FREEPORT

L.L. Bean gears up for PaddleSports Weekend

L.L. Bean’s 30th annual PaddleSports Weekend will take place Friday.

Free boat testing, demonstrations, clinics, kid’s activities, guided kayak tours, a free ocean-side cookout, live music are on tap. Events will take place a few minutes from the main store at the L.L. Bean Paddling Center. The L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools will also offer 90-minute kayak tours of beautiful Casco Bay for only $29.

To reserve a spot on the kayak tours, call 888-552-3261. Clinics will be held at the Campus Store in downtown Freeport. For more information, go to www.llbean.com/stores or call 877-755-2326.

JEFFERSON

Chewonki students clear way for new trail

Recently, 14 of Chewonki ‘s Semester School students arrived at nearby Hidden Valley Nature Center to roll up their sleeves and do some community service. They broke into three groups, each one led by a HVNC volunteer. Two groups cleared an old logging road in anticipation of future logging, all done sustainably under strict standards of the Forest Stewardship Council. The mile-long trail will also be used for recreational purposes — hiking, biking, and skiing, as well as enjoying nature. The other group gave the exterior of the 15 year old yurt a much needed bath. This is the 46th semester at Chewonki; in honor of the collaboration, the new trail will be named Route 46.

YARMOUTH

New app available for National Parks lovers

Chimani, a Yarmouth company, has added its latest app for nature lovers, Chimani National Parks. The app allows users to create a virtual passport of their visits to any of the 394 National Park System locations. The app includes details on all national parks, monuments, memorials, seashores, recreational areas, sites, battlefields, historical parks, and parkways.