KENNEBUNK

Deadline is today for diocese free Noël Dinner

Today marks the reservation deadline for community members wishing to participate in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland’s 18th annual free Noël Dinner. Due to COVID precautions, this year’s holiday dinner will served via home deliveries on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.

The meal will include corn chowder, ham with a choice of raisin or pineapple sauce, cornbread stuffing, scalloped potatoes, garlic honey carrots, a salad and dessert. The meal will be prepared by chef Justin Walker of Walker’s Maine Restaurant in York.

All community members are welcome to reserve complimentary meals by calling 967-1911 or by visiting www.communityharvestonline.org. All meal reservations must be made in advance by Dec. 15. The delivery of meals will adhere to CDC guidelines for social distancing, sanitizing and other safety measures.

Museum’s annul stroll returns virtually

The Brick Store Museum’s annual Holiday Candlelight Stroll, which tells the stories of local immigrants in the 19th century through re-enactors, returns this year in a virtual platform.

The program will take place over two evenings, the first on Saturday and the second Dec. 30, and will guide visitors through the museum’s historic buildings to vignettes of each family.

Saturday will feature the stories and traditions of the Rosinsteins of Russia, the Tvedts of Norway, the Nests of Germany and the Dubes of Canada.

The Dec. 30 event will feature New Year’s traditions with the Berrys of Ireland, the MacDonalds of Scotland and the Blanchards of Syria, all of whom immigrated to the Kennebunks to work in the labor and mill industries. Visitors will join an immersive program featuring first-person re-enactors telling the story of historic immigrant families; and and receive DIY cultural crafts after registering for the program.

On both dates, tickets for tour-only (via video link, sent to your email) are $5; and a Candlelight Stroll Package includes a dinner inspired by our featured traditions; cost is $30 for members, $35 for nonmembers. The dinner includes a choice of entree, either turkey (with cornbread stuffing), tourtiere (pork pie) or maple-glazed tofu,  accompanied by mashed potatoes, root vegetable medley, cranberry sauce, rolls and butter. For dessert, a sampler of cultural holiday desserts will be included.

Stroll dinner packages can be ordered for pick-up five days before each event.

For more details, go to www.brickstoremuseum.org.

BRUNSWICK

School replacing pageant with drive-thru Nativity

St. John’s Catholic School will replace its annual Christmas pageant with a Drive-Thru Live Nativity this year due to COVID restrictions. All are welcome to attend this special event, from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the school at 37 Pleasant St.

As cars drive into the campus parking lot from Pleasant Street, they will slowly drive through 10 “stations” of the Nativity.

The creative, one-year replacement has been the talk of the school, erasing much of the disappointment of not having a pageant this year.

For those who can’t attend, St. John’s is planning to post a video compiled with voice-over on its website.

For more details, call the school at 725-5507.

WELLS

Congdon’s hosting turkey stew fundraiser

Congdon’s Family Restaurant & Bakery will host a homemade turkey stew fundraiser at its drive-thru at noon Wednesday, taking donations to benefit the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

The stew will be served cold, with guests taking it home to heat it. The stew comes with a limited-edition Congdon’s chocolate doughnut, filled with peanut butter cup topping.

There is no set price; all donations will be accepted and appreciated. Guests wishing to donate by check, should make it out to “Good Shepherd Food Bank.” Anyone in need is welcome to take home stew with no donation.

The event goes until the stew runs out. Guests are encouraged to join the drive-thru queue at 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Congdon’s is located at 1090 Post Road on Route One.

Congdon’s also will be collecting dry or canned food items to donate to the food bank. Sanitizing and paper products will also be accepted.

Guests wishing to contribute to Congdon’s Giving Tree can drop off unwrapped toys, baby clothes and diapers that will be given to area organizations serving Maine families in need. During normal business hours Thursday through Sunday, guests can get a free doughnut in exchange for a donation to the Giving Tree.

