Peoples United Methodist Church in South Portland will host a Mystery Ride on Sunday, Oct. 23. To register, call Rosemary at 233-8870. Courtesy image

Peoples United Methodist Church will host a Mystery Ride on Sunday, Oct. 23. The event, which begins at 11 a.m., will wind around South Portland and Cape Elizabeth as participants search for clues. Participants are encouraged to bring a friend or two to assist.

Peoples United Methodist Church is located at 310 Broadway in South Portland.

Participants are invited for soup, bread and dessert following the ride. The event is free to the public; however, registration is requested. To register, call Rosemary at 233-8870.

Rotary Club adds to membership

South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary welcomed three new members two weeks ago: Marjorie Dugan and Sarah Cary from Cape Elizabeth and (Douglas) Paul Smith from South Portland.

According to an Oct. 6 press release, the club was “… the South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary, founded in 1961, is a community service and fellowship organization committed to both local and international service through projects and fundraising.

“The club actively supports efforts to stem food insecurity, access to clean water, youth literacy and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio worldwide, as well as a wide variety of community projects to benefit South Portland and Cape Elizabeth residents. Rotary welcomes new members who seek to give back to the community and enjoy good fellowship.”

For more information about South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, visit www.sp-ce-rotary.org.

Land trust seeks volunteers for trail work

South Portland Land Trust is seeking volunteers to assist with a clean-up of the South Branch Trail on Oct. 16. will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, Those interested in volunteering can find more information on the land trust website, southportlandlandtrust.org/upcoming-events. File photo/The Sentry

The South Portland Land Trust has requested assistance from the community for a clean-up on the city’s South Branch Trail. According to an Oct. 7 press release from the trust, “The area is currently inundated with litter and the the land trust is looking for a number of volunteers from the community and neighboring businesses to collect the trash and help maintain the trail.”

The clean-up will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, and volunteers will meet in the parking lot behind CSL Plasma on Gorham Road. Those interested in volunteering can find more information on the land trust website, southportlandlandtrust.org/upcoming-events.

According to the land trust, “The South Branch Trail offers a wooded respite from the hustle and bustle of the Maine Mall and Clark’s Pond Plaza and offers connections between the two shopping areas. From the eastern end of the South Branch Trail system, one can walk to the trailhead for the Clark’s Pond Trail. The South Branch Trail was a project of the West End Trails Committee, a sub-committee of the South Portland Land Trust dedicated to making the west end of the city friendlier for pedestrians.”

SoPo Library hosts Cape Elizabeth author

Maine author Richard Cass will be at the South Portland Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his new book, “The Last Altruist.” Cass will read selections from his book and answer questions. Copies of his books will be available to purchase.

Richard Cass

According to an Oct. 4 news release, “The Last Altruist” tells the tale of Ardmore Theberge, who returns to Portland to start his own business making hand-drawn maps after he gets himself dishonorably discharged from the Army for assaulting a superior officer — who deserved it, by the way, but we’ll get to that.

“After a real estate developer is killed in a neighboring store and the owner’s son is wrongfully accused of the murder, Theberge must solve the mystery involving old friends and political enemies.”

Cass holds a graduate degree in writing from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied with Thomas Williams, Jr. and Joseph Monninger. He has also studied with Ernest Hebert, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Molly Gloss. He has been an individual Artist’s Fellow for the state of New Hampshire and a fellow at the Fishtrap Writers’ Conference in Oregon. His book “Solo Act” was a finalist for the 2017 Maine Literary Awards in Crime Fiction, and its prequel, “In Solo Time,” won the 2018 Maine Literary Award in Crime Fiction. Cass lives and writes in Cape Elizabeth.

For more information, call the Main Library at 767-7660.

Jon Kachmar, executive director of the Eastern Trail, accepts the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame Induction Award Friday at Sea Dog Brewing Company. Courtesy photo