Glenn Anderson, pastor of Eastgate Christian Fellowship, leads a tour of the Cobbs Bridge Road church on July 13 as part of the town’s 250th anniversary series of events. Eastgate purchased the Andrew Chandler farm in 1977 because of its central location. Patti Mikkelsen / For Lakes Region Weekly

Open Farm Day

Maine Open Farm Day takes place Sunday, July 28, and Acker’s Acres Angoras and Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village will welcome visitors.

Acker’s Acres Angoras at 359 Gloucester Hill Road will open its doors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to showcase their Angora rabbits and the colorful yarns spun from their wool. There will be spinning demonstrations onsite. Call 926-4921 for more details.

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, 707 Shaker Road, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Visitors can observe Scottish highland cattle, a flock of more than 60 sheep, bees, barn cats, apple orchards, herb and vegetable gardens and more.

Afternoon activities include Brother Arnold’s guided tours of the 1830s barns – now under an active historic preservation project. Hop aboard a flatbed pulled by a tractor for a tour of the grounds. Learn about honeybees and their hives, and watch traditional craft demonstrations including tintype photography by Cole Caswell, woodcarving, blacksmithing, yarn spinning, rug hooking, Zay’s Knives and broom making. Visitors can also try a hand at letterpress printing by Grant House Press or have author Don Perkins autograph a copy of his book “Barns of Maine.”

Food options include barbecue lunch plates and concessions such as cotton candy, whoopie pies and fresh popcorn.

Send your news about New Gloucester happenings to Patti Mikkelsen at mikks@maine.rr.com.

There will be live bluegrass music performed by Albert Price and the Pseudonyms, and the Shaker Store and Shaker Museum Visitors’ Center will be open for shopping; and there will be free entry to their special exhibit.

Town garden tour

Four of the town’s finest gardens will be on display this month as New Gloucester continues to celebrate its 250th anniversary.

The New Gloucester Environmental Resources Committee is hosting the Gardens of New Gloucester Tour, which will feature gardens at Pineland Farms, Shaker Village, the New Gloucester Fairgrounds and the Town Hall complex. Each garden will have a host available during the tour to guide visitors and answer questions. Tour hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 28.

Book donation days

The Friends of the New Gloucester Public Library is looking for donations for their fall book sale. Book donations are to be dropped off at the public library at 379 Intervale Road, during open hours. There will be two book collection dates: July 28 and Aug. 25, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Children’s books, as well as adult fiction and nonfiction are in the highest demand.

Donors are limited to bring two cartons or boxes, or four grocery-sized bags. Containers will not be returned and library staff will not be available to assist in unloading donations. All materials should be clean and free of odors, mold and mildew. The Friends are not accepting Reader’s Digest Condensed books, encyclopedias, textbooks, magazines, VHS tapes, DVDs or CDs. The date of the fall book sale is yet to be announced.