Trail challenge

starts in September

Freeport Conservation Trust has launched the Freeport Trail Challenge, when hikers are invited to hike four local trails during September and October and win prizes.

Visit trails at Calderwood, Quarry Woods, Pettengill Farm and Bliss Woods. Directions to trailheads are on the Freeport Conservation Trust website. Collect stamps from each trail on the Trail Challenge Passport or post a selfie from your walk on Facebook or Instagram (Freeport Conservation Trust will assume permission to reuse any photos that are posted).

There will be prizes for kids who get all four stamps in their passports and adults completing the challenge will be entered into a raffle for prizes.

“There are a variety of trails right here in Freeport and this event if a great way to introduce local trails to people of all ages, as well as a fun activity for regular trail users,” said Kathy Damon, Freeport Conservation Trust president.

The town of Freeport, Freeport Historical Society and New England Forestry Foundation also partner in putting on the Freeport Trail Challenge.

Pick up a Freeport Trail Challenge Passport at Town Hall, the historical society or the Community Center. To get a passport mailed to you, call 865-3985, ext. 212. Learn more at freeportconservationtrust.org or email [email protected].

Farmer Veteran Coalition

sets Freeport meeting

The J. Arthur Stowell American Legion Post 83 will host a representative of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Maine, Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m., in the Freeport Masonic Hall. Jerry Ireland, a veteran and the owner of Ireland Hills Farms in Swanville, is a member of the FVC-ME team. FVC-ME helps Maine veterans become part of the food and agricultural movement in Maine. Any veterans interested in farming or are interested in learning more are invited to attend.

Community chorus

invites new singers

The Greater Freeport Community Chorus, directed by Virgil Bozeman, will begin rehearsals for its winter concerts on Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Freeport Performing Arts Center, 30 Holbrook St. Registration will run from 6-6:30 p.m., and rehearsal will follow. Rehearsals are held on Sundays from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Freeport Performing Arts Center.

All singers are welcome, but the chorus is especially in need of tenors and basses. The Greater Freeport Community Chorus is an adult, mixed-voice group whose members are residents of about 20 midcoast towns. No audition or previous experience with choral singing is required. Membership dues are $70. New singers are welcome to attend up to three rehearsals before deciding whether to join and pay dues. The winter concerts are scheduled for Dec. 10 and 11.

For more information, call 666-8817, see www.gfccsings.org or the chorus Facebook page.

Nonprofits hosting

yard sales Saturday

The Freeport Masonic Lodge tag sale will run from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3, in the parking lot at 33 Mallet Drive. A wide variety of items will be available at bargain prices. In the event of rain, the event will be held indoors.

The same day, the Greater Freeport Community Chorus yard sale will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 181 Main St., Freeport, next to the Freeport Community Library entrance. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 4. Household items, collectibles, tools, furniture, antiques, clothing and more will be available. The chorus is a nonprofit organization with the goal of enriching the community by promoting choral arts.

Zumba offered by

RSU 5 Community Programs

Zumba, the dance-fitness program that blends upbeat Latin and international rhythms with easy-to-follow moves, returns for its fourth year at RSU 5 Community Programs. It is for people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels. No dance experience is necessary and the atmosphere is welcoming. Zumba will run on Tuesdays at 6 p.m., at Morse Street School gym. A new seven-week session begins on Sept. 13. The fee is $35.

A Zumba Gold class, a modified version of Zumba specifically designed for anyone wanting a lower-intensity workout, will run on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at the South Freeport Congregational Church Community Hall. A new seven-week session begins on Sept. 8, and the fee is $35. Shari Chaney is the instructor for both programs.

For more information and to register, see www.rsu5-rce.org. Drop-ins are also welcome anytime for $6.

Sign up online

for half marathon

Freeport, Pownal and Durham Education Foundation and 3C Race Productions are hosting the Freeport Half Marathon and 5K, Sunday, Sept. 11, with a 9 a.m. start time and a 9:15 a.m. start for the 5K. Food and ice cream will be provided at the finish line. Runners can register online at www.freeporthalfmarathon.com.

Those who would like to volunteer to help run the event can contact Cheryl at [email protected].

Oakleaf Terrace

hosts Breez

info stop

The Breez and Metro staff will be stopping by Oakleaf Terrace, 24 South St., Freeport, on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 11 a.m., to provide information on the bus schedule, route and fares.

A new Breez bus, as well as one of the drivers, will be on hand. The Breez provides bus service from Portland to Freeport with stops in Falmouth and Yarmouth.

Income-eligible residents of Freeport and Yarmouth may qualify for Free Ride Passes on the Breez. At this meeting attendees will be able to find out if they qualify, fill out an application and receive a free pass on the bus.

For more information, contact Donna Larson or Johanna Hanselman at the Freeport Town Office, 865-4743.

