donor’s name. Subsequently, that name will be entered into a permanent register as a contributor to the endowment fund. The trustees’ current policy is that half of the proceeds derived from the interest will be spent on new library materials, and the other half will get rolled over enabling the principal to grow.

Interested donors can stop by the library in person or mail their donation to Endowment Fund, New Gloucester Public Library, P.O. Box 105, New Gloucester, ME 04260.

Rosi

Shocked and dismayed. That’s how I felt when I watched the replay of a recent selectmen’s meeting in which Town Manager Rosemary Kulow announced her resignation, effective Sept. 19.

Her attributes at that post are numerous. Because she’s so approachable, just about everybody who sees her at a meeting or at town hall calls her by either her first name or nickname “Rosi.” She meticulously prepares documents such as proposed budgets in great detail, providing an explanation for each line and supplying the materials in a timely manner.

Her verbal and written communications are extremely clear and concise, sprinkled with occasional humor when appropriate. She conscientiously keeps all department heads, staff members, boards, committees, and media contacts up to speed. She encourages citizen participation in town affairs and makes their involvement a positive experience due to her open style.

So on behalf of our community, I’d like to express an enormous thank you to Rosi for her superb leadership during her nearly five-year tenure as our town manager.

Woods and fields

A woodcarving workshop for interested people with some woodcarving experience will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village on Route 26. Participants must bring their own knives and gougers; wood blank will be provided. Pre-registration is required, and the fee is $35.

The next Shaker Village nature hike will be held the same day. The guided hike through the fields, woods, Loon’s Point and Aurelia’s Cascade will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The fee is $5 for adults, $2 for children, and ages 5 and under free. For more information call 926-4597, or visit www.shaker.lib.me.us.

Dressed as a slug, Sara Wilkinson, 6, of New Gloucester dances at