FebFest seeks arts events

Freeport Players and FreeportUSA are creating a FebFest calendar of events planned for February 2015.

Area groups and individuals who are planning a cultural or arts event for February are invited to list their events in the FebFest calendar. Music, visual arts and performing arts are all welcome to be included. For more information, contact Gar Roper at [email protected] or Elizabeth Guffey at [email protected]. Those who do not have an event planned but would like to be part of FebFest can also contact Roper.

Moonlight Madness starts with run

The Freeport High School Student Interact Service Club is hosting the Moonlight Madness Fun Run/Walk benefit event on Nov. 27, at 11:45 p.m., starting and finishing at Olympia Sports, 140 Main St., Freeport. Area businesses, including Olympia Sports, are sponsoring the event, as well as donating merchandise and coupons for goodie bags that all participants will receive. The top three runners will be awarded prizes. The event kicks off Black Friday, when stores open at midnight.

Registration is 10:30-11:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving night or register online at www.runinarace.com/MoonlightMadness/registration.html. The entry fee is $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the event. Checks are payable to Freeport Interact Club. All proceeds will benefit the Fuel Assistance Fund at Freeport Community Services.

Railroad history topic of talk

The Freeport Historical Society will present a program, “Railroads in Maine: The First 150 Years” on Monday, Dec. 1, from 7-8 p.m, at the Freeport Community Library. The speaker will be George Barrett, who will give an overview of the rise, decline and renaissance of the “iron horse” in Maine.

Barrett will demonstrate how railroads fit into Maine’s transportation infrastructure, and rose to prominence by replacing sail and steamships as means of moving people and goods. He will also examine the result of the competition from highway traffic in the 20th century, and the decline of certain railroad traffic. An emphasis will be placed on Maine’s coastal corridor and the impact of the railroad in Freeport. Along with the historical focus, Barrett will also address the current situation of Maine’s railroads.

Barrett, who holds a degree in civil engineering, has spent much of his career traveling the state to sell machinery to contractors, loggers, paper mills and municipalities. His interest in steam locomotives and railroads grew from this work. He lives with his family in Cumberland.

The event accompanies Freeport Historical Society’s current exhibit, “You Can Get There From Here: How Transportation Defined Freeport,” which is on display at FHS headquarters at 45 Main St. through January.

Freeport Players doing ‘Telethon’

After 10 years of presenting “WFCP Old Home Radio Hour show,” Freeport Players will stage an all-new variety show, “WFCP Telethon,” a spoof of mass media fundraising and pledge drives. The family-friendly show includes music, dance and comedy in the spirit of Jerry Lewis telethons.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5 and 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m, at Freeport Performing Arts Center, 30 Holbrook St. Freeport. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Advance tickets are available online at www.fcponline.org or in person at the Freeport Community Center Thrift Store on Depot Street.

For more about this show or to purchase tickets, visit Freeport Players at www.fcponline.org or on Facebook.

Designing Women host art showcase

Designing Women, a nonprofit volunteer corporation, will hold its 10th annual Freeport arts and crafts show on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Merriconeag Waldorf School and Community Center, 57 Desert Road. P

The juried show features several nationally acclaimed artists displaying original pieces including glass, porcelain, polymer, silver and gold jewelry, hand-woven and stitched apparel, textile and leather handbags, handmade stoneware pottery, pastels, batik paintings and watercolors, applique quilts and wall pieces, artisanal body care, and more. All proceeds from the suggested $2 door donation and food sales will be directly donated to Partners for Rural Health in the Dominican Republic’s community-based education and health-care services.

For more information, contact Michelle Henning at 833-5556 or see www.designingwomen.org.

Designing Women is a nonprofit volunteer corporation established by female artisans from New England in 1991. Designing Women’s mission is to bridge art and the community by sponsoring shows that benefit local nonprofit services that support women and families. The Partners for Rural Health is a nonprofit organization in Maine that seeks to provide access to continuous care and health education in the Dominican Republic. For more information, see www.prhdr.org.

Elders Craft Fair coming up

The Freeport Elders will hold a craft fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., at the Freeport Community Services building. Raffle tickets will also be available for the 18-inch American Girl doll named Isabelle, with 10 outfits and a wooden bed. The cost for tickets is $2 for one or $5 for three tickets. Also being raffled off are two gift cards each for $100 each to be used for Walmart and Hannaford shopping. Tickets are $1 each, or six for $5. The drawing for both raffles will be held on Dec. 10 at the Elders location at Freeport Community Services.

