Kennebunk Savings leads expansion effort of Fogg Library

On Friday, Nov. 15, Kennebunk Savings delivered a $75,000 check in support of the William Fogg Library expansion project, an ambitious redesign that creates additional space for future enrichment programming for children and adults. Driven by a 25-year history of giving to regions it serves through its Community Promise program, Kennebunk Savings stepped up with the largest donation the capital campaign has received so far. The donation will be paid out over the next three years. Lydia R. Goodwin, Fogg Library director, hopes the generous contribution inspires others to join the cause, too, because like many libraries, “This library provides more than just books for the community,” Goodwin said.

Last year, 5,000 people attended 617 different programs hosted by the Fogg Library— but thousands more had to be turned away due to lack of space. The expansion project will change that. “The new space will enable us to not turn people away … the capacity of our current room is only 40 people without furniture,” said Goodwin. Even more challenging, the scheduled programs make it difficult for patrons to access books. Once complete, the expansion will increase capacity to 150 people and improve accessibility to the volumes.

With a listing on the National Register of Historic Places and much of the original furniture from 1907 still in place, Fogg Library’s historical significance distinguishes it from other libraries in the area, and increases its popularity even more. An average of 63,264 annual visitors come through the doors — impressive for Eliot, a town with a population of 6,500.

Once the expansion is complete, Kennebunk Savings will be a part of the new history of Fogg Library, because a new wing will bear its name as a show of thanks for the donation. “Kennebunk Savings is proud to support the evolution of a building with so much historical significance to Eliot,” said President and CEO, Bradford C. Paige. “We want to help make this a place more people can enjoy, appreciate and gather as a community.”

Legion Post 159 plans pig shoot game

A pig shoot game will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. at American Legion Post 159 in Kennebunkport. Legion Post 159 is located on Route 9 (across from the police station).

A variety of prizes including complete ham dinners, hams, food baskets and various other items are given to the winners. The event is open to the public. For more information, call 967-2400.

Brick Store Museum schedules holiday open house

The Brick Store Museum invites family, friends and neighbors to its annual holiday open house on Friday, Dec. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be free admission to the museum, and guests are welcome to view all exhibits currently on view, including Patterns, Mark Alesse Photography Show, and The Centennial of the American Legion as well as permanent displays of furniture and artwork from over 200 years of history in the Kennebunks.

Guests are welcome to arrive anytime during the open house and stay as long as they would like. The evening will be detailed by music, sweet holiday treats and light appetizers, holiday shopping and a silent auction, and a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of wine (for adult visitors). Join the museum in a celebration of the season.

Visitors will also have a chance to complete some last-minute Christmas shopping with the museum’s newly expanded shop. The museum’s offerings include reproduction archival maps of the town; books; jewelry; basketry; soaps and more local crafts. No RSVP needed.

York County Shelter Programs’ holiday fundraiser underway

York County Shelter Programs announced the start of its annual holiday fundraising drive.

“As the holidays approach, and many of us consider the gifts we will give to our families and friends, we are asking folks to consider giving the gift of a donation to York County Shelter Programs,” said Clay Graybeal, acting executive director.

YCSP provides emergency shelter to homeless adults at its Alfred shelter and homeless families at its Sanford shelter. The agency, which was created 40 years ago, works to help people change their circumstances so that they will no longer be homeless.

“We offer resources such as therapeutic services, counselling and treatment for substance abuse, job skills training and connections to other community resources,” Graybeal said. “We help people transition into permanent housing.”

Last year YCSP gave shelter to 700 people.

The agency also operates a food pantry that feeds about 3,000 people every month.

As a nonprofit, YCSP relies on grants and donations in order to operate. “We feel fortunate that we have had continual support from the people living in our communities all these years,” Graybeal said. “That support has changed lives.”

To make a donation, send a check or money order to: YCSP, 24 George Rd., Alfred, ME 04002. Or donate through YCSP’s website, www.yorkcountyshelterprograms.com, or its Facebook page.

