Kennebunk Portside Rotary Club will host a new community fundraiser: a document shredding event — just in time for post-tax season.

Two nationally-certified shredding services, Records Management Center and Shredding On Site, will provide the onsite shredding service. The date is Saturday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 132 North St. in Kennebunkport, the town parking lot.

Only personal documents will be accepted; no commercial or business documents. The cost is $5/bag or $10/box. There is no need to remove, staples, paperclips, or binder clips. Shredding is limited to five boxes.

Event sponsors include The Climate Initiative, Kennebunk Savings, Dave Reid Accounting, Ki Leffler — Coldwell Banker and Alisson’s Restaurant.

All proceeds from the event will be invested in the club’s community service projects.

St. David’s announces Easter services

Saint David’s Episcopal Church, 138 York St. (Route 1 south), Kennebunk, announced its Holy Week schedule. On Maundy Thursday (April 14). Commemoration of the Lord’s Last Supper is scheduled for 7 p.m. On Good Friday Stations of the Cross is offered at noon and the Liturgy of Good Friday service begins at 7 p.m.

The Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday) service begins at sundown at 7:30 p.m. Easter Day will offer two worship opportunities at 8 a.m. with traditional language and 10:30 a.m. with more contemporary language. All services throughout Holy Week are mask optional. For more information, call 985-3073.

Registration for Kennebunk’s 50-plus, co-ed softball underway

The Kennebunk 50-plus Co-Ed Softball League is about to enter its sixth season. According to an April news release, “The league is designed for players minimum age 50 and in a co-ed format, with emphasis on having fun, playing safe and enjoying each other’s company. Our 2021 players ranged from their mid-50s up to and including those just over 80 years old; a significant but well-rounded age group, from those with some prior softball experience, along with those with just a little or many years in the past.”

All games and practices are held at the Lloyd Nedeau softball field, in West Kennebunk, near Clear Crossing Road.

With the 2022 season just around the corner, the league put out a call for new or returning players with various skill levels and, according to the email, a willingness to “stay positive and above all, those looking for some good ol’ fashion exercise in the beautiful outdoors.”

Umpired games will be held each Monday or Tuesday (to be determined) at 5 p.m. There is also the optional Friday morning practice sessions, which include warm ups, batting practice and/or just running around.

To register, visit the Kennebunk Parks and Recreation Department website and click on Adult Sports. For more information, contact co-founder and co-coordinators, Jim Thompson (jethompson33@aol.com) or Gary LaRochelle (garylarochell@emaine.rr.com).

The league is open to any resident and currently includes several players from neighboring towns and various points south, north and west of Kennebunk.

Planeteers to host brainstorming session

The Planeteers of Southern Maine will host a book discussion and community brainstorming session 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.  The group invites the public for an online discussion of  Susan B. Inches’s book, “Advocating for the Environment: How to Gather Your Power and Take Action.”

The Planeteers of Southern Maine and Wells Reserve will host the moderated follow-up discussion to the talk Inches gave March 29 (available on Wells Reserve’s YouTube channel). The community-building opportunity will provide a space to reflect on the many ways to take action and make personal contributions toward helping the environment. There will be an opportunity to obtain a free copy of the book. For more information, visit someplaneteers@yahoo.com. To register for the free Zoom event, for visit www.wellsreserve.org.

Planning continues for May Day

Organizers announced that planning for Kennebunk’s annual May Day Festival is continuing. The downtown event will be held on Saturday, May 7, with events at the Waterhouse Center, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk Free Library, Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Park and more.

Duffy’s Tavern and Grill will once again host the pancake breakfast. The parade will feature many favorites such as Dunlap Highland Band, Gym Dandies, Shriners, school bands, floats and more.

For more information, email Linda Johnson at ljohnson@kennebunkmaine.us or visit www.kennebunkmaine.us/mayday.

Former intelligence officers group schedules meeting

The next meeting of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers will feature Major General Gregg Potter (Ret.) on Saturday, April 16. He will focus on the modernization of the Army and Army intelligence. Also, he will make comments about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Potter has experience in intelligence operations dating back to a master’s degree in strategy from the U.S. Army War College. His 32 years of experience has included commanding and directing intelligence operations at the operational and strategic level. The assignments have taken him to Afghanistan, the Pentagon, commanding General of the Intelligence Center for Excellence at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and the director of signals intelligence for the National Security Agency. He is currently employed by Northrup Grumman.

The meeting is open to the public and will take place on April 16 at 2 p.m. at the Brick Store Museum Program Center on 4 Dane St. in Kennebunk. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation.

York County Audubon presents Zoom program on hummingbirds

Lifelong birders Dana and Bob Fox have traveled on six continents and will present a program that focuses on hummingbirds. York County Audubon will host the online program that will air on Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Dana and Bob Fox will share their adventures with 10 different species they have seen on their journeys in the Americas. Many pictures and videos will be included.

Studies have given insights into the wonders of hummingbirds. The talk will provide information including: what is a hummingbird, how they did they evolve, how do their nectar gathering and pollination activities compare with bees and butterflies, what do they eat besides nectar, what are their feeding techniques, what is torpor, how is their iridescence produced, and what is unusual about their courtship behaviors?

