American Legion Post 159 in Kennebunkport will host a free drive-through barbecue on Friday, Sept. 3 and Friday, Sept. 10. The drive-through event is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. Donations are welcome.

The menu features pulled pork, smoked chicken, beans, bratwurst pieces, potato salad, coleslaw, jalapeno cornbread and desert. The Legion Post is located at 102 Main St., Kennebunkport (across from the police station). For more information, call 967-2400.

Kennebunk Free Library last week announced the date for its annual meeting of the Kennebunk Free Library Association. Pursuant to Kennebunk Free Library Association by-laws, the annual meeting of the association will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021at 4:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Boards of trustees’ meetings are typically held on the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in Hank’s Room, with the exception of July and December, and they are open to the public. Through the pandemic the meetings are being conducted are conducting the meetings via Zoom at the 4:30 p.m. time slot.

For more information or to receive the meeting link, contact Library Director Michelle K. Conners at 985-2173 or kfl@kennebunklibrary.org.

Newcomers and Neighbors meeting on Sept. 9

Newcomers and Neighbors of the Kennebunks and Arundel has invited the public to attend its first meeting that features Franco American Musicians and National Council for the Traditional Arts Fellow Don and Cindy Roy.

For a sample of their music, visit https://safeshare.tv/x/ss61155b56333f3.

The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Lafayette Park in Kennebunk. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs as seating will be socially distanced. A business meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. followed by the concert. Rain date is Sept. 23.

Pevny is September’s featured artist

Kennebunk Free Library announced its September 2021 Maine Coast Scenery exhibition of oil paintings created by Ernest Pevny. The public is invited to view the exhibit in the Speers Gallery starting Sept. 1 during regular library hours when the gallery is not in use for library programs.

Pevny began painting at the age of 5 in his homeland, Bratislava, Slovak Republic (formerly known as Czechoslovakia). He received his formal art training from prominent Slovak artist, Michael Tilner. He is also a medical doctor and a classically trained pianist.

Nature provides the inspiration for his landscape and still life paintings. All of his art work is done on location en plein air. Pevny’s technique is early impressionist. His earlier works included portraits.

Middle School of the Kennebunks Book Group to meet

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the Middle School of the Kennebunks Book Group will meet in-person to chat and discuss the book. The location for September’s meeting is still to be determined. Check with Graves Memorial Library or Kennebunk Free Library for more information.

Meetings will run from 2:15 until 3:30 p.m., open to teens in the sixth to eighth grade. Snacks will be provided.

The book club is being offered by Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library and Kennebunk Free Library. Hosts will be Terri Bauld from Graves Library and Jon Roy from Kennebunk Free Library. In September, the group will read  “The Unteachables” by Gordon Korman. Stop by either library to pick up a copy of the book.

Participants are asked to sign up in advance by calling either Graves Library, 967-2778, or Kennebunk Free Library, 985-2173. Participants should read the book in advance of the meeting.

Museum open house explores archaeology projects

The Brick Store Museum will host a a free open house from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, to view the new exhibit, Who Makes History? How Peoples, Museums and Archaeology Can Tell the Full Story.

At 5:30 p.m., brief talks by team leaders of both archaeology teams will make way for a Q&A session. Guest speakers include: Leith Smith, archaeologist with State of Maine Preservation Commission; Kathy Ostrander Roberts, Kennebunk town historian; Tim Spahr, archaeologist, Cape Porpoise Archaeological Alliance; and team members from each project. Additionally, museum staff will be on hand to speak to the importance of changing the narrative at the museum, too.

Visitors to the open house can explore the new exhibition on the second story of the Brick Store itself to discover how two recent archaeological projects in the Kennebunks are working to tell the story of indigenous and Black history in our area. Visitors should note that the exhibit is accessible by staircase; the museum’s new tour robot will be on hand for those unable to climb the stairs to use to tour the exhibition. All talks and the Q&A will take place in the ground-floor gallery below the exhibition.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is requested to help control traffic flow and can be completed online (at brickstoremuseum.org/calendar) or by calling 207-985-4802. The exhibit is sponsored by the Kennebunk Bicentennial Committee, Perloff Family Foundation and Kennebunk Savings Bank.

