Town Readies for Eighth Annual OgunquitFest

OGUNQUIT—

For the eighth year in a row, Ogunquit has prepped the cornstalks and decorated the scarecrows in anticipation of the town’s annual harvest celebration, OgunquitFest. From Friday, October 21 through Sunday, October 23, the town is transformed into a Halloween extravaganza, offering activities, events and entertainment for visitors and locals alike.
On Friday and Saturday, muster your courage and visit the Catacombs and Maze at Ogunquit Village School on School Street from 6 to 10 p.m. each night. The Haunted Catacombs are not appropriate for children under 10, but the maze welcomes all ages. Be sure to pick up a $1 coupon in the Ogunquit Fall Festivals brochure, presented by The Weekly Sentinel and found throughout the town.
On Saturday, enjoy a Classic Car Show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Main Beach parking lot. Winners will be announced at 1 p.m. While you’re down there, take a stroll through the Autumn Bazaar and hop on the Roaming Railroad for a scenic break, both of which will also be available on Sunday. Horse-drawn wagon rides are fun for the whole family from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Veterans Park. Kids can enjoy the Great Pumpkin Patch Presentation and Cookie Monster Decorating from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Dunaway Center on School Street, plus Fall Storytelling from 4 to 5 p.m. in the same place.
Also on Saturday, get out your stilettos for the “highly” anticipated High Heel Dash and Walk-Off at 3 p.m. in Perkins Cove. Brave souls race around the Cove in high heels with trophies awarded for Best Time, Highest Heel and Most Outrageous Costume. Proceeds from registration support the Frannie Peabody Center. And don’t forget your flashlight on the Ghostly Tours, presented by the Ogunquit Heritage Museum on Obeds Lane from 5:30 to 9 p.m. There might be more to Ogunquit’s nightlife than meets the eye!
On Sunday, everyone joins together for a Costume Parade from Ogunquit Square to Main Beach, with adults, children and canines welcome! Parade starts at 11 a.m. And be sure to find a viewing spot for one of the biggest events of the season: the Bridge to Beach Bed Race. It’s utter bedlam as teams zoom down Beach Street with decorated beds and king-sized enthusiasm. Vote on your favorite as teams raise money for nonprofits and vie for the People’s Choice Award. Most Beautiful Bed and Broken Spring winners will also be selected.
All outdoor events are weather permitting, but Ogunquit is hoping for sunny skies as volunteers put the finishing touches on the weekend’s decorations and events. As you walk around town, don’t forget to vote for your favorite scarecrow display! Ballot boxes will be located throughout town through Saturday, October 22. The Ogunquit Catacombs and Maze will also reprise their fright on Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29, just in time for Halloween.
For more information on any of the OgunquitFest events, contact the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce at (207) 646-2939, visit the Ogunquit Welcome Center at 36 Main Street, Ogunquit, visit www.visitogunquit.org, or pick up one of the Ogunquit Fall Festivals brochures presented by The Weekly Sentinel, available online or throughout Ogunquit.
Photo caption: Ogunquit will celebrate its 8th annual OgunquitFest this weekend with children’s activities, haunted happenings and family fun. (Photo by Molly McCoy)

Kennebunk Celebrates Bridge Completion with Festivities and Fun

KENNEBUNK—
The Kennebunk Festival Committee announces the Second Annual Harvest Fest on Main Street to promote local business and provide downtown entertainment for families in Kennebunk. The event will be held on Saturday, October 22, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This year’s Festival will also include a celebration of the completion of the Mousam River Bridge as well as an Apples and Arts Day, sponsored by the Kennebunk Farmer’s Market. Events include a Pancake Breakfast at Duffy’s Restaurant, a Costume Parade, Hay Rides, Pumpkin Decorating, Concerts on the Bridge, Fireman’s Muster and more.
Duffy’s 5K Run/Walk and Pancake Breakfast each start at 8:00 a.m. Proceeds from these events will be donated to the Festival Committee to help offset costs for Old Home Week in July 2012. All ages are invited to join the Costume Parade originating at Dane Street and marching down Main Street concluding at Water Street. The Parade begins at 11 a.m.
Other Harvest Fest events can be found throughout downtown Kennebunk including Pumpkin and Treat Bag Decorating, a Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt, Apples and Arts, Hay Rides, Farmer’s Market and Local Vendors in the former Mobil Station lot and a Ribbon Cutting, Live Bands, Duffy’s BBQ and a Fireman’s Muster on the newly completed Mousam River Bridge. Pen and ink prints by artist Steve Hrehovcik of the new bridge and downtown Kennebunk will also be available for sale.
For a full schedule of events, please visit their website at http://kennebunkfestivals.com.

