Out and About

By Rachel Morin

AUBURN – Elvis Presley made a grand appearance at Schooner Estates Senior Living Community in Auburn the last week of May with an outdoor performance in The Courtyard.

 Following the spring rains, residents were pleased the day dawned warm and sunny with a blue sky and white fluffy clouds breezing along overhead. They had been looking forward to Elvis Presley’s arrival and were ready and waiting when he arrived!

It was a fully-seated audience on the lawn when a good-looking, svelte, dark-haired Elvis Presley with the familiar sideburns, and wearing a sky blue costume accented with a deep vee neck, open to a jeweled cross nestled on his chest, strutted onstage to enthusiastic applause!

Don Boudreau, a solo Elvis Tribute Artist from Sidney Maine, had the Elvis moves alright, and certainly the persona was right on. And when he started singing, well, he had the voice as well! He was Elvis! The applause and excitement grew.

Don was an instant hit with the audience. His voice, singing style and mannerisms brought Elvis to life. He even had the Elvis curl in his lips as he sang. He was truly Elvis.

Guest Essay

By James Merrill

It was an early Sunday morning back in 1941; the Pearl was peaceful, quiet as she greeted the rising sun.

The harbor waters were calm, there was stillness in the air, and crews aboard their ships had not a worry or a care.

The Arizona was a beauty, proudly anchored below the morning skies, the Utah and Missouri anchored near her awaiting their crews to rise.

No one had a clue that peaceful morning the terror soon to come, the roar of airplane engines sounded like the beating of a thousand drums.

The day that would live in infamy would soon be here, when that roar off in the distance was now so very near.

A sleeping giant would be awoken as one Japanese Admiral would soon say, and it brought our great country united on that terrible and dreadful day.

From farms and mountain valleys, from sea to shining sea, young men came by the thousands to raise their right hands and take an oath so one day we’d all be free.

They fought on islands scattered along South Pacific shores, like Saipan, the Marshal Islands, Guadalcanal, Corregidor.

Dedicated nurses cared for the wounded as battles would rage on; God bless those nurses who gave so much, each and every one.

Young men landed on beach heads along the shores of Normandy, they fought in open fields of France and in thick forests of Germany.

God Bless them all and we thank them all, it because them America is free.

James Merrill is a military veteran, and shared this poem for Memorial Day.

From Theater at Monmouth

MONMOUTH – The Theater at Monmouth will present the show Aesop’s Guide to Friendship, from June through August, both inside and outside Cumston Hall on Main Street.

The theater invites parents to bring their young adventurers to CAMP AESOP this summer where they’ll use their imaginations to explore important lessons of perseverance and kindness in TAM’s Family Show production of Aesop’s Guide to Friendship, by Dawn McAndrews, based on the beloved fables.

Join the theater starting Saturday, June 19 at 1 p.m., and enjoy shows through Thursday, Aug. 13, with matinee performances on both weekdays and weekends.

Aesop’s Guide to Friendship explores age-old stereotypes to help young and old alike focus on ways to be better friends, neighbors, and citizens. TAM’s adaptation, full of song and play, explores behaviors that are helpful or harmful to friendships and communities.

Director Ian Kramer said, “Over the course of time, these stories have been shared by many cultures in different languages all over the world. They are universal stories. And that is a beauty of storytelling: you can tell or perform the same stories countless different ways, but their main values are always present. I think Aesop was a man ahead of his time. He knew that personifying animals was one of the best ways to reach his fellow human, to remind us we are all not so different. And perhaps that’s why we still tell these fables: to teach and learn what it means to be human.”

From UMaine

ORONO – University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H will offer its hands-on virtual summer learning series June 14–Aug. 20 with over 50 workshops open to all youth ages 5–18. 

“UMaine Extension 4-H Summer Learning Series,” which will be offered in two parts, includes learning tracks in arts and crafts, food and nutrition, STEM, marine science and aquaculture, animal science and agriculture, and teen leadership. The series opens with a magic show featuring Maine 4-H alumnus and family-friendly entertainer Conrad Cologne. 