New doctor joins

Freeport Pediatrics

Dr. Pauline Karen Mills has joined the Freeport Pediatrics practice, in the Freeport Medical Center that opened last year at 23 Durham Road. Freeport Pediatrics includes doctors Christopher J. Pezzullo and Ann D. Tuddenham, and Elena Wagner, pediatric nurse practictioner.

A graduate of both the University of Edinburgh and the University of Nevada, Mills most recently lived in Mesa, Ariz., before moving to Maine. Mills has worked as a pediatric physician on the medical staff of Banner Health, located in Phoenix, before which she served as a pediatric physician on staff at Porter Hospital in Middlebury, Vt. At the end of her tenure at Porter Hospital, Mills served as the chair of the hospital’s ethics committee. She has also previously worked as a clinical instructor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, in Burlington, as well as in the nurse practitioner programs at Georgetown University and George Washington University, both located in Washington, D.C. Her clinical interests include child and adolescent psychiatry, travel medicine, LGBT youth, and general pediatric and adolescent medicine.

Freeport Pediatrics, a Central Maine Medical Group practice, can be reached at 869-4022.

Authors to make

library appearances

Author Anne Britting Oleson will speak on her recently published first novel, “The Book of the Mandolin Player,” at the Freeport Community Library on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 12:30 p.m. She is a graduate of Freeport High School, Bowdoin College and the Stonecoast MFA program of the University of Southern Maine. Her published poetry includes “The Church of Saint Materiana” and “The Beauty of It.” She is also a founding member of Simply Not Done, a women’s reading, writing and teaching collaborative. For many years she has taught writing at the high school level, as well as for the Meadowbrook Farm Writing Series, and for Old Schoolhouse Writing Workshops. She lives in central Maine.

The library will welcome author Kate Christensen for the first time on Friday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. She is the author of six novels including “The Epicure’s Lament,” “The Great Man” and “The Astral,” as well as two food-centric memoirs, “Blue Plate Special: an Autobiography of My Appetites” and her most recent, “How to Cook a Moose: A Culinary Memoir.” She lives in both Portland and the White Mountains.

With the help of Maine author Kate Flora, Maine game warden Roger Guay has written a memoir, “A Good Man with a Dog,” and they will talk about the book at the Freeport Community Library on Monday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m.

When Guay’s father died in a fishing accident, a kind game warden helped him through the loss. Inspired by this experience, as well as his love of the outdoors, Guay became a game warden and certified K-9 handler in 1986, beginning a successful 25-year career during which he established canine units as a staple of the game warden service. Guay searches for lost hunters and hikers, estimating that over the years, he has pulled more than two hundred bodies out of Maine’s north woods. His frequent companion is a brown Lab named Reba, who can find discarded weapons, ejected shells, hidden fish, and missing people. Flora is an award-winning author of mystery and true crime books.

Tea tasting

Five varieties of tea will be sampled for customers on Tuesday, Sept 1, from 6-7 p.m., at Jacqueline’s Tea Room, 201 Main St. For more information, see www.Jacquelinestearoom.com or call 865-2123.

Local lawyers honored

Freeport residents Daniel W. Walker and Nelson J Larkins, lawyers with the Portland firm Preti Flaherty, have been named by the peer-reviewed publication in their soon-to-be-released 2017 edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” a directory of attorneys and law firms in the United States. Less than 3 percent of the nation’s lawyers are listed in the guide. Attorneys listed in the publication are chosen by their peers and organized by practice area.

Walker, chairman of the firm’s Government Relations Practice Group, is recognized for his work in the area of government relations practice. Larkins, a partner in the Portland office, is recognized for his work in the area of workers’ compensation law – employers. Nelson Larkins is a former RSU 5 board member and chairman.

Service award

nominations sought

Freeport Community Services is now accepting nominations for the Carol Kaplan Memorial Community Service Award. The award is named after the longtime general services director for the town of Freeport. It is given annually by Freeport Community Services to an individual who embodies the mission of FCS, and who has had a positive impact on client services and/or the organization. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 9.

Past recipients include: 2001 Edgar Leighton, 2002 Bob Melargno, 2003 Marie Forbus and Sally Amory, 2004 Johanna Hanselman, 2005 no recipient, 2006 Peter Warren, 2007 Jan Newlin, 2008 Judy Miskell, 2009 Fran Stevens, 2010 Daric Ebert, 2011 Kate and Jonas Werner, 2012 Carol Southall, 2013 Stephen Cogswell, 2014 Marjorie Perkins and Joan Plourde, 2015 Judy Higbea (posthumous).

Nomination forms are available at the Freeport Community Center at 53 Depot St., or on the website, www.fcsmaine.org. Nominations can be submitted by email to Kim Hudak at [email protected], mailed to Freeport Community Services at P.O. 119, Freeport, ME 04032, or submitted in person at the offices.

College honor

Alida D. Farrell of Freeport has been selected for inclusion on the dean’s list for academic achievement during the spring 2016 semester at St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y. Farrell is a member of the class of 2017 and is majoring in environmental studies – philosophy. She attended Waynflete School.

