PORTLAND

Noam Chomsky to speak

Linguist and activist Noam Chomsky will be keynote speaker for the annual “Give Peas A Chance,” peace dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday. The dinner, sponsored by Peace Action Maine, will be held at Woodfords Congregational United Church of Christ. Suggested donation for the dinner is $15. For more information, contact Wells Staley-Mays at 409-0778.

 

Bike swap to be Sunday

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s Great Portland Bike Swap from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the University of Southern Maine’s Sullivan Gym allows people to buy or sell bicycles

Hundreds of affordable, used bicycles of all types will be for sale. A large test riding area and advisers to help with pricing and bike fit willbe available. Visit www.BikeMaine.org for an explanation of how the swap works. Admission is $3 or free for students at the University of Southern Maine, University of New England, Southern Maine Community College and the University of Maine, as well as children 12 years old or younger. For details, call 623-4511.

 

PROP family expo

Peoples Regional Opportunity Program is hosting a free family event from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Portland Expo Building. The event includes vendors, games, activities, entertainment and more. For more information, call 553-5836.

 

Astronomy Day programs

The Southworth Planetarium will celebrate International Astronomy Day starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Shows at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon include “Rusty Rocket’s Last Blast,” “ABC’s of the Sky” and “Eight Planets and Counting.”

People can attend all three shows for one donation. The planetarium will also have a free craft table available for kit and planisphere making. For more information visit www.usm.maine.edu/planet.

Mark Tipton at Spiral Arts

“An Evening with Mark Tipton & Friends” begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Immanuel Baptist Church, 156 High St., sponsored by SPIRAL Arts. Refreshments and hors d’ oeuvres will be served starting at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20, which includes a $5 tax deductible donation to Spiral Arts. For tickets go to www.spiralarts.wordpress.com.

 

Dog show at Canco retirement community

The Woods at Canco retirement community will host its Third Annual Community Dog Show at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at at 257 Canco Road.

The event is open to all dogs and includes friendly competition in a variety of categories such as Best Dressed, Mirror Image Award, and Top Dog. Donations will be accepted for The Animal Refuge League. To learn more, call 772-4777.

 

Lecture on contemporary Russia

The University of New England’s Center for Global Humanities presents George Young on “The Russian Soul in the Twenty-First Century” at 6 p.m. Monday in the WCHP Lecture Hall on the UNE Portland Campus, 716 Stevens Ave.

This free presentation examines current efforts to reassert “Russianness” in Russia, including topics such as Eurasian, Nationalist and Cosmist movements and the nostalgia for Stalinism. Young has taught in the university’s English Department since 2003 and holds degrees from Duke and Yale. For more information, visit www.une.edu.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Earth Day park cleanup

The South Portland Land Trust seeks people to participate in the Earth Day Clean-up from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Work will be done at the Greenbelt Walkway, Hinckley Park, Mill Creek Park, Bug Light Park, Thomas Knight Park, Willard Beach, Mill Cove, and Pleasantdale Cove. The city will collect all the trash and debris after the event.

Registration is at 8:30 a.m. at Mill Creek Park. Refreshments, instructions, bags and gloves will be available. Rain date is May 1. For more information, visit www.SPlandtrust.com or call 210-8366.

Lecture on woodchucks

Southern Maine Community College’s science department presents the seminar “Lessons in Social Life: what solitary woodchucks can teach us about family dynamics” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Jewett Auditorium, 77 Fort Road. The presentation is by Christine R. Maher, Ph.D., Department of Biology at the University of Southern Maine and is part of the college’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

 

Work day at Fort Preble

The Fort Preble Preservation Committee is holding a Work Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing, suitable for outdoors in April in Maine including work boots, long sleeves and long pants, and bring safety glasses and hand tools. For more information, contact Leslie Barteaux at lbarteaux@smccme.edu or 741-5975.

SCARBOROUGH

Aging agency health event

“Living Well for Better Health” is a six-week program starting 1-3 p.m. Friday at Southern Maine Agency on Aging on Route 1 and running through May 28. For more information, call 800-427-7411 ext. 529.

 

Morrison Center yard sale

The Morrison Center will hold a “25 Cent Yard Sale” from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the multi-purpose room at the center, 60 Chamberlain Road. They will have a number of items, including gently used clothing, books, toys and more. All sales will benefit a number of programs at the center.

 

Author Shetterly at library

Author Susan Hand Shetterly will appear at the Scarborough Public Library at 2 p.m. Sunday to discuss her book “Settled in the Wild: Notes from the Edge of Town.”

The book is a collection of essays exploring how animals, humans and plants share the land. Shetterly is a former wild bird rehabilitator. For more information, visit www.library.scarborough.me.us.

FREEPORT

Loon lecture at library

Patrick Keenan, biologist at BioDiversity Research Institute, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Freeport Public Library.

He will provide an overview of the natural history of common loons, an icon of Maine’s natural heritage, and discuss the role these loons can play as indicators of lake system health. This free lecture is hosted by Coastal Studies for Girls.

 

Wolfe’s Neck Farm events

Wolfe’s Neck Farm is hosting a community discussion on moving away from an fossil-fuel economy at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Freeport Community Center.

The farm will alsos how a film “Escape from Suburbia,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Frontier Caf?n Brunswick.Admission for both events is $5. For more information, visit www.wolfesneckfarm.org.

YARMOUTH

Heirloom Appraisal day

The Yarmouth Historical Society’s annual Heirloom Appraisal Day is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Advance tickets are available at the Yarmouth Historical Society by calling 846-6259. Tickets are $10 for admission to all of the exhibits, lectures and for one appraisal. Additional appraisals are $5 per item.

Children under 10 will be admitted at no charge. Stop by the Log Cabin, 196 Main St., the Town Hall at 200 Main St. or the Masonic Hall on Mill Street to enjoy the festivities. All proceeds benefit the society.

NORTH YARMOUTH

Program on Maine firearms

Collector Jim Higgins of Cumberland will present the public program “Maine Firearms: History and Use,” at 7 p.m. Monday at the North Yarmouth Historical Society’s Old Town House on Route 9.

Donations are welcome and refreshments will be served. Higgins will speak about the Civil War rifle donated to the historical society by a local resident Norman Smith For more information, call 846-4379.