Community Events Calendar

In celebration of Youth Art Month the Kennebec Valley Art Association will present an exhibition of artwork by students from eight area high schools, including Cony, Gardiner, Hall-Dale, Kents Hill, Maranancook, Monmouth, Richmond and Winthrop. The exhibition will be on view March 15-30, 2013 at the Harlow Gallery at 160 Water Street in Hallowell. The public is invited to meet students and faculty at the opening reception on Friday, March 15th from 5 to 8 pm. Higher Forms of Art 2013 is our 8th annual exhibition of artwork by area high school students. The exhibition is meant give emerging artists an opportunity to show their work in a professional space, and to get a taste of what goes into organizing a professional art exhibit. The students participate in hanging the exhibition and planning and organizing the opening night. Higher Forms of Art follows Young at Art, a showcase of artwork by Central Maine students in grades K-8, on view at the Harlow Gallery April 16 to March 9. Please join the Kennebec Valley Art Association in celebrating the work and talent of emerging artists from our community at the Harlow Gallery.

Looking for a great field trip that costs only $5 a student? Did you know one of the finest professional theatres in the Northeast is located in Lewiston? Put THE PUBLIC THEATRE on your "must do" list for the year and give your students an inspiring educational experience that will introduce them to the vibrant cultural life in their home state. We offer special school-day matinees for each show in our season. You can make your reservations at any time. This season we are pleased to present: The Book Club Play. HURRY, this comedy that celebrates the joy of reading is COMING SOON! (Grade 8 and up). Oct 23 & 24 AT 9:30am. A Christmas Carol. These shows fill up quickly, we already have some large groups booked. Don't wait, plan your trip today (Grade 2 & up) Dec 4, 5, 6 @9:30am & 11:30am. The Hound of the Baskervilles. This popular Sherlock Holmes story becomes pure comic bliss in this side-splitting spoof. (Grade 7 and up) Jan 29 & 30 @9:30am. Time Stands Still. When a war correspondent and his photo journalist girlfriend return home from a war zone mentally and physically wounded, they must accept the reality that the news they risk their lives to report is deemed less interesting than celebrity gossip. Filled with fascinating social and political arguments, this powerful Broadway hit will inspire a great conversation among students. (Grade 10 and up) March 19 at 9:30am. The Last Romance. Exploring a new path on his walk home, a charming widower discovers a woman, her dog, and the possibility of a second chance at love. (Grade 7 and up)May 8 at 9:30am. Haiku, Hiphop and Hotdogs. Favorite children's poems are woven into a seamless tapestry of art and entertainment for all. The poems of Jack Prelutsky, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, David McCord, Geoff Hewitt and others are featured in this exciting new creation from the award-winning Crabgrass Puppet Theatre. (Grade Pre K - 5) May 20, 21 at 9:30am & 11:30am May 22 at 9:30am. Don't miss out on this great opportunity. Student Matinees can fill up very quickly, especially the ones for the youngest students. You can never be too early, but you don't want to be too late. CALL 782-2211 TO BOOK YOUR CLASS TODAY. Don't think your class can afford to go? Think again. Don't think your class can afford to go? Think again. Need help with the tickets? IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BRINGING YOUR STUDENTS, BUT FUNDING IS A POTENTIAL PROBLEM, PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE GIVING UP. Financial assistance may be available for schools in need. Whether you need help for a few students, or the whole class, please call to talk to us. Need help with transportation? Please check out transportation reimbursement funds available through the Maine Arts Commission's Ticket to Ride Grant program. Ticket to Ride is a program that provides funding to defray the cost of travel for Maine schools wishing to visit Maine arts based venues and events as part of a well rounded curriculum. Any K-12 school in Maine is eligible to receive support of up to $300 each school year and any K-12 school in Maine with a documented free and reduced lunch student population of 50 percent or greater is eligible to receive support of up to $500 each school year. Funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis as long as there are remaining funds. The funding is non competitive and the only criteria is need.