There’s no charge to participate, but advance registration is required. To register, visit www.yorkcountyaudubon.org, and click on the link. After registering, a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting will be sent.

Pro wrestling returns to Kennebunkport

Live professional wrestling returns to American Legion Post 159, Kennebunkport, on Saturday, April 16.

Organizer Scott Drew said the event is a fundraiser for Mandy and Ben Brooks, a mother and son who lost everything in a fire in Lebanon on Jan. 15. Advance tickets are $12 for front row seats and $10 for general admission. Tickets are available at the American Legion in Kennebunkport, Kennebunk Toy Co., Guay’s Sunoco in Kennebunk and at Top Dollar Pawn in Sanford. Legion Post 159 is located at 102 Main St., Kennebunkport.

Tickets are $15 for the front row and $13 for general admission on the day of the event. Drew said $2 of every ticket will be donated. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and bell time is 7 p.m.

Kennebunk Beach Classic 5K returns

Organizers have announced the return of the Kennebunk Beach Classic 5K. The road race is back for its 30th year, in person. Walk, jog, or run on the USATF certified route on Sunday, June 5. Registration begins at $25, with early-bird pricing until May 1 and discounts for students (18 and under) and seniors (60-plus).

Free cotton event T-shirts to the first 150 registered runners. Teams are encouraged. Prizes and awards to top runners in age categories and team prizes.

Event proceeds support programming and outreach at The Center, a nonprofit in Lower Village that serves adults 50 and older. For more information, visit www.kennebunkbeachclassic.com or call The Center at 967-8514.

Planeteers of Southern Maine plan clothing drive

The Planeteers of Southern Maine is partnering with HELPSY – the largest clothing collection company in the Northeast, to host a clothing drive event on Saturday, April 30. Donations of unwanted clothing and other textiles will be accepted at the Kennebunk Transfer Station (next to Treasure Chest location) at 36 Sea Road, Kennebunk, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Planeteers of Southern Maine is a group of individuals dedicated to help create a sustainable future for the planet by encouraging action on climate change, clean oceans, and other environmental issues at the local level.

“The Planeteers hope many will come through on Saturday, April 30, to show their support for this initiative,” said Andrea Roth Kimmich, founding member of the Planeteers, in a March 21 news release. “We are hoping to surpass the amount we collected in September which was more than 7,000 pounds of clothing. We are so grateful for the ongoing support received from the town and community. With ever increased tons of textile goods being produced, we need more than ever to find ways to recycle them.”

According to the organization, “Textile waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. The EPA estimates that more than 100 pounds of clothing gets thrown away by the average person every year, this is double what it was 20 years ago. Of that amount, 95 percent can be reused or recycled. HELPSY partners with municipalities and organizations across 10 states to collect unwanted clothing and other textiles. Through a combination of clothing drives, home pick-ups, thrift store partners and clothing receptacles, HELPSY diverts nearly 30 million pounds of textiles from landfills every year.”

The clothing drive will accept clean, dry, and bagged clothing and fashion including dresses, shirts, pants, suits, coats, gloves, hats, belts, ties, scarves, wallets, purses, backpacks, totes, shoes, towels, bedding, costumes, curtains, placements, tablecloths, stuffed animals and throw rugs. Textiles in any condition are acceptable – worn, torn or stained is fine. Items should be clean, dry, free of oil stains and without order — as these items cannot be reused or recycled.

Items not accept include breakable houseware or glass, electronics, furniture, building material, scrap metal, appliances, mattresses, encyclopedia sets, phone books or magazine. Once clothing is collected, 50 percent is reusable; and 45 percent is recyclable. It is first sorted by HELPSY partners and divided into grades. The higher grades are resold to thrift stores in North America and other secondhand markets around the world. The lower grades go to industrial use or things such as stuffing and insulation.

“HELPSY’s mission is to keep clothes out of the trash,” said Dan Green, co-founder and CEO of HELPSY, in an email. “HELPSY is dedicated to changing the way people think about clothing recycling while adhering to the highest level of social and environmental performance, earning it a Certified B Corporation designation; using business as a force of good.”

For more information about HELPSY and clothing recycling, visit  www.helpsy.co. For more information about the Planeteers of Southern Maine, visit www.someplaneteers.org.

School Around Us plans fundraising run

The School Around Us will host Hustle for Holistic Education 5K run on Saturday, May 14. The event is billed as a fundraising family fun-run. In addition to supporting School Around Us, 10 percent of all event proceeds will be donated to UNICEF in support of children in Ukraine affected by the military conflict.

The event will take place at 10 a.m. at the Eastern Trail, beginning at Kennebunk Elementary School. A children’s half-mile fun run will be held at 11 a.m.  A virtual option is also offered, with participants running between May 1-14.

Kennebunk Elementary School is located at 177 Alewive Road, Kennebunk. The rain date is Sunday, May 15.

Registration is $75/family, $35/adult, $20/teen and $15/child. To register, visit www.runsignup.com and search for Hustle for Holistic Education.

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