KENNEBUNKPORT

Seacoast Garden Club invites new members

The Seacoast Garden Club of Kennebunkport invites new members to join them for monthly meetings and projects detailing all aspects of horticulture.

Established nearly 40 years ago, the group is revving up for the 2019-20 season. Founded by eight local women, there are now 87 members, representing Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel, Biddeford and Wells. Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month, from October through May, at the Community House, 8 Temple St.

Newly elected officers include co-presidents Elizabeth Grant and Lauren Handler, co-vice presidents Judy Phillips and Claire Julian, co-treasurers Carol Olson and Jean Moulton, secretary Annette Bowler and recording secretary Elsa van Bergen.

Scheduled presentations this season include “Finding Inspiration in the Late Season Landscape,” “Art in Bloom Roadshow” presented by a senior associate floral designer at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and “The Joy of Herbs.” Several workshops also are planned, including one to make boxwood Christmas trees and another devoted to creating May baskets.

During the summer months, members maintain several local gardens, including at Dock Square, Graves Library and the post office, as well as at the Kennebunk Town Hall and the Kennebunk Free Library.

The club offers a scholarship each year to a graduating senior from Kennebunk High School who plans to study horticulture in college. Much of the scholarship funds are raised by the club’s only fundraiser, the annual plant and pie sale on Memorial Day Weekend in Kennebunk.

For more details about membership in the group, call Jan Ferland at 204-0272 or email jan.mailus@yahoo.com.

SCARBOROUGH

Music student invited to national festival

Cora Stewart will represent Scarborough High School as one of the country’s “Best of the Best” at the 2019 All-National Honors Ensembles Festival, set for Nov. 7-10 in Orlando, Florida.

Stewart is one of 557 accomplished music students from 49 states and territories who were selected to showcase their talents for a chance to gain a chair or part in district honors ensembles and all-state honors ensembles.

She has been a member of the Scarborough High School choir program since 2016 and currently serves as the president of Mixed Chorus. In her time at the high school, she also has been in Scarborough Acapella, Treble Chorus and several extracurriculars such as Oak Hill Players and National Honor Society.

Scarborough High School music teacher Patrick Volker said, “I could not be more proud of (Cora’s) accomplishments in music and I am very excited to hear this concert!”

The All-National Honors Ensembles Festival includes a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir, jazz ensemble, guitar ensemble and modern band. Students were chosen through a rigorous audition process. The concert band and symphony orchestra will have 119 and 121 instrumentalists, respectively, the jazz ensemble 20 instrumentalists, the mixed choir 240 vocalists, the guitar ensemble 41 instrumentalists, and the modern band 16 performers.

Stewart was elated at the news, saying she hadn’t anticipated making it into nationals.

“This is one of the biggest opportunities I’ve had, and it’s an insane honor to even be invited to participate in such a talented choir,” said Stewart. “The music is fantastic, the director is amazing, and I know it’s going to be worth all the work I’ve put into it.”

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