New Year’s Eve Kennebunk will host its annual Blueberry Ball Drop on Dec. 31 in downtown Kennebunk. The family-friendly event takes place at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Main Street. A brightly lit wild Maine blueberry ball will drop from the bell tower.

There’s an early-bird Blueberry Ball Drop at 9 p.m. and the Wild Blueberry Drop at midnight. The festivities will include open skating at the Waterhouse Center.

For more information, visit the NYEKBK Facebook page.

Graves Library announces activities 

AWS Holiday Party: Ms. Terri from Graves Library will be a guest reader with stories songs to dance to on Friday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Animal Welfare Society Holiday Party. The Animal Welfare Society is located at 48 Holland Road, in West Kennebunk. For more information, call 985-3244.

Evening Book Group: The next session of the Evening Book Group at Graves Library is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. For December, the group is reading, “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” by Jennifer Egan.

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine St., Kennebunkport. For more information, call 207-967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

First Parish announces Christmas Eve service

Celebration of the 250th anniversary year the of First Parish UU Church building will conclude on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, at 5 p.m. Those attending will be transported to 1923, a time similar in some ways to the present— the aftermath of World War 1, recovery from the great influenza, concerns about immigration and taxation, and prejudice from Jim Crow to Ku Klux Klan marches in Maine.

The service will open with an anthem featuring the historic tracker organ, followed by carol singing, stories, Irish pipes, guitar, and candlelight. A collection will benefit Caring Unlimited. All are invited to attend.

Graves Library plans annual meeting

The annual meeting of the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library Association is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at 5 p.m. in the Community Room of the library.

Graves Library is located at 18 Maine St. in Kennebunkport. The library association invites the board of directors, select board members of Kennebunkport, members of the budget board of Kennebunkport, and all association members.

The meeting will include (but is not limited to) updates from all pertinent committees, reports of the president and library director, and election of four new board members.

St. David’s schedules Christmas services

St. David’s Episcopal Church will host a Come as You Are Christmas Pageant with Holy Communion on Saturday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., all are invited for an informal carol singing accompanied by the organ, and at 8 p.m., Holy Communion with hymns, choir and sermon.

On Monday, Dec. 25, at 11 a.m., a simple service of lessons, carols, sermon, and Holy Communion is scheduled.

St. David’s Episcopal Church is located at 138 York St. (Route 1 south) in Kennebunk. For more information, call 207-985-3073.

Astro society schedules January meeting

The Astronomical Society of Northern New England’s next meeting will be on Friday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at The New School, 38 York St., Kennebunk. A business meeting, also open to the public, commences at 7 p.m.

The society will host a presentation by Dr. Ian Durham. During a recent visit to England, Durham visited the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. The Royal Observatory was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II. According to a news release, the observatory played a role in the history of astronomy and navigation because the Prime Meridian passes through it, giving its name to Greenwich Mean Time.  The Royal Observatory was a center for the efforts to find an accurate method to determine longitude, and for the awarding of a prize to the person who found that method.

Durham’s visit gave rise to his presentation, titled Measuring Time and Distance: Exploring the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. In his presentation, Durham will talk about the Royal Observatory’s history, some of the things it pioneered and measured, the search for longitude, and will share photographs from his visit.

Durham is both a past president of the Astronomical Society of Northern New England and a professor and chair of physics at Saint Anselm College. He is also a member of the Foundational Questions Institute. His current research centers around foundational problems in physics, particularly the intersection of quantum mechanics, relativity, and information theory, as well as formal models of consciousness. He and his wife live in Kennebunk, and have two adult children. In his spare time he enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and canoeing.

Festival of Traditions offered at Brick Store Museum

During the month of December, the Brick Store Museum will present The Candlelight Stroll: A Festival of Traditions, which features revolving stories of 19th and early-20th century immigrants to Kennebunk and their holiday traditions interwoven into a variety of events and activities.

The festival will feature a pop-up exhibition, a smartphone holiday history tour, storytellers sharing the experiences of Kennebunk’s immigrant populations, tastes of various cultural desserts, and more.

Participants are invited to visit the museum’s website at www.brickstoremuseum.org/engagement/festivaloftraditions to learn about daily activities and special events. These include art workshops, lectures, tours, Christmas wrapping, shopping at the museum’s locally-sourced market, and evening events for families.

The programs also invite visitors to share their own histories and traditions with the museum.

Live storytellers will be at the museum detailing immigrant stories on on Saturday, Dec. 16, plus Friday, Dec. 22.

Natural observations calendar on sale

Maine garden designer and writer Julie McLeod and artist Piper Castles collaborated with local land trusts and nonprofits to create a 2024 calendar supporting land trusts and nonprofits and educate the public on environmental issues.

The 2024 calendar is available at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, Kennebunk Land Trust, Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick, and Gilsland Farm Audubon Center. The price is $14.99.

For more information, email pipercastles@gmail.com or julie.larkspurdesign@gmail.com.

Wildlife refuge calendar available to order

The 2024 Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge wall calendar available for pre-order. To pre-order, visit www.friendsofrachelcarsonnwr.org/calendar.

All proceeds beyond the costs associated with the calendar will be used directly in the Friends’ mission to support the refuge’s preservation of land for migratory birds and local wildlife.

The Friends of Rachel Carson NWR held a two-month long photo contest from July 15-Sept. 15 and a jury selected 12 winning images to grace the monthly pages of the 2024 calendar.

The Friends support the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in its mission to preserve land for migratory birds and local wildlife. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is located in York and Cumberland counties and consists of 11 divisions totaling 5,600 acres scattered throughout the towns of Kittery, York, Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough, and Cape Elizabeth.

Legion Post announces meeting schedule

The monthly meeting of American Legion Post 159 in Kennebunkport is held on the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. All veterans and Sons of the American Legion are welcome to attend.
Legion Post 159 is located at 102 Main St. (across from the police station) in Kennebunkport. Future meeting dates:

Jan. 4, Feb. 1, March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6, July 11, Aug. 1, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.

For more information, call 967-2400.

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