Band rental open house

On Monday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m., Wentworth School in Scarborough will hold a band rental open house for fifth-grade students and their families interested in learning to play an instrument and participating in the school band. Call 730-4600 for more information.

Movie matinee

On Monday, Sept. 14, at 1:30 p.m. the Scarborough Public Library will host a free movie matinee of the latest film version of Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd.”

The movie, which stars Carey Mulligan as independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene, explores the nature of relationships and love.

Rated PG-13, the movie is 119 minutes long. Popcorn provided. See www.scarboroughlibrary.org or call 883-4723 for more information.

Middle school laptop workshops

Scarborough Middle School is holding two laptop information sessions this month for parents of students. The workshops will be held at 6 p.m. on both Wednesday, Sept. 16, and Thursday, Sept. 17.

All parents must sign off before their students will be eligible to take their school-issued laptop home. Call 730-4800 or see https://sites.google.com/a/scarboroughschools.org/sms/parents-community/laptop-information for more information.

Suicide prevention walk planned

The annual Out of the Darkness Walk, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13, at Scarborough’s Memorial Park.

Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the walk runs from 2-5 p.m. The event also includes live music, raffles and giveaways and a balloon send-off. The Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Scarborough will also be on hand, grilling up delicious food.

Anyone who has lost a loved one or friend to suicide or who has questions about the suicide prevention foundation is welcome to attend.

There is still time to form a team, join a team, donate or volunteer. Email to [email protected] or call 883-0932 to sign up or for more information. Also, see www.afsp.org for more about suicide prevention.

Out of the Darkness Walks are held all across the country every year to bring attention to suicide and the mental health conditions that affect millions of Americans.

“Together we can bring these issues out of the darkness and create a culture that’s smart about mental health,” according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website.

“Connect with others and save lives,” the website adds. “Join hundreds of thousands across the country to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, our nation’s leader in the fight against suicide.”

Cape field hockey hosts bottle drive

The field hockey team at Cape Elizabeth High School is holding a bottle drive on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 8 a.m.-noon. The proceeds will go toward a stipend for an assistant varsity coach, among other team needs.

Residents are asked to leave returnable bottles and cans in bags at the end of their driveways by 8 a.m., or to drop off donations in the high school parking lot anytime during the event.

Email to [email protected] or call Beth at 671-9151 for more information.

Events upcoming at Cape land trust

This month the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust is offering a variety of special programs designed to celebrate fall. Register online at

www.capecommunityservices.org/programs or call 799-2868.

The schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m.-noon – Mushrooming in Robinson Woods

Join expert Dan Agro on an edible and medicinal mushroom foraging walk. Topics for discussion include the best times of the year to find local medicinal and culinary mushrooms, ideal growing environments, what to look for and how to preserve or cook fresh mushrooms. The cost is $10 per person.

• Tuesday, Sept. 22, 8:45-11:15 a.m. – Fall Canning Workshop

Enjoy the wonderful taste of fresh summer herbs and learn the basics of how to make savory herb jelly, a great accompaniment to cheese and crackers or spread on biscuits. Master food preserver Anne Carney will teach the preservation techniques and safety principles common to most canning recipes. The cost is $20 per person and there is a limit of 12 participants.

• Wednesday, Sept. 30, 9 a.m. – Little Explorers Walk

Children, ages 3-5, and caregivers will spend an hour exploring the natural wonders of the Maine woods in fall with Cape Elizabeth Land Trust volunteer Jill Darling. Enjoy a gentle hike through Robinson Woods and search for birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and plant life. Lots of exploration and games included! Participants should dress in comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle. Meet at the Robinson Woods kiosk off Shore Road. The cost is $10 per person.

Local company uses Facebook to fight hunger

To make a difference during Hunger Action Month, which is held each September, Dead River Co. has pledged to make a $5 donation to the Good Shepherd Food Bank, which serves food pantries throughout Maine, for every like it receives on its Facebook page up to $15,000.

An additional $5 will be donated on behalf of anyone who posts a back-to-school photo. The fundraiser is running now through Sept. 20 and Dead River, which provides home heating oil and other fuel services to customers throughout New England, is including the other regional states in this fundraiser.

The goal, according to a press release issued this week, is to help raise awareness around hunger and provide support to food banks in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.

The press release said that in Maine, nearly 200,000 people, including one in every four children, do not have enough food to eat on a daily basis.

“Healthy food is the fuel children need to keep them going and growing. Having enough healthy food also allows them to stay focused and do better in school,” the release states. “And, a good education is key to helping break the cycle of poverty that leaves so many families (with) food insecurity.”

– Kate Irish Collins

A sudden rainstorm didn’t deter these walkers from taking part in last year’s first local Out of the Darkness Walk to support suicide prevention. File photo