Edible Books Festival

winners announced

The Freeport Community Library has announced the winners of its 2016 Edible Books Festival, April 13. The creative culinary art talents of area children and adults alike are put to the test each April as entrants design an almost totally edible representation of a poem or book of their choosing. The public is invited to judge the entries, voting for the best entry in the four categories: Funniest, Most Creative, Most Bookish and Best in Show.

Children

• Funniest: Elijah and Gia McClelland, for an edible book based upon “Lady Pancake and Mr. French Toast,” by Josh Funk.

• Most Creative and Best in Show: Isla Wilson, for an edible book based upon “Fairy Houses,” by Tracy Kane.

• Most Bookish: Ellie Winter, for an edible book based upon “The Art of Clean Up,” by Ursus Wehrli.

Adults

• Funniest: Johanna Hanselman, for an edible book based upon “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” by Muriel Spark.

• Most Creative: Suanne Williams-Lindgren, for an edible book based upon “The Nest,” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.

• Most Bookish and Best in Show: Kathy Leggett, for an edible book based upon “The Princess and the Pea,” by Hans Christian Andersen and Maja Dusikova.

First Friday’s

Just Desserts

coming up

The final First Friday’s Just Desserts event of the season, May 6, will feature the popular acoustic group, Not Too Shaap. Doors to the Freeport Community Center open at 6:30 p.m., with the concert beginning 6:45 p.m. The group will perform a repertoire of “some things old, some things new, some things borrowed and a little blues,” plus classic and contemporary covers and original songs. Performers include musicians Tod Donahue, Ellen Ebert, Daric Ebert, Jane Bradley and Chris Nichols.

Admission at the door is $5. Donations will be accepted for the musicians during the program. Admission includes the concert and desserts, plus coffee or tea and water. All proceeds are donated to Freeport Community Services.

Freeport First Fridays are a joint project of MASISTA (Maryellen and Sam In Support of The Arts) and the Freeport Community Services. For more information, contact Kim Hudak, 865-3985, ext. 202.

Festival honors

high school poets

Merriconeag Poetry Festival judge Rachel Contreni Flynn has selected 20 high school poets to be honored on Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m., at Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport. Five regional high schools placed multiple winners among the finalists: Falmouth High School led the way with five, followed by Cape Elizabeth and Deering high schools with three each. Catherine McAuley and Maine Coast Waldorf schools each contributed two finalists. Other schools represented among the finalists include North Yarmouth Academy, as well as Gorham, Greely, Yarmouth and Edward Little high schools.

Contreni Flynn, the author of two award-winning, full-length poetry collections, “Ice, Mouth, Song” and “Tongue,” and a recipient of a Maine Literary Award in 2015, read every poem submitted – more than 100 entries from students attending 20 area high schools. She is the co-editor of Beloit Poetry Journal, one of the country’s oldest and most esteemed literary magazines. She also teaches poetry at Colby College in Waterville.

This year’s finalists, in no particular order are: from Deering High School, sophomores Fadumo Adan, Arlo Farr-Weinfeld and Alexander Fitzgerald; from Edward Little High School, sophomore Najmo Ali; from Falmouth High School, ninth-graders Emma Auer and Caitlyn Bull, 10th-graders Ella Boyd, and seniors Zachary Bull and Ellie Sapat; from Greely High School, sophomore Ethan Brouder; from Gorham High School, senior Mallory Campbell; from North Yarmouth Academy, 10th-grader Charlotte Collins; from Cape Elizabeth High School, juniors Anna Friberg and Natalie Gale, and senior Katherine Hansen; from Catherine McAuley High School, freshman Kelly Gilbert and junior Gabe Robbins; from Yarmouth High School, sophomore Salomé Skinner; and from Maine Coast Waldorf School, 11th-graders Cassandra Albano and Riley Smith. For Sapat, Friberg and Campbell, this is the second year in a row that they have earned finalist honors.

