PORTLAND
Church to host Latino Food Festival
The Latino Food Festival will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday – until the food runs out – at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’s Guild Hall at 307 Congress St.
The festival will include music, costumes, handmade crafts, and the opportunity to sample many Central and South American dishes like tacos, tamales, pupusas, carne asada, horchata, flan, chicken stew, rellenitos, and more. Tickets for the different food items will be sold at the festival.
All proceeds from the event will benefit Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish in Portland. The festival celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the parish’s Latino parishioners. Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish is the home for Hispanic Ministry for the Greater Portland area, serving people from 12 Spanish-speaking countries through a variety of events held in Spanish. Sacred Heart/St. Dominic also provides countless community programs, social justice presentations, and workshops for local residents, including Catholic Charities Refugee & Immigration Services.
For more details, call 653-5609.

BUXTON
Equine therapy center welcomes public to banquet
Hearts & Horses Riding Center will host the first annual Bands Behind the Barn benefit concert from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Hearts & Horses Therapy Riding Center, at 63 Justin Merrill Road.
The farm will host live music all day, featuring food and drink trucks, raffles, carnival-style games, and more. All proceeds from the fundraising will support therapeutic equine riding programs through scholarships for youth and adults with challenges.
Musical performances will include 2 For Jackson, Mehuman, Laurie Jones, Tim Winchester, and Two Minutes Out.
Tickets are $10 and $20 per family. They are now available at eventbrite.com/e/bands-behind-the-barn-2022-benefit-tickets-360182494537.

BRUNSWICK
Honor health care workers at barbecue
The Brunswick Downtown Association will sponsor a community barbecue event from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday by the Brunswick Town Mall on Maine St.
Join the BDA and pay tribute to first responders and health care workers, recognizing their service and dedication to the community. This family-friendly event will have burgers and hot dogs, live music by the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra and the Dave Bullard Band, and plenty of fun activities for all ages, including a bounce house, building kits, face painting, games, toys and emergency vehicles to explore.
Attendees are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair for seating.

SACO
Pastel Society hosts juried exhibition
The Saco Museum is featuring The Pastel Society of Maine’s 2022 Open Juried Exhibition “Pastels Only” through Oct. 21 at 371 Main St.
The PSME, originally established in 1999 as the Pastel Painters of Maine (PPOM), promotes public awareness of pastels and creates a network for local and regional pastel artists. The general membership meets quarterly, with an educational program or artist demonstration, and a membership of about 116 from Maine and across the U.S. and Canada. Yearly activities include paint-outs, paint-ins, retreats, workshops, and exhibitions.
This year’s “Pastels Only” is conducted by Laurinda O’Connor, the 2019 Best in Show award winner for the PSME 19th International Juried Exhibition. She will offer a free pastel demonstration from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday. A presentation of awards and a reception will follow from 4 to 6 p.m.
For more details about the Pastel Society of Maine, go to pastelsocietyofmaine.org. For more on the Saco Museum or the Dyer Library, call 283-3861, ext. 115 or visit dyerlibrarysacomuseum.org.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH
High school track open to non-students
The Old Orchard Beach High School track has reopened, with community members welcomed to come and follow a list of guidelines that are intended to maximize its longevity.
Walkers and joggers must use the outside lanes 3 and 4. There are no pets allowed. No gum, food, or glass bottles. There are no wheeled vehicles of any kind allowed, including bicycles, strollers, rollerblades, skateboards. etc.
There should be no spectators or chairs allowed on track. Only sneakers/track footwear allowed. No shoes with cleats.

WATERVILLE
Business Breakfast features MEMIC manager
The Mid-Maine Chamber will host its next Business Breakfast from 7:15 to 9 a.m. Thursday at the Best Western Plus, 375 Main St.
MEMIC Southern Maine manager Alexis Flink will head a talk on workplace impairment awareness and the rights of employers, detailing resources that are available to assist employees with a substance use disorder. Flink has more than 15 years of experience in providing safety management in the insurance industry and has worked in a variety of industries from hospitals and construction to nonprofit organizations.
Pre-register today. Cost is $20 in advance for members or $27 for all at the door. Breakfast is included.
To register, go to midmainechamber.com or call 873-3315.

