Researcher to talk on green crabs
Researcher Jeremy Miller from the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, a coastal research center in Wells, will present photos and videos of invasive green crabs, and offer a few ideas on what to do about these marsh invaders, at a talk Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m., at the L.L. Bean camping department atrium.
Coastal salt marches are nurseries for many of the recreational and commercial fish in the Gulf of Maine. Over the past century, millions of invasive green crabs have moved into Maine’s marshes, decimating clam flats and threatening native species. New and strange behavior by the crabs is even more worrisome. They are attacking the marsh itself.
Space is limited. Reservations can be made at www.llbean.com/adventure.
Bean supper at First Parish
A bean and pasta supper will be held on Saturday, July 11, from 5-6 p.m. at First Parish Church Congregational, 40 Main St. The menu will include three kinds of homemade baked beans, macaroni and cheese, American chop suey, hot dogs, rolls, pickles, cole slaw, homemade desserts, beverages and more. The cost is $8, and $4 for children. Profits support outreach programs.
Farm offers tours
Wolfe’s Neck Farm is offering barnyard and organic garden tours on the hour, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer, weather permitting. After meeting cows, sheep, goats and chickens, participants will ride in the hay wagon to see pastures and visit the seaside vegetable plot run by the Teen Agriculture Program. This is a drop-in program for all ages. Cost is $5 per person, free for ages 3 and under. Advance registration is not necessary. For more information, see www.wolfesneckfarm.org or call 869-5433.
Summer tours of Pettengill Farm
Freeport Historical Society is offering a limited series of summer tours of the historic Pettengill farmhouse and grounds as a way for the public to learn more about this remarkable homestead. The saltbox, built about 1800, has been preserved as a study house, without the modern conveniences of running water, electricity or telephone. The house is situated on 140 acres that supported a saltwater farm and dairy, most recently by Mildred Pettengill and her brother, Frank.
Participants can sign up for a one-hour tour that will include a history of the farm and house, and viewing of the rare “graffiti” wall etchings of ships and marine life. The tours will be led by Holly Hurd, historical society collections manager, on Thursday, July 9, at 5 p.m.; Saturday, July 18, at 10 a.m.; Wednesday, July 22, at 5 p.m.; and Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 5 p.m. The cost is $10 for the general public and $8 for Freeport Historical Society members.
Since tours will require a minimum of four participants, those wishing to take part must register and pay for them at least 24 hours in advance. The tours will be limited to a maximum of 10. Tours will be canceled in the event of rain. Attendees should meet at the gate entrance at the end of Pettengill Road, and will carpool to the site. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org or call 865-3170.
Freeport Players to stage ‘Love & Lobsters’
Freeport Players will present “Love & Lobsters,” an original musical production by Portland resident John Linscott, July 17-26, at the Freeport Performing Arts Center, 30 Holbrook St. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. On Thursday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m., there will be a “pay-what-you-want” preview.
“Love & Lobsters” features catchy tunes, a touch of local humor and a love story set in a coastal Maine village. It is appropriate for most audiences. Tickets are $15 at the door, or $10 in advance at www.fcponline.org/tix.htm. For more information, go to www.fcponline.org or call 865-2220.
Architectural historian to talk at farm
Freeport Historical Society and Wolfe’s Neck Farm are teaming up to sponsor a talk by author and architectural historian Thomas Hubka, Sunday July 12, at 3 p.m. Hubka will interpret the cultural landscape of the Greenfield Pote house and barn and the Mallet barn, 18th- and 19th-century structures on Wolfe’s Neck Farm.
This 90-minute public program will begin with a presentation about farm-building architecture at the Mallet Barn on Wolfe’s Neck Road. The cathedral-like hay barn was built by Freeport entrepreneur E. B. Mallet Jr. in 1891. Participants will then move by wagon to the Pote house and barn, where Hubka will discuss in the context of his research the architecture of the period. The Pote house, originally built about 1761 in Falmouth, was moved by water to its current site by its ship-captain owner about 1787. It stands on a hilltop overlooking the Little River estuary, with a view largely unchanged since the late 18th century.
Hubka is best known for his book, “Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England,” for which he received the Abbott Lowell Cummings Award for best book in American vernacular architecture. He is professor emeritus from the Department of Architecture, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has also taught architecture courses colleges in Oregon. His latest book about vernacular architecture is “Houses Without Names: Architectural Nomenclature and the Classification of America’s Common Houses.”
Cost of the program is $5 in advance for members of the Freeport Historical Society or Wolfe’s Neck Farm, and $10 at the door or for the general public. The event is limited to 60 participants. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling 865-3170 or online at www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org.
Thriller writer at library
The Freeport Community Library will host a book talk and signing by Vaughn Hardhacker, who lives in northern Maine, on Monday evening, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. “The Fisherman,” Hardacker’s just-released summer thriller, has homicide detectives Mike Houston and Anne Bouchard leaving Boston for the isolated mountains of Maine, where they take on a missing person case.
Hardacker is a veteran of the U.S. Marines and served in Vietnam. He is a member of the New England Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and his short stories have been published in several anthologies.
