An evening with Sarah Smiley

Sarah Smiley, author of “Dinner with the Smileys,” will be at the Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 7-8:30 p.m., in conversation with Shannon Moss, a local TV news reader. The inspiration for “Dinner with the Smileys” came to when her husband, Dustin, was deployed in Africa for a year with the U.S. Navy. She and her boys decided that they would host interesting people from Maine for dinner each week. Their first guest was Sen. Susan Collins. Others included Olympic athletes, musicians and a governor.

Tickets are $20. For more information call 847-5240 or email [email protected].

Test-drive benefit

On Saturday, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. a “Drive 4 UR School” event will take place at Freeport High School. The program was developed as a way to help community groups raise money to support programs. Casco Bay Ford has partnered this year with Freeport High School to conduct a test-drive fundraiser. For every valid test drive completed, Ford Motor Co. will donate $20 to Freeport High School. There will be 16 vehicles with a variety of models, including the Edge, Mustang and F150.

The 2015 Parent Group will also be holding a car wash and bake sale at the high school in conjunction with the test drive event.

For more information, contact Wendy Ayotte, executive director of operations at Casco Bay Ford, 846-5577.

Library Friends meet Monday

Friends of the Freeport Community Library will hold its monthly meeting Monday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the library. All are welcome to attend.

The meeting will begin as a brief joint meeting with the library’s board of trustees and Library Director Beth Edmonds, then will continue with the group’s business agenda.

Friends of the Freeport Community Library is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the library, supporting patron interests and library services, participating in library events and fundraising for selected programs and projects. For more information, visit www.fclfriends.org.

Social Security info offered

The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce will host a Lunch and Learn session entitled, “Social Security: Your Questions Answered.” The free event will be presented by Caleb Stephens, financial adviser with Edward Jones Investments, on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Freeport Community Services, 53 Depot St., Freeport. Bring your lunch and call Starr or Caleb ahead of time at 207-865-6826 by Sept. 12 to reserve seats.

Woman’s club hosts meteorologist LoPresti

The first Freeport Woman’s Club meeting of the 2014-2015 season will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, at the meeting room of the Freeport Community Library.

Charlie LoPresti, a native New Englander and a local meteorologist with Channel 13, will speak about weather in general, particularly in Maine, as well as answer questions and discuss weather forecasting, changes and trends in weather patterns. All are welcome.

Arts and crafts on church lawn

The First Parish Church Congregational will hold its Arts & Crafts Market on the front lawn of the church, 40 Main St., on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The market is scheduled every second and last Saturday of the month through October. Arts and craft vendors sell quilts, candles, jewelry, handbags and more. Additional vendor spaces are available. For each market day, one space is available, free of charge, for notprofit groups. At this market the Freeport Woman’s Club will be selling gift baskets. For more information, see www.FirstParishMarket.org and “like” First Parish Market Place on Facebook.

Artists sought for ‘Sitting Pretty’

The Port Teen Center is seeking artists to create for its annual fundraising auction, “Sitting Pretty.”

Each year more than 70 local adult and teen artists create folk art that is auctioned off in March, so far raising more than $60,000. This year the canvas is “the best of the best” and artists will have the opportunity to paint canoe paddles donated by L.L. Bean, Russian nesting dolls, eclectic chairs, stools, small tables and vintage shelves, mirrors, lazy Susans, clocks, and even a whole school of fish, sponsored by Freeport Hardware. Paint donated by Sherwin Williams Yarmouth is supplied, or artists can use their own.

For more information please contact [email protected] or call 522-1383.

YMCA, FCS partner on preschool

An early learning readiness program has just been launched by the Casco Bay Branch of the YMCA of Southern Maine, designed to improve readiness for preschool children. Kids will engage in active play, developing physical, verbal and social skills. Parents and caregivers will learn skills and gain confidence as they help children learn and prepare for school.

The free program meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St. For more information, contact Trish Mullins, 865-9600 or [email protected].

Fundraiser set for Y’s adaptive services

The Casco Bay YMCA’s adaptive services programs, begun 14 years ago, provide extra support for daily living to Y members who needed it. The outcomes of this program include health and well-being, independence, socialization, relationship building, peer support, acceptance and family support. The programs help participants improve or regain quality of life by developing their bodies through specialized exercise and their self-esteem through personal relationships with peers, friends, and support staff. Livestrong, one of the programs, is just starting a new 12-week session. It is designed to help adult cancer survivors reclaim their total health and well-being through physical activity.