Spring Jobs Fairs Scheduled Around the State! Spring is coming, and so are many opportunities to find a new job. The CareerCenters are currently involved in planning several career fairs, so brush up your r sum and come dressed as if you were being interviewed for a job. Hundreds of employers will be hiring for both permanent and seasonal positions. Several of the job fairs have a special focus, such as the Hiring Maine s Heroes Job Fair in Augusta, which focuses on matching veterans with employment and specific resources, but the general public is welcome to participate as well. Businesses interested in participating in the fairs should contact their local CareerCenter. To find the nearest CareerCenter, visit www.mainecareercenter.com or call 1-888-457-8883. Feb. 14: Education and Training Resource Fair at the Lewiston CareerCenter, 1 4 p.m.; Feb. 21: Skowhegan Area Job Fair at CareerCenter, 10a.m. 1 p.m.; Feb. 27: Sebago Lakes Region Job Fair; March 20: Hiring Maine s Heroes Job Fair, Augusta; March 4: Lewiston CareerCenter Job Fair; March 20: Maine Sunday Telegram/Monster Spring Career Fair, Elks Lodge, Portland; March 28: Calais Area Job Fair 2013, 10 a.m. 2 p.m. at Washington County Community College. April 5: Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce Job Fair; April 10: Presque Isle Job Fair, Crow s Nest Restaurant and Event Center, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; April 19: Third Annual York County Regional Job Fair, Springvale; May 1: Machias Area Job Fair, 10 a.m. 1 p.m., at the Lee-Pellon Center, Machias; May 14: Bangor CareerCenter Job Fair, 1 4 p.m., at the Spectacular Events Center. To find more information about jobs fairs across the state or to locate the closest CareerCenter and information about job training programs, visit the CareerCenter website, www.mainecareercenter.com .

DOT Boss Talks Access, Transportation Issues Maine s Capital is the hub of 11 major roads that spoke out in all directions, a great convenience for visiting Legislators and shoppers, big distribution businesses and the 19,000 people who drive into the capital each day to work. Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David B. Bernhardt, P.E. has a big say in how those roads are maintained. He ll speak at Business Insider, March 20, on the big Maine picture and also focus upon building the $11 million exit from I-95 to provide access to the new hospital. The DOT boss s job includes other modes of transportation including Augusta s state-owned airport which received a $7 million facelift last year. With DOT since 1984, Bernhardt was Director of Engineering and Operations before being appointed commissioner by Gov. Paul LePage in February 2011. Business Insider sponsors: Central Maine Power and Kennebec Savings Bank Please RSVP to register now

Lego Fun: Every Wednesday @ 3:30pm

Stories, crafts, parachute play and musical marching band. For ages 2-5. Every Wednesday.

A New Place to Skate this winter! There's a new place for ice skating this winter -- down by the Kennebec River in Waterfront Park! There's benches useful for changing shoes and a great area for a pick up hockey game, figure skating, or a quick break from work. Come on down and try it! Gardiner Main Street's own Jennifer Polley, of The Therapy Zone, helped to bring together the outreach committees at Grace Community Chapel and Church in Life to make this dream a reality. These groups worked with the City of Gardiner to create a wonderful skating area open to the public. Joe Gould with Church in Life was a leading force in construction and organizing, and is helping to keep up maintenance of the ice along with Gardiner Youth Hockey. This weekend the ice conditions will be varied with the warmer weather, but it looks like it will firm up again next week! Get out and enjoy the winter in Downtown Gardiner.

The Augusta Community Warming Center has opened just in time for the cold temperatures.

Wednesday Trivia Nights 6:30 to 8 pm Wednesdays Join us, lots of fun and chance to win prizes!

The 2013 Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Contest is open to Maine residents 18 years of age or older who have been domiciled in this state during the three months immediately preceding the entry deadline for the contest. Employees of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are ineligible. The Contest offers an "Open Category." One or more live waterfowl of the chosen species must appear prominently in the design. If background detail is included in the design it must be accurate and representative of the state of Maine. Designs will be judged on originality, artistic composition, anatomical accuracy and suitability for reproduction as a stamp and print. Choose one of the following ducks as your subject: Greater or Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, or Bufflehead. The painted image must be 13 inches vertically by 18 inches horizontally and centered on a surface no larger than 19 inches by 24 inches. The painting must be firmly (not permanently) attached to a single white mat 19 inches high by 24 inches wide, with a centered window of 13 inches by 18 inches. Entries for the 2013 Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Contest will be accepted from 9 a.m. March 1, 2013 through 4 p.m., March 22, 2013. All entries must be delivered to the Department's Augusta office or be received by the Department through the mail (or by U.P.S., FedEx, etc) before 4 p.m., March 22, 2013. Judging will take place on Friday, March 29, 2013 at 5 p.m. This is the first day of the annual Maine Sportsman's Show at the Augusta Civic Center. There is an admission fee to get into the Sportsmans Show, and the public viewing/contest will take place in the art room on the main floor of the Civic Center. Signs will direct you to the room. For more info call Kristina at (207) 287-5244 or email her at Kristina.R.Paulhus@maine.gov. Please mail or deliver entries to: Duck Stamp Contest, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, 41 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0041