In addition, this year’s 4-H@UMaine experience for teens will now be offered as one of the learning tracks. These online workshops will highlight University of Maine programs and opportunities and will be provided by UMaine faculty, staff and students.

The series is free, but registration is required. Registration opened the beginning of June for part one and will open on July 6 for part two.

Offline projects that can be completed at home also will be available.

Register and find more information on the Extension 4-H Summer Learning Series webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Jessy Brainerd, 207.581.3877; jessica.brainerd@maine.edu.

UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant, sea grant and space grant university. It is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service.

From City of Lewiston

LEWISTON-AUBURN – Liberty Festival organizer Cathy McDonald, in partnership with the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, has announced that the Liberty Festival fireworks will tale place on July 3 this year.

The difficult decision was made to cancel the full event last summer, but organizers are pleased to report that this celebration of America’s independence will be back this July, although with changes.

There will be no vendors, music, or events this year, but fireworks will fill the sky.  

Residents are invited to beautiful downtown Lewiston and Auburn for a fireworks display over the Great Falls and the Androscoggin River on Saturday, July 3 (not the 4th), at 9:30 p.m. In the event of rain, the fireworks will take place on July 5.

A map of the best places to view the Liberty Festival fireworks and park can be found at www.lewistonmaine.gov/fireworks21

Viewing areas include a lane on the Court Street bridge at Great Falls, Veterans Memorial Park, Raymond Park, under the “Hopeful” sign, Simard-Payne Park, The Riverwalk, and Festival Plaza.

Event updates will also be posted on the “Lewiston Auburn Liberty Festival” Facebook page.

Festival organizers plan to bring the full Liberty Festival back to the community in July of 2022.

A Memorial Day tribute

Weekly Republican Radio Address

By Rep. Dillingham

In facing our nation’s greatest threats, heroic men and women have answered the call to service. This weekend, Mainers will take part in remembering the service and sacrifice of our servicemen and women who unfortunately did not make it home. 

Serving one’s country is among the most valiant of pursuits, and we are grateful for those who fell in the name of freedom and independence.

This is Republican Leader Kathleen Dillingham of Oxford. During this week’s Republican Radio Address, please join me in paying tribute to our nation’s fallen heroes. 

In the words of President Abraham Lincoln, we pay our respects to those Americans who “gave the last full measure of devotion to their country.” We are indebted to their sacrifice for it was their faith in our nation’s founding vision of liberty that we are free.

It was their immeasurable sense of patriotism and love of country, that penetrated the darkness of tyranny and oppression, which gave way for our nation’s beacon of hope to shine in every corner of the world. 

We remember our fallen for their heroism on the beaches of Normandy, in the mountains of Afghanistan, throughout the jungles of Vietnam, and in far off lands in between. Their memory live on in our communities and in our grateful hearts. 

Out and About

By Rachel Morin

AUBURN – Phil House was back at Schooner Estates Senior Living Community in Auburn for a Live Outdoor Concert in The Courtyard at the end of May.

Mark Prevost, Director of Resident Services, welcomed Phil and reminded the audience that the last time Phil performed at Schooner Estates was 14 months ago, before the pandemic hit and the facility was locked down.

 “We are all thrilled and pleased to have Phil back with us on this perfect day, a sunny day with a gentle breeze, perfect for our first outdoor concert in The Courtyard,” Mark said.

Mark told Phil, “You have a great and appreciative audience here, as all your longtime fans and friends are here for you!” A huge applause echoed Mark’s statements and Phil launched into his wonderful repertoire of old time melodies.

Phil is Maine’s foremost pianist-interpreter of classic songs, bringing life to jazz standards, folk songs, ragtime masterpieces and popular songs. His flawless strident piano style, along with his flair and emotional connection to the music, leaves audiences breathless and with every toe tapping.

Movies, Acoustic Music & Band Concerts

From City of Auburn

AUBURN – The team at the Auburn Recreation Department is delighted to present music, movies, and lots of summer fun for 2021!

“There really is something for everyone,” said Recreation Director Sabrina Best. “Our team has done a great job planning and organizing programs and events for this summer that capture our traditional offerings while adding some fun new ones. Our approach was all about balance and options.”

