Pumpkinhead Festival, Fundraiser for Maine Cancer Foundation

ELIOT —
Pumpkinhead Festival Weekend, October 29-30, held at the Regatta Banquet & Conference Center in Eliot, features two days of Halloween and pumpkin-filled fun.
The weekend schedule of activities includes a Friday night five-course beer dinner featuring Shipyard Brewing Company’s fine ales, a family-friendly festival with scarecrow building, pumpkin tosses and a costume parade as well as a chef cook-off competition Saturday afternoon and an adult Halloween party with a costume contest and live music Saturday night. Proceeds from the Pumpkinhead Festival Weekend will benefit Maine Cancer Foundation.
All events will be held at the Regatta Banquet & Conference Center, located at 28 Levesque Drive (Route 236) in Eliot.
On Friday, October 29, the Regatta will host a fun and interactive Hops and Harvest Beer Dinner beginning at 6:30pm. Guests will enjoy a five-course harvest menu expertly paired with some of Shipyard’s award-winning brews. Trade brewer Bruce Elam will talk about the beers, the brewing process, and the ingredients. The dinner and beer pairing is $35; seating is limited, reservations are accepted in person at the Shipyard Brew Pub (located next to the Regatta) or through calling (207) 351-4623. The first 25 people who purchase tickets for the beer dinner will receive a Sunday River Early Season ticket.
On Saturday, October 30, the Pumpkinhead Family Fun Festival will run from 11am until 3pm. Children and adults will enjoy live music, entertainment, food, and activities including a pumpkin hurling contest, cookie decorating, scarecrow building, and pumpkin painting. Musician Dan Blakeslee will entertain the crowd with his humorous and spooky Halloween songs. Children are encouraged to come in costume for a costume parade at 12:15pm. This is free and open to the public.
Beginning at 1pm, the Chefs’ Pumpkinhead Cook-Off will have chefs from the region competing to create enticing appetizers, entrees, and desserts featuring the great flavors of either pumpkins or Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Sampling is encouraged, attendees will vote for their favorite. The Regatta’s own kitchen will also provide delicious tastes of pumpkin foods ranging from savory to sweet and just in time for ordering for the holidays. Entry to the cook-off is by a suggested donation of $10, in support of Maine Cancer Foundation.
Knowing that Halloween isn’t just for kids, on Saturday evening, beginning at 7pm, Shipyard will host a Halloween Party featuring the Beatles Tribute Band All Together Now at the Regatta Banquet & Conference Center. There will be prizes awarded for the best costumes. Call 207-351-4623 for tickets or purchase them in person at the Shipyard Brew Pub.
Halloween will be celebrated all week long; the Shipyard Brew Pub will host a series of Halloween-related activities beginning Monday, October 25, including Halloween trivia and horror movies chosen by pub votes. A full list of activities leading up to the Pumpkinhead Weekend Festival is available online at www.regattaroom.com.
For more information on any of these events, visit www.regattaroom.com or call 207-351-4623.
Photo caption: (Courtesy photo of festival promotional artwork)

York Hospital Fashion Fling Raises Money for Breast Care

By Candi Enman
Staff Columnist
OGUNQUIT –
After a nine-year hiatus, the return of York Hospital’s Fashion Fling to the Ogunquit Playhouse was met with overwhelming community response. The October 5 benefit exceeded organizer’s expectations, netting $57,000 to support Breast Care at York Hospital, a project of its For Every Patient Campaign.
A red carpet led some 600 “best dressed” guests to a big top-sized tent on the playhouse lawn, where champagne flowed and over 25 area restaurants served delectable appetizers of crab-stuffed mushroom caps, miniature lobster rolls and tuna tartar. The festive atmosphere decorated with bountiful bouquets of pink balloons, fall mums and bales of hay draped in black polka-dots set the tone for the fundraising extravaganza.
A survivor of 15 years, Theresa Dilando of Cambridge, MA who has summered in York Beach most of her life, said it was hard for her to be there. Though not treated at York Hospital, Dilando commented, “This is a tough reminder for me, but I wanted to come out to support the hospital and other women like myself who’ve battled breast cancer”.
Inside the legendary theatre, master of ceremonies WCVB-TV Channel 5 morning news anchor and Kittery Point resident, Randy Price, welcomed the enthusiastic crowd. Before the main event and following a compelling testimonial by hospital patient and breast cancer survivor, Sandy Raynes, a live auction run by Maureen Boyd resulted in lively bidding on luxurious vacation getaways, unique experiences and celebrity memorabilia. Among the desirable items were a guitar signed by Daryl Hall that sold for $1,700 and a Tom Brady-signed football that raised $3,900.
The fashion show, complete with a cat walk that extended from the theatre’s stage into the audience, spotlighted stylish, trendy, glitzy and practical ensembles for men, women and children from a dozen Seacoast-area clothiers and boutiques. The models - physicians, hospital staff, area business people and community leaders – were sharply clad in designs offered by Carla’s of Kennebunkport, Daisy Jane’s of York Village, Lizology of Portsmouth, Freeport’s L.L. Bean and others.
The emotional highlight of the night came in the form of a surprise ending when 40 breast cancer survivors all dressed in black with pink shawls graced the stage. Teary eyes and audience applause culminated in a standing ovation as each woman’s name and their number of years cancer free was read aloud.
“The tremendous turnout and outpouring of support for Breast Care would not have happened without the help and cooperation of the many dedicated volunteers under the driving leadership of Fashion Fling Co-Chairs Ellen Baldwin of Coldwell Banker Yorke Realty and Barbara Conda of Bangor Savings Bank,” said Jud Knox, York Hospital President. “The Fashion Fling was always a community favorite and Barbara and Ellen were determined to bring this show back—making it bigger and better than ever!”
When asked why she came out to support York Hospital, Goldie Abbott of Ogunquit said: “It’s a community hospital that we all depend on and love. This is a great turnout and a fabulous event.”
Photo caption: Models on stage during the finale of the Fashion Show (Courtesy photo)

