‘Nightcap Before Christmas’

at Brick Store Museum

The Brick Store Museum invites family, friends, and neighbors to its annual holiday open house, “A Nightcap Before Christmas,” on Friday, Dec. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be free admission to the museum, and guests are welcome to view the exhibits currently on view, including Threads of Tradition: The Long History of Rug Hooking in Maine; Festival of Traditions: Kennebunk Immigrant Stories; and Timeless Play: Popular Toys Through the Decades.

Guests will also be able to enjoy the Gingerbread House display, on view the week of Dec. 17 only.

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 cup of hot chocolate or a glass of prosecco or specialty cocktail (for adult visitors).

The event is supported by H.M. Payson, BBsquared and Kennebunk Savings.

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.

For more information or to RSVP, email info@brickstoremuseum.org, call 207-985-4802, or visit www.brickstoremuseum.org/calendar.

 

Family story time

at Graves Library

Graves Library will host Friday family story time in the Community Room every Friday at 10 a.m. and invites patrons to Stay & Play at 10:45 a.m. The program includes stories, finger plays, and songs.

After story time, participants are invited to stop at the hands-on stations that are always open: Puzzle Cubes, View-Master, Coloring Crafts, Legos, I Spy Terrarium, and more. Participants can also try the themed Counting Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win a prize.

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

 

South Congregational Church

celebrates Christmas Eve

South Congregational Church invites the community to join in celebrating the joy and hope of Christmas Eve with two worship services. Families, friends and visitors of all ages are welcome. The services:

The ABCs of Christmas: An Interactive Family Service, 4 p.m.

The ABCs of Christmas will offer an experience, allowing children to actively participate in the story of Christ’s birth. The service will be the singing of familiar Christmas carols and opportunities for children to learn the true meaning of Christmas in a memorable way. Music will be offered by young adults of the congregation.

A Traditional Candlelight Service, 7:30 p.m.

A more traditional Christmas Eve experience, the service will include Christmas carols, inspiring music, and a candle-lighting ceremony. Guest organist Shelden Gaard, will be joined by the violins of the Grassi Family. Prelude music begins at 7:15 p.m.

South Congregational Church is located at 2 North St., in Kennebunkport. Parking is available on the street or in the Alisson’s parking lot. Both services are open to all members of the community, and no reservations are required. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early for the best seating. A free-will offering will be taken at both services to support the church’s ongoing mission work and community outreach programs.

For more information, visit www.southchurchucc.org.

 

York County Food Pantry

distributing holiday meals

York County Shelter Programs will distribute holiday meal baskets from its food pantry at 5 Swetts Bridge Road in Alfred 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23 and Tuesday, Dec. 24. All are welcome.

The meal baskets will include either a ham or a turkey, plus all the fixings needed to make a holiday meal.

The pantry is in need of volunteer drivers for Mondays and Wednesdays. The shifts are two to three hours, and individuals must be able to lift up to 50 pounds. If interested, contact Food Pantry Coordinator Robert Boyd at robertb@ycspi.org or 207-324-1137.

 

Christmas Eve at

Church on the Cape

At 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve at Church on the Cape, the Rev. Greg Smith and Paul Stephan, music director, will present familiar Bible verses surrounded by vocal and instrumental selections that span centuries of musical history and styles. Soloists Leah Hall and Edd Clark will join Smith and his daughter, Natalie, along with The Song Sisters quartet and the Chancel Choir. Wendy Hagarty on trumpet, Ted Hagarty on clarinet, Nancy Chamberlin and Amy Hall on piano, and Stephan on organ, will add instrumental drama.

The nine special musical selections will be intertwined with congregational Christmas carols, finishing with a candlelit “Silent Night.”

The following morning, Christmas Day, Holy Communion will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Church on the Cape, United Methodist Church, is located at 3 Langsford Road in Cape Porpoise. The church is wheelchair accessible. There is parking on Langsford Road and behind Bradbury Bros. Market. The public is welcome.

