Chicken barbecue

You’re invited to the New Gloucester Fire-Rescue Auxiliary’s annual chicken barbecue on Saturday, Oct.1. The buffet will start at noon and will stay open until the chicken is gone. The fee is $8 for ages 12 and up, $4 for ages 4-11.

The barbecue will be held at Thompson’s Orchard, 276 Gloucester Hill Road, New Gloucester. Take this chance to reconnect with friends, while children have an opportunity to play games.

Old-world troubadour on stage

Putnam Smith and Ashley Storrow will perform at the Village Coffeehouse of New Gloucester on Saturday, Oct. 1, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Smith hails from Portland,  but could pass as an old-world troubadour fresh from the 19th century. He lives in a log cabin, plays his grandfather’s banjo and prints up the jackets to his CDs on an antique letterpress. He writes and performs on guitar, mandolin, fretless banjo, and piano–steeped in Appalachian traditions, a storyteller for the modern age. The songwriting of Ashley Storrow remains rooted in the folk tradition and incorporates intricate harmonies, soulful melodies, and acoustic finger picking.

The Village Coffeehouse takes place at the Vestry Community Room of the First Congregational Church, 19 Gloucester Hill Road. Admission at the door is $10. Call Julie Fralich at 653-4823 for more information.

Shaker Village Harvest Festival

Join the fun at Shaker Village for the end-of-season Fall Harvest Festival, from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8. Freshly picked apples from the historic Shaker orchards will be offered for sale along with free cider pressing, homemade Shaker apple fritters and much more.

Chipman’s Farm, neighbors to the Shakers since the 1790s, will have a bounty available for sale. Seasonal mums, other late-season bloomers and houseplants will be featured in a booth hosted by Donna’s Greenhouses of New Gloucester.

Free, traditional craft demonstrations will include Shaker-style broom making by Kent Ruesswick; wool carding, spinning, knitting and weaving by R&R Spinners; rug hooking by Parris House Wool Works; blacksmithing by Tim Greene; weaving by Marjie Thompson, wood-turning by Peter Asselyn and wood-carving by the Poland Woodcarvers. Books will be signed by authors Don Perkins, “Barns of Maine,” and Chris Becksvoort, “The Shaker Legacy.”

Free wagon rides will be offered throughout the day. Kids will be treated to free face painting and free gourd decorating.

All activities will take place on the grounds of Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village and inside the Shakers’ historic 1830 barns. The village is located at 707 Shaker Road, off Route 26, New Gloucester. The festival will be held rain or shine.

Wild animals

Meet Josh Sparks of Sparks’ Ark and the array of wild animals he rehabilitates. This family education program is scheduled to occur on Monday, Oct. 10, from 1-2 p.m., and is open to ages 3 and up. The program takes place in the Mt. Washington Room at the Commons on the Pineland Farms campus.

Buy tickets at The Market and Welcome Center, 15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester, for $5 per person. For more information, contact the education department at 650-3031 or education@pinelandfarms.org.

Legalizing pot to be discussed

Sheriff Kevin Joyce will be providing insight into the legal and social ramifications of legalizing recreational marijuana at a community presentation entitled, “What Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Looks Like.” Representatives from “Yes on 1”  will also be on the panel.

The discussion will take place during a New Gloucester Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m., at the New Gloucester Meetinghouse, 389 Intervale Road. The program will be telecast live on NGTV community access Channel 3 and will be available as video on demand at www.newgloucester.com shortly thereafter.

Historic map on display

The next monthly History Barn Open House will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 9 a.m.-noon, at 383 Intervale Road, New Gloucester. The newly restored historic Cumberland County map will be on display in addition to many items related to New Gloucester’s long history. The event is free and open to the public.

Apple from the historic Shaker apple orchard will be available for sale and pressed into cider for free at the Shaker Village Harvest Festival Saturday, Oct. 8

Lea Wait, left, Kathy Lynn Emerson and Jen Blood comprise the panel of Maine mystery authors who conducted a panel discussion and Q&A session on Sept. 17, sponsored by the New Gloucester Public Library. The writers belong to Sisters in Crime, an international organization that helps promote the advancement, recognition and professional development of women authors.

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