End Polio Now

OGUNQUIT —
The Ogunquit Rotary Club, in conjunction with Rotary International, has kicked off a new campaign dedicated to eradicating polio once and for all. Ogunquit’s campaign is entitled, “Kiss Polio Goodbye.” At various locations and events in Ogunquit, individuals can donate a dollar or more and receive a packet of candy kisses in exchange.
The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation has awarded Rotary International a challenge grant of $350 million to be matched by $200 million from Rotary International to mark another milestone in Rotary’s 20-year legacy of polio eradication.
With nearly 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas, Rotary reaches out to national governments worldwide to generate crucial financial and technical support for polio eradication. Since 1985, the advocacy efforts of Rotary and its partners have helped raise more than $3 billion in vital funding from donor governments.
Rotary clubs also provide “sweat equity” on the ground in polio-affected communities, which helps ensure that leaders at all levels remain focused on the eradication goal. Over the years, Rotary club members have volunteered their time and personal resources to reach more than two billion children in 122 countries with the oral polio vaccine.
Thanks to Rotary and its partners, the number of polio cases has been slashed by more than 99 percent, preventing five million instances of childhood paralysis and 250,000 deaths. When Rotary began its eradication work, polio infected more than 350,000 children annually. By 2008, fewer than 2,000 cases were reported worldwide.
But the polio cases represented by that final 1 percent will be the most difficult and expensive to prevent for a variety of reasons, including geographical isolation, worker fatigue, armed conflict and cultural barriers. That’s why it’s so important to generate the funds needed to finish the job. To ease up now would be to invite a polio resurgence that would condemn millions of children to lifelong paralysis in the years ahead.
The Ogunquit Rotary Club is picking up on the challenge to move that final inch and End Polio Now by kicking off it’s “Kiss Polio Goodbye” campaign and celebrating World Polio Week October 24-31.
The bottom line is this: As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, all children – wherever they live – remain at risk. Visit www.ogunquitmerotary.org for more information.
Photo caption: Look for Ogunquit Rotary’s “Kiss Polio Goodbye” collection boxes in establishments throughout Ogunquit. (Courtesy photo)