 

Christmas Eve

at First Parish

First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church will host “Christmas Presence” at its Christmas Eve service. The Rev. Tori Rosati will journey through the nativity story told from the point of view of Mary, Joseph, an innkeeper, shepherd, donkey and wise man. Carols will be led by Music Director Christopher Staknys. All are welcome at 5 p.m., Dec. 24.

First Parish is located at 114 Main St., Kennebunk. The service will benefit New Beginnings an organization that assists at-risk and homeless youth in Maine.

 

Pajama party at

Kennebunk Free Library

Kennebunk Free Library will celebrate the arrive of 2025 with a pajama party on Tuesday, Dec. 31, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will feature a craft or two, treats, space to dance and there will be a countdown to noon. Party activities will be geared toward ages 3-10, but everyone is welcome.

The Noon Year’s Eve Party is free and wheelchair accessible. Kennebunk Free Library is located at 112 Main St., Kennebunk. For more information, call 985-2173, ext. 108 or email ys@kennebunklibrary.org.

 

Community Gourmet

at Graves Library

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library announced a partnership with Community Gourmet for the second year in a row. The library is inviting patrons to a card-making station, an initiative to create cards that will be combined with care packages for local seniors.

Through Dec. 20, the library will accept bring food items to place under its holiday tree to support the community’s seniors. While at the library, participants are encouraged to make cards at the station — one to keep and one to include with the donation.

Suggested food donations include: Hormel meals, cans of soup or beef stew (with flip tops), Carnation instant breakfast, Lorna Dunes cookies, tuna fish or chicken packets, Nutri-Grain bars, macaroni and cheese cups and individual fruit cups. The card-making station will be available daily at the library, located at 18 Maine St., Kennebunkport.

For more information, call 967-2778 and ask for the Junior Room, or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

 

Short-term
rental registration

The town of Kennebunk’s clerk’s office is accepting short-term rental registrations for 2025.

According to the town clerk’s office, per the Short-Term Rental Ordinance, effective Jan. 1, 2025, any person seeking to operate a short-term rental unit in the town of Kennebunk shall register the unit with the town clerk’s office.

Short-term rental units will be inspected by Kennebunk Fire Rescue. If the short-term rental unit fails to meet these requirements, no registration shall be issued until identified issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the fire chief or designee.

Applicants can download a short-term rental registration form or visit the town clerk’s office to pick up a form. There is a $250 registration fee. Checks should be made payable to the Town of Kennebunk.

Completed forms must be returned to the town clerk’s office: Town Clerk, Town of Kennebunk, 1 Summer St., Kennebunk, ME 04043.

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

 

Class of 1965 seeks

scholarship nominations

The Kennebunk High School class of 1965 is accepting nominations for a scholarship recipient from the Kennebunk High School class of 2025.

Applicants must be enrolled/attend Kennebunk High School and will be furthering their education after high school in any field, trade, college, or training, and they must have a relative or direct connection to a Kennebunk High School class of 1965 graduate.  The connection includes grandchildren, great-grandchildren, godchildren, foster children, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc.

For  more information or to apply, contact Donna Bull Thompson at donnawjhs2003@yahoo.com.

 

Museum features

student artwork

The Brick Store Museum is partnering with Kennebunk High School visual arts students to exhibit their work. A new exhibition will open in the museum’s Patsy Bauman Gallery featuring perspectives of historic Kennebunk through the photography of students.

The exhibit is the result of a project led by KHS art teacher Katie Mooney with research provided by the Brick Store Museum. It features on-location photographs selected and taken by students. The photos focus on architecture and historic structures of Kennebunk, taken when students visited the museum to explore the Main Street and Summer Street neighborhood histories.

“The Brick Store Museum is proud to partner with teachers and students to create new pathways for learning and exploring our world through history and art,” wrote Brick Store Museum Executive Director Cynthia Walker in a news release.

The exhibition will be open through December. Students and their families will have free admission to the exhibition. For more information about the museum’s education programming, email info@brickstoremuseum.org or visit www.brickstoremuseum.org/education.