Brick Store Museum puts out call for holiday artisans

The Brick Store Museum supports local artists and crafters through a variety of opportunities year-round. This fall, especially, it calls for entries to two holiday gatherings at the museum: The All Souls’ Walk, with its new Halloween Fair offering on Oct. 23; and the Holiday Showcase, running Nov. 27 to Dec. 20.

Local crafters, artists, chefs and creators are encouraged to apply.

The museum’s new Halloween offering comes during its 18th annual All Souls’ Walk, a tour of Hope Cemetery occurring on Oct. 23. Vendors are invited to apply to exhibit in the museum’s courtyard (outdoors) during one of the most popular events of the year. Halloween or autumn-themed art is encouraged, but not required.

The second opportunity is the museum’s Holiday Showcase, a month-long event inside the museum’s galleries. Pieces will be displayed inside the museum during the holiday showcase for sale to the public. The museum’s typical admission fee will be complimentary during the Showcase (November – December) to encourage visitation.

The event is not a booth show, but a display of local art and craft that is more like a retail pop-up store. Artists do not need to be on-site to sell their pieces, but are invited to help market the showcase by filming an About the Artist video with museum staff so that they can speak to consumers directly about their work (via video). Additionally, the Showcase will have a virtual component to help sell artists’ pieces through the museum’s online store (artists may opt out of this if they already sell online); and showcase the work via social media.

The museum highlights local arts and entrepreneurs, and offers these outlets to support local artists and the museum in this impactful year. Artists interested in participating can find more information, and application forms, on www.brickstoremuseum.org/calendar.

The New School hires executive business director

The New School Board of Trustees has hired Scott Hamann for the role of executive business director. The position, in partnership with co-director and long-time The New School educator Christine Knowles (education director), is responsible for the school’s finances, development, marketing and administration.

Hamann has an MBA from the University of Southern Maine, and brings nonprofit leadership experience as the former executive director of Community Compass in Blue Hill. He also served three terms in the Maine House of Representatives.

“The board is so excited to have Scott join The New School community,” said board of trustees chair Nancy Goldberg in an Aug. 24 news release. “Scott’s experience in nonprofit management is what the board was looking for in a business director, and his personal experience with experiential education makes him the right fit.”

As a high school student, Hamann attended Proctor Academy’s experiential education Mountain Classroom program, a 10-week experience he said shaped his future. “Experiential education instilled in me a love for learning,” Hamann said in an email. “I was immersed in my education, because the curriculum was relevant to my interests. The New School embraces this approach, so this feels in many ways like coming home.”

The New School’s mission – to provide rich, integrated learning experiences within and outside the classroom – drew Scott to the school.

“We learn by doing,” Hamann wrote. “If we’re doing things we’re curious about, learning becomes more relevant, effective, and engaging. That’s what The New School is all about – this place has something special going on. I am so excited to be part of the school community, and can’t wait to see all the great things our students and faculty achieve together this year.”

The New School is still currently accepting applications for the upcoming school year, and students may apply any time throughout the year. For more information, visit thenewschoolmaine.org.

Kennebunkport Historical Society announces oral history project

The Kennebunkport Historical Society announced an intergenerational video project designed to capture the oral history of Kennebunkport by interviewing its oldest citizens.

“We are so excited about this project and all of its possibilities,” said Kristin Haight, executive director, in an Aug. 23 news release. ““By collecting oral histories and connecting with Kennebunkport’s elders, we will be able to deepen our understanding of recent history and create valuable first-hand stories and images for future generations.”

The project will launch in September 2021 with the call for citizens over 100 years old. Frank Handlen, for example, a well-known Kennebunkport artist, sculptor and community friend, will turn 105 at the end of September and has agreed to be our first interviewee. The society will honor his life and work with a lecture by Peter Whalen on Oct. 1 at  1 p.m. Details and tickets will be available to members starting Sept. 1.

October will focus on people who are in their 90s. November will seek citizens in their 80s, December: 70s, and so on. The historical society aims to build its video archive collection with the project and include our community youth as well.

Interviews will be scheduled for Tuesdays and will take place at the Townhouse School or virtually. Those who are interested or know someone who would like to participate, should contact Kristin Lewis Haight, executive director, PO Box 1173 or email  KHaight@KPortHS.com.

To participate in the oral history project, contact Kristin Haight at KHaight@KportHS.com or call the office at 207-967-2751. The historical society is flexible to how the interview is recorded.

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