To raise awareness and funds for financial aid for adaptive service programs, the Y is selling a calendar game card for $20 listing 31 items that are possible to win. One prize is awarded each day. Calendars are available for purchase at the YMCA. The drawings begins Oct. 1. For more information, contact Karen Tucker, at 865-9600, or [email protected].

Grange cooking beans

A public baked bean supper will be held at the Harraseeket Grange Hall on 13 Elm St. in Freeport on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 5-6 p.m. The all-you-can-eat menu includes three kinds of home-baked beans – pea, yellow-eye and red kidney – hot dogs, biscuits, brown bread, potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, pies – all homemade – and beverages. The cost is adults, $8; children under 10, $4; and children 3 and under, free.

Habitat open house

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland will hold open houses at its neighborhood in Freeport, 3 Hummingbird Lane, Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 3-5 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 27, from 1-3 p.m.

The tours will allow visitors to see the condominium properties, get to know the neighborhood, and learn more about applying to purchase a Habitat home. There are eight homes. Two have been sold, one is complete, and five are under construction. Each 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms, 11?2 bathrooms, a full basement and hardwood floors.

According to Executive Director Godfrey Wood, “For a family with an income of $35,000 who meet our criteria, the monthly housing cost including taxes, mortgage payment, insurance, repair reserve, and association fee will be roughly $875 (mortgage and other rates are subject to change).”

For more information on the homes and the Habitat for Humanity program, see www.habitatportlandme.org, email [email protected], or call Amy at 772-2151.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland has built 63 homes in southern Maine since 1985, and through contributions has built homes for another 137 families worldwide.

Authors reading at library

Carla Maria Verdino-Su?llwold will be reading from her debut short-story collection, “Bookends: Stories Of Love, Loss, And Renewal,” at the Freeport Community Library on Monday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. The collection was published in March. Born and raised in the metropolitan New York area, Verdino-Su?llwold began her career as a teacher and arts administrator before becoming a journalist, critic, and author. She helped to create several television projects.

In 2009, she and her husband, Gregory, moved to coastal Maine. Her first novel, “Raising Rufus A Maine Love Story,” is a fictionalized account of the couple’s year together with their beloved Newfoundland, Rufus, before her husband’s fatal heart attack in February 2010. “The Whaler’s Bride” is her second novel.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m., author Steve Pinkham will read from his book, “Old Tales of the Maine Woods.” The stories are gathered from a collection of some 22,000 articles and stories about the Maine woods. Pinkham has selected many of the oldest and most exciting hunting and fishing tales, as well as stories of animal encounters, lumbering, canoe trips, and even a few ghost stories.

All events at Freeport Community Library are free to the general public. For more information, visit www.freeportlibrary.com or call 865-3307.

Little change for assessments

Town Assessor Robert Konczal is completing Freeport’s quadrennial update of market values of properties, which will take effect with this September’s tax bills. He reports that no significant changes are expected, as the real estate market has been staying fairly flat over the last few years.

Harvest Dance coming up

Wolfe’s Neck Farm will hold its annual Harvest Dance at the historic Mallett Barn, Wolfe’s Neck Road, featuring the band, the Ghost of Paul Revere, on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 6-11p.m. A cash bar from Gritty’s and an assortment of local food trucks and vendors will be available. From 6:30-7:30 p.m., there will be a contra dance, followed by music. For more information, see wolfesneckfarm.org/harvest-dance.

Farm program resumes

Wolfe’s Neck Farm is resuming its Farmer for the Morning program with a new time, Thursdays from 9-10 a.m.

Visitors are invited to help the farmers feed and give water to the animals, put out hay, sweep the barn and make sure the animals are set for the day. This is an appropriate outing for families with toddlers, preschoolers and young home-schooled students. Registration is not necessary, and the cost is $5 per person.

Information for job seekers

Career consultant Cindy Edwards, from the Portland CareerCenter, will be at the Freeport Community Library on Monday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m., for a two-hour workshop. She will cover topics such as CareerCenter resources, matching a career to individuals, the best job sites, financial help for training, and networking your way into a better job. She will show how to navigate various online job search sites, and there will be time for questions and answers at the close of the workshop.

The Portland CareerCenter is part of the statewide Maine CareerCenter network that provides a variety of employment and training services at no charge for Maine workers and businesses. The Portland CareerCenter is located at 158 Lancaster St. and the website is www.mainecareercenter.com.