Keep South Berwick Warm to Host Annual Community Supper

SOUTH BERWICK—

The 4th annual Keep South Berwick Warm “old school” community supper will be held Wednesday, November 2, 5-7 p.m. at Spring Hill Restaurant, Pond Rd., South Berwick. The yearly community fundraiser is being held by townspeople working with Social Services in an effort to help local families deal with heating costs this winter. Just like days gone by, there’s no set donation or entry fee – there will be a soup pot by the door where people can give whatever they can to help their neighbors get through these challenging economic times.
As reported in the October 13th edition of the Boston Globe, The US Energy Information Administration said the nation’s heating oil customers – most of whom live in the Northeast – will probably pay more than in any previous winter as heating oil costs rise to an average $3.71 per gallon. The average household is estimated to spend nearly $2,500 between now and March. That is about $200.00 more per household, making this year’s fundraiser even more essential to those in need.
Soups and breads at the fundraiser are made by local restaurants and bakers, and cookies are made by local individuals. There will be raffles donated by local individuals, a $10.00 table with locally donated items, and a bake sale by the South Berwick Seniors. Local restaurants and bakers generously providing food at the supper include Nature’s Way Market, Pepperland Cafe, Fogarty’s Restaurant, The Catered Event, The Redbarn at Outlook Farm, The Black Bean Cafe, The Brixham General Store, Spring Hill Restaurant, King Tuts Cider, and When Pigs Fly Bread. River City Jazz will entertain with acoustic jazz music.
“The money we raise from the supper, the raffle, and any subsequent donations that are made, will give a family a few hours of heat, or help with weatherization of their home,” says Pat Robinson, one of the key organizers. “The support we’ve gotten from the local restaurants and individuals has been very enthusiastic — if we see the community responds the same way this year, the event should really make a difference in local families’ lives this winter. If people can’t come to the supper, we hope they’ll mail in a donation. We really hope to make sure that all of the families of South Berwick stay warm this winter.”
When residents make their donations to the South Berwick Fuel Fund, the checks will be written to SoBo Central, an umbrella non-profit organization that includes the Food Pantry, Keep South Berwick Warm, Hot Summer Nights Concerts, Friends of Powderhouse Hill, Smart Growth, and GreenUp. Its mission is, “to nurture the Town’s unique sense of place by connecting and engaging citizens in community life.”
Donations to the Fuel Fund can be made directly to SoBo Central, c/o Fuel Fund, 46 Witchtrot Rd, South Berwick, ME 03908. Please write “Fuel Fund” on the memo line.
All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Photo caption: Keep South Berwick Warm will host its 4th annual community supper on November 2. (Courtesy photo)

Funny Girl: A Review of Tina Fey’s Memoir ‘Bossypants’

By Chip Schrader

Book Reviewer
Tina Fey started off as an actress on television ads. She eventually landed a spot on Saturday Night Live’s writing staff, a move that evolved into Fey taking the seat of greats Chevy Chase, Kevin Nealon, and Dennis Miller as the anchor of the SNL news. Now, she has her own show, 30 Rock – a parody of the behind the scenes antics of Saturday Night Live – a movie career, and a hilarious memoir “Bossypants.”
“Bossypants” begins with Tina’s childhood, a surprise pregnancy, puberty, her father’s mild racism, and Summer Showtime. Summer Showtime highlights Fey’s coming of age in this teenage theater group where she catches the actor’s bug, and her friend comes out of the closet at a grand party that ends the summer. From these experiences she learns, “Gay people were made that way by God, but not solely for my entertainment.” A perfect example of Fey’s no holds barred documentation of her life.
As her star rose, Fey became an unwitting glamour icon. She unravels the sense of irony she feels with the light in which the public sees her. Chock full of blemishes, imperfections, and earthly human habits, Fey charms women readers proving she is just one of them, and male readers that there is a Tina Fey in very man’s wife.
Her recollections of the magazine photo shoots, adoring and snarky fan letters, awkward adolescence and motherhood dispels any myth of beauty one might hold of her. However, perhaps intentionally, Fey’s assessments of her self-image reinforce the deeper beauty of modesty and humanity with which she is truly gifted.
The only sure bet out there rests in the fact that nobody can get through “Bossypants” without emitting at least one hearty belly laugh between every five or so pages. She covers the challenges and pitfalls of working with men – particularly comedians with fixations on bodily functions – she has a memorable chapter of fashion advice for her daughter, and lets us in on the showbiz secrets and the Sarah Palin spoofs that made her a household name.
“Bossypants” is sharply written, and as the author, Fey is well aware of the phrase “too much information,” and relishes her disregard of the social mores that inspired the phrase. The anecdotes all seem to have a punch line, which to less gifted people can grow wearisome, but Fey is the funniest woman on earth.
Some chapters are straight ahead anecdotes and retellings of her life’s events, and others are checklists, script snippets, and outlines of witty observations and lessons she has learned in an ordinary woman’s extraordinary life. The honesty that anchors her humor is what makes her a winner. She is not afraid to admit to who she is, and she is a bold role model for any “Sarah plain and tall” who aspires to something greater. The candor, wit, humility, and finely crafted and inventive narrative make “Bossypants” a winner.
288 Pages, Reagan Arthur Books; 1st Edition (April 5, 2011).
Photo caption: (Courtesy book cover image)

