LEWISTON, ME – Absentee ballots are now available for Lewiston registered voters from the City Clerk’s Office for the State Primary and School Budget Validation Referendum Election, both on Tue., Jun. 11. The deadline to request absentee ballots is Thu., Jun. 6.

 Registered voters who need an absentee ballot may call the City Clerk’s Office at (207) 513-3124; order online from the City website (www.lewistonmaine.gov/elections); mail in an application form (to 27 Pine Street); or come into the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 27 Pine Street, second floor from 8:30 AM to 4 PM on weekdays. Office hours are Mon. – Fri., 8:30 AM – 4 PM.

 Since the purpose of the State primary election is for members of political parties to select their nominees to run in the November general election, registered voters enrolled in the Democratic or Republican parties will receive a ballot for their political party. Per State law, voters enrolled in one of the other political parties (Green-Independent, No Labels, or Libertarian) are not able to receive a State candidate ballot in this election. 

Registered voters who are not enrolled in any political party have the choice to select the Democratic or Republican ballot in this election since State law changed this year to semi-open primary elections.   

Every race on both party ballots is uncontested except for U.S. Representative to Congress on the Republican ballot and House District 96 on the Republican ballot. 

The following candidate races will be appearing on the Lewiston ballots: U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative to Congress, State Senate, State Representative for Districts 93, 94, 95, and 96, and Register of Probate. All voters will receive a municipal referendum ballot for adoption of the school budget.

The City’s website (www.lewistonmaine.gov/elections) contains sample ballots, directions to polling places, and other information that voters may find useful.  

Voters with questions may contact the City Clerk’s Office at (207) 513-3124.

AUBURN, ME — A creative twist on a classic tale, Community Little Theater’s production of Alice in Wonderland promises to be an unforgettable experience. Based on the famous novel by Lewis Caroll, Alice in Wonderland tells the well-known story of Alice, a young girl who goes on an incredible journey when she falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in a colorful and whimsical fantasy world. While most of us are very familiar with the tale, Jason Pizzarello’s adaptation of this beloved tale throws in some new twists, while still staying to the original story. The production will have a unique steampunk motif, some amazing special effects and an impressive cast of 25 talented actors.

Director, Britny Anderson, said that she chose Alice in Wonderland because of her love of fantasy and interesting characters along with her interest in the deeper themes that run through the storyline. Alice in Wonderland is full of underlying themes and hidden meanings. Anderson stated that she chose the Jason Pizzarello adaptation because she appreciated how strongly the theme of identity was apparent in the story.

To further embellish on the story, she decided to add a unique steampunk motif to the production. She stated “ I decided to apply a steampunk concept to the show, which takes the nostalgia and technology of the Victorian era and adds the whimsy of this fantastic futuristic version of it”. She added, “Wonderland is open to any interpretation; it is moldable and I find that very freeing”

The set, which includes working gears, steamworks and other exciting features, was also designed by Britny Anderson. “The goal”, she said, “is to have the show be as immersive as possible”. When asked how Chesire Cat’s famous grin would be achieved, she say “we’re going to use a little theater magic.”

The costumes, designed by Jennifer Fox, will be the traditional Alice in Wonderland costumes with a little steampunk flair added on.

During her adventures in Wonderland, Alice (Izabelle Rizzolo) meets the some fun and peculiar characters, such as The White Rabbit (Dana Chabot), The Mad Hatter (Jason Pelletier), The March Hare (Greg Lambert) Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (Shayna Barnhard and Oliver Caron), just to name a few. Among the whimsy and chaos, along this crazy journey, Alice even meets herself (Maisy Seaver).

CLT will present “Alice inWonderland” June 14th, 15th, 20th, and 21st at 7:30 p.m, and June 16th, 22nd and 23rd at 2:00 p.m. Call 783-0958 or visit www.LACLT.com for tickets and information.

The Playing Cards rehearse with the Dormouse: Cards: L to R: Mara Cunningham; Helenna McCauley; Evie True, Link Brown; Shayna Barnhard; Mia Rodriguez; Angela Gallant; Julie Pfohl (Dormouse)

 AUBURN, ME — Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has approved the full ownership of Central Maine Healthcare’s (CMH) orthopedic ambulatory surgical center which is located in Auburn.

Last year, Central Maine Health Ventures, Inc. (“CMHV”), a subsidiary of CMH, signed a letter of intent to acquire the 50% membership interest that was owned by Spectrum Healthcare Partners in Central Maine Orthopedics Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) which is located at 690 Minot Avenue in Auburn. Approval of the acquisition was contingent upon the approval of a certificate of need (CON) which has now been granted by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services.

