SACO

Boots & Bellies class blends belly dance and country

Additional Images

An Owl Prowl at the Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson on Monday will feature a walk in the woods to spot and listen for owls, followed by hot cocoa and tea by the woodstove. Photo courtesy Andy McEvoy

Women Singing Out! will present two 15th anniversary concerts in Portsmouth, N.H., on Saturday and Sunday. Photo courtesy Beverly Youree

Boots & Bellies, a fast-paced class featuring a fusion of belly dance movements and choreography set to country music, will begin Monday evening at Young School, located at North and Tasker streets.

Instructor Syrena Gosbee will head the sessions from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through March 16; there will be no class on Feb. 16.

Attendees are asked to bring water and wear non-restrictive clothing and comfortable shoes. Hip scarves are encouraged but not required, and some will be available to borrow at class. This is a fragrance-free class.

Cost is $65. To sign up or for more details, call Old Orchard Beach/Saco Adult & Community Education at 934-7922 or go to www.oobsaco.maineadulted.org.

PORTLAND

Longfellows’ love stories to be told as part of tour

The Maine Historical Society will offer its annual Valentine’s event, “Love in the Longfellow House: Couples Guided Tour,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and again Feb. 12, 13 and 14 at the Wadsworth-Longfellow House at 489 Congress St.

The tours will include details on 19th century courtship rituals as well as the history of the famous family’s many romances, heartbreaks and marriages.

Attendees may sample locally made chocolates, champagne or sparkling cider and will leave with a valentine inspired by the museum’s collection.

Cost is $40 per couple for members and $50 for all others. Reservations are requested by calling 774-1822, ext. 212.

JEFFERSON

Naturalist to lead walk in woods to look for owls

Join naturalist Lynn Flaccus for a full moon hike and Owl Prowl from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

The walk will be a little more than a mile on snowy trails, so come prepared. Hidden Valley has just a few pairs of snowshoes, so please reserve if you need them. Also bring a headlamp or flashlight even though we’ll mostly be walking without light.

After the walk, once the moon is up, we’ll warm up by the woodstove with tea and hot chocolate. Feel free to bring something to eat.

There is a $5 fee to attend this event. Please register online at www.hvnc.org/registration. For more details, call 200-8840.

CAMDEN

Jester and ‘Frozen’ singing on library schedule this week

Camden Public Library will sponsor three events this week.

• Alex the Jester will bring his show to the Camden Opera House at 6 p.m. Monday. Tickets are free for ages 3 and younger; $2 for ages 4 to 12; and $5 for ages 13 and older, with a family rate of $15. Tickets are available at the library, Clean Bee laundry and the schools of the Independent School Association.

• At 10 a.m. Tuesday, Rosalee Glass will present “The Greening of the Village: How the Village Green Came to Be,” as part of the Camden Garden Club’s Winter Horticulture series at the library at 55 Main St. The session is free and open to all.

• Also on Tuesday, at 6 p.m. the library will host a family movie night featuring “Frozen” with a sing-along.

For more details, call 236-3440 or go to www.librarycamden.org.

Natural history walks begin on Saturday at Merryspring

Interested in learning about birds, trees, flowers, insects and animal tracks? Coastal Mountains Land Trust and the Camden Conservation Commission have teamed up to co-sponsor monthly natural history walks in the Camden area, beginning Saturday at Merryspring Nature Center.

Walks usually take place from 10 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of each month.

For February’s walk, participants should meet in front of the Merryspring office building and likely will focus on animal tracks and signs and winter tree identification. Snowshoes may be helpful, but not essential, if there is a recent snowstorm.

Advance registration is not necessary. To learn more and to find notices of location, last- minute changes and/or cancellation, visit the land trust’s events page at www.coastalmountains.org or call 236-7091.

YORK

Health talk and community planning this week at library

York Public Library will host the following community programs this week:

• A talk led by Dr. Erron Kinsler on perimenopause and hormone replacement at noon Wednesday as part of the York Hospital Lunch & Learn series. Lunch will be provided. Reservations are required by calling York Hospital’s Friendraising Office at 351-2385 or emailing info@yorkhospital.com.

• A third community design workshop is planned from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday with the consultants developing the York Village master plan. The objective is to keep the community informed as the plan develops and to get feedback and ideas from as many people as possible. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

• A screening of the movie “Violette” will be offered at 3 p.m. Sunday as part of the library’s Winter Film Series.

The library is located at 15 Long Sands Road. For more details, call 363-2818 or go to www.york.lib.me.us.

KENNEBUNKPORT

Retirement workshop will cover variety of information

A workshop on retirement planning will be offered from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library at 18 Maine St.

The session will focus on long-term care, Medicare, estate planning and Social Security. Each meeting will be offered in an open forum format with specialists speaking on their areas of expertise. Audience questions will follow.

No registration is required. For more details, call 967-2778 or go to www.graveslibrary.org.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Flute ensemble to give free concert at library

The Friends of the South Portland Public Library will sponsor a free performance by Maine ensemble Piping Hot Flutes! at 7 p.m. Saturday at the main branch at 482 Broadway.

For more details, call the library at 767-7660 or go to www.southportlandlibrary.com.

WELLS

Audubon workshop will teach how to identify gulls

York County Audubon will sponsor a two-day gull identification workshop with Derek Lovitch from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Wells Reserve at 342 Laudholm Farm Road.

Beginning gull identification is from 1 to 2:30 p.m., followed by advanced identification from 3 to 4:30 p.m., both Saturday in the Mather Auditorium.

Part II will feature an outdoor lab, taking attendees out to discover and identify gulls based on what they learned in class. Attendees of this session will meet at the Back Cove parking lot on Preble Street Extension in Portland, opposite the Hannaford’s, to carpool around the area.

Cost of the workshop is $10, payable by cash or check at the Saturday session. Space is limited. Please register at www.yorkcountyaudubon.org.

KITTERY

Valentine’s dance an event for daughters and parents

The Kittery Recreation Department will host a Valentine’s dance for parents and daughters from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Kittery Community Center at 120 Rogers Road. Any parent, guardian, family friend or relative is welcome to be a girl’s escort.

The event will include music with a DJ, refreshments, door prizes, party favors and a photo taken for an extra charge.

Refreshments also will be available for purchase. Advance tickets are $15 for couples, $25 for families, or $30 per couple or family at the door. In case of inclement weather, the dance will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

For details, call Todd Henley at 439-3800 or go to www.kitterycommunitycenter.org.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Singing group to celebrate 15th anniversary with concert

Women Singing Out! will present their 15th anniversary concert at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Christ Episcopal Church, 1035 Lafayette Road.

Artistic director Deirdre McClure has put together a program of choir and audience favorites from the performing group’s history.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and free for students. They can be purchased online at www.womensingingout.org or at the door.

For more information, contact byouree@yahoo.com.

LIVERMORE

Living history center offers Valentine’s dinner, program

Looking for a unique evening out to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

The Washburn-Norlands Living History Center will present a heritage dinner and living history program, “Keepers of the Hearth: A Conversation Between the Washburn Ladies,” on Feb.14.

Tickets are $23 and must be purchased by Feb. 10 in advance, as seating is limited. To purchase tickets, call 897-4366, email norlands@norlands.org or go to www.norlands.org.

The history center is located at 290 Norlands Road.

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