 

York County Amateur

Radio Club meetings

The York County Amateur Radio Club meets on the first Sunday of each month from September to June. The meetings begin at 2:45 p.m. at the Wells town offices at 208 Sanford Road.

All are welcome and membership is open to all. A ham radio license is not required. The club promotes amateur radio knowledge, offers educational programs, and organizes special events. For more information, visit w1yca.org.

 

Legion Post 159

meeting schedule

Monthly meetings of American Legion Post 159 are held on the first Thursday of the month. Meeting dates for 2025: Jan. 2, Feb. 6, March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.

All veterans and Sons of the American Legion are welcomed to attend. Legion Post 169 is located at 102 Main St. (across from the police station) in Kennebunkport. For more information, call 207-967-2400.

 

Vets group offers

Wednesday coffee

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1044 has launched free-coffee Wednesdays to all veterans. Chapter 1044 is located at 508 Elm St. in Biddeford (basement of American Legion Post 26). Chapter meetings are held on the first Sunday of each month and begin at 1:30 p.m.

Those who served in the past, or are currently serving, are welcomed to the Wednesday coffee from 9 to 11 a.m. Veterans need simply to show military ID or wear an item that identifies their service, and the coffee is on Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1044. Tables will be set up with board games and a veteran service officer will be available to answer questions on veterans’ benefits or to help file a claim for disability through the VA system. The service is also available to spouses of veterans.

For more information, contact Joseph Armstrong, chapter president, at 207-494-9287 or visit www.vva1004maine.org.

 

Land trust nature

walk schedule

Kennebunk Land Trust released the dates for its Nature Walk series. The first Saturday of each month, the land trust hosts a nature walk on a different preserve following a different theme. Participants are invited to explore a new local preserve and enjoy nature in all seasons.

The walks are led by local Maine Guides and master naturalists, who take participants through the nature preserve and share knowledge and ask questions about the flora, fauna, and nature.

The walks are free of charge for all ages and held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Donations are accepted and well-behaved dogs are welcome. The 2025 walk schedule is subject to change with notice.

For more information and to register, visit kennebunklandtrust.org.

Kennebunk Savings and Southern Maine Health Care are sponsors of the events.

 

Legion Post 74
schedules meetings

American Legion Webber Lefebvre Post 74 in Kennebunk holds meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Legion Post 74 is located at 15 Water St.

Legion Post 74 is looking for new members. Legion Post 74 participates in the May Day and Memorial Day parades, flag retirement ceremonies with the Boy Scouts, furnishes a scholarship to the high school and participates in many other local activities and charities.

 

Amateur Radio Society
meets at The New School

The New England Radio Discussion Society meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. throughout the year at The New School in Kennebunk. The club informally gathers to support and promote amateur (ham) radio. Wide-ranging discussion topics include: early and contemporary equipment, digital technology, internet integration, and striving for international contacts. Most meetings include a tech talk by a society member.

Those interested in amateur radio are invited to join. The New School is located at 38 York St. in Kennebunk. For more information, contact Alex at 207-967-8812.

 

Astro Society
hosts star parties

The Astronomical Society of Northern New England has set its schedule for public Star Parties through August and invites the public to attend. The society operates its own observatory, the Talmage Observatory at Starfield, on Route 35, in West Kennebunk.

At the Star Parties, the public, as well as society members, are most invited to observe the heavens through club telescopes, as well as member telescopes. Stars, visible planets, and deep-sky objects can all be viewed. Experienced society members are on hand to guide the observing, explain what is being seen, and answer questions. There is no fee.

The Talmage Observatory at Starfield opens at 7:30 p.m. for the events. For directions, visit asnne.org/where-to-find-us.php.

The Astronomical Society of Northern New England is a local association of amateur astronomers that meets monthly at the New School in Kennebunk. Meetings are on the first Friday of each month. For more information, visit ASNNE.org.

 

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