South Berwick Residents Show How Passion Can Build Buildings

SOUTH BERWICK—
You don’t have to be Rockefeller to give a generous donation to a cause that means a lot to you. Just ask Marilyn Ladner, a retired woman who lives on a fixed income and has pledged more than $10,000 to building a new library in her hometown.
“I really believe in libraries,” said Ladner, who pledged the money over a three-year period and is putting a modest monthly charge on her credit card. “When I was four years old my mother began taking me to the library in Gardiner, Maine, every Saturday morning. That was the highlight of the week.”
Ladner is one of several South Berwick donors who have given significant infusions to the Capital Campaign for the new South Berwick Public Library, just as the Town got set to welcome residents to a celebration of the new library’s progress on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Dave and Mary Stansfield, who have been involved in local efforts to build a new library since the late 1990s, made an even larger donation.
“When it looked like it was starting to become a reality, we were in a position to make a significant gift,” said Dave Stansfield, a member of the Town Building Committee that helped guide the initial stages of the project. “I remember when the town library was at Berwick Academy before it turned private. Then it moved downtown to the Jewett-Eastman House. People always said that was supposed to be a temporary location, but it’s been there over 40 years.”
Stansfield became involved, in part, because of his commitment to the physical space. “I’m a person who wants to be able to reuse an old building if at all possible, and I was very, very excited when the verdict came back: it’s feasible,” he said of the former church. “It’ll be less expensive than tearing down and building new.”
He noted a lot of people in town already have a connection to that building. “It was a well-established Catholic Church, and a lot of people grew up there and had their kids baptized there,” he said.
Another couple making a major gift to the new Library are Sandy Agrafiotis and Carl Pehrsson, who both grew up in families of readers. They recently discovered something they hadn’t realized about each other: as 10-year-olds, the first place they ever went alone on a city bus was to their local library, she in Manchester, NH and he in Westbury, NY.
“The library was important to me when I was young. I loved to go up the big marble staircase to the art room where I’d sit on the floor and pull out oversize books on painting and sculpture. I remember loving Cezanne, Van Gogh and Brancusi,” said Agrafiotis, an art history major and professional photographer.
“A library is a safe and welcoming place in the public world where children and adults can feel comfortable,” she said. “It really is a safe zone for children, and a place that doesn’t involve spending money. I agree with the concept of the public library as the community living room.”
Each of these families – plus several others who have given between $5,000 and $25,000 – has played a part in advancing the vision of a new, expanded and modern library at the former St. Michael’s Church on Young Street.
In August 2010, the Friends of South Berwick Library started its Capital Campaign to raise $1 million toward the $2.25 million cost of the new Library. South Berwick voters approved a $1.5 million bond, which is funding the bulk of renovation and construction costs.
According to Patti Mitchem, president of the Friends, the funds raised by the Capital Campaign will complete construction and cover all costs of turning the completed building into a library, including furnishings and computers. Funds raised in excess of expenses will be used to help pay down the bond, she said.
Photo caption: South Berwick residents Mary and Dave Stansfield, and Marilyn Ladner are major donors to the Capital Campaign for the new Public Library at the former church on Young Street. (Courtesy photos)

Art Teacher & Program Spotlighted by ‘Worlds Largest Kids’ Art Museum’