Make new holiday memories at Seashore Trolley Museum

Open for Kennebunkport’s 38th annual Christmas Prelude and Seashore Trolley Museum welcomes guests from Dec. 6-15 for rides on heated, decked out trolleys on their private heritage railroad. Tickets are $10/person and include warm, chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate. Tickets are available at the door, and children 2 and under are admitted free.

Prelude Trolley Rides will be offered every 30 minutes on the following dates and times:

Friday, Dec. 13 to Sunday, Dec. 15: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Seashore Trolley Museum is also hosting special limited seating holiday events. Book today at www.trolleymuseum.org/events or by calling 967-2800, ext. 111. Seats are still available for the following events:

Santa’s on the Trolley, Wednesday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 14, 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Enjoy a short story and sing-along when upon arrival at the Visitors Center. Board the trolley with a jingle bell and a covered cup of hot chocolate for this after-dark ride in a heated trolley car.  Tickets are $25/person and include a bag filled with goodies to take home.

Golden Chariot Ride and Cocktail Party, Friday, Dec. 13, 5 p,.m. The Golden Chariot, a completely open trolley, will whisk riders down the tracks with only the glow of the festive lights on the trolley illuminating the way. Tickets are $30/person and include two signature cocktails and appetizers at the Visitors Center after the ride.

Located at 195 Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport, the Seashore Trolley Museum is the world’s oldest and largest electric railway and transit museum. The museum is dog-friendly, with plenty of parking. For more information, visit www.trolleymuseum.org or call, 967-2800, ext. 111 or email director@neerhs.org.

Free shuttle to Prelude festivities

Free shuttle service will run this weekend between the Chamber of Commerce on Water Street in Kennebunk and Village Marketplace in Lower Village for Prelude festivities both weekends.

Shuttle hours for Prelude’s second weekend, Dec. 13-14, will be 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Kennebunk Rec buses will run between the two stops on a 30-minute loop, picking up and dropping off on the top and bottom of every hour. The annual service offered by Kennebunk Rec and the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel Chamber of Commerce is free, thanks to sponsors Kennebunk Savings Bank and Alisson’s Restaurant, and in lieu of fares donations will be collected for Ben’s Fight, which supports local families affected by cancer.

For shuttle information, visit GoKennebunks.com. For Prelude calendar of events, visit ChristmasPrelude.com.

Church on the Cape to host concert, carol sing

As part of the Kennebunkport Prelude festivities, Church on the Cape in Cape Porpoise will present its annual Sounds of Christmas Concert and Carol Sing on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m.

The one-hour program is a seasonal favorite, with a chance for participants to sing their best-loved Christmas carols, as well as to enjoy the music of the Senior Choir, Trinity Trio (Nancy Chamberlin, piano; Susan LaVerriere, violin; Janice Stover, organ) and the Song Sisters Trio.

This year there will be a special quest soloist, soprano Kelley Hollis. Hollis recently returned from London where she recorded Arnold Rosner’s “Requiem” with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. In 2014, Hollis was a finalist for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center and in 2011 Kelley received an encouragement award at the district level from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

The concert is free to the public. The church is located at 3 Langsford Road in Cape Porpoise and is handicapped accessible. Parking is on the street or in the far end of the Bradbury Market parking lot, behind the church. For more information, visit www.churchonthecape.org.

Camden National Bank gives donation to York County Shelter Programs

Camden National Bank recently donated $4,300 to York County Shelter Programs through its Hope@Home community giving program. Since the program’s inception, the bank has donated more than $20,000 to YCSP.

Camden National Bank first launched Hope@Home in 2015, and has since donated more than $440,000 to homeless shelters in the communities it serves. Through this unique program, the bank donates $100 to a local shelter for every new home purchase that is financed through the Bank.

“Through Hope@Home, we’re raising awareness for the issue of homelessness in communities we serve, and we’re working to support the organizations and staff who are at the forefront of providing help,” said Renée Smyth, president and CEO of Camden National Bank. “Thanks to our incredible customers in York County, we deliver donation checks to the York County homeless shelter four times a year in order to support their critical work.”

