Native American art at USM gallery

The University of Southern Maine Art Gallery on the Gorham campus will host a reception with Wabanaki cuisine, drumming and Honor Song on Thursday, Oct. 6, from 5-7 p.m.to celebrate the opening of the “Indian on Indian” exhibition by artist George Longfish.

Longfish is a writer, artist, educator and curator. A university announcement said Longfish has been instrumental in shaping the field of contemporary Native American art for more than 40 years. He is  a retired professor from the University of California and now lives in South Berwick.

Plow days

Maine Antique Tractor Club is sponsoring the annual plow days at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, and Sunday, Oct. 16, at Parsons Dairy Farm on Buck Street in Gorham. Admission is free.

White Rock Grange will serve breakfast and lunch in the farm’s sugar shack on Saturday. The Grange will have coffee and doughnuts available on Sunday. Bob Parsons expects up to 17 antique tractors that will demonstrate plowing and harrowing on a corn field. Dave McCullough is organizing the local event.

Orchid growers to meet Monday

Maine Orchid Society will meet at 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 10, at St. Anne’s Church, 299 Main St., Gorham. Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids in California will speak and have plants for sale. The public is welcome.

Woman’s club hosts open house, lunch

Gorham Woman’s Club will host its open house and potluck luncheon from 12:30-2:30 on Thursday, Oct. 13, in the fellowship hall at First Parish Congregational Church, 1 Church St. To join the club or for more information, call 239-2766 or visit gorhamwomansclub.org.

Protecting kids Uganda woman’s topic

Freda Luzinda, born and raised in Uganda, will speak about protecting children when Potluck With a Purpose meets at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, at Gorham Baptist Church on County Road (Route 22), Gorham.

Luzinda is a lawyer and social worker. “Her zeal for justice propelled her to leave her position at the U.S.embassy in 2012 to focus on protecting vulnerable children of Uganda and to fight against fraudulent adoptions and child pawning, which were spiraling out of control,” Cindy Elder, organizer of the monthly series at the church, said in an announcement.

The public is invited and those attending asked to take food to share.

An eye on safety

“The forecasters are predicting a cold winter. The Gorham Fire Department suggests preparing your heating systems now,” the department said in a release from fire inspector Chuck Jarrett. The announcement included maintenance and safety tips including these:

• Oil and gas fired appliances should be inspected and serviced by a certified technician at least annually. Air intakes and exhaust vents need to be checked for blockage and leaks that could contribute to carbon monoxide building up in the building.

• Wood-burning chimneys should be checked for blockage and defects in the liner and cleaned at least annually to ensure there is no build-up of creosote that will lead to a chimney fire.

• Wood-burning appliances should be checked for blockage and defects. Ensure you have a metal container and proper tools to remove the ash build-up. Ash should be deposited outdoors and away from buildings.

• Besides sprinkler systems, the next best way of surviving a fire in the home is working smoke detectors. Working carbon monoxide detectors will be your best defense against the colorless and odorless gas.

The National Fire Protection Association’s fire safety tips and recommendations can be found at NFPA.org.

U.S. taxpayer debt

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service reported on Sept. 29 that the U.S. public debt was $19,532,890,233,853.17.

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