Program to feature F. Lee Bailey

The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce will present a program, “An Evening with F. Lee Bailey,” on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m., the at Freeport Performing Arts Center at Freeport High School. Bailey will be interviewed by Bill Green of WCSH-TV in an informal setting about his career. There will be time for questions from the audience. Green has interviewed Bailey for his TV show, “Bill Green’s Maine.”

Bailey, who has lived in Yarmouth for several years, is a criminal defense attorney whose notable cases have included Sam Sheppard (“The Fugitive”), Patty Hearst, Albert DeSalvo (“Boston Strangler”), Ernest Medina (My Lai Massacre) and O.J. Simpson among others. The controversial attorney has been in the news recently in his efforts to gain approval to practice law in Maine. He has been prohibited from practicing law in Florida and Massachusetts. Bailey studied at Harvard College and Boston University, where he received his law degree. He was a jet fighter pilot in the Marine Corps and flies helicopters today.

There will be open seating with tickets at $25 per person, $20 for students. Tickets will be available through Feb. 14 by contacting the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce, www.FreeportMaineChamber.com or calling 847-5240.

Open house at L’Ecole Francaise

Parents and children are invited to learn about an education immersed in French language and culture on Saturday, February 8, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at L’Ecole Francaise du Maine at 99 South Freeport Road, South Freeport. Parents who wish to schedule a school visit on an alternate date may call 865-3308. Learn more about the school at www.efdm.org.

Library to host Chocolate Bash

The Freeport Community Library will host the 13th annual Chocolate Bash, Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. This popular event includes a buffet of chocolate temptations to be sampled. The cost is $2 per person.

There will also be raffles for chocolate desserts, chocolate baskets and an art basket made up of donations from members of the Art Guild of Freeport, whose annual art exhibit is on display at the library through February. Raffle tickets are $1 each or six tickets for $5, and can be purchased the night of the Chocolate Bash, or anytime prior to the event at the library’s main desk.

The musical group Cul de Sax will be returning to perform at this year’s Chocolate Bash. For more information, see www.freeportlibrary.com.

Valentine’s dinner at Masonic Lodge

The Masonic Lodge will sponsor a Valentine’s Dinner held on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 5- 6:30 p.m. at the lodge, located at 28 Mallet Drive in Freeport. The menu will feature baked ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dessert and beverage. The cost is $8 per adult and $4 for children under 12. Proceeds from the dinner will go toward the charitable works of the Masonic Lodge. For more information, contact Pete Cutler, 865-3536, or [email protected].

Church cooking bean supper

A bean supper will be held at the First Parish Congregational Church, 40 Main St., on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 5-6 p.m. The supper will feature three kinds beans, American chop suey, macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, rolls, cole slaw, pickles, beverages and desserts. The cost is $8 for adults, $3.50 for children.

The supper is a fundraiser for church outreach. The public is invited. For more information, contact Brenda Skillin, 615-5444 or [email protected].

Low-cost spay/neuter clinic

Warmer weather may still be months away, but Community Spay-Neuter Clinic in Freeport is urging cat owners to “Beat the Heat” by spaying cats in advance of their heat cycles and preventing unwanted litters from being born this spring. The clinic is offering a special “Beat the Heat” campaign sponsored by PetSmart Charities, the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America. The clinic will provide $20 spay and neuter surgeries for female cats during the month of February.

Spaying and neutering is one of the most effective ways to reduce the homeless pet population and is safe for kittens as young as 8 to 10 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Spaying a female cat before the first heat cycle can be beneficial, improving the health of the pet by reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections.

Community Spay-Neuter Clinic will provide 250 female cats sterilizations for $20 in February. Visit www.communityspayneuterclinic.com or call 865-0772 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

AARP offering free tax prep aid

AARP will again be providing free tax preparation assistance for low to moderate-income households, with special attention to those 60 years and older, Wednesay mornnings, Feb. 5-April 9, at the Freeport Community Center. Assistance is available by appointment only. Call 865-4743, ext.120, to schedule.

First Friday features bluegrass

Freeport First Friday will present bluegrass music by the Windy Ridge Band on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Freeport Community Center. The concert is at 6 p.m., and dinner is at 7.

The Brunswick-based Windy Ridge Band has been playing bluegrass music at festivals, coffeehouses, restaurants, civic clubs, parades, weddings, private parties and even a rodeo since the band was established in 1989.

Freeport First Friday is a joint project of MASISTA (Maryellen and Sam In Support of The Arts) and the Freeport Community Center. Call Kim Hudak at FCS at 865-3985, ext. 202 for tickets. Cost is $15 in advance, $20 on Friday. Seating is limited.

Historian talking on comfort food

For its first public program of the year, Freeport Historical Society will host food historian Sandy Oliver, who will present a new program entitled “Comfort Food: Now and Then,” Sunday, Feb. 16, from 2-3 p.m., at Harrington House, 45 Main St., Freeport. Storm date is Feb. 23. Oliver, who lives on Isleboro, will discuss the concept of American comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and spaghetti and meatballs. These and other foods evoke homey, familiar and comforting memories and longings. Since the term “comfort food” is a recent development, she will speculate on what foods might have been considered comfort foods in the era in which these dishes were developed. She will also be signing copies of her new book, “Maine Home Cooking.”

Tickets are $7 and will be available at the door. For more information or to purchase online, see www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org.

Chocolate factory tours

Wilbur’s Of Maine factory tours are held Saturdays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Visitors are invited to tour the factory and hear a little Wilbur’s history and see and taste the products. The cost is $4.50 and the Freeport locations are 174 Lower Main St. and 13 Bow St.

F. Lee Bailey will talk in Freeport Feb. 18. Now a Maine resident, he has handled high-profile defense cases such as Sam Sheppard, Patty Hearst and O.J. Simpson.