Bus planning workshop Nov. 19

A community planning workshop for Metro bus service for Yarmouth and Freeport will be held Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 6-8 p.m., at the Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St. Organizers are seeking the public’s suggestions and ideas as planning begins for service to begin in 2015.

‘Night Tree’ event for kids

A holiday tradition for children, Wolfe’s Neck Farm’s “Night Tree” event, Saturday, Dec. 6, is inspired by Eve Bunting’s book, “Night Tree.” Her story is about a family that feeds the forest animals by making decorations for a special tree. Each hour during the day, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., the story will be read and then participants will decorate pine cones with birdseed and string popcorn, dried fruit and cranberries. A short hike is then taken on the trails to leave the pine cone treats in the woods for the animals.

The cost is $5 per person ages 2 and older (free for members of Wolfe’s Neck Farm). For more information, visit www.wolfesneckfarm.org.

Drop off toys

Caleb Stephens, the local Edward Jones financial adviser, is supporting the U.S. Marine Reserve Toys for Tots program by using his office as a drop-off location for this year’s toy drive. Local residents can help needy children in the area by bringing in a new, unwrapped toy to the local Edward Jones office, 5 Depot St., Suite 24, Freeport, during regular business hours, through Dec. 10.

“With the holiday season around the corner, we are all getting ready for the festivities,” Stephens said. “And as this is the season of giving, now is a great time to remember the less fortunate in our community.”

Sparkle Express tickets on sale

Amtrak Downeaster’s Sparkle Express, part of Freeport’s Sparkle Celebration, is Saturday, Dec. 6. This round-trip adventure from Freeport to Brunswick includes a reading of “The Polar Express,” by Chris Van Allsburg, by a real train conductor. Those who are attending can bring their own copy of this Christmas classic to follow along or pick one up at Sherman’s Bookstore in Freeport. To buy tickets and for more information, visit www.sparklecelebration.com.

Club hosting craft fair, luncheon

The Freeport Lioness-Lions Club is hosting its 17th annual craft fair and luncheon of fish “chowdah” and chili on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Harrasseeket Grange Hall, 13 Elm St., downtown Freeport.

The luncheon runs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with homemade fish chowder, chili, steamed hot dogs, homemade pies, soda and water.

The craft fair features jewelry, hand-knit items, homemade cards and ornaments, stained glass and photography. Free coffee is available for shoppers, and there will be hourly door prizes and a raffle with many items donated by local businesses. Raffle tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting any Freeport Lioness-Lions Club member. Tickets will also be sold at the craft fair. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win.

Proceeds from this event benefit the club’s efforts in Freeport and the surrounding communities. For more information, see eclubhouse.org/sites/freeportlioness.

Citizen of the Year

The deadline for nominations for Freeport’s 2014 Citizen of the Year Award is Dec. 4.

The Town Council is seeking nominations to honor those who have contributed substantively to the quality of the town. Nomination forms are available at the Town Office, the Freeport Community Library and can be found at www.freeportmaine.com.

Ways to help Community Services

Freeport Community Services needs help in any of the following ways:

• Work in the Thrift Shop as a customer service volunteer. Flexible shifts are available.

• Help in the food pantry as a substitute.

• Help in the FCS Furniture Annex Thursdays from 2:30-5 p.m.

• Become part of the Free Lunch Friday team, every third Friday of the month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Sign up to be on call for special projects, such as Holiday Helpline, quarterly blood drives and organizing and filling Thanksgiving food boxes.

For more information, call Debbie Daggett at 865-3985, ext. 206 or email [email protected].

Self-improvement classes

RSU 5 Recreation and Community Education is offering self-improvement classes this fall. Included is Head, Neck, and Shoulder Massage (Thursday, Dec. 4, 6-8 p.m.) with Barbara Pearl Fudala, a wellness practitioner in the Freeport area for more than 26 years with a practice in massage therapy and energy therapies.

Upcoming travel workshops include Finding Great Travel (Tuesday, Nov. 18, 6-8 p.m.), which will explore traveling on a budget. Information about living abroad will be covered in the class, “Living La Vida Loca: Working Overseas (Saturday, Nov. 22, 2-5 p.m.).

For more information on course offerings, visit www.rsu5-rce.org or call 865-6171.

Upcoming meetings

Recycling/Solid Waste Committee, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

Conservation Commission, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 6 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

Metro bus community meeting, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 6-8 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

Traffic and Parking Committee, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 7:30 a.m., Town Council Chambers.

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