 CMHV has a proven track record of accredited, high-quality surgical services to orthopedic patients and has been responsible for day-to-day operations for the past two years.

 “An ambulatory surgical center provides a substantial benefit to patients by offering a high-quality, cost-effective facility,” said Steve Littleson, president and CEO of Central Maine Healthcare. “An additional benefit for patients is the ambulatory surgical center shares a building with Central Maine Therapy Services which recently opened a state-of-the-art facility for orthopedic conditions and post-operative rehabilitation.” 

Patients will also benefit from an integrated electronic medical health record under the ownership of one parent company. One electronic medical health record will ensure timely communication between primary care and other specialty providers across the Central Maine Healthcare system.

 “This is great news for central Maine,” said Lauren Adey, MD, chief of the Central Maine Healthcare orthopedics. “We have an outstanding team of surgeons and nurses who provide access to affordable, convenient and high-quality orthopedic care.”

 Central Maine Healthcare orthopedics has been designated by Blue Cross Blue Shield as a Blue Distinction Center for knee and hip replacement surgery as well as spine surgery. It has also been named a Cigna Center of Excellence for joint replacement.

AUBURN, ME — The Auburn Public Library is pleased to announce that again this year, they are a Read ME participating library!

Read ME is the Maine Humanities Council’s statewide summer reading program offered in partnership with Maine State Library and Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Each year a well-known Maine author recommends two titles by lesser-known Maine authors with libraries and their patrons participate in a summer of reading and discussing the featured books.

This year’s featured books are Moon in Full: a modern-day coming-of-age story by Marpheen Chann and The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring.

The 2024 program starts Thursday, May 30, from 11-12, on Maine Public Radio with a special episode of Maine Calling. Recommending author Jaed Coffin will join the host, along with featured authors Marpheen Chann and Shannon Bowring to discuss their books and answer questions from libraries and readers across the state.

Auburn Public Library will host a book discussion of Moon in Full on Wednesday, July 17, from 4-5 p.m. Books will be available for those who register after June 13.

Maine Humanities Council will host an online conversation with author Marpheen Chann on Thursday, July 18, from 7-8 p.m.

Auburn Public Library’s book discussion of The Road to Dalton will take place on Wednesday, August 14, from 4-5 p.m. Books will be available to those who register after July 11.

Maine Humanities Council’s online conversation with author Shannon Bowring will take place on Thursday, August 15, from 7-8 p.m.

To register for either book discussion hosted by APL, visit www.auburnpubliclibrary.org or contact the Reference Desk at 207-333-6640, ext. 4. For more information about the online conversations hosted by Maine Humanities Council, visit their website at https://www.mainehumanities.org.

When: Wednesday, July 17, 2024 — 4:00-5:00 p.m. (Moon in Full)

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 – 4:00-5:00 p.m. (The Road to Dalton)

Where: In person – Auburn Public Library, Conference Room (ground floor)

Lewiston, ME – LA Arts will be presenting the first of its five Art Walk LA events on Friday, May 31, from 5:00-8:00pm in downtown Lewiston. The public is invited to attend this free event that celebrates the arts in our community and helps support local businesses.

Art Walk LA turns Lewiston’s downtown into a bustling arts district on the final Friday of each month from May through September. Outdoor plazas, sidewalks, local businesses, and storefronts are converted into lively art galleries, creative exhibitions, reception venues, and festive live performance spaces. Featuring both indoor and outdoor activities for kids and adults, the popular summer Art Walk LA series brings artists, craftspeople, musicians, buskers, and other performers together to showcase their talents in a safe, family-friendly environment.

“Art Walk LA is a wonderful way for people of all ages to enjoy unique arts experiences while coming together as a community,” says LA Arts Agency Manager Gerald Walsh. “We’re excited to bring back some fan-favorite events and introduce new art activities. We have lots of surprises coming this season too!”

Special Activities and Opening Reception

As a complement to the rich array of visual art, music, and kid-friendly activities that characterize every Art Walk LA, The May Art Walk LA will welcome Mr. Drew and His Animals Too and Taiko Maine Drummers. In addition, an opening reception for the exhibit “Double Vision,” featuring visual artists Kitty Winslow and M P Landis will be held at the LA Arts Gallery, from 5:00-8:00 pm. Winslow and Landis are contemporary painters who share a fascination of mark making, line, color, and form. Their exhibit will include a collection of individual and collaborative work, and a dynamic, on-site joint installation that will change continuously over the duration of the show, which ends July 13, 2024.

Art Walk LA Details

Location: Lewiston’s Downtown Arts District on lower Lisbon St.

