Valentine Skate

Sweetie’s Ice Cream in Steep Falls will be hosting a Valentine skate on Friday night, Feb. 14, from 6-8 p.m. at the Mill Street ice skating rink. Mill Street is located beside the Steep Falls Market. Come share a pint of Sweetie’s ice cream with your sweetie for $5 while ice skating to your favorite love songs under the lights. Hot cocoa and Sweetie’s famous warm apple crisp will also be available for sale.

Family Skate Party

Standish Recreation’s Family Skating Party originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 25, at Johnson Field was postponed and will be happening Saturday, Feb. 1, from 6-8 p.m. After the recent “January thaw” we are grateful to the Standish Fire Department for working very hard to restore the rink to a good skating condition.

Master Design Update

A meeting was held for the Steep Falls Village Master Design Committee on Jan. 16, where Wright-Pierce Engineering reviewed the results of the Dec. 12 open house and community workshop with committee members. The keypad voting that took place allowed the engineering firm to determine some basic demographic information about those voting, and helped them to see very quickly the strengths and weaknesses of the village through graphs generated immediately after each vote was complete. The committee will be using this information as they move through the process to recommend ways to protect and capitalize on the top village strengths and ways to enhance or better utilize an asset while addressing what the group perceived as a weakness or a threat.

The next committee meeting will be held in the council chambers of the town hall on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. All are welcome. You do not need to be a member of the committee to attend, only interested in the future growth and direction of Steep Falls. For more information, visit www.wright-pierce.com/standish.aspx or email bbenson@standish.org.

Music Festival

Congratulations to the following Bonny Eagle Middle School eighth-grade band members who were selected to participate in this year’s York County Junior High School Music Festival: Natalie Galvin, Lydia Reppucci, and Alanna Thibodeau (flute), Stephen Kaplan and Miles Moody (clarinet), Alexa Sintiris (baritone saxophone), Ryan Long (trumpet), Thayer Fitt (trombone), Devon McIntire (tuba) and also Alexandra Gale (violin).

The Music Festival is a two-day event, this year being hosted by Bonny Eagle Middle School on Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8, with the concert taking place on Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. Admission to the concert is $5 for adults and $2 for students with a cap of $15 for immediate family. The snow dates for the festival are Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1. For more information, call 929-3833.

Ice Ball

The third annual Ice Ball is a great opportunity to warm up this winter with your family and friends at Saint Joseph’s College’s lakeside campus. The Ice Ball features the Ice Lounge and Bar, including a food buffet, custom cocktails by a roaring fire, and a photo booth. Complete the evening at the annual Snow Ball in the gymnasium with music by Northeast DJs.

This event is open to everyone – alumni, guests, students, faculty and staff, and the greater Windham/Standish area community is also invited. This is a 21-plus event, and is $25 per person which includes one drink ticket. A cash bar and food will be provided. Doors open at 7 p.m. Proceeds will support the Saint Joseph’s College Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship. FMI contact David Svenson at 893-7723 or dsvenson@sjcme.edu.

The public ice rink located in the Mill Street Park is in tip-top shape thanks to the efforts of Kevin Warren and the rest of the District 3 fire department. The Standish Economic Development Advisory Group (SEDAG) was recently formed as an extension of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce in order to provide support to its Standish members. In back row, from left, are Aimee Senatore, executive director of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce; Mary Metcalf of Norway Savings Bank; Standish Town Planner Bud Benson, Jeff Myers of The Windham Independent. In front from left, are Luanne Cameron of State Farm Insurance, Rebecca Buchanan of Norway Savings Bank, Bob Cyr of DIRFY Generators, Jennifer Thomas of Beagle, Steeves, Ridge; Lynn Olson of Olson Associates and Jody Hamilton of Gorham Savings Bank. The group is made up from more than a dozen Standish businesses who are working together to energize local business and foster the creation of a town center for commercial and community activity. You don’t have to be a Standish business owner to join, you just need to be passionate about making Standish a better place to do business. For more information, contact Luanne Cameron at 642-1090.  General Manager Silas Harmon shows Senator Angus King how to make a Domino’s pizza last Thurday. King stopped by to talk about his co-sponsored legislation to reduce regulatory burdens on Maine business as a result of new menu labeling rules, which are part of the Affordable Care Act.