Forest Service to Hold Firewood Exchange

AUGUSTA / KITTERY —
A second out-of-state firewood exchange, designed to prevent the importation of dangerous invasive insects to Maine’s forests and to make Maine visitors and residents aware of the problem, will take place this weekend on the Maine Turnpike.
A detail of Maine Forest Service forest rangers and entomologists will set up an educational kiosk and exchange station for three days, Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 14-16, at the northbound Kittery rest area, according to Maine Forest Service (MFS) officials.
For the second time this fall, MFS forest rangers will exchange out-of-state firewood, now banned in Maine, for Maine firewood, as a way to prevent the spread of two invasive species in particular, Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) and emerald ash borer (EAB). Both insects, already found in near-by states, threaten to destroy Maine’s forests.
“This is part of a continuing effort to let folks know how important it is to not move firewood into Maine because of the extraordinarily damaging pests it can bring in,” Alec Giffen, MFS director, said.
Giffen said the first exchange, held last month, was very successful. “I was extremely pleased and frankly surprised at the volume of material coming into Maine,” the MFS director said. “It underscores the importance of this ban.”
MFS State Entomologist Dave Struble also called the first firewood exchange successful and pointed out that awareness about the danger of moving firewood is increasing among the general public.
“It’s beginning to get into the public mindset that lugging firewood around isn’t as risk free as it once was,” Struble said. He said that national polling done recently by a California corporation showed that outreach about the firewood issue was affective.
“The message we can take from this is that behavior is changing,” the state entomologist said. “We still are in outreach mode, and it’s working.”
The two insects have destroyed millions of acres of trees in other states. ALB infested the Worcester, Mass., area and recently was discovered in Boston. EAB, which has killed millions of ash trees and threatens Maine’s American Indian basket-making tradition, has been found in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
The first Maine firewood exchange was held Sept. 2-4 at the northbound Kittery rest area, after Giffen signed an emergency order immediately implementing the firewood ban. Legislation calling for the ban was passed this past session by the Maine Legislature.
Maine Forest Service forest rangers used electronic signs to direct turnpike drivers with firewood to stop and exchange their imported firewood. Four to seven forest rangers worked each day, talking with people, handing out literature and exchanging wood. A total of 929 contacts were made over the three-day period, with more than 2,000 pieces of firewood exchanged.
All the seized wood was sealed in plastic bags and secured with duct tape; the place of origin was recorded; and wood samples were taken to the MFS entomology lab and Gray district headquarters for analysis and storage. All the wood, except for the samples, was destroyed.
Public response to the firewood exchange was “very positive,” according to Bill Williams, MFS chief forest ranger. “Even those people not hauling wood were encouraged to learn that Maine was doing something to curb invasive species that could damage the Maine forests,” he said.
According to exchange data, 56 percent of the wood came from Massachusetts; 16 percent from Connecticut; 12 percent from New Hampshire; and the remaining wood from Rhode Island, 8 percent; Vermont, 4 percent; and New Jersey, 4 percent.
Most of it was being taken to campgrounds south of Portland. The most northern destination was Freeport, Williams reported.
While interacting with the public, the MFS forest rangers found most people were familiar with the invasive insects, but didn’t know there was a Maine ban on firewood.
Two seizures were of particular importance. One piece of hardwood found in a load of wood from Kittery had signs of insect tunneling; a sample was taken, though the whole load wasn’t confiscated because of its Maine origins. A second seizure consisted of ash firewood from Massachusetts that had bore holes in it. The firewood was bagged and taken to Gray.
The samples since have been taken to the New Hampshire Division of Forest & Lands, which has a hatching laboratory, Struble said. The lab consists of a series of ventilated barrels each with glass-emergence jars and a light trap to monitor what emerges from the wood samples, he said.
Up to this point, no invasive exotic pests have been discovered. “This is no reason, however, for complacency,” Struble said. “We know that moving firewood is a principle mechanism for introducing pests to new areas.”
This weekend’s exchange is targeting hunters, recreationists and out-of-state camp owners coming to Maine to fill their wood supply, Williams said.
At least 2 cords of Maine wood will be available for the exchange program, Williams said.
“Making an exchange takes only a few minutes to happen, and there’s no inconvenience; it works very smoothly,” the chief forest ranger said.
“The opportunity to meet and educate the public is of incredible value in protecting Maine’s forests from invasive species,” he stressed. “This can’t fail because we will be educating the public.” For more info, go to www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/InvasiveThreats.htm.

American Cancer Society Prepares to Make Strides

KITTERY —
Join us for the 2nd Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Route 1 in Kittery. Over 300 breast cancer survivors, their families, and volunteers will converge along at Tanger Outlet Center in Kittery for the annual American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer three-mile walk on Sunday, October 17. Registration is set for 8:00 a.m. and the walk begins at 9:00 a.m.
Since its inception in 1993, nearly six million walkers nationwide have raised more than $400 million. In 2009 alone, nearly 700,000 walkers across the country collected $60 million to save lives from breast cancer.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer supports the American Cancer Society’s unique mission to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or finding it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in ground-breaking research and by fighting back by encouraging lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight.
“The volunteers who join us in Making Strides help save the lives of many mothers, daughters, and sisters,” said Donna Muto, American Cancer Society staff partner for the event. “More than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors will celebrate a birthday this year thanks to early detection and improved treatment.”
Teams from businesses, schools, and community groups from around the area will participate. For more information, or to sign up your team for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Kittery, please call (207) 439-6822, 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org/stridesonline.
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the nation’s largest nongovernmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Annual Gathering of the Scarecrows