WELLS —

Wells Elementary School Art teacher Sandy Brennan has been notified that she is the recipient of a “Leadership Award” from Artsonia, an online school children’s arts museum. According to a press release from Artsonia, Brennan received this recognition “for outstanding leadership in the area of Arts Education at Wells Elementary School.”
As a result of Brennan’s leadership, Artsonia rates the gallery devoted to WES artwork on Artsonia.com second in Maine. Currently, Artsonia displays over 12.5 million student images from around the world.
The release also states: “The Leadership Award presented to Sandy Brennan honors teachers who go beyond the classroom walls to encourage family and community involvement in arts education. The award also recognizes significant achievement in the area of technology integration within the school arts program.”
“I am so pleased that Wells Elementary School students can be recognized for their hard work in Art classes by Artsonia,” commented Brennan. “I thank Maryanne Foley and parents Marcia Ciorra, Ashley Breton, Betsy Stevens, Christine Brickett, Nicole Iannillo, and Alicia Goodwin for their help in photographing the student works. I couldn’t do the Artsonia program without them.”
During the 2010-2011 school year, Brennan posted 1,455 pieces of student work in the art gallery reserved for WES. Recently, this gallery has been viewed over 5,700 times yielding more than 115 comments. The WES gallery address is: www.artsonia.com/schools/Wells12.
“While teachers in more than 100 countries showcase their student artwork on Artsonia, Sandy Brennan has created a school community deserving of recognition,” stated the release.
Artsonia was founded in 2000 and is based in Gurnee, Illinois. Their site, www.artsonia.com, also serves as a resource for educators and students. In addition, Artsonia sells mugs, t-shirts and other keepsakes with individual artwork imprinted. Fifteen percent of the money received for this service is donated back to the student art program.
Photo caption: Sandy Brennan with showcased student art. These colorful figures are Pueblo Native American “Kachinas.” (Photo by Reg Bennett)

Opening Scenes: ‘50/50’

By Chip Schrader
Movie Reviewer
“50/50” begins with a shot of moving pavement; a hand holding an iPod moves into the frame. As the camera pans back, we see a man in a sweat suit running along a waterfront with the Seattle skyline on the other side. The man stops at the “Do Not Walk” light, while another jogger runs by him to cross the street, regardless of the sign. The light changes and he proceeds.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays as Adam, the cautious jogger who doesn’t drive because it is the fifth leading cause of death. In spite of his prudence, he is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer where mutated genes formed into a tumor along his spinal cord. When telling his 50/50 chance of survival to his best friend Kyle, played by Seth Rogen, Kyle tries to maintain his composure, stating Adam would have better chances than anyone in Vegas with those chances.
The cast is stellar with Anjelica Huston, Anna Kendrick, and Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help) supporting the painful and complicated journey of a 27-year-old cancer patient. Anjelica Huston is Adam’s mother, a worrier whose husband is marooned in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s disease. For her own survival, she seeks her son to allow her to care for him, but his girlfriend, played by Howard, leaves viewers scratching their heads with her care-giving methods.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s por-trayal seethes with pain, despair and loneliness until the adversity knots into the viewers’ guts. Just in time, Kyle comes into the scene, insists that his best friend exploit this illness as a means to live his life fully, and uses his vulgar humor to steer the audience and his best friend’s demeanor into lighter territory.
“50/50” will likely introduce Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen to Oscar-conscious audiences and filmmakers. Rogen’s character, in particular, displays that the comedic actor has the chops to be funny in a serious film with this subtly nuanced character. The scenes in the treatment center, Adam’s scenes of private pain, and his anger are very real to those who have witnessed the nature of the disease. Huston shines in the doctor’s office after Adam finally lets her into his private battle; this is the first of many scenes that bring goosebumps in the last third of the movie as Adam’s road to wellness narrows.
Bottom line: “50/50” should not be missed. Viewers will get chills from the deep humanity of the male friendship that inspired this story, and the struggles of a patient who always had to play protector. Scenes with an icy physician and a young psychologist needing a case study for her doctorate subtly indicate the commonplace shortcomings of healthcare. But, the sweeping political commentary is kept at bay as the heart of the story is the most inspiring. This film will make audiences hurt, hate, love, and laugh many times over. “50/50” is based on a true story and makes us revel that friendships like this really exist. 4.5 out of 5.
Photo caption: (Courtesy movie poster image)