For more information, email info@congdons.com

Library offering programs for youths, adults

Wells Public Library will offer the following online programs for youths and adults this week:

A Letters to Santa campaign is accepting notes at its specially designed mailbox, on the craft table outside the back door of the library. Leave your letters in the mailbox during open hours and they will be delivered to Santa before Christmas.

Children of all ages are invited to take part in an At Home Scavenger Hunt through the month of December. Just complete the handout at the library or find the link on the library website. Completed sheets may be returned to the library during open hours, where participants can pick up their prize.

Fall Storytime continues at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday on Facebook and YouTube, where children can engage in stories, songs, games and dancing with their favorite librarians. Each storytime will be followed by a craft relating to the week’s theme. Take-and-make kits will be available at the back door of the library, unless otherwise noted.

Jaded YA Reads will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, inviting tweens, teens and adults to listen to one of the librarians read a young adult novel chapter by chapter. The next book will be the mystery classic ”The Girl With the Silver Eyes” by Willo Davis Roberts. Listen at: anchor.fm/wells-library-ya.

A variety of adult programs also will be offered:

“An Evening with Susan B. Anthony” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and Anthony’s 200th birthday. Anthony was a women’s rights activist, who devoted her life to racial, gender, and educational equality. Sheryl Faye will present a historical re-enactment as Anthony, followed by a live Q&A session. Email Stefanie at sclaydon@wellstown.org for a Zoom invitation.

The Conversational French Language Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to practice or relearn French via Zoom. All who have an interest in the French language are welcome to participate. Email Cindy at cappleby@wellstown.org for a Zoom invitation.

And, the Fiber Arts will meet at 10:30 a.m. Friday to work on individual and group projects on Zoom. Email Stefanie at sclaydon@wellstown.org to get your Zoom link invitation. All ages and levels of ability are encouraged to join.

ROCKLAND

Museum launching new speaker series

The Sail, Power and Steam Museum will launch its new virtual speaker series “The Captains’ Quarters” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom.

The program is part of a new initiative to share the museum’s mission of celebrating the maritime and industrial heritage of midcoast Maine and beyond.

Joining museum co-founder Capt. Jim Sharp for the evening will be Capt. Noah Barnes of the schooner Stephen Taber.

Sharp and his wife, Meg, founded the museum after many years of building a historically significant maritime collection while traveling and living aboard vessels here and abroad. A former windjammer captain, he restored and sailed several well-known local vessels, among them, the Gloucester fishing schooner Adventure, which he ran out of Camden Harbor for many years.

Sharp will share a few stores of some of the unusual new collections in the museum.

Registration is required and available on the museum’s website at www.sailpowersteammuseum.org.

AUGUSTA

Stand Down for veterans to be held Tuesday

The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services and their community partners will hold a Stand Down for homeless veterans in need of assistance from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Sanford Vet Center at 628 Main St. in Springvale.

Veterans who are homeless or who are on the brink of homelessness will be provided connection to the Veterans Administration, community services, clothes, food, a hot meal and shelter. Partner agencies will include: Maine Veterans in Need, Operation Brotherhood, Sanford Vet Center, Preble Street, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Freedom Riders, Patriot Riders Chapter 2, Easterseals Maine, Wellness Mobile, Veterans Count, Veterans Inc. and the VA Maine Healthcare System.

For more details, call the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services at 430-6035 or go to www.maine.gov/veterans.

CAMDEN

Library’s series to focus on Sebago Lakes Region

Camden Public Library continues its Maine “staycation” travel series with an online presentation titled “An Insider’s Guide to the Sebago Lakes Region” at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Robin Mullins, Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, will take the audience on a narrated pictorial journey through the six communities that make up what is known as the Sebago Lakes Region. Email jpierce@librarycamden.org to request a Zoom link.

The region is known as a haven for recreation, and Mullins will cover opportunities in the Sebago Lakes area for golfing, boating, hiking and swimming, as well as leaf peeping, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and shopping. She will also delve into the lesser-known and unique features of this scenic region and answer audience questions with some true “insider” suggestions.

For more details, go to librarycamden.org.

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