Inside Naples

Spruce-Up Day

Please join Naples Main Street for their annual Spruce-Up Day on Saturday, May 17. They are looking for volunteers to help clean up our town. Volunteers are to meet at the Naples Town Office at 8:30 a.m. where they will be assigned an area to clean up. Volunteers must have their own transportation and are asked to wear gloves, bring rakes and water bottles. Trash bags will be provided. For more information on this event, please contact Connie Eldridge @ 831-0890 or e-mail cleldridge@lakesproperties.com.

Help the Angels

The “Angels of Hope” invite you to a yard sale to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life on Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date is Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1) at Lakes Region Properties, 692 Roosevelt Trail, Naples (next door to Bray’s Brew Pub). Are you spring cleaning and have items that you would like to donate? Drop off your donation at Lakes Region Properties or call Heather at 693-7000 and they’ll come pick it up!

All proceeds go directly to the Relay for Life of Sebago Lakes Region. You can also participate by walking with the group at the Windham High School Track at the Relay for Life event on June 28 and 29.

Naples Library Update

The library is busy planning their summer fundraisers. The Second Annual Duck Drop will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. Ducks will go on sale for $5 at the library, Country Sleigh and the Black Bear Restaurant on May 1. There are a limited supply of ducks so don’t wait until the last minute and miss the chance to win one of the cash prizes. The annual yard sale will be on Saturday, July 12, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., in the Town Gym. Items may be dropped off on Friday after 6 p.m. If you have large items to donate, call the library (693-6841) to arrange pickup. Mark your calendar as the library’s ever-popular House Tour will be on Thursday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you would like to join the Friends of the Naples Library and help on projects like those mentioned above, call the library to be put in contact with the group.

The American Red Cross will have two blood drives at the library this year. If you weren’t able to make the one this past Tuesday, there is another one scheduled for Tuesday, July 1, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

If stress is a problem, there will be a wonderful program offered with Jo Werther, licensed clinical social worker for more than 20 years. She will present “Women’s Self Care and the Art of Stress Mastery.” Participants will learn techniques to help them tame their stress and optimize self-care. Pre-registration is required. The workshop is being offered on Tuesday, May 13, from 6-7 p.m.

May is Older American Month. On Tuesday, May 27, from 1:30-3 p.m., the Southern Maine Area on Aging will offer the program “Healthy Aging; Get Back to Better.” It will include a sampling of their longer programs on “Aging Wellness: A Matter of Chronic Pain Self-Management.” These are nationally recognized programs designed to empower people to become more active in managing their own health and keep doing the things they want to do. Pre-registration is required.

Highlights at the Children’s library this May include a Mother’s Day Gift making workshop on May 7 from 4-6 p.m. and two movie nights, one on May 6 (rated PG-13) the other on May 20 (rated PG), both starting at 4 p.m. For further information on these and other activities at the Naples Public Library, call them at 693-6841, check the bulletin board in the foyer or on their website at www.naples.lib.me.us. You can also sign up to receive their monthly email newsletter.

Opportunities

The aptly named local organization, Opportunity Alliance, wants to share the following initiatives with Lake Region communities. The first involves the fight against tobacco. I often tell my children about how things were way back when, when I was a kid: Smoking sections in movie theatres, restaurants, and airplanes! Sitting in the car with various adults with the windows closed as they puffed away, smoking everywhere you looked really. Times certainly have changed, but the battle still ensues. The Tobacco Stories Project hopes the youth of our area will want to help spread the message that tobacco still poses a threat. Potential participants are asked to collect stories from teachers, parents, other youth and community leaders, and then choose their art form. They can submit whatever their imagination comes up with (videos, essays, songs, art work, performances, social media campaigns), so the sky really is the limit. Submissions are due before the end of June. You could win an iTunes gift card or free registration to the Maine Youth Leadership Summit (through a random drawing of all submissions). Your story could be chosen to appear in a statewide media campaign. What an exciting way to make a difference in the battle against tobacco products. Contact Melissa Cushman of the American Cancer Action Network at melissa.cushman@cancer.org.

Those involved in nonprofit local food distribution organizations can apply for grants up to $15,000 to help their groups expand their reach through new marketing strategies, increase their capacity to provide locally grown or caught food to low income communities, schools or nonprofit organizations, or purchase supplies to start community gardens. Applications are now available at www.harvardpilgrim.org/foundation. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 23, at 5 p.m.

Sebago Sailing Scholarships

Talk about opportunity knocking. Sebago Sailing, which operates right here on Long Lake, is offering a fantastic opportunity for two lucky high school students this summer. Owners Mike and Mo are offering two scholarships to future sailors and enthusiastic teens. This will be for their American Sailing Association (ASA) Certified Basic Keelboat course (a $450 value). To qualify, the teen needs to be of high school age, and be interested in boating and sailing. To enter, write a short essay of 250 words or less by May 15 describing why you would like to learn to sail and describe what you’d like do with your newfound skills and how you think learning to sail can enhance your life in general. Students should provide theirs and their parent’s contact information. Send essays to ASA Sailing Scholarship at info@sebagosailing.com. Winners will be announced on June 1 via their website www.sebagosailing.com and their Facebook page. For more information, contact captains Mike or Mo at 647-4400.

Volunteer firemen Bryan Siebert (six years), left, and Adam Madura (10 years) enjoy a good meal and a laugh at the Annual Naples Fire Department Comedy Fundraiser held the last Saturday in April each year. The end of an era has come. Workers were busy this week tearing down the building that was home to Sydney’s Restaurant, and most recently, the Trailside Restaurant, to make way for the new Dunkin’ Donuts planned for the site on Route 302 in Naples near Aubuchon Hardware.