Freeport events show off talents

“Freeport Third Fridays,” held on the third Friday of every month through December, allows shoppers to stroll through the village experiencing the very best art and fine craft from local painters, potters, jewelers and more. The merchants participating in the event include: Brown Goldsmiths, Edgecomb Potters, R.D. Allen Freeport Jewelers, Thos. Moser, Earrings and Company, Lovell Designs, Georgetown Pottery, Wilbur’s of Maine Chocolate Confections, The Beadin’ Path, Freeport Community Library and Cuddledown.

Freeport residents can receive a 10 percent discount at select merchants during the event.

Additionally, every Friday afternoon through Sept. 7, L.L. Bean’s Discovery Park is home to the Freeport Farmers’ Market. Shoppers will find a great mix of local fruits and vegetables, delicious baked goods, handmade items and much more. Next month, Freeport USA will present the 14th annual Fall in the Village Art and Music Festival at L.L. Bean’s Discovery Park on Sept. 15 and 16. The performers at the event will include Gunther Brown, Serious Rooms, Kate Schrock, Max Ater and The Tony Boffa Band.

For more information, visit www.freeportusa.com.

Nomination papers available in Freeport

Nomination papers for Freeport residents interested in running for town office in November’s election are now available at the town clerk’s office in Freeport Town Hall.

The offices on the ballot this November are: District 4 town councilor, three-year term, 50 signatures are needed to get on the ballot; town councilor at-large, three-year term, 100 signatures are needed to get on the ballot; sewer district trustee, three seats available, three-year term, 25 signatures are needed to get on the ballot; water district trustee, three-year term, 25 signatures are needed to get on the ballot; and Regional School Unit 5 Board of Directors, two seats available, three-year term, 25 signatures are needed to get on the ballot.

Nomination papers are due back to the town clerk’s office by Sept. 12. For more information, call the town clerk at 865-4743, ext. 123.

Wolfe’s Neck hosts free programs

Visitors to Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport can take advantage of daily, guided nature programs that are offered by park rangers free with park admission.

The programs start at 2 p.m., weather permitting, and participants meet at the benches by the second parking lot.

Park admission is $1 for ages 5-11, $3 for Maine residents ages 12-64, $4.50 for non-residents ages 12-64, $1.50 for non-residents 65 and older; children under 5 and Maine residents 65 and older are free. Daily programs run through Labor Day.

Upcoming programs include: Thursday, Aug. 23, “Who Lived Here Before Us?” Learn about the history of a very special part of the Maine coast, and discover where we can still see signs of the past today; Friday, Aug. 24, “Small Wonders,” discover the extraordinary things that are right before your eyes (hand lenses provided); Saturday, Aug. 25, “Osprey Watch,” stop by the osprey sign opposite Googins Island to get a close look at the nesting ospreys any time from 2-3 p.m., weather permitting; Sunday, Aug. 26, “Tide Pools,” visit this informal program on the rocky shore near Googins Island to discover the secrets of a tide pool; Monday, Aug. 27, “Secrets of the Shore,” discover the secrets of life in the salt marsh, mud flat, and rocky shore in this one-hour tour.

For more information on the park or the daily programs, call 865-4465, or visit www.maine.gov/wolfesneckwoods.

Freeport girls basketball holding golf scramble

A golf scramble to benefit Freeport High School girls basketball will be held Sunday, Sept. 16, at Toddy Brook Golf Course in North Yarmouth. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 23.

A limited number of foursome slots are available. The event will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. There will be food, as well as contests and prizes. The cost to enter is $75 per person, $300 per foursome.

For more information or to reserve a slot, email Terry Wyman at twyman2@comcast.net or call 653-1898.

Moosepath League author at library

The Freeport Community Library will host an evening with Van Reid, author of humorous Moosepath League series of novels, Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. The latest title in the series, “Moss Farm, or the Mysterious Missives of the Moosepath League,” has just been released and will be available for purchase and signing.

In the summer of 1998, the world outside of Maine was introduced to an adventurous band of friends who had formed a gentlemen’s club in late-19th century Portland and came to be known as The Moosepath League. Reid, who lives in Edgecomb, was published by Viking Penguin in New York and quickly gathered rave reviews. It was a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year.”

Reid has published four more Moosepath League novels, following this band of unlikely heroes as they foiled criminal plots, rescued kidnap victims, chased after Viking artifacts, and even found themselves confronted by possibly supernatural events.

Freeport elders changing trip plans

The Freeport Elders Association has been forced to change some of its travel plans after the organization learned that its bus was declared unsafe and unable to be repaired.

According to Pat Pooters of the Freeport Elders Association, the Sept. 12 trip to the Dunston Schoolhouse Restaurant in Scarborough has been canceled, replaced by a potluck lunch on the same day at noon in the Freeport Community Center. Every one who plans to attend this event is asked to bring either a hot or cold covered dish to share.

Peloquin, Webb to perform sea shanties

The music of American naval power and pride during the 19th century is the focus of a musical and educational presentation presented by the Freeport Historical Society on Sunday, Sept. 9, from 4-5:30 p.m., at the public landing on Cove Road in Freeport.

Cove Road is located at Porter’s Landing off of South Street. It’s the site of the historic Porter Shipyard.

“Over Deep Water: Songs from the War of 1812 and Beyond” features Mainers Dave Peloquin and Bob Webb, who will join their tenor and baritone voices with a variety of acoustic instruments including concertina, guitar and five-string banjo to present a performance of sailors’ naval songs and sea shanties.

Those who attend should bring folding chairs. In case of rain, the program will be moved to the First Parish Congregational Church, located at 40 Main St. in Freeport.

Admission is by a $5 donation.

For more information, visit www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org or call 865-3170.

The program will include nautical ballads from the War of 1812 and the Civil War. In addition, Peloquin and Webb will include unusual and little-known songs and shanties from the mid-century, when America’s merchant marine fleet ruled the oceans.

Both men are experienced at interpreting maritime songs and shanties. They have researched and presented the history of sea music for more than 30 years.

“It’s difficult to imagine that sailors needed songs to operate their vessels,” Webb said, “but in merchant ships, songs were necessary to coordinate the heavy manual labor involved in making sail and hoisting the anchor.”

Peloquin and Webb have gathered versions of traditional songs known from Maine and the Maritime provinces of Canada, and will present several of these during the program.

Durham’s Elizabeth Liscomb, a sales director and senior trainer with BeautiControl, was recently named top director overall in her national unit at the company’s conference in Dallas earlier this month. Liscomb leads a team of more than 70 skincare and spa consultants. A wholly owned subsidiary of Tupperware Brands, BeautiControl is a direct sales beauty company that specializes in at-home spa parties and consultations.