The winning poets will read their poems, receive a booklet of all the finalists’ pieces, and receive a gift certificate provided by a local bookstore: Longfellow in Portland, Gulf of Maine in Brunswick and Sherman’s in Freeport. The top three prizewinners will also be announced.

Spring clean-up

at Wolfe’s Neck Farm

Volunteers are invited to help clean up Recompence Shore Campground at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, 134 Burnett Road, April 29-May 1 and May 6-8. Free camping Friday-Sunday and some meals will be provided. Volunteers should bring weather-appropriate clothing and footwear, a rake and garden gloves. All ages are welcome. Call 865-9307 for more information or to RSVP or see www.freeportcamping.com/volunteering.

Vegetable farm shares

Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) have become a popular way for farms to market their wares directly to local customers. Typically, members buy a “share” of the farm’s production for a season. Shareholders receive a portion of the harvest as the season progresses. The Teen Ag program at Wolfe’s Neck Farm will be providing CSA shares including 15 weeks of freshly harvested vegetables. Each week will bring something new and reflect the changes in the field and weather. In addition to enjoying a weekly bounty of fresh vegetables, CSA members support the Teen Ag program, a sustainable agriculture immersion program that cultivates all of Wolfe’s Neck Farm’s vegetables and fruit, manages the farm stand, and contributes thousands of pounds of produce to area food pantries each year.

For more information, visit www.wolfesneckfarm.org.

Writer speaking

in South Freeport

The South Freeport Congregational Church will host popular mystery author Julia Spencer-Fleming on Friday, May 13, for a lunch and talk. The lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. and will include Asian chicken salad, seasonal fruit soup, a roll and a rhubarb dessert.

Spencer-Fleming, a University of Maine School of Law graduate, is a former military brat, and is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist. She has won the Agatha Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Awards, Dilys Award, Barry Award, the Nero Award and Gumshoe Awards. She has also been a finalist for the Edgar Award.

The cost is $15 by reservation. Those interested can call 865-4012.

JT Stivers, band at

community center

JT Stivers and the Threadbare Band will perform music from Stivers’ new CD, “Threadbare Agnostic,” on Friday, May 13, at the Freeport Community Center. The show will start at 7:30 p.m., with seating beginning at 7. Tickets are $10 and will be sold the night of the show, but seats can be reserved by emailing Stivers through www.jtstivers.com.

In Threadbare Agnostic, Stivers, who teaches English at Freeport High School, shares personal perspectives on spiritual faith, doubt, and wonder through a variety of musical genres. Inspired by Joni Mitchell and influenced by Peter Gabriel and Loreena McKennitt, Stivers crafts “Threadbare Agnostic” with lyrics that are mystical, philosophical, narrative and funny.

A sample of the music, information about the show and the CD, and information about the contributors are also available on the website.

College acceptance

focus of talk

Freeport Community Library invites high school students and their families to a presentation, “How Colleges Really Choose Students,” with Wendy Thompson of Westport Educational Consulting, On Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. The talk will help families better understand the role essays, interviews, extracurricular activities, sports, and other factors play in the admissions decisions colleges make.

Thompson served on the admissions staff at Bowdoin College from 2000 to 2012, and her college and independent school admissions career spans 30 years. She conducts college planning workshops and has helped students navigate the college search and selection process since 2003.

GOP to hold pig roast

The Freeport Republican Town Committee is co-hosting a pig roast on Sunday, May 1, from 3-6 p.m., at the AMVETs Hall, 148 North Road, Yarmouth. Guest speaker is Matt Gagnon, CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Also speaking are Ande Smith and Mark Holbrook, candidates for the 1st Congressional District. Special guest is Ellie Espling, House assistant minority leader. Tickets are $25 for one or $45 for two. To reserve a seat, email [email protected] or call 522-2389.

Cinco de Mayo

barbecue, bingo

South Freeport Congregational Church will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a barbecue “Dinner and Bingo” event at 98 South Freeport Road, South Freeport, on Saturday, May 7, from 5-8:30 p.m. The barbecue will be prepared by Patrick Quigg, owner of the Riverfront Barbecue and Grill in Augusta.

