‘Almost, Maine’ continues on stage

Freeport Players will be back on stage at the Freeport Performing Arts Center on Holbrook Street with “Almost, Maine,” a play by John Cariani. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

According to the Dramatist’s Play Service synopsis, “On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways.”

The play is for mature audiences. Tickets are available at the Freeport Community Service Thrift Shop, at the door and at www.fcponline.org.

Library hosting several authors

Carla Maria Verdino-Su?llwold will be reading from her debut short-story collection, “Bookends: Stories Of Love, Loss, And Renewal,” at the Freeport Community Library on Monday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. The collection was published in March. Born and raised in the metropolitan New York area, Verdino-Su?llwold began her career as a teacher and arts administrator before becoming a journalist, critic, and author. She helped to create several television projects. In 2009, she and her husband, Gregory, moved to coastal Maine. Her first novel, “Raising Rufus A Maine Love Story,” is a fictionalized account of the couple’s year together with their beloved Newfoundland, Rufus, before her husband’s fatal heart attack in February 2010. “The Whaler’s Bride” is her second novel.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m., author Steve Pinkham will read from his book, “Old Tales of the Maine Woods.” The stories are gathered from a collection of some 22,000 articles and stories about the Maine woods. Pinkham has selected many of the oldest and most exciting hunting and fishing tales, as well as stories of animal encounters, lumbering, canoe trips, and even a few ghost stories.

Local author Clinton C. Smith will read from his recently published novel, “Mirror Image,” on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. The book focuses on three college students in the fictional western Maine western college town of Westcreek who discover the past holds the key to their future. The phenomenon of past lives will come back to haunt them in “Mirror Image.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Nominations sought for service award

Freeport Community Services is now accepting nominations for the Carol Kaplan Memorial Community Service Award named after the long-time general services director for the town of Freeport. It is given annually to an individual who embodies the mission of Freeport Community Services, and who has had a positive impact on client services and/or the organization. Stephen Cogswell of Freeport won the award last year.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 15. Nomination forms are available at the Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St., Freeport, or at www.fcsmaine.org. For more information, contact Melanie Sachs, executive director, at 865-3985, ext. 204.

Masons serving chowder

The Freeport Masons will host a fish chowder supper on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 5-6:30 p.m., at the Masonic Lodge on Mallet Drive in Freeport. The menu will feature homemade haddock chowder, cole slaw, homemade biscuits, dessert and beverage, for $8 per adult and half price for children under 12.

Grange serving beans

A public baked bean supper will be held at the Harraseeket Grange Hall, 13 Elm St., Saturday, Sept. 27, from 5-6 p.m.

The all-you-can-eat menu includes home-baked pea, yellow-eye and red kidney beans, hot dogs, biscuits, brown bread, potato salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, homemade pies and beverages. The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children under 10 and free for children 3 and under.

College admission is topic of talk

Former Bowdoin College Assistant Dean of Admissions Wendy Thompson will present a talk, “College Admissions: It’s All About the Grades, Isn’t It?” Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., at Freeport Community Library.

Her interactive presentation will illustrate the many factors college admissions officers consider when they look at application materials. The presentation is geared toward families of high school sophomores and juniors, but all are welcome. For more information, visit www.freeportlibrary.com or call 865-3307.

Animal blessing set for Oct. 4

The 12th annual Blessing of the Animals, in honor of St. Francis’ Feast, will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Sacred Heart’s church yard, 326 Main St., Yarmouth. The event is sponsored by the parish’s Church & Family Life Commission, which includes St. Jude Church of Freeport, as well as Sacred Heart Church of Yarmouth, Holy Martyrs Church of North America in Falmouth, and St. Gregory the Great Church in Gray.

All pets and/or pet lovers are invited to attend this prayer service and blessing, with or without an animal friend present. For more information, contact the Pastoral Office at 847-6890.

