Holy Week ?at Blue Point

Blue Point Congregational Church, 236 Pine Point Road, Scarborough, has set its Holy Week services.

Palm Sunday, March 24, starts with a 9:30 a.m. worship. Maundy Thursday Service March 28 begins at 7 p.m. with the celebration of the Last Supper, followed by the Tenebrae readings.

On Good Friday, the church will be open from noon-3 p.m. for silent prayer and meditation.

Easter Sunrise Service will be at 6:24 a.m. Gather at the Hurd Park parking lot at 63 King St. in Pine Point at 6:15 and walk down to the beach.

Easter morning pancake breakfast will follow Sunrise Service at the church. Participants are welcome to come for breakfast around 7:30 even if they don’t come for Sunrise Service. The Great Easter Celebration will be at 9:30 a.m.

For information, call 883- 6540.

City jazz groups honored in Boston

Big bands, combos, and vocal jazz ensembles competed and performed throughout the day on Saturday, March 2, at the annual High School Jazz Festival, hosted by Berklee College at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Berklee’s Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind in the United States. All ensembles are adjudicated by a panel of Berklee’s top faculty and will receive a written critique of their performance.

Under the direction of Craig Skeffington, South Portland High School’s jazz ensemble placed first for the Class L4 Large Ensemble Division. Senior trombonist Chuck Key received the Judge’s Choice Award for the South Portland Jazz Combo I and sophomore Alex Quinn received one of the Outstanding Musicianship Awards for the Class L4 Large Ensemble Division.

The group next travels to Houlton for the Maine State High School Jazz Festival on March 15-16.

Tim Sample performing in Scarborough

Tickets are now on sale for Tim Sample’s performance at the Winslow Homer Center for the Arts, located at Scarborough High School, 11 Municipal Drive, Scarborough, hosted by the Scarborough Historical Society.

The show date is Friday, March 22. Performance time is 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Sample, noted Maine humorist, recorded his first comedy album in 1979. Since that start he has released many more albums, videos and DVD’s, written and/or illustrated over a dozen books, and brought Maine and his own brand of humor to the country at large through his work as a regular correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning.

The Scarborough Historical Society is a nonprofit, financially self-funded organization founded in 1961, wholly supported by members and volunteers. To meet the present increased costs to continue their stated mission [to better inform this community of our historic nature, traditions and culture and to do so by collecting, preserving and displaying materials of our past] in a responsible manner, additional funds were deemed necessary. It is hoped that the major fundraising effort presented here will allow the group to raise enough funds to sustain them into the future.

General admission tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at: Dunstan Ace Hardware, Scarborough; Oak Hill Ace Hardware, Scarborough; O’Donal’s Nursery, No. Scarborough, or call Bruce Thurlow by phone at 883-5445 or email at thurlow@maine.rr.com.

Lease extension set for Crescent Beach

The Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry, Division of Parks and Public Lands, and The Sprague Corp. announced last week the signing of a five-year lease extension for a 100-acre parcel that is part of Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth.

“We are very pleased with the way this has turned out,” Will Harris, director of the Division of Parks and Lands, said in a press release. “This will give us significant time to seek an even more permanent resolution for Crescent Beach. I think both sides have worked well to reach this point.”

Seth Sprague, president of The Sprague Corp., said, “Our family is pleased that this parcel will continue to be part of the Park. Credit to all involved for persevering to find a positive outcome.”

The $100,000 per-year lease covers a 100-acre parcel that abuts state ownership and has been used as a part of the park since 1961. The leased portion includes approximately 1,000 feet of beach as well as the entrance road, control station, hiking trails and a portion of the parking lot.

For more information about the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, go to: www.maine.gov/acf

Party for Pups to raise money for dog rescue group

Almost Home Rescue, an all-volunteer dog rescue organization, is now selling tickets for their second annual Party for the Pups fundraiser. The event will be held on Saturday, March 30, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

The cost to save a dog often greatly exceeds the adoption fee – funds raised at the Second Annual Party for the Pups will be used to pay for Top of Form veterinary bills, transportation, food, flea and tick shampoo, medicine, and kennels for the dogs in Almost Home Rescue’s care.

The family-friendly event features a silent auction, appetizers and dessert, a 50/50 raffle, music by DJ Carmen Cronin and dancing. Tickets are $10 each, $5 for children under 12. Children under 2 years old are free. The public and all dog-lovers are welcome. Tickets can be purchased online at http://almosthomerescue.net/second-annual-party-for-the-pups/.

Donations are also being accepted for food and silent auction items. Deadline for auction item donations is March 22. Food donations must be made by March 15. For more information, contact Kiersten Scarpati at development_ahr@yahoo.com.

Last year’s event raised more than $2,000 and has allowed AHR to continue their mission of finding forever homes for dogs and puppies throughout New England.

Almost Home Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all-breed rescue organization dedicated to saving lives and finding forever homes for stray, abandoned and surrendered dogs in danger of euthanasia. AHR was founded in 2005 and has saved the lives of approximately 3,000 dogs since its inception. To learn more about Almost Home Rescue and Party for the Pups go to www.almosthomerescue.net.

Scarborough chorus fundraiser

The Scarborough High School chorus has been invited to participate and compete in an “All Gold” choral festival this April.

They will be competing in New York City again, but with other “Gold” choruses from around the country and Canada, and participating in a clinic with Anton Armstrong, conductor of the St. Olaf College Choir.

To raise funds for the trip, Opus One will present a benefit concert/swing dance on Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m., in the Winslow Homer Auditorium at Scarborough High School. Tickets are $8 for high school students with an ID, $15 for adults, and $25 for two adults, and are available through the Choral Arts Department at Scarborough High School (318-6637), Bullmoose, Starbird Music and Hannaford, and at the door.

The Opus One Big Band, together for more than 20 years, will be playing favorite jazz and swing standards of the 1930s and ‘40s.

Cabaret in Cape

Cape Elizabeth High School’s award-winning jazz program presents a jazz cabaret. The performance, directed by Tom Lizotte, showcases three big bands, five combos and the CEHS chorus. As a special treat, the Portland-based Fogcutters big band will perform. Elegant .desserts and coffee served by student waiters will be available for purchase as the cafeteria is transformed into an intimate jazz cafe.

The event takes place Thursday, March 28, 6:30 p.m., in the Cape Elizabeth High School cafeteria, 345 Ocean House Road. Tickets are available at the door. Admission is $5, $3 for seniors, $15 per family.

Senior trombonist Chuck Key received the Judge’s Choice Award for the South Portland Jazz Combo I at the annual High School Jazz Festival, hosted by Berklee College at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.   
Tim ?Sample

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