Time: 5:00-8:00 pm

FMI: www.laarts.org/artwalk

Share your favorite Art Walk LA experiences: #finalfridayla

Free and open to the public; kid-friendly

Call for Artists: Artists, musicians, craftspeople, and performers are encouraged to participate in future Art Walks by registering at www.laarts.org/artwalk. Art Walk LA is a great opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with new audiences and be a part of a thriving and supportive arts community.

Thanks to our Champion sponsors!

LA Arts continues to engage and inspire a vibrant community through arts and culture with support from its generous Champion Sponsors, including: Austin & Associates, Bates College, Baxter Brewing Co., Berman & Simmons, City of Auburn, City of Lewiston, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Helen & George Ladd Charitable Fund, Liberty Mutual Group, Maine Arts Commission, Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, Mount Auburn Dental, Onion Foundation, Platz Associates, Sun Journal, and Turner Publishing.

3rd entity, M P Landis and Kitty Winslow

SOUTH PARIS, ME — University of Maine Cooperative Extension and McLaughlin Garden and Homestead will host a panel on how climate change impacts plants on Thursday, June 20, 2-3:30 p.m. at 97 Main Street, South Paris. 

Climate Change and Plants: Panel Discussion is a moderated conversation about the impacts of climate change on plants with experts in the fields of horticulture, agriculture, ecology, forestry and climatology. Panelists will include Hannah Mullally, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Rebecca Long, Sean Horan, and Sean Birkel, UMaine Cooperative Extension; and Andrew Tufts, Maine Audubon. The discussion will include strategies for individuals and communities to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Attendees may submit questions for the panelists ahead of time by way of a link provided in the registration confirmation email. 

This program is offered free of charge but registration is required on the event webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.743.6329 or extension.oxford@maine.edu.

LEWISTON, ME — Lewiston Public Library (LPL) will be hosting National Book Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson for a public event on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 5:30PM, as part of a national tour in support of her new book, Remember Us. Woodson will be joined in conversation with Director and Founder of Diverse BookFinder, Dr. Krista Aronson. The event is offered in partnership with the Maine Humanities Council (MHC), a statewide non-profit organization and Maine’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Woodson’s new book, Remember Us, is a beautiful, lyrical novel inspired by her own childhood in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. Capturing a transformative summer in the life of a twelve-year-old girl as she watches much of her world change, its powerful story delves deeply into life’s burning questions about time, memory, and what we take with us into the future.

The public event will take place in Lewiston Public Library’s Callahan Hall on the third floor. Admission is free.

About Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson (jacquelinewoodson.com) is the author of more than thirty books for young people and adults including Another Brooklyn, Red At The Bone and The Day You Begin. She received a 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a 2023 E. B. White Award, a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award, and was the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her New York Times bestselling memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, won the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, and the NAACP Image Award. Her books for young readers include Coretta Scott King Award and NAACP Image Award winner Before the Ever After, New York Times bestsellers The Day You Begin and Harbor Me, Newbery Honor winners Feathers, Show Way, and After Tupac and D Foster, and Each Kindness. In 2018, she founded BALDWIN FOR THE ARTS (https://baldwinforthearts.org), a residency serving writers, composers, interdisciplinary, and visual artists of the Global Majority. Her most recent novel, Remember Us, is set in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.

LEWISTON, ME – Maine’s largest independent, nonprofit home healthcare and care management organization has rebranded to Andwell Health Partners.  

Founded in 1966, Andwell Health Partners (now formerly known as Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice) started as a home health provider serving the Androscoggin County region. Over its decades-long history, it has expanded throughout the state, in all sixteen counties, with services that include in-home hospice care, Maine’s first inpatient hospice facility, the Maine Center for Palliative Medicine, and most recently, community and behavioral health, mobile wound care, in-home care giving, private-duty nursing, therapy care, and maternal and child health. 

“As we continue to grow and evolve, we realized that the name Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice no longer accurately reflected who we are, where we are going, and who we serve,” says Andwell board chair Debra Fournier. The new name, Andwell Health Partners, better encompasses everything the organization does. “We’re now the largest independent, nonprofit, home and community-based healthcare organization in Maine,” Fournier says.  

The word Andwell is an amalgamation of the organization’s history, mission, and services: “And” honors the Androscoggin County roots, “well” celebrates the focus on health and wellness, and “dwell” highlights the care delivery system of in-home health. The second part of the name, Health Partners, represents the organization’s mission to be a trusted partner to its patients and clients, with a focus on wellness, not illness. And it also serves as health partner to other healthcare organizations who refer to and depend on Andwell. “We collaborate with hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare organizations,” says Andwell president and CEO Ken Albert. “We’re proud they choose us time and again as their preferred partner for home and community-based health care. We take this trust and responsibility seriously.” 