Fall at the farm

Wolfe’s Neck Farm says tickets are selling fast for its annual Harvest Dance, Saturday, Sept. 27, at the historic Mallet Barn, Wolfe’s Neck Road. Music will be provided by The Ghost of Paul Revere. From 6:30-7:30 p.m. there will be a contra dance, followed by the featured band. A cash bar from Gritty’s and an assortment of local food trucks and vendors will be available.

Wolfe’s Neck Farm has a busy lineup of fall events and activities, including pumpkin hay rides, veggies and lamb for sale at the farm stand, school field trips, a fall festival and after-school programs. For more information on all the farm’s programs, see www.wolfesneckfarm.org.

Reserve space for Holiday Market

The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce is holding a Holiday Market on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St. The event is an opportunity to reach shoppers from throughout the region, tourists and locals. Participants can bring arts, crafts, collectibles, home items, furniture and more. A limited number of spaces are available and must reserved by Oct. 24.

Tables are available for nonprofit organizations at $25. For all others, the price is $50 per table. For more information and to request an application, contact Sande Updegraph, 847-5240 or email sande@freeportmainechamber.com.

School playground Phase II work set

For the past two years, the town has come together to raise funds to build a playground for Mast Landing School students, grades 3-5, and all the community to enjoy. Everything from bake sales to private donations have helped to make this dream possible. The public is invited to participate in Phase II of the building project, Saturday, Sept. 20, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Woman’s club hosts LoPresti

The first Freeport Woman’s Club meeting of the 2014-2015 season will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, at the meeting room of the Freeport Community Library. Charlie LoPresti, a native New Englander and a local meteorologist with Channel 13, will speak about weather in general, particularly in Maine, as well as answer questions and discuss weather forecasting, changes and trends in weather patterns. All are welcome.

An evening with Sarah Smiley

Sarah Smiley, author of “Dinner with the Smileys,” will be at the Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 7-8:30 p.m., in conversation with Shannon Moss, a local TV news reader. The inspiration for “Dinner with the Smileys” came to when her husband, Dustin, was deployed in Africa for a year with the U.S. Navy. She and her boys decided that they would host interesting people from Maine for dinner each week. Their first guest was Sen. Susan Collins. Others included Olympic athletes, musicians and a governor.

Tickets are $20. For more information call 847-5240 or email sande@freeportmainechamber.com.

Artists sought for ‘Sitting Pretty’

The Port Teen Center is seeking artists to create for its annual fundraising auction, “Sitting Pretty.” Each year more than 70 local adult and teen artists create folk art that is auctioned off in March, so far raising more than $60,000. This year the canvas is “the best of the best” and artists will have the opportunity to paint canoe paddles donated by L.L. Bean, Russian nesting dolls, eclectic chairs, stools, small tables and vintage shelves, mirrors, lazy Susans, clocks, and even a whole school of fish, sponsored by Freeport Hardware. Paint donated by Sherwin Williams Yarmouth is supplied, or artists can use their own.

For more information, contact randallwadethomas@gmail.com or call 522-1383.

Local resident joins law firm

Roy T. Pierce, a resident of Freeport, recently joined Portland-based Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry’s litigation practice group, representing individuals and businesses in commercial litigation cases in Maine, Massachusetts and beyond. In addition, he maintains an active appellate practice and has argued more than two-dozen appeals before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining Jensen Baird, he practiced at Preti Flaherty in Portland.

Free counseling offered

Dr. Gar Roper will be offering counseling and support for families and individuals at no charge, at First Parish Church Congregational, 40 Main St., on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Day and evening appointments are available. Roper is the former head of the Fairfield Psychology Center in Fairfield, Conn. Services are available for anyone, church members and non-members, experiencing worries, relationship difficulties or child-rearing questions. For an appointment, call 272-3641.

Upcoming meetings

Conservation Commission, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

Recycling/Solid Waste Committee, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

Freeport Ordinance Committee, Thursday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Freeport Traffic and Parking Committee, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m., South Freeport Congregational Church, 98 South Freeport Road.

Freeport Project Review Board, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 6 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

A full listing of upcoming town meetings and agendas is available on www.freeportmaine.com.

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