PORTLAND

Police offer defense class

The Portland Police Department is offering a Rape Aggression Defense training class starting Tuesday. The class is open to girls and women ages 13 and older and will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday; Nov. 11; Nov. 16; and Nov. 18, ending with a class from 8 a.m. to noon Nov. 20.

The training will provide girls and women with the tools needed to avoid dangerous situations and escape them.

The suggested donation of $25 will support the Amy St. Laurent Fund, which sponsors the trainings. To register or for more information, call 874-8643 or e-mail ppdrad@ portlandmaine.gov.

 

Cut-a-thon for soup kitchen

The Fabu Salon and Day Spa, 136 Commercial St., is sponsoring a 12-hour cut-a-thon and raffle to benefit the Wayside Soup Kitchen starting at 8 a.m. Sunday The staff of highly trained technicians will offer haircuts for $25, and there will be raffles of donated gift certificates.

To date, the salon and spa has raised nearly $4,000 for the soup kitchen. Fabu Salon and Day Spa will be open until 8 p.m. for the fundraiser Sunday. Haircuts will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 775-2773.

 

Hear about creation myths

The Hellenic Society of Maine is hosting a lecture, “The Greek Creation Myth and the Olympian Gods,” at 7 p.m. Friday at the Talbot Auditorium in Luther Bonney Hall on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus.

Evelyn Newlyn, a professor emerita at the State University of New York at Brockport, will discuss how virtually all ancient cultures had a creation myth to explain the unexplainable and explore the essential matters in the Greek cosmogony, including the major deities, such as Zeus, Apollo and others. The lecture is free.

 

Drop-in dodgeball for adults

Portland Recreation is hosting drop-in dodgeball games for residents age 18 and older from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thursdays at the Riverton Gymnasium, 1400 Forest Ave.

The games will be held throughout fall and winter for a $2 drop-in fee, and they will offer a great, fast-paced workout with some spirited competition mixed in.

 

Auction aids nursery school

Art Play, a local area nursery school that guides learning through inspiration and nurturing, is celebrating nearly 30 years of educating with its annual auction at 7 p.m. Friday at the Unitarian Church, 524 Allen Ave.

There are a number of auction items, and proceeds from the event will benefit classroom materials, the school’s scholarship program and its enrichment activities for the classroom.

Art Play will also donate some auction proceeds to area nonprofits that serve children, such as The Center for Grieving Children, The Root Cellar, the Colored Pencil Project and Safe Passage.

 

CAPE ELIZABETH

How maps help genealogists

The Greater Portland Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society will gather at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Latter Day Saints, 29 Ocean Road. There will be social time before the program, which will begin at 1 p.m.

This month’s program is by Will Haskell, secretary of the Greater Portland chapter and a civil engineer. He will show how maps and aerial photography can benefit genealogy research. For more information, call 490-5709.

NEW GLOUCESTER

Visit Village Coffee House

The Village Coffee House will take place at New Gloucester Congregational Church at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10 and available at the door. The church is at 19 Gloucester Hill Road. For more information, visit www.villagecoffeehouse.org.

YARMOUTH

Safety class for older drivers

Merrill Memorial Library and Yarmouth Community Services are hosting an AARP Driver Safety Class for drivers age 50 and older starting at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 10.

Interested participants should register today for the class by calling 846-0858. Registration is $12 for AARP members and $14 for others. The class will be held at Yarmouth Town Hall and will run until 1 p.m.

GORHAM

Donated art to be unveiled

Baxter Memorial Library is unveiling six pieces of art donated by local artists, which will be installed permanently in the Youth Services Department.

Join artists Jeremy Greene, Kevin Hawkes, Megan Mitchell, Craig Robinson, Becky Sladen and Meadow Welch at 10 a.m. Saturday as the library launches the Gorham Landmarks Exhibit. Each original work of art depicts different Gorham landmarks. The library will also feature a temporary exhibit of artwork by third-grade students.

SCARBOROUGH

Assisted living talk’s focus

The Scarborough Public Library joins the Southern Maine Assisted Living Education Group in presenting “Is Assisted Living in Your Future?” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today. The presentation is intended for both assisted living consumers and their adult children. For more information, call 883-4723, ext. 240, or visit www.library.scarborough.me.us.

 

Learn about cranberries

The authors of “The Cranberry: Hard Work and Holiday Sauce” will be at the Scarborough Public Library at 2 p.m. Sunday for a discussion of their book, which looks at the journey of the cranberry from bog to table. Stephen Cole and Lindy Gifford used stories, images and observations to tell the unusual tale of an American subculture dominated by the tart little red fruit.

This event kicks off the upcoming season of culinary celebrations. For more information, visit www.library.scarborough.me.us.

STANDISH

Lifeguard training available

Saint Joseph’s College is offering a lifeguard training course starting Sunday. The course will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for three consecutive Sundays, and participants must attend all classes.

To qualify for the course, participants must be at least 15 years old by the end of the class and able to swim 300 yards with 100 yards of front crawl, 100 yards of breast stroke and 100 yards of either front crawl or breast stroke.

Participants also must be able to do a 20-yard back-and-forth swim with a surface dive to retrieve a 10-pound object from a depth of 7 to 10 feet, in less than 1 minute and 40 seconds.

The college will also offer a course Dec. 27 through Dec. 30. Call 893-6615 or e-mail cgoes@sjcme.edu for pricing and registration.

 

Explore career in nursing

Saint Joseph’s College is offering a Nursing Focus Day from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday for high school seniors interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The day will include a campus tour, admission and financial aid sessions, a faculty perspective and a student panel.

Students also have the opportunity to meet with faculty members from the nursing department to learn more about the program. For more information, call 800-338-7057.

FALMOUTH

Maine’s role in Civil War

Civil War historian Stephen S. Bunker will speak at the LunchBox Friends at noon Tuesday at the Falmouth Memorial Library.

The presentation will be a salute to veterans of all the wars, and Bunker will discuss Maine’s role in the American Civil War and the Battle of Aldie. Attendees are encouraged to bring a bagged lunch, and the library will provide beverages.