KENNEBUNKPORT —
Have you ever wondered where scarecrows go at the end of the growing season? Legend says that they hold a gathering of seven days in October to discuss the next growing season before being blown away by November’s chilly winds. Each fall, Scarecrows from cornfields and gardens all over Maine begin to arrive in Kennebunkport. They stay for seven days and can be found in every nook and cranny of this picturesque little town.
On the first day of the festival, Monday, October 11, from 1-5pm, the Nonantum Resort will host The Scarecrow Craft Fair which will feature over 30 crafter and artisans. There is no charge for artisans to use a table, but all must display a scarecrow. There will also be a Scarecrow wedding with 50 different scarecrow guests in attendance.
“We are delighted to welcome back The Scarecrow Craft Fair and Wedding to the Nonantum,” said Tina Hewett-Gordon, General Manager of The Nonantum. “This wonderful fall tradition is enjoyable by every member of the family.”
This event will take place on the river’s edge at The Nonantum Resort, 95 Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport. It will be held rain or shine. Hot apple cider, pumpkin bread and apple crisp will be served. There will be a $5 suggested donation, with all proceeds benefiting the Shiloh Pepin Playground Fund.
From Tuesday, October 12 to Friday, October 15, families can vote for their favorite scarecrow. The scarecrows will be displayed all around Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. Entries can be placed in the orange pumpkin located in front of Colonial Pharmacy. Prizes will be awarded to winning scarecrows.
On Saturday, October 16, from 1-3pm, The Gathering of the Scarecrows Parade will take place. Everyone is encouraged to dress as a scarecrow or to carry one and march in the parade. The parade will begin at the Monument in Dock Square and will travel to the Green where activities for all ages will take place.
Finally, on Sunday, October 17, the Wicked 5K Road Race will occur. Participants can walk, jog or run through the streets of Kennebunkport. The race will start at The Nonantum and end at Federal Jack’s Brew Pub, where lite fare will be served and fun prizes will be awarded in various categories. In addition to the 5K race, there will also be a 1-mile fun run.
To register, log on to www.RaceIt.com (keyword: Wicked 5K). The registration fee is $20 for the 5K and $5 per person for the 1-mile fun run. Goody bags will be given to the first 200 registered participants. Costumes are encouraged, especially on kids.
The Wicked 5K is sponsored by The Nonantum Resort, with support from Atlantic Pest Solutions, Federal Jack’s Brew Pub, HB Provisions and Quest Fitness. The race benefits Operation Shower, the nonprofit organization that throws baby showers for expecting military families during deployment or high stress situations. Race participants may bring a new unwrapped baby item, which will be donated to the expecting families serving aboard the USS George Bush. For more information about the Wicked 5K, call (207) 229-3866 or email run@lilybrooke.com.
For more information about the Gathering of the Scarecrows, contact the Nonantum Resort at 967-4050.
Photo caption: The annual Scarecrow wedding will be attended by 50 different scarecrow guests! (Courtesy photo)

Fall Eco-Fest Celebrates Green Family Fun

YORK —
Monday, October 11 is the date for Clay Hill Farm’s second annual Fall Eco-Fest to celebrate the green shades of living with a community family fun day!
From 11am-3pm on Columbus Day Observed, Clay Hill Farm in York, Maine, will celebrate the season with live music, local food, artists, crafters, green businesses, kids activities, farmers and like-minded folk. Admission is free to this rain or shine event.
Under the beautiful Sperry Tent, and all about the 11-acre wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary at Clay Hill Farm, the Fall Eco-Fest celebrates real people making a difference in the community with educational outreach. Kids can enjoy fairy-house building and a scavenger hunt to boost backyard ecological awareness, with yoga on the lawn and pumpkin painting to excite mind/body creativity and expression. Parents can learn about community resources to encourage and empower eco-friendly life-styles in all shades of green. Artists, crafters and farmers punctuate the day with exciting local products for families to enjoy, while earth-friendly businesses help to outreach and educate about alternative resources available in our community. And, photographer Shane Corcoran will be at Clay Hill Farm’s Fall Eco-Fest to take the beautiful outdoor portraits every family wants.
Full festival details are online at www.clayhillfarm.com. The Fall Eco-Fest is part of Clay Hill Farm’s Eco-Reach TM campaign to encourage environmental awareness and celebrate green connectedness in all shades. Event sponsors include Sperry Tents, Ultra Geothermal, Simply Green Bio-fuels, Eco-Reach, Meyer All-natural Angus, Kinnealey, Acorn Organic Salon, SEA Solar Store, Greenovations, SeacoastKidsCalendar and Shane’s Maine Photography.