Library announces Tech Time dates

Kennebunk Free Library will host its Tech Time program 10 a.m. until noon to provide assistance to people who have questions regarding technology. The December Tech Time dates are Dec. 13, 20 and 27. For more information, call 985-2173.

Dog licenses available in Kennebunkport

Dog licenses for 2020 are available in the Kennebunkport town clerk’s office. By law, all dogs must be licensed by Jan. 1 of each year. Be sure to bring the dog’s current rabies certificate. A neutered/spayed dog license fee is $6; otherwise it is $11. Residents may register dogs in person, online or through the mail. Call the town Clerk’s office at 967-1610 with any questions or visit our www.kennebunkportme.gov/town-clerk/pages/dog-licenses.

Beginning Feb. 1, 2020, there will be a late fee of $25 per dog assessed when the dog is licensed. The town clerk’s office encourages residents to register early to avoid waiting in line.

Kennebunk planning bicentennial celebration

The Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee has reserved town facilities for June 27 for Kennebunk’s Bicentennial Celebration.

Individuals or organizations that have a project or event that they’d like to take place to coincide with the bicentennial event, should submit the Kennebunk Bicentennial Application for Endorsement form to the town clerk for consideration. Only those events endorsed by the Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee will be allowed to occur on that date.

Benefits of endorsement: Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee endorsed projects or events receive the following: Permission to use the official bicentennial logo, letter of endorsement from the Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee, eligibility for inclusion in bicentennial promotional materials, including newsletters, social media, and on the Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee website.

Endorsement criteria: The applicant must show that the proposed project or event meets the following required criteria and at least one of the recommended goals or characteristics outlined below. Priority will be given to projects that meet multiple goals. All requests for endorsement must be submitted using the official Kennebunk Bicentennial Application for Endorsement form.

Projects must: Be relevant to the Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee’s mission, open, accessible and inclusive, achievable and executable without committee staff support, not occur between the hours of 2 and 7 p.m. on the night of June 27, 2020.

Projects should: Commemorate Kennebunk’s history, culture or natural environment, be engaging and inspiring to people of all ages, create a legacy for the future.

Exclusion clause: The Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee reserves the right to reject or revoke an endorsement for any reason.

For more information, visit www.kennebunkmaine.us/bicentennial.

Library reveals December’s featured exhibit

Kennebunk Free Library announced its exhibit for December 2019, A Time Remembered: Pictures and Drawings of the Past the works of Gerald and Linda Stone. The public is invited to view the exhibit Dec. 3 to 30 at 112 Main St., Kennebunk, during regular library hours when the gallery is not in use for library programs.

Gerald was born in Dover, New Hampshire. Thanks to his father, Gerald’s art education started with discipline: work on art before going outside to play ball. You have to keep at it to improve. Through high school he loved drawing sports figures. University of New Hampshire mechanical drawing classes led to working as a draftsman for architectural and engineering firms. Later in life, Gerald owned The Stone Sign Shop, designing and building signs, hand lettering vehicles and working in gold leaf. Many of the signs are still in use. This work was enjoyable, but he has returned to the freedom of pastel, watercolor and pen and ink.

“Living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where you are surrounded by history, planes, ships, submarines, beautiful beaches and ocean give me so many subjects to draw and paint,” Gerald Stone said.

Linda’s art education started with her father, too. He was a carpenter who became blind but continued working with wood. Linda helped him by cutting wood with a band saw.

“That began my love for wood and creating,” Linda Stone said. “In 1990 I began designing primitive art. I didn’t start painting until retirement in 2012. I love the beauty and lines of automobiles. I also love antiques. It was an easy choice to paint these old cars and trucks abandoned in the fields and beside old barns. After visiting the automobile museum in Boothbay Harbor, I decided to add antique auto accessories like oil cans, gas pumps and garage signs to my art objects.”

Together Linda and Gerald inspire each other to put in the time and improve. Whatever they paint, they find peace in comfort in it, encouraging each other to “dare to share” their work with others.

The public is invited to an artist’s reception on Friday, Dec. 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the library.

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