Free food and child care are available for kids under 12. For adults, the cost is $25 per person, which includes two beverages. There is a 20 percent discount for tables of 10. For reservations, call Beth at 865-4012 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

College honor

Gianna M. Nappi of Freeport, a member of the Colby College class of 2017, was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa this spring. Membership in the society is one of the highest academic honors an undergraduate student can achieve.

Nappi, who is majoring in American studies and in classics, was one of 51 students inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Colby. A graduate of North Yarmouth Academy, she is the daughter of Adam and Sheila Nappi of Freeport. The Phi Beta Kappa society, founded in 1776, restricts its chapters to leading colleges and universities. The Beta Chapter of Maine was organized at Colby in 1895.

First Parish Market

calling for vendors

Vendors are now being sought for First Parish Market, where artist, crafters and other vendors can sell their wares in front of First Parish Church Congregational, 40 Main St. in Freeport. The dates are July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10 and Oct. 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, contact Patty at [email protected] or call First Parish Church 865-6022 and leave a message.

Lawyers in Libraries

May 4 in Freeport

Freeport Community Library will participate in the statewide “Lawyers in Libraries” program, Wednesday, May 4, from 5-7:30 p.m. Lawyers will spend time in local libraries during Law Week, May 1-7, to provide resources and assistance to people in need, talk about statewide legal issues and meet with library patrons. The event is free and open to the public, but advance sign-up is required. A Maine lawyer will be available at the Freeport library for 15-minute, one-on-one, no-cost consultations. Those who would like to take advantage of the opportunity should sign-up in advance by calling the library at 865-3307.

Paddle board

raffle set

L.L. Bean has donated a paddle-board package (paddle and lifejacket included) to The Port Teen Center this spring. It will be raffled off during the Sunday to Sundae 5K race on Sunday, June 5, at the Freeport Community Center. All proceeds will benefit the Teen Center. Ticket are $10 or three for $25. They can be purchased the RSU 5 Central office at 17 West St, Freeport, or by calling 865 6171. A limited number of tickets will be sold.

Auditions for ‘The Odd Couple’

Freeport Players announces open auditions for its summer production, a female version of Neil Simon’s classic comedy, “The Odd Couple.” The auditions will take place Wednesday, April 27, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Freeport Performing Arts Center, 30 Holbrook St. There are roles for six women and two men, ages approximately 35-65. Actors should attend either of the two audition sessions and be prepared to cold-read excerpts from the play.

In Neil Simon’s re-imagining of his original play, neurotic neat freak Florence Ungar moves in with slovenly Olive Madison. Poker night is replaced by Trivial Pursuit with the girls, and neighbors Manolo and Jesus Costazuela distract the women with their romantic overtures.

Rehearsals begin in early May. Performances are Fridays-Sundays, July 15-31, at Freeport Performing Arts Center. There will be a special pay-what-you-want preview on Thursday, July 14. For complete audition details, visit www.fcponline.org/auditions/.

Writer of historical

novel to speak

Deborah Gould, a Brunswick resident and author of historical novel, “The Eastern: The Early Years,” will speak at the Freeport Community Library on Wednesday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. Released by Maine Authors Publishing in 2015, the book is a fictional account of five families who lived along the Eastern River in the town of East Pittston. The novel spans 45 years of social change from 1820 to the end of the Civil War in 1865.

Upcoming Meetings

Active Living Task Force, Thursday, April 28, 7:30 a.m.,Town Hall.

Ordinance Committee, Thursday, April 28, 5:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Board of Appeals, Monday, May 2, 7 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Town Council, Tuesday, May 3, 6:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Planning Board, Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

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

In the edible books children’s category, Isla Wilson won for her entry, based on “Fairy Houses,” by Tracy Kane.

Kathy Leggett won Most Bookish and Best in Show for an edible book based upon “The Princess and the Pea.”