Esty is Princess Grace winner
Sara Esty, a Gorham native and professional ballet dancer, is a winner of the 2006 Princess Grace Awards, it was announced Monday.
The awards for theater, dance and film, first instituted in 1984, are named in honor of Princess Grace of Monaco, who helped aspiring artists pursue their goals throughout her lifetime.
Esty, 20, who has been dancing since the age of 3, received her foundation of ballet training and performing experience at Maine State School for the Performing Arts and the Maine State Ballet company. For three years, she was accepted into the School of American Ballet summer intensive.
Esty has studied at Miami City Ballet – one of the largest companies in the U.S. – since the summer of 2003. She began her professional career with Miami City Ballet as a student apprentice in 2004, and was promoted to coryphA?©e (lead dancer) in 2006. Thus far in her career with Miami City Ballet, she has danced in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor and Edward Villella.
“I have always been compelled to move to music. Music stirs something inside of me,” she said. “I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. To be recognized for something that is so much a part of how I define myself is amazing, and has given me incredible confidence and motivation to set higher goals for myself. “
A gala to honor the award winners will be hosted by CNN’s Larry King and will be held on Thursday, Nov. 2, at Manhattan’s Cipriani 42nd Street.
The foundation, a public charity formed after the death of Princess Grace in 1982, awards grants, scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships to assist artists with their training. Award-winning playwright Tony Kushner and “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Stephen Hillenberg are among previous winners. Over years, over 400 scholarships have been awarded to emerging talent who represent the best and the brightest in their fields.
Pikes’ memorable trip
Earl and Joyce Pike of Casco, along with his brother Ken and his wife Phyl Pike of Sebago, headed west on July 4 for the trip of their lifetime.
Both brothers are natives of Gorham.
The first stop was to visit to Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland, where Earl and Joyce’s grandson, William Pike, is a student. Attending college on a soccer scholarship, he is the son of Craig and Misuk Pike of Gorham.
Next was a stop at the recently opened Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield, Ill. “If your readers ever get a chance, this should be a priority,” said Joyce.
The next day they visited the home of President Harry S. Truman in Independence, Mo. (As Earl would say, couldn’t show partiality, had to visit a Republican and a Democrat.) “Harry’s place needed to be updated. The information of his time was priceless and we enjoyed that visit very much,” Joyce said.
With time to spare before their Pike family reunion in Colorado Springs, they took a side trip to Mount Rushmore. “What a geography lesson – the corn and wheat fields, endless state after state. The four guys on the mountain were beyond imagination, the workers climbed 700 steps each morning to work on this amazing sculpture,” she said.
They explored the beautiful area around Pike’s Peak in Colorado Springs. When it was time to meet with the other 140 Pikes, they were greeted with enthusiasm, treated to receptions at two museums, and were honored guests at a re-dedication of Zebulon Montgomery Pike’s statue in front of the new court building in Colorado Springs. A trip up to the summit of Pike’s Peak with 111 members of the Pike family was a highlight (14,110 feet above sea level)
Arizona was their next stop. Even though it was 115 degrees, they enjoyed a visit with another family member, Willy and Ruth Pike. They have lived in Arizona for many years, but have a deep history in Gorham and Standish.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us. Earl drove most of the 7,000- plus miles, with occasional relief from his brother Ken. It was great. We had many laughs, memories for a life time,” Joyce said. “Every one in America should drive across this country once, just to see the vast acres in our Midwest.”
Bank donates gym scoreboard
TD Banknorth recently donated a new, electronic scoreboard for the gym at the Shaw School, which is being renovated as a municipal center.
The scoreboard is part of the overall renovation project at the former school. Town and school administrative offices are expected to move in this fall.
Jotul open house Saturday
Jotul North America will host a free open house from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, at its headquarters 55 Hutcherson Drive in the Gorham Industrial Park.
The open house will feature two sessions, one at 10:30 a.m. and another at noon, about alternative heating solutions.
Guests will also have an opportunity to tour the company’s manufacturing plant. A feature of the open house will be a wood-burning demonstration.
Refreshments will be served.
School daze begins
The first day of school for kindergarten through Grade 9 is Tuesday, Sept. 5. School begins on Wednesday, Sept. 6, for Grades 10, 11 and 12.
U.S. public debt
The Bureau of Public Debt reported on Friday, Aug. 18, that the U. S. public debt is $8,500,932,047,599.16.
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