The city warmly invites residents to this year’s Summer Movie Series, which will kick off on Friday, June 11. The series, which will run through October, will feature seven popular movies. Each will take place at a different location throughout the city, and two will be drive-in style.

Movies will begin near dusk – as soon as it is dark enough outside. They will be shown on the city’s huge new 17’ x 30’ inflatable movie screen. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets and snacks to enjoy.

• Friday, June 11: “Grease” will be shown in Anniversary Park at 8:45 p.m.

• Friday, July 16: “Angels in the Outfield” at Pettengill Softball Field at 8:45 p.m.

From Maine Writers
 

PORTLAND – During an awards ceremony last Thursday, hosted on Zoom with an audience of hundreds, the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (MWPA) announced the winners of the 2021 Maine Literary Awards.

Lewiston High School received an Honorable Mention award in the Secondary School Literary Magazine category for its magazine titled Collage.

The Maine Literary Awards is an annual competition sponsored and coordinated by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Nominations were open to all Maine residents, including seasonal residents. The statewide competition is for published books, as well as drama, short works, and student writing. Each year, the awards are judged by anonymous panels that rotate and include more than 40 accomplished writers, editors, booksellers, librarians, and literary professionals.

Nearly 300 writers sent in their work for consideration from all corners of Maine.

Awards

Book Award for Crime Fiction – Bruce Robert Coffin, Within Plain Sight.

Book Award for Fiction – Jim Nichols, Blue Summer.

Book Award for Nonfiction – Kerri Arsenault, Mill Town.

Book Award for Memoir – Phuc Tran, Sigh, Gone.

Book Award for Poetry – Éireann Lorsung, The Century.

John N. Cole Award for Maine Nonfiction (co-winners) – Michael K. Komanecky, Jane Bianco, and Angela Waldron, Maine and American Art: The Farnsworth Art Museum; and Peter Taylor (editor) and Kara Douglas, From the Mountains to the Sea: The Historic Restoration of the Penobscot River.

Book Award for Young People’s Literature – Betty Culley, Three Things I Know Are True.

Book Award for Children’s – Anica Mrose Rissi, Love, Sophia on the Moon.

Book Award for Speculative Fiction –Emma J. Gibbon, Dark Blood Comes from the Feet.

Book Award for Excellence in Publishing – Joshua Klein, Another Work is Possible, Mortise & Tenon.

Book Award for Anthology – Claire Millikin and Agnes Bushell, Enough! Poems of Resistance.

Drama Award – Travis Baker, “Hockey Mom”.

Short Works Competition in Fiction –Morgan Talty, “The Blessing Tobacco”.

Short Works Competition in Nonfiction (co-winners) – Parker Blaney, “Detox”; and Sarah Twombly, “What We Want is Simple”.

Short Works Competition in Poetry – Suzanne Langlois, “What Lasts”.

Agreement addresses issue with students with disabilities

From US DOJ

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement last week with the Lewiston Public Schools to end the district’s systemic and discriminatory practice of excluding students from full-day school because of behavior related to their disabilities.

The settlement also will require the district to provide equal educational opportunities to its English learner students. The department conducted its investigation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA) after receiving a complaint from Disability Rights Maine.

The department’s investigation found that the district routinely shortened the school day for students with disabilities without considering their individual needs or exploring supports to keep them in school for the full day. The district’s lack of training for staff on how to properly respond to students’ disability-related behavior contributed to the over-reliance on “abbreviated” school days. The district compounded the harm to students by often failing to provide them with instruction or behavior support during the time that they were out of school.

The department’s investigation also revealed that the district failed to provide appropriate services to its English learner students, many of whom remained in the district’s English learner program for years without ever becoming fluent in English. As a result, many English learners, including immigrants and refugees from Somalia, Angola and other African countries, faced significant academic setbacks that can have lasting consequences.  

“Students with disabilities and students who are learning English need additional support and services in school – not additional barriers to learning,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Giving students with disabilities half the education they are entitled to is unacceptable. Failing to properly serve children who are learning English limits their opportunities for success in their current school and beyond. The department is committed to enforcing the law to make sure schools meet the needs and respect the rights of all their students.”