Copies of “Sniper,” Hardacker’s previous novel, and “The Fisherman” will be available for purchase and signing.
‘Hamlet’ in park
Fenix Theatre Company, whose managing director is Julie George-Carlson of Freeport, will offer free performances of “Hamlet” at Deering Oaks Park in downtown Portland beginning Thursday, July 16, and running through Saturday, Aug. 8. Performances are held Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The performance on Saturday, July 25, will be held at Congress Square Park. For more information, see www.fenixtheatre.com.
New programs at state park
Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park is offering a new series, Summer Nature Explorations, designed for children ages 7-10 and their caregivers. The new programs focus on hands-on nature discovery and nature awareness. Programs will include projects and experiments, active games involving stealth and creativity, and multi-sensory exploration.
Programs are one hour long and are free with park admission. They take place on Sundays from July 7-Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. Pre-register by calling the park at 865-4465.
For more information about the park, see www.maine.gov/wolfesneckwoods.
Free film
Based on the acclaimed biography by author Laura Hillenbrand, “Unbroken” will be screened at the Freeport Community Library on Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m. The film, directed by Angelina Jolie, tells the real-life story of Olympian Louis Zamperini. It is rated PG-13.
Outdoor concert on July 8
Freeport Community Library will host its first outdoor concert, featuring Pan Fried Steel, a community steel band based in Yarmouth, on Wednesday, July 8, at 6 p.m. The concert is free. Pan Fried Steel began 15 years ago and continues to draw new members from southern and midcoast Maine. Under the directorship of Ian Ramsay, chairman of the Arts Department at North Yarmouth Academy, Pan Fried Steel plays a diverse repertoire that includes calypso, reggae, soca, swing, and music made popular by artists such as Charlie Parker, Jimmy Buffet and the Beach Boys.
Families are invited to bring lawn chairs and a picnic supper to the performance. The library has a carry-in/carry-out policy. Trash from picnic suppers must be brought back home for disposal.
In the event of rain, the concert will move indoors to the Community Meeting Room, where food is not permitted and seating is limited to a maximum of 65 guests.
Tickets still available for farm feast
Wolfe’s Neck Farm will hold a “Family Farm Feast,” featuring local food prepared by Gather Farm Fresh Eatery and Frontier Cafe?, on Sunday, Aug. 30, from 5-8 p.m. Live music, dancing and kids activities will also be part of the event. Tickets for the farm-to-table dinner, available at www.wolfesneckfarm.org, are $50 for adults, $20 for children age 4 and up and free for children 3 and under. The price includes all food, drinks and activities.
The events support the Teen Ag Program, educating the next generation of farmers and small farm advocates while filling food pantry shelves. In the past three years, the Teen Ag Program donated more than 12,000 pounds of fresh produce to local food banks.
College achievements
Bennett Wade, a Peace & Conflict Studies major from Freeport, is a member of the Colgate University class of 2015. Wade is one of 732 students to graduate from Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., on May 17.
Laura Ramage of Freeport was inducted into the French honor society at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Penn. Ramage is an international studies and French major in the class of 2016. A 2012 graduate of Freeport High School, she is the daughter of Ray and Laura Ramage.
Rec soccer seeks sponsors, kids
Regional School Unit 5 Recreation & Community Education is accepting team sponsorships for the Fall Recreational Soccer League for grades K-6, beginning in late August. Sponsors receive their names on the back of one team’s shirts, recognition in the fall program guide (mailed to more than 6,000 households in the area) as well as a sponsor logo and link to the business on the website, www.rsu5-rce.org. Cost is $325 per team. Those interested should email Anthony Johnson at johnsona@rsu5.org for a sponsorship form or call 865-6171 for more information. Deadline to submit a sponsorship proposal is July 31.
Those interested in enrolling in the Fall Recreational Soccer League can contact johnsona@rsu5.org or call 865-6171.
Free summer lunch for kids
Freeport Community Services is running the Summer Free Lunch for Kids program, which runs now through Aug. 28, Monday through Friday except July 3, FCS will be preparing and serving free, healthy lunches for all children. Meals will be distributed at the Freeport Community Center, the Village View Apartments Community Room, at Mast Landing School, and Wildwood Acres on Elm Street. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m.-noon. There are no income or residency requirements. All children under the age of 19 are welcome.
For more information, call Sarah Lundin at 865-3985, ext. 205.
Upcoming meetings
Project Review Board, Wednesday, July 8, 6 p.m., Town Council Chambers.
Coastal Waters Committee, Wednesday, July 8, 6 p.m., Freeport Community Center.
Shellfish Conservation Commission, Thursday, July 9, 6 p.m., Freeport Community Center.
Winslow Park Commission, Monday, July 13, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.
Conservation Commission, Wednesday, July 15, 6 p.m., Freeport Community Center.
A full listing of upcoming town meetings and agendas is available on www.freeportmaine.com
The invasive green crab is the topic of a talk by researcher Jeremy Miller on Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m., at the L.L. Bean camping department atrium. Courtesy photoSend questions/comments to the editors.