“We are proud of our important place on the healthcare continuum, and we know that Andwell Health Partners reflects our true evolution and vision,” says Albert. “Our name may have changed, but our heart hasn’t. We are still the same great people, and we are still committed to enhancing quality of life by providing innovative and compassionate health care for all. We want to serve as your partner in health for life.”

 LEWISTON, ME – A song that has stood the test of time, “Oh Lewiston,” composed by Emmy-nominated, renowned music producer Con Fullam, debuted in video form at the Tue., May 21, City Council meeting.

 “I wrote ‘Oh Lewiston’ some twenty plus years ago at the request of Lew Colby, then General Manager of WCSH-TV, for a promotional campaign he was creating to celebrate the City of Lewiston. It was not a difficult assignment for me as I had grown up in Waterville which was and still is pretty much a twin. I had not thought about the song in years until the tragedy of October 25 took place. At that time, the song came back to me, and I felt that its positive message could lift spirits badly in need.” 

“The lyrics in ‘Oh Lewiston’ still hold true today and shine a light on city’s heritage, perseverance, and unwavering can-do spirit,” said Mayor Carl Sheline. “We were first introduced to the song when pursuing the All-America City designation and were pleased to be reminded of it when Mr. Fullam reached out.” 

“I approached the City about producing a new version of the song featuring the voices of many of Maine’s best known artists including Denny Breau, Brooke LaChance, Eddie Boucher, and Efra Bacerra. Both the City and the artists were excited by the idea, and so we went into the studio and recorded this new version. All of us involved in the making of this music video are deeply honored to be a part of it,” said Fullam.

 “For 28 music professionals from throughout the State of Maine to collaborate without hesitation and at no cost to the City is simply extraordinary,” said Mayor Sheline. “Mr. Fullam said this would be a gift to the City of Lewiston, and it is indeed a real gem. We were also pleased that he gave us the opportunity to submit visuals about our hometown.”

 The new musical format was recorded at The Recording Club at The Studio, Portland, Maine, and at Efra Bacerra Studio, Lewiston. Audio producers for the project are Con Fullam, Steve Drown, and Efra Bacerra. Piano is provided by Roy Clark and violin input by Andy Happell and Erica Brown. Sound mix and mastering is provided by Steve Drown with videographers Reg Groff and Joe Coolbrith. Reg Groff also served as Editor. 

Performers in the video are leads Denny Breau and Brook LaChance, Scott Elliot, Pat Colwell, Sierra Harris, Dan Merrill, Barney Martin, Don Campbell, Firefly, Katie Daggett, Cali Rossen, Ed Boucher, Amina Mahamat, Joan Kennedy, Yvette Faulkner, Anni Clark, Clara Bongamo, Jeanne Martin, Efra Bacerra, Eli Bacerra-Grieve, and Kaylee Kazadi. 

Fullam also extends appreciation to numerous others who provided guest appearances, visuals, video, and/or creative input: Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Jared Golden and family, Gov. Janet Mills, Humorist Tim Sample, Actor Patrick Dempsey, the City of Lewiston, Lewiston Communications Coordinator Dottie Perham-Whittier, Lewiston Highway Operations Manager Reggie Poussard, The Dempsey Center, Richard Plourde Photography, Ryan Ordway, Thom Dickenson, David Hembre, Maine Memory Network, The Androscoggin Historical Society, Lewiston Sun Journal, Mayor Carl L. Sheline, and former Mayor Laurent F. Gilbert, Sr.

AUBURN, ME — The Lewiston-Auburn Kiwanis Club is pleased to announce its $100,000 Hole In One Contest. It will be hosted by Taber’s Restaurant, Miniature Golf and Driving Range at 473 Lake Shore Drive, Auburn. The qualifying dates are June 1, & 2 from Noon to 5 pm and Jun 5, 6 and 7 from 4 to 7 pm. Those who are the ten closest to the pin will shoot it out for the top prize on June 8 at 3 pm!

Everyone is welcome to try to qualify, just use your favorite club and our golf balls. Try as many times as you like! It only costs $1 for a ball, six balls for $5 and 13 balls for $10.

This is a fundraiser for the Lewiston-Auburn Kiwanis Club. We have been serving our communities since 1922 with many charitable activities, such as scholarships, supporting Key Clubs in five area high schools and donations to community groups.

For more information, go to our Facebook page, Kiwanis Club of Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, and click on our Hole in One event.

Shown here planning this event are, left to right, Deb Levesque, Cody Malpass, Jamie Thompson, Karen Choate, Julie Gile and Don Malpass.