Sustainability committee

needs members

The newly named Freeport Sustainability Committee needs residents to show an interest in membership by early September. The Town Council renamed the Recycling & Solid Waste Committee the Sustainability Committee in July. The Sustainability Committee will have a broader reach than the Recycling & Solid Waste Committee. In addition to recycling and solid waste issues, the committee will deal with energy consumption and production, transportation and Co2 production.

Josh Olins, chairman, said that only two or three former Recycling & Solid Waste Committee members are returning. The new committee needs seven members. The old committee had five members.

The Town Council Appointments Committee will appoint committee members on the second week of September.

The Appointments Committee also is seeking to fill vacancies on the Shellfish Conservation Commission and the Coastal Waters Commission. Application forms are available at the Town Office and can be downloaded from the town website.

Programs continue

at Wolfe’s Neck Farm

Parents and their toddlers or pre-schoolers are invited to Wolfe’s Neck Farm’s Farmer for the Morning program, Thursdays from 8:30-9:30 a.m. until May 19. The fee is $5 per person. Participants should show up at the barn, where they will meet the farmer, help feed and give water to the animals, put out hay, collect eggs, sweep the barn and make sure that the animals are happy and healthy for the day. This is a drop-in program.

Haywagon rides are offered Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 25, every 30 minutes from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at $3 per person.

A farm, fields and livestock tour take place Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 25, at 2 p.m. Check out the organic dairy, chickens and diversified vegetable fields via the haywagon, and learn how the farm is training new farmers, teaching youth about food and farming, and connecting visitors to sustainable agriculture. Recommended for young adults and adults.

Wagon Ride to the Past will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m.-noon. Visitors can climb aboard the haywagon and travel through time as they hear stories of the ship captains, fishermen, farmers, teachers, and homemakers who have lived on Wolfe’s Neck over the past 250 years. Recommended for ages 12-plus. The fee is $10; $5 ages 12-18.

For more information on all these events and to register online, see www.wolfesneckfarm.org.

Raffle items include

American Girl doll

The Freeport Elders Association is selling raffle tickets to support its bus fund. The winning tickets will be drawn on Dec. 9.

Items include an 18-inch American Girl Doll with bed and 10 outfits, with tickets $2 or three for $5; queen-size handmade quilt, lobster-trap coffee table, $100 gift certificate to Hannaford, $100 gift certificate Walmart and a fox family latchhook rug. Those tickets are $1 or six for $5.

All tickets are available at Freeport Elders Association at the community center, 53 Depot St.

College Guild

sets presentation

A presentation by Brunswick-based College Guild, the nation’s only provider of free correspondence courses and dictionaries to more than 6,500 prisoners across the country, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m., at the Freeport Community Library.

College Guild’s special guest is Woody Hanstein, a lawyer for 35 years. He lives in Farmington, where he also teaches classes at the University of Maine at Farmington. He is the author of six published mysteries and a number of short stories, but he says his writing career would never have gotten off the ground were it not for the College Guild’s Julie Zimmerman, who managed a small publishing company in one of her earlier lives. At the program, prisoner students’ poetry, artwork and testimonials will be shared.

Free camping

Two weeks of free camping for Freeport residents will be offered at Winslow Park, from Sept. 10-24. Winslow Park and Campground offers 100 campsites and wooded trails with views of the harbor and Casco Bay; rental picnic shelters for reunions, company picnics, weddings, etc.; picnic tables, grills and a tidal beach; a boat launch for anything from trailered boats to canoes and kayaks; and a Thursday summer concert series with local bands. For more information, call 865-4198 or see www.FreeportMaine.com.

Online services

Online services available at www.freeportmaine.com include re-registrations for car, ATV, trailer and snowmobile; hunting and fishing licenses and dog licenses; and viewing of municipal meetings on demand. Credit cards are now accepted at Town Hall but there is a 2.5 percent user fee on all credit card transactions ($1 minimum).

Nomination papers

Nomination papers are now available at the Freeport Town Clerk’s Office for residents interested in seeking the municipal offices in the town. Nomination papers are due back to the no later than 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Council seats up for re-election include a three-year councilor-at-large post; a three-year District 1 seat and a one-year District 3 seat. There are two three-year seats on the Regional School Unit 5 board, two three-year seats on the Sewer District and one three-year seat on the Water District.

For more information, call Freeport Town Clerk Christine Wolfe at 865-4743, Ext. 123, or email [email protected]

Upcoming meetings

Town Council, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 6:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Appointments Committee, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Shellfish Conservation Commission, Thursday, Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m., Freeport Community Center.

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

Oil paintings by artist Shelley Breton will be on exhibit during September in the main reading room at the Freeport Community Library. Breton is a self-taught artist who has been painting and studying in oils for some seven years. She is a member of the Art Guild of Freeport, and has had several of her paintings accepted into the Yarmouth Art Festival, a juried event.