WELLS
Test drive, learn about EVs at show
The Town of Wells Energy Advisory Committee will hold its 2nd annual electric vehicle show from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Wells Public Library at 1434 Post Road – rain or shine.
Provided they have them in stock, many local car dealers will be bringing electric vehicles for public inspection. Test drives will be possible for several models. Local EV owners and organizations will also be on hand to show their own cars and discuss the pros and cons of going electric in Maine.
Efficiency Maine will be present to provide any interested buyer with the details about cash rebates on both new and used EVs, as well as rebates on a whole range of products from heat pumps to washing machine.

Wells library posts updated events
Wells Public Library will host the follow programs this week at 1434 Post Road:
• For children, a “Random Fandom: Super-Secret Spies” free session for grades 5 and up will begin at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. Teens are invited to embrace their inner secret spy, creating secret messages, cracking codes, and escaping mazes. Snacks will be provided. For more details, contact Kayla Sawyer at ksawyer@wellstown.org.
• A Mother Goose Storytime will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Monday, inviting children ages 0-24 months and their caregivers to engage in lap activities, rhymes, songs, and fingerplays.
• Adult programs will include the Nonfiction Book Group, meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to talk about the book “American Made” by author Farah Stockman.
• A Tick Talk will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday with Bob Maurais from Mainely Ticks, who will share strategies to better protect your family from the ever-increasing threat of ticks and tick-borne diseases. Items discussed will include personal protection strategies, landscape modifications and the life cycle of the deer tick. Educational literature will be distributed to all who attend, including fine pointed magnified tweezers, tick identification guides and bookmarks.
• Great Decisions is back and meeting at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Join other community members for lively and informative discussions on the major global issues of our time. Meetings center on topics outlined in the Great Decisions briefing book provided by the Foreign Policy Association. John Randazzo, facilitator for the meetings, has led Great Decisions discussion groups since 2016, both in Maine and Florida.
For more information, contact Stefanie Claydon at sclaydon@wellstown.org or call the library at 646-8181.
The library invites everyone to come and view the has new furniture for patrons to enjoy, including lounge chairs and a dining table on the deck, and a new picnic table on the north side of the library.

ELIOT
Arts and cultural nonprofit event rescheduled
ProjectMusicWorks, a Seacoast N.H., and southern Maine-based arts and cultural nonprofit, has rescheduled its 18th anniversary Big Easy Roots & Gospel Fest for 4 p.m. Sunday at the Regatta Room Banquet and Conference Center at 28 Levesque Dr. A reception with free appetizers and cash bar will begin at 3 p.m., followed by a concert, featuring music by The Soggy Po’ Boys and Rock My Soul. A silent auction and different raffles will run throughout the afternoon, and CDs and merchandise will be available for purchase.
Proceeds will benefit ProjectMusicWorks and its mission of performing free outreach concerts at hospice centers, homeless shelters, nursing homes, rehab programs, correctional facilities, and other facilities that support those in need.
Advance tickets are $25 each for a table of 10, $30 for general admission, and $35 for VIP reserved seats. Tickets may be purchased online directly from Brown Paper Tickets at bigeasy.bpt.me. Tickets purchased at the door are $35 first come, first served. For more information, visit projectmusicworks.org or call 450-8016.

CAMDEN/ROCKLAND
ArtFeeds collaboration culminates in gallery, auction
Area Interfaith Outreach (AIO) announces the opening of ArtFeeds, an exhibition and online silent auction of a collection of 30 wooden bowls to support the organization’s food, energy, weekend meal and diaper assistance programs.
Thirty well-known Midcoast artists have created their own bowl or worked with a wooden bowl carved and donated by residents of the Maine State Correctional Facility’s industries program. The only direction for the artists was to “create something that represents the community taking care of one another with food,” according to Joe Ryan, executive director of AIO. ArtFeeds Artists-in-Action Against Food Insecurity is a unique collaboration amongst artists, Page Gallery and the Maine State Correctional Facility, coming together to highlight and support AIO’s programs.
The exhibition is on display through Saturday at Page Gallery. The online silent auction also runs the length of the exhibition, both culminating with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. with final bids sealed promptly at 6 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
Those interested in viewing the exhibition and participating in the silent auction are encouraged to pre-register. Silent auction information can be found on AIO’s website at aiofoodpantry.org/artfeeds. All proceeds from the silent auction will support AIO’s four programs: food pantry, energy assistance, weekend meal and diaper program.

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